The Digital Era of Teaching: Virtual Learning

 My Scholar's school is virtual now what??

The digital way of learning is the new trend and we have to embrace it with open arms. I must say when I first started this journey in March (March 16th to be exact...but who's counting lol), I was very nervous to start teaching online. As a first year teacher fresh out of college, I tried to pull any information from my depth of knowledge and kept finding myself short. For the first time, I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I was full of so many what ifs. And it effected myself as an educator. I didn't feel like an effective teacher. I didn't think my students were learning. Guardians were upset. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and I missed my students. However, the thing educators and families kept forgetting one thing: THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

Everyone needed to be given grace. Teachers were trying. Families were trying. Things weren't meant to be perfect. The minute I realized this I decided to go back to the drawing board. I had to accept that I wasn't in control and I needed to learn how to keep my students engaged and wanting to go to class in a virtual setting. So myself, and other teachers, began doing what we do best. We learn. I engaged in multiple PDs (Professional Development) over the summer to help me become the most effective virtual teacher I could be. 

Teachers have prepared in so many ways to help make sure that your scholars would be engaged and learning even in a virtual setting. One of the ways we have done this is by creating a virtual classroom. A bitmoji classroom for our scholars to enjoy and feel a great sense of normalcy. Teachers have come up with ways to turn paper and pencil lesson plans into engaging online lesson plans. We have made interactive schedules and so much more.

Online learning might not be what we want, but it's what we need. We can't keep using teachers as political pawns in this game we call life. Our lives and health matter and we must embrace online learning with positivity. As someone who has been doing this since March, I can tell you I have learned A LOT. And I am here to help ease the minds of guardians and teachers who might be leaning towards this direction. Here are some of the things I have learned:

1) STUDENTS WILL LEARN- Don't compare last school year to this school year. We were asked to shutdown with very little notice. We were in uncharted territory. We have learned a lot sense then. I promise your students will still learn. This was one of my biggest fears before starting this school year. However, there are many apps and tools for teachers to use to help keep your scholar engaged and ready to learn. There are so many ways to differentiate our lessons online to help accommodate every learner. At the end of each day, we do rose and thorn in my class. We name a hard part of our day (our thorn) and work up to our favorite part of our day (our rose). It always makes me so happy when my students name something they learned and had fun with as their rose. The best way to measure how much they are learning is by measuring their engagement. If students are actively participating and answering your questions, learning is happening :) 

2) HAVE PATIENCE- Online learning is not the same as in person learning. And should not be compared. Teachers do not have the same expectations for students you have when we are in school as you do for online learning. And same goes for guardians. You have to have patience in grace. It's easy if we were in person if a scholar wasn't doing the work to have a certain consequence. Because you are able to see if they were goofing off or just not working. However, online you don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Families are trying and you don't know what kind of struggle they might be going through because of online learning. Try to be more lenient and understanding. Same for guardians, have patience with teachers. They are trying their hardest and once again, I know I sound like a broken record, this hasn't been done before. Teachers are still learning and are going to make mistakes. Be patient.

3) FLEXIBILITY- This is so important. Things are going to be constantly changing and I have learned to go with the flow. This has helped my mental health so much teachers. You are going to hear one plan Monday and by Friday it will all change. It's best if you just learn not to believe everything you hear until it's been absolutely confirmed, or 5 days with no other changes. Guardians, please try not to get upset with teachers if they are being vague with information. A lot of the times we are doing this because we know the information might change. Always have a plan ready to go if your scholar will be in person or virtual. Plans will change in the blink of an eye and complaining about this change will not do you any good. We know it sucks and is not convenient. But there's nothing we can do about it and it's better to be prepared and upset then upset with no plan. 

4) ATTITUDE- I canNOT stress this enough. Students will feed off the energy you give. Your attitude is everything. If you have a negative attitude about online learning, students will. It's important for guardians and teachers to stay positive about every situation that you might get put through. If you are not a fan of online learning, please don't let your scholars know this. Try to make the best of it and make it exciting and fun for them. Negativity can impact their performance. It can make them not want to try because they don't want to be there. 

Online learning is not ideal but it's what we need to do to help keep everyone safe. And don't think for one second that teachers don't want to be with their students.  Some of us haven't seen them since March. Teachers aren't wanting this option because we are lazy. I think I have had to do more work than ever simply because we are online. It's a very difficult time. One thing I do know, is learning can happen in a virtual setting. Remember to be positive, have good time management, and create a schedule and stick to it! 

We are all in this together and if we can accomplish this, we can do anything!💖

A Parent's Guide to Distant Learning

I have all this free time now and I was thinking what I should do. I remembered how much I love to blog and figured I would start back up again! Today I am going to be telling you how to tackle Distant Learning! This is a very strange and difficult time and a lot of parents are now at home trying to get their kids motivated to learn. I am no expert, however I do have some tips that might make this transition go a little bit more smoothly.

Structure

Work Zone

First things first: Structure. While your child is at school Monday-Friday, they have a lot of structure. Kids thrive on this. You want to have a set area in your house that is designated a "work zone". Do not change the work zone. Keep this consisted all throughout. This will become a new learning environment for your child and will help create stability. If this place is your living room, do not have them do their school work in the kitchen. It sounds weird but kids become accustomed to their learning environment. They thrive on knowing where they are going to be and what they are going to do next. They like knowing the same familiar face greeting them every morning in the classroom.

If you don't believe me, try it one time. There is a reason teachers fear holiday parties, being absent, etc. They know that students will no longer have the structure they are used to and they will be all out of wack! To make picking a place more enjoyable, allow your child to help you choose their "work space". Pick 3 places and give them the option of choosing from the 3. This way they still feel a sense of control because they are getting to choose. 

Now just because your child has a "work space", doesn't mean this place has to be boring. Your child DOES NOT have to do their work sitting down at a table or a desk. I repeat your child does NOT have to do this. It's all about flexible seating. In my classroom students can sit on the carpet with clipboards, at their desks, use carpet squares, my flexible seating options, tables, etc. Students learn all in different ways. Let them do their work whatever way is the most comfortable for them. If they will do their best work laying down, let them! As long as they are working  and getting things accomplished in their work space, allow them to learn in whatever way is best for them!

Schedule

Schedules are a part of structure. Along with having a work zone, your child needs a schedule that they have to maintain everyday. I know it might be a pain, however keeping a schedule will ensure that your child can start getting that structure back and more willing to do their work.

I know it might be hard coming up with your own schedule. And you might be thinking...well how long should they be doing math anyway?? Or reading! Your child should have about 90 minutes of language arts (grammar and reading skills), 60 mins of math, 30-45 mins of writing, 45 mins of science/social studies, and if you can fit in a little bit of art/gym/music a day. You can create this schedule however you want. 

Sometimes you might have to integrate science/social studies into your math/reading/writing. How can you do this? Easiest way is through reading! Pick a science/social studies book (reading) and have your child do a project or experiment based on what they read. Here is a schedule I sent out to my parents if you'd like to follow this similar outline:

9:30-11:00 Reading

11:00-11:15 Brain Break

11:15-12:00 word study/writing

12:00-12:15 brain break 

12:15-1:15 lunch/recess

1:15-1:30 calming brain break

1:30- 2:15 special

2:15-3:15 Math

I broke down reading a little bit on what to do in the 90 minutes for reading. And I can do the same later on in this blog!

Brain Breaks

You might be already wondering How do teachers get all of these kids to sit still and do work?? Two words: brain breaks. We are asking a lot out of kids. They need breaks to recharge and focus. I am really big on brain breaks. My students get one when we eat snack, before lunch, and after recess. Each brain break is something different.

Snack- this brain break we eat snack and I either read to them or we watch an online story. There are websites that bring stories to life. Students love these. If you type "infohio bookflix"into google, then click the first link (Bookflix- InfOhio), last hit open under the B, you will get access to these free online books. You have to do it exactly like this. There a lot of books for your child to enjoy while snacking. I believe in snacks and provide snacks for my students every day. Students will not learn if their basic needs are not met. It doesn't matter how old they are. It's hard for you to get work done when you are hungry! Let them snack, take a break and watch a story.

Before Lunch- This is a fun brain break! They have been working so hard all day. Allow them to unwind and have some fun. 

Options for at home: dance party, gonoodle (all videos are on youtube), just dance (on youtube), play outside, play inside, color, etc. 

Another fun thing you can do is put all these ideas in a jar and pick one each day for this brain break!

After Recess- This brain break is crucial lol. Students are a little bit hyper after lunch and recess. This brain break is to help center them and bring them back down to earth. This is a calming brain break. You can search YouTube for "calming gonoodle videos", do yoga, breathing exercises, read, etc. Peaceful things where students won't be moving around as much. 

When completing your schedule, make sure you include brain breaks!

Academics

Schedule Break Down

You might be thinking what can I do to fill a full 90mins of reading?? Well I am here to help! For the first 10mins do an interactive read aloud. Read a book with your child and ask engaging questions. for the next 20 mins focus on a reading and grammar topic! For 30 minutes have your child read. Your child should be reading every day for 30 minutes. They can read to you while you are doing other things around the house, read to a sibling, read to self, etc. For the last 30 minutes focus on the work the teacher might've provided or online resources you were given. 

For writing, come up with your own prompt to have them respond to. Ask them to write about the book they read, write about somewhere they've been before, write about traveling to space, etc. When in doubt ask them to write about what they read or they're favorite part of the book they read.

For math the first 15 minutes, go over the concept they are learning that day. The last 45mins allow them to do activities the teacher has planned for them geared towards that lesson or activities online.

For specials (art, gym, music), these can be once a week. Just make sure they are still getting this if you are able. Music, you can create your own band with items around your house. For art, let them draw or have them express their feelings through paper! They can even watch tutorials online how to make things. For gym, have them exercise! Play fun games outside.

Learning Through Experiences

You don't have to just do paper and pencil for your child to learn. Turn math into cooking! If your child is learning how to add, let them help you cook and add the ingredients, etc. If your child LOVES science, plan a science day! Do experiments all day and tie in reading, writing, and math. To make reading interactive, create a play! This will tie in writing. Do a puppet show where your child makes the lines and reads them. 

Engage them. That is the best way to have them learn. Kids are going to go NUTS if they have to sit at a table and do work on paper or a tablet all day. Make it engaging and fun! Turn into a bakery shop and bake all day, while tying in math, reading, and writing. These experiences will help your child learn so much!

To Wrap Things Up

I hope I was able to ease things a little bit. There are so many online resources and if you would like links to some, don't be afraid to ask. Also don't be afraid to ask for help form teachers or anyone with some knowledge on this! Don't worry, you've got this. And remember to thank a teacher.

Classroom Transformations: Detective Agency

Ever since last summer, I wanted to do a classroom transformation. The Ron Clark Academy has two teachers that are really big on doing classroom transformations. Hope and Wade King have a book called The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough. I bought this book this summer and they had a whole chapter on classroom transformations. They are amazing educators and run a very big teaching conference: Get Your Teach On...which I hope to intend one day.

Classroom transformation- A transformation is where you add items to your room to turn it into a new learning space and experience. By doing so, you create a new and engaging learning environment for your students to learn in.

Students all learn in different ways. My class learns the best with hands on experiences. I knew this would be a fun and creative way to reinforce concepts that we have been practicing all week. We have been doing test prep since January. The main focus of this classroom transformation was using context clues.

There are a bunch of resources online to help you find resources and activities for doing classroom transformations. I did a combination of making up my own/using online resources. If you are someone who wants to do a classroom transformation but aren't creative/don't have a lot of time to plan one, the internet is your best friend! I planned mine last minute, which is why I used some online resources. I love being creative and this summer I hope to create my own resources to make for transformations next year!

In this blog, I will give you a step-by-step guide on how I transformed my classroom into a detective agency!

Prep

First things first, when creating a transformation, you have to make sure your theme matches the concept you are teaching. I chose to do a detective agency because detectives have to use clues to solve a mystery. You have to use clues to help you figure out what unknown words are/mean. We were also focusing on homographs and you have to use context clues to help you figure out which definition they are using. 

I used this anchor charts to help reinforce the concept all week. I forgot to take a picture of my anchor charts, however I use pinterest to create all of mine! The ones on Pinterest look a lot better though. 

I made modify versions of these Anchor Charts! Anchor Charts are helpful because they allow students to have a quick reference and easy access to learning concepts you are focusing on.

Next, I had to get materials to help transform my classroom into a detective agency. I bought caution tape, magnify glasses, and a detective hat and magnify glass. The tape I got from Walmart. I got each of my students magnify glasses on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3LDNK8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And Detective hat here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SHONR7E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Of course you do not have to buy this things, however they will enhance the experience!

I work at a Health and Science Academy, so all my students had lab coats that we used as detective coats. My students loved this extra touch and really got into being detectives with these coats!

One of our City Years is an amazing artist and she made our Mystery Inc. door

I put the caution tape all around the room:

I did not have time to create my own resources, so I did get all the ones I will refer to on Teachers Pay Teachers. I did use and create my own clues and mystery. However, the ladies who made the resources do have a mystery you can follow.
Here are the resources I used:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Top-Secret-Mystery-Lesson-Templates-3710398
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Context-Clues-Activities-2940065
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Context-Clues-Task-Cards-2832480
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Homographs-Multiple-Meaning-Words-Activities-1771973

Setting the Scene

Now that you have the resources, you need to plan your mystery! I only had 3 days to plan this, so our mystery was nothing to intense. We had to solve the case of the missing mechanical pencils! My students have fallen in love with mechanical pencils. So I bought a pack and told them how when I came into school, they were gone. We had to solve a whole bunch of activities in order to get clues that would lead us one step closer to the culprit. First things first: we had to turn into detectives. One of the mystery things I got from TPT had certificates that I gave to each of my students.

My students had a lot of fun coming up with Detective names!

Some even got really creative "Detective Fries Big Mac Coca Cola Ms. Mathews Where's my Cheesecake" lol.

Once they had their detective names, we got our first clue. Along with their first clue, we got a letter that welcomed us into the agency. I forgot to take a picture, but this is what it said, "Detectives,

Welcome to the agency! We are so glad to have you join this team. We have a new case that we need your help solving.

A little while ago teachers have noticed things disappearing from Trevitt Elementary. Things from rulers all the way to desks! Your teacher has called us and informed our agency that your class has been the next victim. Someone has stolen….your mechanical pencils!

Whoever stole the penicls, left us with a bunch of clues. But in order to receive your next clue, you have to solve a bunch of puzzles and riddles. You all have been working on context clues and homographs. These skills will help you solve the clues and figure out who the culprit is!

When you find out who did it, you will be rewarded with an edible surprise! Inside this envelope, you will find your first clue, some details on the culprit, and your activity! In order to get the “key” to unlock your next activity, you must solve the first one. I have also provided you with certificates to officially welcome you into the agency, coats and magnify glasses. Have fun detectives!"

Detective Agency

Each clue we got after they completed an activity. I made all the clues and each of them answered, "Who, what, When, and Where". Who stole the pencils, when did they steal it, where did they steal it, and what did they steal.

The first set of activities had to deal with homographs. We did a Homograph pretest where they were able to work in partners and draw both examples of homographs.

One group decided they're drawing skills weren't up to par and wrote out everything haha

Next, I had a set of homograph cards all around the room and students had a piece of paper that had letters that matched the card. They had to go around the room and read each sentence on the card and choose which homograph was in the sentence.

Last, we played a game where we each had a stack of homograph cards. They read clues about the homograph and had to guess what the homograph was. If you had that card, you read the clue that was on your card. 

My students loved this game the most!

After we got our next clue. Our next set of activities that went with this clue was all about Context Clues. We reviewed our Context Clues anchor chart and then they all got a piece of paper that had definitions of ways to find context clues.

We then played a game on the carpet where I read a sentence and we had to figure out what the underlined word meant by using context clues.

I used my Elmo to project the cards on our smartboard. I underlined the context clues that would help you identify what the unknown word was. This specific card, they used examples. Students would record their answers on a sheet. I would go over the answer and explain what context clues they used. There are also cards where instead of figuring out the definition, students had to figure out which context clues was used.

After this game, we got our 3rd clue with our final set of activities. The last set of clues were centers. There are about 6/7 centers and I only used 3 because of time.

I used the writing, art and matching center.

Art Center:
Students had a sentence about snooping: The little brother was caught snooping through his sister’s room. They had to use context clues to figure out what snooping meant and draw that!

Writing Center:
Students had to write a detective story using 3 words from the word bank.

Matching Game:
Students had a bunch of sentences and definitions and had to match them together.

After completing the centers, we received our final clue and were able to figure out who stole our pencils!!

Engagement

My students absolutely loved this day. I was so nervous because they had to do a lot of work, but the idea of being in a detective agency made them not really care. Not one of them complained about any of the activities. They were going around asking everyone if they stole our pencils. They were trying to piece together who it was. There was a moment when they didn't believe in our Detective Agency: Mystery Inc. I had us call my mom and she pretended to work from their. They were sold! I had so much fun putting this together and was impressed with it. I only had three days to plan. I am planning our next classroom transformation right now for April! I am hoping that one will be a lot better because I will have more time to plan.

The importance of doing classroom transformations is to help tap into the students who might need that extra hands on opportunity to learn a concept. It is fun and easy to do and please reach out to me if you need help with where to start on transforming your classroom!