Spring Break
Hi Everyone,
It has been an interesting two weeks at home. I truly miss all of my students and not seeing them every day has been hard. However, I am truly grateful for knowing that the health and safety of our community is a top priority and that your kids are doing well.
This is an unprecedented time that has forced us to be more reflective. I am super thankful for the time I have been afforded to spend with your kids this year and am hopeful that I will get to spend time with them again.
There will be no new learning opportunities or suggested and optional items that will be sent for next week. Spring break will be a time to sleep in, relax, eating yummy food, and spend quality time with family. I am going to take a much-needed staycation and try VERY hard to unplug and connect with the land.
We will resume the week after spring break with the same schedule as this week. During the week of April 6, I will...
Please feel free to continue using the suggested and optional resources I have provided (reposted below with a few adjustments) if needed, however, I am encouraging everyone to take a break this next week if possible to recharge and take care of themselves.
Modified Repost - PLEASE READ AS MINOR THINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED.
COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS
Prevention and mitigation in dealing with the COVID-19 virus is the proactive thing to do. Stay informed and follow the district updates on the Coronavirus.
Click on the links below for daily updates!
https://www.a2schools.org/COVID-19
https://www.uofmhealth.org/
https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
www.who.int/coronavirus
Click here for Community Resources from our AAPS district community partners that provide support for our families and students while school is on the break as a result of COVID-19. This includes free resources from existing nonprofits, businesses and organizations in our local community.
Scheduling and Routines
To help with a smooth transition and a continued routine for students that will look different from our normal school day, I highly suggest making a schedule for your family. I suggest including these particular ideas when making a schedule.
Times are suggested and can be modified to adjust to your family...
8:00-9:00 a.m. Breakfast and set a learning/behavior goal for the week with your family on Monday, Friday discuss if you met that goal and what you did or need to do to reach that goal
9:00-9:15 a.m. Check email and get Morning Message from Ms. Shah
9:15-10:15 a.m. Math (EM - McGraw Hill, Dreambox, Khan Academy, XtraMath)
10:15-10:45 a.m. Brain Break (snack/movement break - walk, GoNoodle, dance)
10:45-11:45 a.m. ELA Activity - (reading, writing, spelling)
11:45-12:30 p.m. Lunch (eat, walk and talk)
12:30-1:30 p.m. Science/Social Studies
1:30-2:00 p.m. Unwind Your Mind (Creative activity like drawing, painting, puzzles)
2:00-2:45 p.m. Brain Break (snack, Mindfulness, outdoor walk)
2:45-3:45 p.m. Tech Time (Typing Club, Coding, Choice)
3:45-4:45 p.m. Academic Choice Time
4:45-5:30 p.m. Classroom Home Jobs (tasks to help around the house, help prep dinner)
5:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner with the Family
6:30-7:30 p.m. Family Time
7:30-9:00 p.m. Get ready for bed, brush teeth, pajamas, curl up with a good book next to a furry friend or stuffed animal
9:00 p.m. SNOOZIN' and Parent Alone Time
This additional scheduled resource below went viral and was made by a mom who made this to keep herself and her family sane through the unprecedented weeks ahead. It was also shared by NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents), a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center.
Technology Needs and Survey
Access to technology is still not available to all students. The district is continuing to work on that. Unfortunately, I won't be able to videoconference with your children until I have been given permission by the district and our administration. However, I am hoping to be able to have conferences with students soon. After spring break, I will still be accessible and responsive when needed during the day and during virtual office hours.
Clever Apps
Students all brought home Clever badges to log on daily to practice learning. Clever badges are also located inside your child's home folder and were taped in at the beginning of the year. There are many apps on Clever that your child can explore and utilize. For example, Lexia, Learning A to Z, XtraMath, Khan Academy, Seesaw, Dreambox, Code, McGraw Hill, and Pebble Go Next. Check out the more detailed information about each learning tool.
Lexia:
All students can get onto Lexia (through Clever). Lexia Reading provides students with differentiated literacy instruction. Lexia’s research-proven program provides explicit, systematic, personalized learning in the six areas of reading instruction, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and providing teachers with the data and student-specific resources they need for individual or small-group instruction.
Lexia has now added levels for our students to go beyond what they have previously done. I encourage ALL students in my class to get on to Lexia daily for 15-20 minutes a day during the week. My goal for them is to pass out of it and complete it.
Pebble Go Next:
The PebbleGo Next has an extensive database that helps students in grades 3rd-5th learn about key concepts related to Social Studies, Biographies, Science, States, and American Indians. Robust articles, all supported by read-aloud audio and connected to the curriculum, include critical thinking questions to help students connect to larger ideas.
Learning A to Z:
Kids A-Z is an online platform where kids go to learn and teachers go to manage. This dynamic resource allows students to access all their digital learning materials and tools in one place and provides teachers with an all-in-one management hub to roster students, create online assignments, review and score student submissions, and access individual and class-wide reporting.
Key Features Include:
This program access the Everyday Math Curriculum. Students can access past homelinks, the student reference books, online games, do anytime activities, eToolkit, tutorial videos, and more! Have your child explore this app to reinforce concepts taught from Units 1-6.
Dreambox
DreamBox is a digital math program for grades K-8 that combines fun and engaging math learning environment with a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. DreamBox lessons are interactive experiences that promote active learning and independent critical thinking and respond to each student’s strategies and decisions at the moment. This enables DreamBox to individually tailor the instructional experience for each student based on the strategies they use when working through lessons. Because DreamBox dynamically adapts lessons and learning paths based on the needs of each learner, students always have just the right level of support when and where they need it.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.
XtraMath
XtraMath helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic math facts to recalling them. Quickly recalling math facts, instead of calculating them, frees up mental resources for higher-level operations.
XtraMath’s timed activities encourage students to answer questions as quickly as possible. When combined with the spaced repetition of problems, this efficiently develops recall. The three-second threshold is carefully selected to be long enough to type in a recalled answer but not long enough for the student to comfortably enter a counted or calculated answer.
Students should have already learned the basic counting or calculating strategies, and be able to solve the problems without time pressure, before starting to practice an operation with XtraMath.
If you have NOT logged on this year when letters were sent at the beginning of the year, please let me know and I will send you the code via email.
Typing Club
It is a web-based typing practice for students. Students keep practicing each lesson until they get all five stars. Students can practice a few minutes a day for a few weeks and significantly improve their typing skills.
Seesaw
I will be adding activities for students to access over the next week.
Mystery Science
Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)
How do things glow in the dark?
How deep does the ocean go?
How old is the Earth?
What is a black hole?
How do germs get inside your body?
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?
Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, digital w/ hands-on activity)
Why would a hawk move to New York City?
Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?
Why do the stars change with the seasons?
How much water is in the world?
When you turn on the faucet, where does the water come from?
Common Sense Media
Newsela
Newsela is a database of current events stories tailor-made for classroom use. Indexed by broad theme (e.g. War and Peace, Arts, Science, Health, Law, Money), stories are both student-friendly and can be accessed in different formats by reading level. Newsela differentiates nonfiction reading. Have your student sign-on and start reading today!
https://newsela.com/quickjoin/#/WWXUU2
Class code: WWXUU2
Epic!
Epic is the world's leading online children's subscription book service offering immediate, on-demand access to over 35,000 high-quality illustrated books and chapter books for children ages 12 and under. ... With an Epic subscription, books can be easily discovered, read, and shared with friends. I have sent one parent an email to log on for free for the remainder of the school year!
www.getepic.com/students
Student login: zzq7077
PBS KIDS
Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys with Scholastic Learning at Home. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own and with their families.
4H STEM Lab
Looking for easy ways to get your kids interested in science? The 4H STEM Lab provides fun, hands-on STEM activities for kids of all ages to do anywhere! These hands-on activities are designed to instill curiosity and critical thinking, helping kids develop skills to be successful in life. They are also fun, easy to do, and feature a messy factor just for you!
Prodigy
Prodigy is an engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform loved by over 50 million students, teachers, and admins. No cost, ever. Easily motivates 1st to 8th-grade students to learn and practice math. Accessible at home!
WWF
Learn about nature
It has been an interesting two weeks at home. I truly miss all of my students and not seeing them every day has been hard. However, I am truly grateful for knowing that the health and safety of our community is a top priority and that your kids are doing well.
This is an unprecedented time that has forced us to be more reflective. I am super thankful for the time I have been afforded to spend with your kids this year and am hopeful that I will get to spend time with them again.
There will be no new learning opportunities or suggested and optional items that will be sent for next week. Spring break will be a time to sleep in, relax, eating yummy food, and spend quality time with family. I am going to take a much-needed staycation and try VERY hard to unplug and connect with the land.
We will resume the week after spring break with the same schedule as this week. During the week of April 6, I will...
- Continue a Morning Message every day for the kids to read. It will include a daily positive message and some fun and uplifting things like fun facts. I will email them every morning at 8:00 a.m. to let them know the Morning Message has been updated.
- Provide one daily learning opportunity from the fifth-grade team for review and enrichment along with suggested ideas.
- Continue to check and respond to emails daily during regular school hours.
- Hold daily "office hours" from 11:00-12:00 p.m. when I am available in real-time to answer questions. However, I generally get back to anyone who emails me within a few hours.
- Continue to provide feedback to students as needed.
- Post on the blog weekly. I will email you when it is updated as usual.
- Refrain from sending daily emails to parents. If you want to know when suggested items are available, please check out the Morning Message document. That has everything archived as well so you can see every day that I have posted.
Modified Repost - PLEASE READ AS MINOR THINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED.
COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS
Prevention and mitigation in dealing with the COVID-19 virus is the proactive thing to do. Stay informed and follow the district updates on the Coronavirus.
Click on the links below for daily updates!
https://www.a2schools.org/COVID-19
https://www.uofmhealth.org/
https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
www.who.int/coronavirus
Click here for Community Resources from our AAPS district community partners that provide support for our families and students while school is on the break as a result of COVID-19. This includes free resources from existing nonprofits, businesses and organizations in our local community.
Scheduling and Routines
To help with a smooth transition and a continued routine for students that will look different from our normal school day, I highly suggest making a schedule for your family. I suggest including these particular ideas when making a schedule.
Times are suggested and can be modified to adjust to your family...
Schedule
9:00-9:15 a.m. Check email and get Morning Message from Ms. Shah
9:15-10:15 a.m. Math (EM - McGraw Hill, Dreambox, Khan Academy, XtraMath)
10:15-10:45 a.m. Brain Break (snack/movement break - walk, GoNoodle, dance)
10:45-11:45 a.m. ELA Activity - (reading, writing, spelling)
11:45-12:30 p.m. Lunch (eat, walk and talk)
12:30-1:30 p.m. Science/Social Studies
1:30-2:00 p.m. Unwind Your Mind (Creative activity like drawing, painting, puzzles)
2:00-2:45 p.m. Brain Break (snack, Mindfulness, outdoor walk)
2:45-3:45 p.m. Tech Time (Typing Club, Coding, Choice)
3:45-4:45 p.m. Academic Choice Time
4:45-5:30 p.m. Classroom Home Jobs (tasks to help around the house, help prep dinner)
5:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner with the Family
6:30-7:30 p.m. Family Time
7:30-9:00 p.m. Get ready for bed, brush teeth, pajamas, curl up with a good book next to a furry friend or stuffed animal
9:00 p.m. SNOOZIN' and Parent Alone Time
This additional scheduled resource below went viral and was made by a mom who made this to keep herself and her family sane through the unprecedented weeks ahead. It was also shared by NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents), a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center.
Technology Needs and Survey
Access to technology is still not available to all students. The district is continuing to work on that. Unfortunately, I won't be able to videoconference with your children until I have been given permission by the district and our administration. However, I am hoping to be able to have conferences with students soon. After spring break, I will still be accessible and responsive when needed during the day and during virtual office hours.
Resources for Learning
Students all brought home Clever badges to log on daily to practice learning. Clever badges are also located inside your child's home folder and were taped in at the beginning of the year. There are many apps on Clever that your child can explore and utilize. For example, Lexia, Learning A to Z, XtraMath, Khan Academy, Seesaw, Dreambox, Code, McGraw Hill, and Pebble Go Next. Check out the more detailed information about each learning tool.
Reading
Lexia:
All students can get onto Lexia (through Clever). Lexia Reading provides students with differentiated literacy instruction. Lexia’s research-proven program provides explicit, systematic, personalized learning in the six areas of reading instruction, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and providing teachers with the data and student-specific resources they need for individual or small-group instruction.
Lexia has now added levels for our students to go beyond what they have previously done. I encourage ALL students in my class to get on to Lexia daily for 15-20 minutes a day during the week. My goal for them is to pass out of it and complete it.
Pebble Go Next:
The PebbleGo Next has an extensive database that helps students in grades 3rd-5th learn about key concepts related to Social Studies, Biographies, Science, States, and American Indians. Robust articles, all supported by read-aloud audio and connected to the curriculum, include critical thinking questions to help students connect to larger ideas.
Learning A to Z:
Kids A-Z is an online platform where kids go to learn and teachers go to manage. This dynamic resource allows students to access all their digital learning materials and tools in one place and provides teachers with an all-in-one management hub to roster students, create online assignments, review and score student submissions, and access individual and class-wide reporting.
Key Features Include:
- A new student-learning environment designed to keep kids motivated and engaged, and make it easy to access resources across every available Learning A-Z product
- An enhanced teacher management system to easily roster students, create assignments and review and score student submissions
- Optimized reporting tools to quickly track individual and class-wide progress across multiple products
Math
McGraw HillThis program access the Everyday Math Curriculum. Students can access past homelinks, the student reference books, online games, do anytime activities, eToolkit, tutorial videos, and more! Have your child explore this app to reinforce concepts taught from Units 1-6.
Dreambox
DreamBox is a digital math program for grades K-8 that combines fun and engaging math learning environment with a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. DreamBox lessons are interactive experiences that promote active learning and independent critical thinking and respond to each student’s strategies and decisions at the moment. This enables DreamBox to individually tailor the instructional experience for each student based on the strategies they use when working through lessons. Because DreamBox dynamically adapts lessons and learning paths based on the needs of each learner, students always have just the right level of support when and where they need it.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content.
XtraMath
XtraMath helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic math facts to recalling them. Quickly recalling math facts, instead of calculating them, frees up mental resources for higher-level operations.
XtraMath’s timed activities encourage students to answer questions as quickly as possible. When combined with the spaced repetition of problems, this efficiently develops recall. The three-second threshold is carefully selected to be long enough to type in a recalled answer but not long enough for the student to comfortably enter a counted or calculated answer.
Students should have already learned the basic counting or calculating strategies, and be able to solve the problems without time pressure, before starting to practice an operation with XtraMath.
If you have NOT logged on this year when letters were sent at the beginning of the year, please let me know and I will send you the code via email.
Additional Clever Apps
Code.Org
This offers computer science programming. Code.org provides the leading curriculum for K-12 computer science in the largest school districts in the United States and Code.org also organizes the annual Hour of Code campaign.Typing Club
It is a web-based typing practice for students. Students keep practicing each lesson until they get all five stars. Students can practice a few minutes a day for a few weeks and significantly improve their typing skills.
Seesaw
I will be adding activities for students to access over the next week.
Additional Resources Beyond Clever
Social Studies
TIME for Kids engages students with authentic journalism and inspires them to join the national discourse on current topics. The magazines build informational-reading skills, helping students to better understand our complex world and become informed and active citizens.Mystery Science
Mini-Lessons (15-30 minutes, all digital)
How do things glow in the dark?
How deep does the ocean go?
How old is the Earth?
What is a black hole?
How do germs get inside your body?
How does hand sanitizer kill germs?
Full Lessons (45-90 minutes, digital w/ hands-on activity)
Why would a hawk move to New York City?
Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?
Why do the stars change with the seasons?
How much water is in the world?
When you turn on the faucet, where does the water come from?
Common Sense Media
| Free Online Activities and Events for Kids During Coronavirus Shutdowns |
| Although schools, gyms, art classes, music lessons—and, seemingly, life as we know it—are canceled, families can keep entertained and keep learning with live events and activities online. |
| We've compiled a list of activities ranging from drawing lessons to museum tours happening online. The best part? They're free. If you, like many of us parents here at Common Sense, are scrambling to find ways to keep your kids engaged with good media, check out our list! |
| Amid the COVID-19 anxiety, school shutdowns, work-from-home directives, and more, we at Common Sense have resources to help families and schools navigate this unpredictable time. As a parent and a teacher myself, I know it can feel overwhelming for families and teachers to adjust their plans on the fly. | |||
| Helping our communities choose media and tech that can keep kids engaged, entertained, and learning is core to our organizational mission. Whether you have kids at home or you need to develop plans to help kids learn outside the classroom, we think you'll find something useful below. | |||
| Media recommendations for entertainment Hand-picked, age-appropriate media suggestions to keep the whole family engaged. | |||
| Resources for at-home learning Tools to help parents and caregivers keep kids focused and learning at home. | |||
Stress-management resources
| |||
| Go to commonsensemedia.org or commonsense.org/education for more resources and support. |
Newsela is a database of current events stories tailor-made for classroom use. Indexed by broad theme (e.g. War and Peace, Arts, Science, Health, Law, Money), stories are both student-friendly and can be accessed in different formats by reading level. Newsela differentiates nonfiction reading. Have your student sign-on and start reading today!
https://newsela.com/quickjoin/#/WWXUU2
Class code: WWXUU2
Epic!
Epic is the world's leading online children's subscription book service offering immediate, on-demand access to over 35,000 high-quality illustrated books and chapter books for children ages 12 and under. ... With an Epic subscription, books can be easily discovered, read, and shared with friends. I have sent one parent an email to log on for free for the remainder of the school year!
www.getepic.com/students
Student login: zzq7077
PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS has a variety of free resources to support families:
- The PBS KIDS 24/7 channel offers anytime access to trusted educational series for kids ages 2-8 (check local listings).
- The PBS KIDS Video app is available on mobile, tablet, and connected TV devices and offers on-demand educational videos and a live stream of the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. No subscription required.
- The PBS KIDS Games app has nearly 200 educational games, which can be downloaded for offline play anytime, anywhere. Learn more about these and PBS KIDS' other apps HERE.
- PBS KIDS for Parents offers information, activities, and tips for parents, including this resource on "How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus."
Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys with Scholastic Learning at Home. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own and with their families.
4H STEM Lab
Looking for easy ways to get your kids interested in science? The 4H STEM Lab provides fun, hands-on STEM activities for kids of all ages to do anywhere! These hands-on activities are designed to instill curiosity and critical thinking, helping kids develop skills to be successful in life. They are also fun, easy to do, and feature a messy factor just for you!
Prodigy
Prodigy is an engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform loved by over 50 million students, teachers, and admins. No cost, ever. Easily motivates 1st to 8th-grade students to learn and practice math. Accessible at home!
WWF
Learn about nature
- The Great Monarch Migration (Social Studies Activity):
Learn about the monarch butterfly and create a map showing its remarkable journey from Canada to Mexico. - The Case of the Missing Sea Turtle (Science Activity):
Become a junior investigator tasked with solving a mystery by placing clues of climate change in order. - Conservation in the Classroom (Virtual Learning):
Bring conservation and science to life with virtual events featuring our WWF experts, who share stories about protecting species and habitats around the world.
- Get crafty with animal-themed art activities like Paw to Paw, The Umbrella Effect, and Watch Your Noodles for Elephants’ Sake.
- Create a poster for your refrigerator or wall with animal coloring pages. Go one step further and learn about the animal and its habitat with our dedicated species web pages.
- Use the SEEK app by iNaturalist to see what’s living in your own backyard and complete the Biodiversity Audit activity.
- Create a garden filled with plants that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators (try the Origami Butterfly Planters activity!) or create a backyard wildlife habitat, such as bird houses and bug hotels.
I already have a ton of other resources as well on the Curriculum & Student Resources page that students can reference. Please have your child explore those additional resources to continue their learning path.
Take care, everyone! I will certainly miss your kiddos! Please let them know I am thinking about them and I am looking forward to seeing them when we return. :0)
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a great Spring Break!
