Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

North Star Paths – free graphics (L:T;SA:A)

The 100+ Best Virtual Tours and Field Trips for Kids and Students [2020] – “We have compiled the ultimate list of everything from amusement parks to zoos so that you and your little ones can enjoy them from the comfort and safety of your own home!” (L:G;SA:A)

Empatico – “Empatico empowers teachers and students to explore the world through experiences that spark curiosity, kindness, and empathy. We combine live video with activities designed to foster meaningful connections among students ages 6-11.’ (L:E;SA:A)

The Inspiration Walk – “The Inspiration Walk is an immersive audio learning experience designed to help you see things differently. It's an exercise in observation and synthesis that gets your body and mind moving into unexpected territory. Use it to find inspiration on a challenge that matters to you.” (L:G;SA:A)

Sending Smiles – “Over 50,000 cards have been decorated and mailed across the United States to sick children in hospitals, 25+ different Ronald McDonald Houses, and to children fighting battles at home. This is a quick fun activity that allows you to make a difference in the life of a sick child at no cost to you. We mail you everything you need to be a smile maker! Teachers, this is a great lesson demonstrating compassion and caring for others. This is a fun service project for girl/boy scouts, sport teams, and youth groups. Organizational leaders, this is a great way to team with your staff. BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF A SMILE- You can make a difference!!!!” (L:G;SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Online School

This summer I ran a summer program where my teachers taught children for 2 hours a day twice a week. The teachers did a great job but there were so many variables that cause a lot of obstacles for the children. I’m not sure they were able to absorb instruction like they did when we had face-to-face classes.

Even if they do some kind of hybrid school year, I fear that students won’t get the quality of instruction that is only possible by having face-to-face classes. Students will go face to face part of the week and the other days they will attend class virtually. Students and Teachers are going to find it very hard to remember which day they are doing which classes. Many will be unprepared and confused. Students will be extremely frustrated and this will affect their learning.

I worry about all these hybrid schedules that the districts are making. What about the parents who work? How will parents be able to get childcare for only a few days and those days can vary depending on the Covid-19 numbers in the community?

What will the schools do when most of the teachers test positive for the virus and are out for at least 14 days or more? Where are all the substitute teachers coming from? Will they be willing to risk their health for the low pay that they will get?

My husband believes that students are going to get lazy and not want to go to school. A whole generation of students will become lacking in an education!

I believe teachers are going to have to work hard to make online schools engaging and interesting. They are competing with gaming platforms and TV! Teachers are going to have to change the way they present material and think of ways to really hook students in!

How do you feel about online schools and hybrid learning? Please share.

Photo by Ozan Safak on Unsplash

Recent Scrapbook Pages

I haven’t’ shared my recent scrapbook pages with you and thought I would. I have been enjoying doing these again. I get my kits from the website – GingerScraps. It is very motivating to belong to the group on GingerScraps because each month they have a monthly challenge. If you do 10 of the individual challenges by the end of the month, they send a free kit. I have gotten many free beautiful kits that way. It is very motivating and getting 10 pages done is very doable.

I also think this would be great for students to share their knowledge of a topic. It would be a great assessment tool.

I hope you enjoy my pages.

Summer Learning Place 2020 Review

This year my summer program – Summer Learning Place 2020 – was taught virtually. I had eight teachers and 32 children. There were 2 teachers and 8 children per classroom and each classroom was held on Zoom from 9-11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I asked the teachers to reflect on whether they achieved their goals, how they may have changed from the first week, a summary of the eight weeks, and whether it met their expectations. I enjoyed reading their reflections and I think everyone felt like they had grown professionally and that the whole experience was better than expected.

My goals were:

1. Help my students (the teachers) as much as possible to make this class meaningful.
2. Give constructive suggestions for online teaching.
3. Look at ways that I can make this online class better for the next time it is taught online.

I believe that I achieved all three of my goals and it was a very positive experience for me also. I think the program went well but I never had any doubts that it could be done.

It was very hard to not be in the classrooms face to face for me. Every year I get to know the children and enjoy seeing them every day. This year I didn’t get to know any of the children very well and I missed that part.

I think it was very hard to teach three subjects in a two hour period and if I have to do this again, I will only require them to teach reading and math. Time management was a major issue for everyone but it may be because they were trying to squeeze three subjects in. In spite of that issue, everyone did a great job of teaching. I enjoyed observing all of the lessons.

I learned a lot about teaching online and how there need to be some adjustments compared to teaching face to face. Here are some things I learned (not in order of importance):

· If using Zoom, set it up so everyone is “mute on entry.” This will help if there is anything inappropriate being said in the background.

· Have students use headphones or headsets. The children didn’t use them and there were a lot of background distractions. I should have enforced this.

· Take time, in the beginning, to go over a checklist of necessary materials (pen, pencil, crayons, blank paper, worksheets, manipulatives).

· Plan at least an hour for every subject. Make sure students have a break every 20 -25 minutes. It may be sooner depending on the age of the children.

· Incorporate as much movement as possible online.

If you have had to teach a class online, what other suggestions would you give? Please share.

2020 Goals Review for July

July was a busy month. I was busy working and then my brother in law passed away suddenly. That put me in a kind of funk, and I didn’t eat as healthy as I would have liked.

1. Lose 5 lbs. Hopefully this year I will be able to meet this goal. – I was better about my sugar and step count this month. I increased my exercise so I feel healthier. In the last 2 weeks, I really worked on my eating and exercise habits and it really paid off. I lost 3 lbs. I really think I can reach my goal this year if I keep this up. 

2020	10,000 Steps +	25g of sugar or less
Jan	48%	54%
Feb	66%	38%
Mar	77%	45%
Apr	70%	47%
May	19%	52%
Jun	73%	63%
Jul	94%	65%

2. Crafts – I’m on track for accomplishing this goal.

a. Knit 12 squares on my national park blanket. I have a total of 35 completed now. (There are 60 squares in the pattern, and this is year 3 of the project.)

i. Completed 9 squares this year

b. Charity – I want to crochet at least 3 prayer shawls and make 10 more NICU hats.

i. January – prayer shawl completed

ii. February – prayer shawl completed

iii. June – prayer shawl complete

iv. July – 5 NICU hats.

c. Knit a sweater. – Completed the Ground Pepper Sweater

d. Knit a ZigZag scarf – Completed

e. Repair the neckline on the Henley sweater I made a few years ago. – I looked at the sweater and realized that to fix the neckline, I would have to rip out both button bands and at this time, I’m not sure I want to do all that work so this goal probably won’t happen. I should receive partial credit for at least looking at it and considering it.

3. Read 12 nonfiction books that are related to nature. – I’m on track for accomplishing this goal.

a. The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired A Nation by Elizabeth Letts

b. A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall

c. The Adventures of Henry Thoreau: A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond by Michael Sims

d. The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir

e. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

f. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf

g. The House of Owls by Tony Angell

h. Forces of Nature by Brian Cox

i. The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

How is your progress towards your goals? Please share.

Photo by 30daysreplay (PR & Marketing) on Unsplash