Mr. Z's Grade 4 Class – Remote Learning Update #7

**WARNING** This post is very long! My apologies in advance. My goal of sending you only one update each week is bumping into the reality of how much information there is to communicate. Please look especially at the OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES section below for a discussion of the District’s official remote learning policy, and how it relates to what I have been sending you with my weekly emails. I received some questions about these issues this week. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me directly.

I was very sad to hear the news that we won’t return to Room 302 this year. An elementary class community is something that improves with age for the school year it exists. Familiarity and trust grow month by month, leading to more productive learning and stronger bonds. We put in a lot of work in the fall developing routines and structure so that we can really hum along in late winter and spring. Plus, the end of the year is a lot of fun! I am upset that we won’t have this special time of the year to spend together, but I agree it is important that we stay put for the health and safety of our community. The learning will go on, but it will just look a little different!

This is Week #7 of remote learning. The overview of this week’s new work is in the “Remote Learning Week #7 Parent-Caregiver Guide,” available as a PDF file here. Also, this message and all the previous weekly Remote Learning Parent-Caregiver Guides are always available on my class blog at bssroom302.blogspot.com.  

I want to offer your student three new work options this week, in addition to the work previously provided. But first, I want to remind everyone that this work is not required, will not need to be turned in to me, and will not affect your child’s report card. These activities are suggestions to keep your child’s skills sharp and the learning going during this school closure period. Do what’s right for you and your family.

NEW THIS WEEK

#1 Word Work

In school we used the Words Their Way literacy program to learn vocabulary and spelling. This week we can resume this instruction from home. You can find directions and all the necessary materials in our Reading and Writing Google Classroom.

**Learning new routines for working with these materials, even when we have used with them before, could be frustrating for the kids. Also, students are often working independently at home, so aren’t always as diligent about tasks as we might like. It would be great if you can familiarize yourself with the directions for these activities in the Google Classroom post. There are a LOT of directions, so please help your child get started with a routine that works for you at home if you choose to do this work.

#2 Mystery Science

Our main in-school science resource is the Mystery Science program, which you can access from home. Due to school closures, the program’s publisher created a collection of dozens of its most popular kindergarten through grade 5 science lessons. Some lessons are all online, which is great, and others require various materials for hands-on experimentation. I would focus first on the 4^th grade lessons, but also feel free to explore lessons at other grade levels.

#3 Historic Fiction Read Aloud and Study Group

Our spring reading unit was supposed to have been historic fiction. The other Bridge Street 4^th grade teacher Ms. Liz and I are teaming up to offer a modified online version of this unit that starts this week.

OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES

* What Is The District’s Official Remote Learning Policy?

I have realized that not everyone is aware of Northampton School District’s Elementary Remote Learning Plan, which Principal Choquette shared with a special email update to families on April 7. Besides being the current district official policy regarding remote teaching and learning expectations during this school closure period, perhaps more importantly from families’ perspective, it includes links to a long list of online resources and ideas for real-world activities families can use to engage students at home.

The district Elementary Remote Learning Plan Principal Choquette shared is here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11QIJ6IGTZmxOD6XM6sX55UgAYRX3WwqfcEWvRJeNMN4/

She also shared this letter from the district principals explaining the plan: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N1K4ghiiQ9DXRjls5sPaWNjaRHohcdHW/edit

The work suggestions I send to you weekly are much more targeted than what you will find in the district’s Elementary Remote Learning Plan. My suggestions are meant to complement this very broad offering from the district. The district recommends three hours of learning time per school day, which it says can be achieved through educator-directed and student self-directed learning, and includes art, music and physical fitness activities.

The bottom line is this approach places a big responsibility on adult family members to make sure students are engaged with these various resources, whether they do so as a result of my specific suggestions or the adults in the family identify resources on their own to work on. It is a LOT to ask of families, and the reality is that even under the best circumstances, getting kids motivated to engage in these tasks with best effort can be extremely challenging. Just do your best.    

* Tips for Finding Online Educational Resources

If you want to explore and use resources in the district’s Elementary Remote Learning Plan, let me offer a few suggestions about what to look for in this document/web page.

++ A good starting point is the link accessed by clicking the words “4^th Grade Choice Board.” It provides home study and activity ideas for reading, writing, math, science, social studies and other extras.

++ Links to activity ideas for art, music and phys ed are listed if you scroll down on the Elementary Remote Learning Plan main page.

++ An excellent overview of educational websites organized by subject is accessible through the link “4^th Grade Resources All Subjects.”  This link is also on the Elementary Remote Learning Plan main page in the 4^th grade column.

  

++ A list of super fun websites kids can explore is accessible through the link “Virtual Field Trips.” This link is also on the Elementary Remote Learning Plan main page in the 4^th grade column.

Whew! That’s a LOT. I have really been trying to not overwhelm you.

As always, feel free to call or text me at my new phone line (413) 342-1490. You can also email me at jzyskowski@northampton-k12.us

Mr. Z's Grade 4 Class – Remote Learning Update #6

This week I want to introduce a new math website your child can use at home, called Happy Numbers. The site is aligned with the Common Core learning standards. It is usually a fee-based program, but is temporarily free of charge until June 30. 

I am generally not a big fan of many online learning programs, with some exceptions. Tailoring online instruction to individual student needs can be difficult and imperfect, despite what many online programs promise. Also, a site may present concepts in ways that are different than how we’ve covered it in our classroom, often leading to student confusion or frustration. Finally, online programs can complement and reinforce traditional classroom instruction, but were never intended to replace it. Given the circumstances and our need to use some online tools while the school is closed, I am optimistic that this Happy Numbers site can be a helpful tool in our remote learning toolbox. It is probably the best math site I have come across that is available free of charge.   

This is the sixth week of remote learning, so all the new weekly work I provide in the Google Classrooms will be labeled as “Week #6.” The overview of this week’s new work is in the "Remote Learning Week #6 Parent-Caregiver Guide," available as a PDF file attached to this e-mail message. Also, this message and all the previous weekly Remote Learning Parent-Caregiver Guides are always available on my class blog at bssroom302.blogspot.com.  

 

PARENT/CAREGIVER ACTION ITEM #1

Have your child take the Happy Numbers placement test. Details and passwords for logging in to the site are available in an individualized post for your child in our Math and Science Google Classroom. After they log in, the site will automatically have them take this one-time placement test. The test takes about 20 -30 minutes.

**IMPORTANT**  Please pick a time to have your child take the placement test when they can focus and try their best. Even though the site is adaptive, meaning it will adjust content to try to meet your child’s needs, their performance on the placement test determines the initial learning path they are placed on. We want to get the most accurate initial placement possible. It is also a good idea to have a pencil and scrap paper nearby during the placement test, and during any online math work.      

  

PARENT/CAREGIVER ACTION ITEM #2

This week I am offering an online read aloud of Tuck Everlasting, a book that we started in class last month. Help your child find these online read aloud recordings in our Reading and Writing Google Classroom. I think they will enjoy continuing to share this book together.

  

PARENT/CAREGIVER ACTION ITEM #3

Tell your child about a new feature I have set up for students to communicate with me called “Talk with Mr. Z.” They can get to this private chat feature by going to the “Talk with Mr. Z” post in the Specials, Talk to Mr. Z, and Other Cool Stuff Google Classroom.  Directions for how to use the chat feature are in the post. Of course please feel free to check in on our chat and join us any time.

OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

* Bridge Street Occupational Therapist Stacey Noble has teamed up with other district therapists to create a district website focused on OT/PT activity ideas, videos, worksheets, visuals and games.  The site is at https://sites.google.com/northampton-k12.us/northamptonotandptresources/home

As always, feel free to call or text me at my new phone line (413) 342-1490. You can also email me at jzyskowski@northampton-k12.us

  

Mr. Z's Grade 4 Class – Remote Learning Update #5

What do labradoodles, LeBron James and Legos all have in common? They all are the subjects of some great non-fiction books available on the digital library site Epic!. Due to school closures, Epic! is offering free student accounts until June 30. I created a classroom for us, so now your student can access this reading site from home.

Besides tons of great non-fiction books on topics like history, science and animals, Epic! has lots of popular fiction titles, including many graphic novel series like LumberJanes and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It also has audio books and videos. I hope this resource can help ease frustration around getting access to appropriate reading materials while the school and libraries are closed. Your student can find a personal password and link to Epic! through our Typing Club, Epic!, Etc Google Classroom.

On the subject of math, I have heard the MathGames website that I steered students to last week can be a little laggy on some computers and contain a little more advertising than some parents would prefer. In response, starting this week I will offer a second option for practicing the targeted skills. It is a website that allows you to print skill-specific worksheets and answer keys. In the meantime, I will continue to research other online math practice sites.    

This is Week #5 of remote learning, so all the new work I provide in the Google Classrooms will be labeled as “Week #5.”

The overview of this week’s new work is in the Remote Learning Week #5 Parent-Caregiver Guide, available as a PDF file attached to this e-mail message.

Lastly, every week I learn about some new website created by Northampton school staff to support families. Links to all those sites, plus these weekly emails that I send to you, can be hard to keep track of. I want to remind you that I post copies of every class-wide email I send on my teacher blog, available at bssroom302.blogspot.com   Click on “List of Websites” on my blog to get to a list of all the websites I mention. I encourage you to visit and bookmark the blog for one-stop shopping to these emails and links.

OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

* Bridge Street Adjustment Counselor Laurie Sperry and her NPS colleagues have created a website loaded with social emotional learning opportunities, supports, and contacts. Among the many resources are videos of our awesome counselors reading aloud some great books about worrying, mindfulness and bullying.

Mr. Z's Grade 4 Class – Remote Learning Update #4

Welcome to the first week of online remote learning, with an emphasis on the online! The Google Classrooms have been set up, the passwords distributed (mostly). It's time to rock and roll! 

The routines I introduce this week will take a little bit for us all to get used to, so please contact me if you have any problems accessing the work or understanding the process. They are also new for me, so I aim to tweak and improve this as we go.

This is Week #4 of remote learning, so all the work provided will be labeled as “Week #4.”

There will be two pieces to this process:

* Remote Learning Week #4 Parent-Caregiver Guide – this guide, in a PDF file attached to this e-mail message, is an overview of the week’s work. It will be delivered Sunday nights;

* The actual work materials – these are posted in your student’s Google Classrooms with a name that refers to the week number. I set up four Google Classrooms for us to work in: Reading and Writing, Math and Science, Typing Club, and Specials and Other Cool Stuff.

For this first week especially, I ask that you sit with your child to review the work in the Google Classrooms. Please read all the instructions in there, especially for how to find and work with the materials, which can be a little tricky the first time. My goal is that once we get past this initial learning curve, students will be fairly self-sufficient and know exactly what they can work on each week and how to get to it, with you checking in on their progress.

Finally, Massachusetts State and Northampton School District officials recommend that elementary students have about three hours of school work and related activities on days that school would normally be in session. I hope to provide an increasing amount of offline activities as we get up to speed so that students are not staring at a computer screen the entire time.   

OTHER IMPORTANT TIDBITS

* Please look at this linked PDF about Northampton’s Food Distribution Program. There are some important program changes that will hopefully make it easier for folks to take advantage of these resources.

* Feel free to contact me at my new phone line (413) 342-1490. You can also email me at jzyskowski@northampton-k12.us

Mr. Z's Grade 4 Class – Remote Learning Update #3

Hello again! In light of the school closure now extending through May 4^th, we have developed new plans for supporting student learning remotely during this period. Please read this entire letter, since it has important instructions about how to get schoolwork for your child as we move forward. It is a long letter – my apologies in advance!

To get this new phase of learning off the ground, I need to provide every family with their student’s user name and password for the child’s school Google account. This will allow students to get in to our Google Classrooms. I am not allowed to send these passwords via email, so I need families to call me.

PARENT/CAREGIVER ACTION ITEM #1

Call Mr. Z at (413) 342-1490 to get your student Google user name and password. I will also provide a second user name and password that students will use to log in to their accounts on third-party educational websites, like Typing Club, ReadWorks and others.    

PARENT/CAREGIVER ACTION ITEM #2

Try to log in to Google Classroom on the device your student will use for school work using the Google user name and password I gave you. You should do a web search for “Google classroom sign in,” and then go to the top page in the search results list and log in there. More on how to log in below.

What Kind of Device to Use

The device a student uses should ­not be a Smart Phone. The ideal device will have a keyboard, like a desktop computer or laptop. Tablets like iPads will work, especially for just reading texts, but they are not nearly as good for typing, which the students will be doing.

**IMPORTANT** If your student does not have access to a computer with a keyboard, please let me know as soon as possible and we can probably get a Chromebook from the district delivered to you.      

What Web Browser to Use

The Google Chrome web browser provides the best user experience when working with Google Classroom and the other Google tools we will use (Docs, Forms, Drive, Slides, etc). It is also the browser your student uses at school on a Chromebook, so it will be familiar. However, I have tested visiting Google Classroom using the web browsers Firefox on a PC and Safari on various Apple devices. These all seem to work fine, but I can’t guarantee that all the features we may use will work as well on these other browsers as they might on Chrome. If you want to download Google Chrome to your student’s device so he or she can use that browser, it is available for free on the Internet. Also, I am attaching a letter to this message from our IT Teachers that provides directions for setting up the Chrome browser to deliver the best user experience to your student, just like at school. 

THANK YOU for reading this far! Here are some other quick tidbits to inform you about plans for schoolwork going forward.

QUICK TIDBITS ABOUT PLANS FOR SCHOOLWORK GOING FORWARD

* Starting on Monday you will get a weekly email from me that provides an overview of and links to the work available for your student for that week. This work will be available via the Google Classroom you will (hopefully) access after getting this message.

* Remember that this work I provide is not required, will not need to be turned in to me, and will not affect your child’s report card. These activities are suggestions to keep your child’s skills sharp and the learning going during this school closure period. Please do what you can, when you can, but PLEASE don’t stress you or your child out if this feels like too much. Do what’s right for you and your family!

* I will “share” a unique Google Doc titled “Talk with Mr. Z” with every student in the class. (Your child will know what I am talking about when I say it is “shared” by me and them.) This Doc will serve as a sort of private chat room between your student and myself for school-related discussions (or for just catching up – I really miss your kids!). Please feel free yourself to look at the Doc at any time.

* Families with students who work with Ms. Foley will receive additional instructions for supporting learning remotely.   

      

WAYS TO CONTACT MR. Z

You can reach me at my new phone line (413) 342-1490. You can also email me at jzyskowski@northampton-k12.us