**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 4th
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 4th 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:
She also shared this letter from the district principals explaining
the plan:
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 “4th 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 “4th Grade Resources All
Subjects.” This link is also on the Elementary
Remote Learning Plan main page in the 4th 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 4th 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
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