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

Continuing the Connection in Kindergarten

My kindergarten team and I set up a 2-week distance learning schedule for our students when we first heard "the news". We tried to keep our regular in-class schedule in regards to reading, writing, and math as much as possible.  We set up a kindergarten Google Classroom for our school to share information and resources to parents, but after just one week, it was cluttered and it didn't fit our vision like we thought it would.  So, we made a kindergarten website (Kindergarten @ Moreno) that much better suit the needs of our students for our extended absence.  On it we update weekly resources, special announcements, and assignments. This website much better fit our desires and needs to communicate assignments with parents and students.

ClassDojo is the main source of communication I use with parents. I post links to our daily scheduled Zoom meetings weekly in our Class Stories.  I also post recorded read alouds with questions for students.  I help troubleshoot technology issues, which were numerous at the start.

Here are some other ways I have stayed in contact with my students and parents since this closure started:

1.  I host daily Zoom meetings, which started the week after Spring Break.  M/W evenings are social, run like a morning meeting/community circle with a live read aloud.  T/Th mornings are writing and math lessons.  Fridays are for sight word testing.  I have had every single student join at 4 meetings. I record live readings and post in our Class Stories on our writing and math days.
2. I gave parents my personal cell phone number and gave office hours during the week.
3.  I send home personalized postcards each week. These are free Postcards are so cute and the kids always show them to me on our Zoom meetings!
4.  On the postcards, I sent my home address and told the students that they can write to me.  So far, I've received two letters, and package of homemade face masks, and a drop-off delivery of lemons.
5.  I hand-delivered school supplies and treats to my students' doorstep a couple of times.
6. I have held one-on-one Zoom meetings for specific students who have been unable to make our regularly scheduled meetings.
7.  Flat Mrs. Grebel made her way through the mail!

The responses I have received from parents have been very positive and appreciative.  The students love the Zoom meetings.  On average, I have about half of my class at every meeting.  I do realize that many other teachers will think I do too much or even too little.  But, I have found a consistent groove that works for my students and me.  I can also appreciate many teachers who may not feel comfortable giving out their personal cell phone number or address, but I did with this group of parents.  Not once have I felt taken advantage of or disrespected; on the contrary, I feel even more appreciated and held in high regard.  The point here is you have to have your boundaries with which you feel comfortable, whether it be with your live time online and/or your personal information.  This territory was unknown to me just 6 weeks ago, but I have tried my best to do right by my students, their families, and my own family.

Happy (Distance) Teaching!

Erin Grebel

Forever in the Middle: Tracking Participation Online

A few weeks ago, we were asked to keep a communication log. The main focus of my communication with parents has been to let them know how to access materials if their child is not participating in class online. This past week, I also sent emails to parents of students who have completed all their work for the past two weeks. It was definitely worth a nice note because what parent doesn't like to hear good things about their child?

Usually when I send email notices out to parents, about 20% of students who have been contacted start showing more activity online. I needed to put together a database that would help me keep track of which students I have been in contact with and which students I need to continue to reach out to. From the beginning of the month to this week, twenty more students total have been completing work of my five classes without needing prompting from me based on the information I gathered using a spreadsheet. The database I put together to help me keep track of any type of communication I have with students and makes it easy to see improvements in participation.

The information on my database includes:
1. Google classroom comments. I allow them to comment and post to GC now since we are teaching online. These have been helpful to respond quickly to specific questions about assignments.
2. Check in forms. I have students complete a daily check in form. Any time they respond, I mark off that they completed it on my electronic database.
3. Email. Any time I email a parent or student during the week, I check that box. Because emails are not always responded to, I also include a column for "response to email."
4. Zoom call. I have a weekly check in with students per class and also a twice a week book club over Zoom. If students are present there, I check the box.
5. Assignment turned in. I assign 2-4 assignments (not including the daily check in form) a week per class. If a student turns in just one of them, I check the box.

I do admit that at first, this seemed like it would be overwhelming, but with the creation of a template, all I have to do at the beginning of the week is make a copy and insert the dates. Then I can use it during the week.

See below for a video demonstration of the form. It has really made staying on top of who I need to check in with much easier.

Keep the magic alive,

Kandyce Valverde

Social-Emotional Learning

Shine on Care Bears

Change is one of the hardest lessons. Our daily lives become the norm to us; we wake up every day and follow a routine that we have become accustomed to. It is what we know and feel comfortable with and sometimes do not wish to change it all. Then on March 13, 2020, a huge change in Education occured, the closing of school buildings was announced.  Teachers, needed to make lesson plans and gather materials for students to work from home. It was a thought that had crossed my mind, but was still hoping it did not happen. This change would be very impactful for many as we stepped into uncharted waters, an unknown territory that could cause us anxiety and fear of  not serving our students to the best of our capacity.

People with strong social-emotional skills are better equipped to manage daily challenges and build positive relationships.

Most students were comfortable and happy to be home in the midst of fear of the pandemic. Students were calm and comforted to be close to loved ones in this time of fear. As one of my students said, “I like waking up late and staying in my pajamas while I do my school work. I am happy to have breakfast at home and playing with my sisters.” Teachers, on the other hand, were now feeling like most students feel the first month of school, full of worry and concern as we tried to understand new learning. We were now living in different times, searching for answers to calm our nerves as we set out on this journey to meet new expectations. After a few weeks of Remote Learning, Teachers are, hopefully, beginning to feel the calm after the storm because we've embraced the help and searched professional development.In the midst of all the craziness, we realize our colleagues and district personnel have been a huge support to keep us afloat. We now see that Distance Learning will look different for Teachers, depending on the circumstances of each child's household. This was not going to be an equitable time of learning because every child has a story, that we may be or may not be aware of. The situation a child is living in, will either enhance or put a stop to our practice.

As some children were feeling safe and happy at home, the realization of school continuing from home began to set in. Now, for some students, this has been a breeze and the learning has continued as if nothing changed. However, for other students, the fear of not having the daily support and human interaction to know how to read/comprehend a story, write an essay, or fully understand a mathematical concept may be causing them anxiety once again. To top it off, students might not have an electronic device at home or he/she may have one, but it has to be shared with all the other school-age children. The internet connection may not be strong enough to support the online work. Parents are still working and cannot be present to help fix all the problems. Students are trying to keep up with schoolwork, but the situation might be more frustrating at this point, when considering other issues at home. 

While students are still trying to process all that is happening in the world around us in the present time, no matter the situation, a common thing is this: many students are missing their Teachers, friends, sports, extra-curricular activities, and even the loud and crazy lunchroom. A news article from Education Week by Arianna Prothero, stated, “Tens of millions of students are dealing with massive upheaval to their education and daily live with their schools shuttered indefinitely to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.  Add to that fears over the pandemic that would sicken them or loved ones, students now more than ever need strong coping skills to adjust to this new reality…”

“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  -Theodore Roosevelt

I say all of this to remind you to have GRACE on yourself and your students as education has changed for the time being. Now more than ever, we have to take care of ourselves, our families, and our students. An opinion article, “It’s Time to Accept that the Point of School has Changed” on CNN stated, “There is no one-size-fits-all for remote learning, any more than there is for in-person learning. Some parents and kids hate Zoom calls; others rely on them. Special needs kids, kids with individualized educational programs (IEPs) or who are on the autism spectrum, or are English language learners---we have to accommodate them all. Emotional support can cut through some of those barriers and differences and inequities.” YES, I agree, we need to provide more emotional support to make our students comfortable with this change and come back to us stronger than before. Social/Emotional skills have been and still continue to be very important to build strong minds.
Marc Brackett, a professor at Yale University and the director of its Center of Emotional Intelligence stated, “Social-emotional learning is critical to managing anxiety at this time. Because if you don’t know how to deal with the lack of control of your future, or the feelings of uncertainty that you’re having, your brain is going to stay in fight mode. And if our brain is in fight or flight mode, then it’s not in the learning mode.” We need to get our students in learning mode and be ready for the challenges to come. 

What can we do for our students?

•       Morning Check-Ins- “How are you feeling and why are you feeling this way?”
•        Send Daily Positive Messages (motivational quotes, fun facts, or silly jokes) on Class Dojo/Remind/Google Classroom/Email
•        Send a Letter- show students you are missing them and want to encourage them to continue doing their best even when they’re away
• .      Journal Writing- What would you do for others… getting them to focus on strategies to be compassionate in times of fear, will, hopefully, in turn have that compassion and grace towards themselves
•        Telephone Conversations/Zoom Meetings- to share what makes them happy while at home, see peers, play games, and continue learning with their Teacher
•        Read Alouds- to focus on the characters and their actions to reflect positive and responsible decision making
•        REACH OUT to School/District Staff! We are all in this together- our support staff has continued Virtual Spirit Weeks (this week’s being “It’s Good to Bee Me!”) and sending out Social/Emotional resources for parents/students; check out the Google folder our TOA, Lauren Gomez, has created for additional resources (which is a work in progress at the moment) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AjfpxK375ZrCJWBehwu-jP8ykINVNYOT?usp=sharing

Aside from the stated above, I have also added a quick activity, on their daily lesson, to get the focus off the work and any negativity that may be happening within their surroundings.

Social Emotional Learning Kids Stuck at Home You’re not alone!  What are you looking forward to doing once the world has healed?

Monday Go outside and count how many things are yellow. Add the SUNSHINE to your life.

Tuesday Write a thank you message in chalk on your sidewalk to your mail carrier

Wednesday Scribble all the things that are bothering you (mad, sad, lonely, worried) or all the things that are making you happy during quarantine.

Thursday Talk to an adult or close friend about your favorite place.

Friday Pull some weeds in your front/back yard to make your surroundings more beautiful.

You know your students best, find some one-on-one time through a phone call or a Zoom meeting, add some fun to your lessons/meetings to remind them that they matter and are deeply missed. Make them happy and find your happy too, because we love to teach, it is our dream to help every child succeed and we can still do it. Be present and show love because relationships are essential in the learning path. As you go through these last days of the 2019-2020 school year, think of this quote by Jeffrey R. Holland, "If you can't teach them, love them. Love will teach them... and if you love them today, maybe you can teach them tomorrow." I hope you are all taking care of yourselves too, YOU are amazing and you are doing your best in this situation. Stay connected to colleagues and students because we are all in this together, and as we all know Teamwork makes the Dream Work. 

Live, Love, Teach!

Hilda Sanchez

Providing Feedback to Students from a Distance

Providing meaningful, timely feedback is critical to student success and can significantly enhance student learning. When teaching a new skill, feedback is needed for students to understand what they are doing well and what they need to improve on. In a perfect world (a.k.a not the world of distance learning), I attempt to provide feedback within 24 hours. When the assignment is fresh in their heads, the input means more. The feedback can be used  to make their product better before they turn the assignment into me. I’ve noticed if I wait to give feedback, the student is already on to another assignment, and in many cases, they don’t even read the comments I leave.

You can communicate feedback in a variety of ways. In the classroom, I like to hold writing conferences with students individually. During this time, each student would read a portion of their essay (or product) to me aloud, and we would discuss what works and what doesn’t work. One of the (many) drawbacks to distance learning is that I am not able to conference with students individually. So instead, I’ve needed to look into new ways to provide quality feedback to my students.

In doing research, I found many feedback tools that I am excited to try out, but for the sake of quickness and ease, I decided to start by providing written feedback through Google Classroom. When grading an assignment in Google Classroom, there is a comment bank section. The comment back section “follows” you in any of the classes you create in Google Classroom, and you can build it as you go. For example, at the beginning of the year, you may want to start with simple feedback (punctuation and organization), and as the year progresses you can add comments that you’ll be grading them on or that you just taught (academic language or reminding them to add commentary). The feedback can be used to help students notice what they are doing well and what they need to improve.

Using the comment bank during distance learning has helped me communicate feedback with my students throughout the week in a quick and meaningful way.

Here is how you start a comment bank:

1. Open any class in Google Classroom in which you are a teacher.
2. Go to any assignment (cannot be a question, material, etc.) you have assigned where at least one student turned their work in through Google Classroom.
3. Click on the comment bank icon on the right-hand side. The first time you open this icon a tutorial will pop up to walk you through the rest of the steps.
4. Click on Add to bank.
5. Lastly, type in the feedback you want to give to students and add them to the bank

Using the comment bank has helped me so much over the past couple of weeks. I hope it helps you too!

Jenni Merry

"Mystery" Guest Zoom

If you are like me, chances are you are Zooming away weekly, daily, or somewhere in between.  You may have been bombarded with tons of blog posts about how to reach your kids digitally since this has become the "new normal" in education.  And I want to tell you....YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB!!

So I want to offer you just a short & sweet suggestion that has worked for me during my Zoom meetings.  I was thinking of a way to entice my students to return to our programmed Zoom meetings and also a way to build community.  Finally, one day, I thought "What if I invite a "mystery" guest to our sessions as a speaker that the kids have not seen since we left school?"  I quickly thought about who to invite.

My first guest was our instructional coach who gave my students a tour of her backyard which included recently purchase baby chicks.  The kids loved it!  My second guest was our Outreach Consultant.  I was able to create a break out room and sent her to the room first followed by half of the students who showed up for our meeting.  She had a pre-planned activity for them.  After about 15 minutes, we swapped the two groups so the entire class had an opportunity to speak with our Outreach Consultant in a smaller group setting.  This also allowed me time to speak with my group regarding current assignments and praise for the work they have been achieving.

After seeing how successful this turned out, it made me think of who else can I invite as our "mystery" guest and I came up with these suggestions:

1.  Invite the librarian to read a book about maintaining a positive growth mindset during these difficult times or perhaps a good story about overcoming isolation.

2.  Invite your proctors to play a simple interactive game with them.

3.  Invite the health aide to present a video on how to protect themselves from unwanted germs.

4.  Invite a math coach to play a simple, low-prep math game with everyday items.

5.  Invite a teacher who has had your class in past years just to say hello or you can even invite a teacher from next year's grade level to tell them how excited they are to start meeting them.

There are so many options you can do with this simple and fun engagement routine.  It is quite obvious that our students have the need to stay "connected" in some fashion with their school community members.

Whatever you choose to use from this blog post (or perhaps not), just remember that your students are VERY fortunate to have you as their teacher because YOU CARE and are doing the best job any teacher can under these current circumstances.  Please take care of yourself and thank you for your time!

Happy living and teaching!
Gustavo Macuil

There is No Social Distancing in Kindergarten

There. I said it.

Back six weeks ago, we had an emergency/voluntary meeting after school to learn that parent conferences would be held by phone only and that students would still attend school during conference week.  The next day was Friday the 13th.  What an ominous day that was.

That Friday started off pretty normal in class.  For some reason, I decided to send home their homework binders and reading folders home all ready for the next week (they normally go out on Mondays).  Maybe I had a feeling...

I dismissed my students at 11:30am, went to the office with one straggler to call home, when that announcement came over the loud speaker: "Staff, please check your email for a very important and timely message."  I knew it.  At that moment I knew I wouldn't see my students again for at least a few weeks.  We never got to officially say good-bye.

If I had known that was our last day together for a long while, our day would have looked much different.  We would have sang and danced more.   We would have played more games.  I would have read more stories "just for fun".  But most of all, I would have let them know that I love them and that I will miss them and that everything was going to be okay.

It was all so shocking that I couldn't even think about what I needed to do, so I stayed in the staff lounge to help some 3rd grade teachers vigorously copy iReady packets to send home that day.  I helped them stuff envelopes.  Then I went back to my classroom and just looked around, in a daze.  My room was the typical end-of-the-week mess.  Fridays I usually spend the afternoon deep cleaning and organizing to get ready for the next week, but I just couldn't.  I went home with a knot in my stomach. I had no idea what was in store for my students, my own children, or me and my husband as teachers.

I am grieving the loss of the best part of the school year; where my students are more independent and confident and the learning is in high gear.  And now, as two different reopen dates have passed, and ultimately closing for the rest of the school year is our fate, I can't help but think of the future and next school year.  I know that doesn't help the "now", but it's on my mind. After all, there is no social distancing in kindergarten.

(Try to Be) Happy Teaching!

Erin Grebel