Power Writing through Distance Learning

As this crazy school year comes to a close, I just wanted to congratulate YOU, fellow educator, on making the best out of an unconventional year!  It was a huge undertaking that we all struggled through but made the best out of it.  And as we maneuver through uncharted waters next year, I wanted to offer you a video file of a virtual PD that I recently had the honor of co-hosting with our Spotlight Leader, Andrea Thune.  It is about an hour long so if you'd like to watch it pieces, be my guest!

My PD focused on how to integrate Power Writing in your current distance learning scenario.  You may use it now or later once the school year begins.

Happy Writing!
Gustavo Macuil

Inspiring Readers through the Summer Slump

Unfortunately, due to this pandemic, we have had to inspire readers through this "COVID Slump," and now we have the task of keeping them reading throughout the summer. Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they've learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. The summer slump may seem beyond your control; however, there are some teacher tips for both students and parents that I find effective and encourage summer learning to keep skills sharp before the next school year starts.


Summer slump, also known as the summer slide or summer learning loss, is a concept that over the summer, students lose a portion of what they learned over the school year. This year there is even a bigger fear since some students may not have been reading for the past two months. We can not let these students go a total of five months without pushing positive support in keeping their reading skills sharp. We've worked too hard to see that loss! I've been preparing my students via distance learning for the excitement and importance of summer reading.  

Keep On Reading

• Our summer goal as teachers should be to keep our students reading. Children are attracted to print materials that spark their interests. Due to COVID, this will be tough because libraries are closed and many students have read all the books they do have at home. We will need to continue to encourage and utilize the online platforms we have set up during distance learning. I am keeping my website running and updated throughout the summer. I am encouraging my students to log into the reading website Epic. I love Epic because children can find books online that connect to their interests, such as superheroes, horses, science fiction, the ocean, space exploration, insects, people from other lands and times, etc. These books plus much more are available through Epic. In addition, I sent home (when students came to campus to pick up belongings) a packet of passages according to student level, a parent letter explaining the importance of summer reading- Parent Summer Letter, a Summer Reading Log, and Reading Contract. Here are links to these resources. If you are unable to send these resources home with each student, they could easily be emailed or sent home through your online platforms. 
• I have and will be encouraging families/students to read every day. Besides the passages and websites, I like to give families strategies on how a student can read. I encourage independent reading, echo reading, shared reading, and reading aloud. Reading aloud benefits all children, especially those who struggle. This goes both ways- family members can read aloud to the child, or the child can read aloud to a family member. I remind families that reading aloud to their children can build listening comprehension skills and help kids read better when reading on their own. I also encourage families to do shared reading with their children. Using a book or passage that is on level for their child, families can take turns reading together. It's important to explain that this can be done by sentence, paragraph, or page depending on each child's confidence. This is a great way to challenge kids to read difficult words because someone will be there to support them. Really any plan is acceptable as long as you inform parents that the goal is for their child to enjoy the reading experience with you and not participate in a corrective reading lesson. Sometimes letting a child's reading mistakes go unnoticed may be difficult but will result in a child who likes to read and knows its ok to relax and enjoy reading.  
• Encourage families to sign up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. This free program unites communities in a nationwide campaign that celebrates reading for fun while improving access to books during the summer. For 2020, they are sharing a brand new kids' experience called Scholastic Home Base, a free digital destination that offers books, live events, and games in a safe community for readers! Kids will be encouraged to keep track of their reading to earn rewards.
• My main goal is to reliterate the importance of keeping each child reading daily!

With some advanced preparation, you can get families excited about summer reading and help your student avoid the summer slump.  Their future teacher will be grateful!

Positively Teaching,  
Randi Muehlen

Not Done Learning

I never thought in a million years that I would become a distant learning teacher overnight. My credential program did not prepare me for a pandemic, a school closure, or distant learning. The world of education seemed to come to a halt on that fateful day of March 13th (Friday the 13th to be more specific.) Suddenly, we had to quickly become acquainted with online resources. Luckily, through my credential program, I learned about google docs, slides, and google classroom. I had some prior knowledge of these online resources, but as a student. I now had to flip the script and become the teacher.

Where to begin?

I had to immediately go through my Teacher Instagram accounts, Teacher Facebook Groups, and Teacher Email Subscriptions. I had to see what other teachers were using and implementing with their students. There are so many online resources!! I had to quickly experiment with them all and find out which ones worked best for my students. Kindergarten students need fun and exciting activities to manipulate and play with. First, I had to give my parents their students log in information for online resources. Then, I quickly discovered that I needed to physically show them where to find them and how to log in. I first propped up my iPad and recorded myself using the laptop. The video wasn't that good, but got the job done. Thankfully, I discovered Screencastify You can add it to your google extension to record your screen and your voice. It is free until May 19, 2020. I wish I would have known about this beforehand. I am now comfortable with its features and use it for all my recordings now.

What's out there?

I quickly discovered a fun and exciting resource called, Boom Cards Boom cards are fun, game styled educational cards that students can use for ELA or Math. They are digital task cards that students enjoy using. It is a paid account, but it is free to teachers until June 2020. What I love is that you can download free cards, purchase cards, or create your own. I am excited for summer to try out this feature and create my own boom cards geared to our curriculum. You can assign students their own login and password and monitor what they are doing online. It lets the teacher know what mistakes the student made, how many answers they got correct, and how long it took them to complete the cards. EL's and struggling students will feel successful because it will let them know their mistakes and let them correct them. Another feature is the FastPlay link. The FastPlay link is a shortcut for students to play right away. Student accounts/ logins are NOT required. But, FastPlay does not generate student reports. This is great if you need them to practice their skills. I have created a video  How Boom Cards Work. I loved learning about boom cards and use them for distant learning.

What about resources for our curriculum?

I know Wonders and Eureka Math have resources we can use online, but I wanted resources that the students could use quickly and easily and not have to log in through different portals. I love google classroom and wanted resources for it. I searched and did not find any I liked and did not want to buy any new resources. Luckily, I follow an amazing kindergarten teacher on Instagram, Natalie. She posted on her story how to convert any document into a google slide and how to make it editable for students to work on; Mind-Blown!!!  I did not know you could do that! I watched her video several times and took notes, but I wanted to save her video to reference later. Again, another learning moment would present itself. Another Instagram account I follow, Aly is a fantastic first-grade teacher. She posted a video on how to screen record on your phone! Again, Mind-Blown! I did not know I had this feature on my phone. I used this tip to record Natalie's How to convert a document to a google slide. This school closure has been difficult on many levels, but I have discovered new ideas, tips, and tricks. I am amazed how even as a teacher, I am not done learning myself. I am thankful for this experience and will take all this newfound information with me into the next school year. 

Thankful and Grateful,

Marcy Mesa

End of the Year Evaluations

It's that time of the year when we say our farewells and hope our students take all of their knowledge with them. For me it's also time to reflect on my craft. How can I improve my instruction? What went well and what didn't go as planned?                              

In addition to that, I want to know how my students felt. Did I make learning purposeful and fun? In order to get these answers, who else but my students to ask? Since the school year is over and grades are submitted, it opens up the door to non-biased answers. To receive my feedback this year I created a Google Form for my students to provide their input. I usually do this on the last day of school and allow them class time for them to complete it. I love seeing how responsible and prideful it makes them when they realize that their input is valued. I emphasize how this might alter my classroom and teaching next year because of their feedback. Talk about empowering them.

I divide my end of the year evaluation into three sections. The first is their name. This helps me understand some of the data. The second is a self-reflection. I want my students to reflect on themselves. What they did great and what they can improve in the following grade level. Finally is the class evaluation. This lets me know what I can improve or what to keep. This year some of the feedback has started flowing in and I'm on that roller coaster of emotions. Some feedback is making me tear up while some is making me laugh.

Click here for Google Form: Don't forget to add your Bitmoji Banner!♥️

As you end your year, I hope this evaluation form helps you wrap-up your year by allowing both your students and yourself reflect on 2019-2020 academic year.                                                                                                                                                                             

Learning & Growing,

Nancy Vargas

nancy.vargas@omsd.net 

Feel free to contact me with any further questions😊

End of the Year Activities

For me, this time of year is always bittersweet.  There is a sense of excitement in the classroom as students anxiously countdown the days until summer break mixed with knowing we will have to say our goodbyes.  The end of this school year looks different from any other year I have taught before, but some things are still the same.  Students, parents, and maybe teachers too, are getting restless and a little burnt out. Distance learning has been challenging for everyone.  As we come upon the last two weeks of our school year, I want to make learning exciting and engaging for everyone.  These are some of my ideas.

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a website that lets students record videos of themselves in response to a question that you have posted. You can set the time limit for student videos which is an awesome feature. I like to keep student videos around 45 seconds or less depending on the questions.  Having a shorter time limit helps with students' anxiety of recording a video of themselves.  Some great end of the year questions you could ask could be:

• What is your favorite book you have read this school year? Why?
• What is your favorite memory from this year? Why?
• Tell us three things you learned this week?
• What does your "homeschool" space look like?
• What are you going to miss the most about our class?

There is also a feature on Flipgrid that lets students respond to each other.  You could use this for a Socratic Seminar, or to increase student dialogue.  There are also tons of topic ideas already created in the Disco Library.  For example, Epic! has created topics that are connected to books in their digital library.  So you can assign the books in Epic! and then have students respond to the topic question on Flipgrid.

Padlet

This is a great time to have students share what they have learned this year.  Let them be the teacher.  Create a Padlet for students to work on collaboratively or better yet, have students create their own Padlets.  Originally, students in my classroom were supposed to share their independent study projects at our annual Gate Gala.  Due to school closure that didn't happen.  Students have been researching different countries for the past few months.  Since we couldn't hold our event at school, we decided to have a digital one using Padlet and Zoom.  Once students finish their Padlet then they are going to present with our class via Zoom.    

Google Slides

I love using google slides!  This has to be my go-to resource all school year long.  You can create student awards and have students vote on them using Google Forms. You could even have students create their own awards for others using Slides.   Another idea is to create a digital memory book for students to complete.  There are lots of resources out there already if you don't have time to make them yourself.  

Host an end of the Year party on Zoom  

I love the idea of spending the last day with my students on Zoom.  We are currently voting on a theme for our party.  I will have a few games for students to play (they love Kahoot) and also a time for sharing the end-of-the-year awards.  

I hope the next few days are filled with fun and excitement for you and your students.  

Learning and Teaching With Grace, Alina

The Benefits of a Bitmoji

I’m going to be 100% transparent here.  A couple months ago I had NO idea what a Bitmoji was or what it was used for.  But when a teacher who has been teaching for 27 years is suddenly thrust into a pandemic with a whole new way of teaching online, I realized it was time to get on board with new and exciting ways to motivate and connect with my students.  When I have a room full of students in front of me, the connection is there, and student engagement is high. Distance learning is completely different.  It was time to teach myself something new!

An idea occurred to me, what better way to reach my kids than to go to their home?  Now I know what you’re thinking…” that’s unsafe, you cant do that!”  You’re right, I can’t go to their homes, but Mini-Me can!! That’s where this adorable Bitmoji thing I kept hearing about comes into play.  I did a little research and created my very first Bitmoji. I must admit, I loved it!  I can make myself look fabulous.  No wrinkles, thick flowing hair, lose a few pounds…the list goes on.  But even better than that, I could send myself to my students!  What better way to motivate and connect with them than to have me right there in front of them!

Once I made my Bitmoji, “Mini Mrs. Weink” went to visit my students through snail mail, along with a choice board of activities to do with Mini-Me, and a writing assignment with a thinking map (sneak that writing in where you can). Their assignment was to cut out my Bitmoji and do a fun activity from the choice board with “me” once a week. They could also come up with their own activities if they had creative ideas.  Then they had to use a flow map to organize their thinking (they already knew how to do this independently, but I sent a blank flow map template anyway), and then write a narrative paragraph about what we did.  Once they were finished, they needed to send me a picture through Class Dojo of us doing our activity as well as a picture of their writing assignment.  Talk about engagement!!!  Suddenly, every child was responding and sending pictures of our fun!

The pictures the kids sent me were adorable, but the stories just melted my heart!  So I took it a step further, I decided to up the engagement piece even more.  On our next zoom, I told the kids they had to present their story and picture to the class (sneaking in a little VAPA here).  As I shared the screen one picture at a time, that student had to read their narrative paragraph about what we did and then elaborate in their own words about our adventures.  My kids know that elaborate means they had to “tell me more” about the picture and keep talking until their time was up.  It was a little bit of Kagan Timed Round Robin, distance style.  This worked so well,  I was reluctant to tell them that their time was up and they had to stop adding more details about all the great things we did together. But even more important, EVERY SINGLE STUDENT was engaged from afar!

As you click through my slides above, I hope the pictures inspire you to try a “Mini-Me” with your students.  My favorite is the picture in the first slide. If you look very carefully, my adorable student dyed her hair pink at the bottom, and she “dyed” my hair pink too by coloring it pink on the Bitmoji. I also really loved the third slide where my friend was teaching me how to box.  I had to ask him, "You didn't knock me out did you?"  That got a lot of laughs and put smiles on all their faces!!

In my quest to engage my students, I learned how to make a Bitmoji and used it to inspire my students to write a narrative paragraph and present their writing to the class.  Now they are asking to present their paragraphs every week.  It sounds like a win-win to me…engagement, excitement about learning, and a love for writing!  I guess I’m starting to figure out this whole Distance Learning thing after all!

Teaching in the Virtual World,

Roni Weink

Keep 'Em Coming - Engaging Students During Zoom

It's been such a transition in the education world. I have always been big on engaging my students in the classroom and I knew that I needed to transfer that over into my new digital classroom. I collaborated with other teachers, attended a lot of district professional developments, and came up with a list of things to help you engage your class during a Zoom meeting. These ideas came from an array of teachers from different grade levels and sites. I hope it helps you engage your students, and gets them coming back for more!

1.   Be Flexible
• Since starting Distance Learning with my own class, I have learned that flexibility is key. Everyone has different schedules. Some families have parents still working while some families are adjusting to Distance Learning with only one device and many children. I send out a Google form, the Friday before the new week, and ask for preferences on times. Based on the majority, is when I schedule the Zoom meetings for that week. This allows students to talk to their caregivers, and work around their schedules as well as the schedules of their siblings. Being flexible will allow more students to join Zoom meetings and engage in learning. 
2. Ice Breakers
• Just like every morning in our classroom, I make a Google Slides presentation to share with my students throughout the meeting. This tells the students the agenda and if they need any materials before the session starts. I always allow a 5 minute grace period to allow students to sign in and gather the materials needed for the session. On the first slide, I always use an ice breaker, it helps students settle in and hear from their peers and share their ideas with each other. Sometimes the ice breakers are silly and fun, other times I connect it to an assignment or content we studied throughout the week. Students that don't use their cameras or mic can always share their responses using the chatbox, this allows all students the chance to participate. 

  

  This is an example of my first slide. My students see this while waiting for the Zoom meeting to begin. It also helps them prepare what they want to say since the ice breaker is on the slide.

3. Rate the Day
• As my Zoom meetings come to an end I always enjoy checking in with my students. Did they enjoy the meeting? Did they feel like they got something out of it? I use a quick 1-5 rating where students just show me using their fingers. I find it easy for me to see and adjust to what they like, I want them returning as much as possible. It also gives me some feedback on what I have planned for them. I want to know if it's engaging, like I hoped it would be. 
4. Star of the Week/Day
• Star of the week or day is another fun way to get kids excited about coming to the Zoom meeting. I like to do it daily, but you could adjust and do it weekly. Do whatever works for your situation. For the star of the day I like to choose a student and talk about how well they are doing with their Distance Learning, but it doesn't have to be about assignments, it can be participating in Zoom sessions, reaching out and asking questions, and even just about staying positive during this time. The students get excited to see who the next start of the day will be. I find my students coming back daily excited for their peers. I also tend to leave it towards the end of my meeting to keep up the suspense. 

  

  Star of the Day is shown towards the end of the slides
   to showcase students that are working hard!

5. Friday Shout Outs
• Friday shout outs are similar to the star of the day. Friday shout outs can be a lot of students clumped together for participating and getting to work on their Distance Learning. Students get excited to be part of the shout out and can take pride in their work they are doing. This also gives time for their peers to celebrate them with a fun classroom cheer. The hope of doing a Friday shout is that other kids will strive to be part of the shout out the following week. Students will help to motivate eachother to work hard and participate as much as possible. 
6. The problem of the Day
• I got this idea from an amazing group of teachers at my school site. They do a problem of the day using Class Dojo. In the morning the problem is sent out and students work out the problem in their own time. As soon as they have a solution they snap a picture and send it into their teacher using the Class Dojo app. This gives the teacher an opportunity to check their work and interact with students throughout the day. This also works on all devices. Students don't need a camera, mic, or laptop. They can literally use paper pencil and submit using a phone. This is also a great way to review concepts that have been taught throughout the school year. 

  

  This is an example from a teacher friend of mine,
  she posts the problem of the day on Google Classroom.

7. Socializing with Peers
• One of the things that I have noticed with my own class is how excited they are to see their peers. A lot of our students don't get to socialize with their friends from school. I like to give students a few minutes at the end of the meeting to have some open discussions with their peers, and of course I listen and monitor these discussions. My students always ask, "will there be time for us to talk at the end?" They really do look forward to socializing with peers their age. They have missed this part of the school day and look forward to it during their Zoom session. Just be sure you continue to monitor the conversation and don't let students forget that they are still "in school". 
8. Fun Friday
• There are so many great resources to use throughout the Zoom session, but some things that I, as an adult, think are fun and engaging are not always seen that way from a student's perspective. I like to allow my students to vote on a fun Friday activity. Before Friday I send out a Google Form where students can take a vote for what they like to do during our fun Friday Zoom session. I usually have choices like; virtual field trip, Kahoot!, guided drawings, storyline online, and Jeopardy. I'm sure there are even more fun ideas you can think of to get your students engaged and motivated to join your meeting on a Friday. 

  

  Jeopardy game to review 4th grade standards using Google Slides

9. Small Groups
• Though this may seem like more for the teacher, I mean teaching small groups is amazing. It gives us time to really interact with our students at their level. Small groups really hone in on what their needs are and how to help them be more successful. Since I started asking small groups of students to join me for a Zoom session, students have been asking for more. They enjoy getting to interact with each other, asking questions, and getting more attention in the smaller group. I have found this to be super helpful for the students that are shy. Students tend to be more comfortable turning on the camera and speaking up when the group is smaller. 
10. Integrating Fun Resources 
• So many Spotlight blogs have been written about wonderful resources that can be used during Zoom. Nearpod and Peardeck are wonderful programs that allow students to work simultaneously while still in Zoom with the teacher. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to see the students work instantly, which is great for feedback and/or corrections. Kahoot! and Quizizz are also fun, engaging, game show like questions where students can review concepts that have been taught; another great way for teachers to monitor their student's work while interacting with them in Zoom. I've also played Jeopardy with students using Google Slides and students love the friendly competition!

  

  This is one of my student's favorite Fun Friday activities.
  A guided drawing of some of their favorite animals, characters, and even food! I've even had parents participate too!

At the end of the day, I think what is most important is that students feel love and respect from their teacher. They just want to know that they are cared about and that we are thinking about them every day. Make sure you remember to have fun with them and enjoy this new normal. I know Zoom isn't the same as being in our classroom with our students, but for now, it's the best we have to engage, teach, and interact with our students. Let's make it count! 

Bring some " sparkles" with Google Chrome Extensions

What in the world are Google Chrome Extensions? These extensions are software you can install within your Chrome browser that allows you to run other services in the browser.  It sounds super complicated and you might think, “ why would I need these extensions?” Well my friends, I am here to share some extensions I use especially during distance learning.  

First things first, adding Google Chrome extensions is so easy and FREE! If you don’t use chrome I highly recommend downloading it to use as your web browser. Personally I use my Mac at home but I go back and forth using Safari and Chrome to achieve specific tasks.  You can add extensions with just 2 quick clicks! Here are my favorite Chrome Extensions for Distance Learning!

1. Screencastify - Right after the PD from Jeff Quick on Screencastify, I downloaded the extension and it has been super easy to use instead of having to record myself in Zoom, waiting for it to download, edit in iMovie before I can upload it on to Drive.  This program easily record your screen, yourself, or both! Not only does it save directly into your Google Drive, I also love how you can directly add it to your Google Classroom! 

2. Bitmoji -This is my FAVORITE Chrome extension. Long gone are the days of emailing your Bitmoji from your phone to your email on your laptop and having to maneuver the Bitmoji with the set background around.  Within this extension, your Bitmoji will have a translucent background, which means, you can place it anywhere you want and it would have that pestering white or black background blocking your content. I love using Bitmojis. Here are some of my favorite ways to use this extension:

• I put Bitmojis on my daily message slides I share on Class Dojo and Google   Classroom. My students LOVE this!

• I insert Bitmojis on student’s work. It acts like a digital sticker.  You can search for Bitmojis with the extension and then just copy and paste them  or click and drag right into the Google slides, powerpoint or even the student’s work in Google classroom. It becomes a digital sticker when I use it on students' work.  

3)  Emoji Keyboard – Use this extension to add emojis to your announcements, slides, or Google Classroom! So easy and your students will love it! I use it for changing Google Classroom topic names! Anything to give our students some giggles and excitement to push through this last month fo distance learning. 

4) Custom Curser Make your curser something fun for your online class meetings or screen recordings! We have to get that motivation going any way possible. 

5)  Google Keep- Organize your notes and to-dos by category! You can even color code and add your own labels. You can access it from your computer, phone, or even your apple watch! Game Changer!

6) Full Page Screen Capture Easily take a screenshot of your screen or browser with one click! 

I hope these extensions will help motivate your students to continue with distance learning and also help you with some productivity and some silliness! 

HAPPY TEACHING!

Eileen Wunderlich 

Eileen.wunderlich@omsd.net

Communicating with Parents and Students During the School Closure

During this time of school closures and distance learning, it's hard not to have that face to face communication with students and parents each day.  In my last blog I wrote about Zoom and Google Classroom and all the ways that I am using those communication tools. See my blog post here Distance Learning During a Pandemic

I thought I'd share about a couple other tools that I am using to communicate:

ClassTag

This is an app that is similar to ClassDojo.  I allows you to post announcements and include attachments, pictures, video, etc.  It looks a lot like how a Facebook newsfeed looks.  Parents can comment on or like your posts.  They can also private message you which looks the same as a text message.  You can also set up your parent conference schedule, and MANY MANY other things.  You can sign into their website on your computer and/or download the app to use on your phone.  I like the app because it sends you a notification anytime a parent comments or messages.

It also has a "library" tab where you can upload links or document or pictures that are important to keep them all in one place.  This way parents don't have to go searching for your original post with the link.  The nice part about this library tab is that it automatically saves any links you've posted in your announcements to the library.  So you don't need to do it twice!

Under the events tab is where you can schedule a variety of events include parent conferences.  You can organize parents volunteers, field trips and many other classroom events here.


One of the greatest features is that it translates all text English to Spanish and visa versa.  So if a parent leaves a comment or private messages me in Spanish, it translates it to English for me.  Likewise when I post or message in English, it will translate to Spanish for the parents who need it.  When you first set up the "Directory" you or the parents themselves setup their preferred language.  Definitely eliminates the issue of the language barrier!  Especially while were on Distance Learning working from home where we don't have quick access to translators.

Flipgrid

Another fun way to communicate with students in addition to Zoom and Google Classroom is an app called Flip Grid.  Flipgrid is a website that allows teachers to create "grids" to facilitate video discussions. Each grid is like a message board where teachers can pose questions, called "topics," and their students can post video responses that appear in a tiled grid display. Its super fun to use! Each grid can have multiple topics within it.  You can make the topics academic or just fun.  I am using flipgrid to support student's socio-emotional wellness and so I am just posting fun topics for them to respond to.  Such as "would you rather..." "Tell us a fun fact about yourself"... They like it and the videos have come out really cute.  You can create your own topics or chose from a library where tons are already made.

ClassTag and Flipgrid are just a couple of useful and fun ways to communicate with parents and students. Hope you found this useful!

Distantly Learning,

Megan Brown

megan.brown@omsd.net