Distance Learning in Kindergarten {as best as possible!}

I've had lots of teachers reach out and ask me about how I'm going about teaching and delivering lessons/activities starting next week so I thought I would answer them below.

There are lots of terms people are describing the current situation, such as Distance Learning, eLearning, Online Learning, etc. but I'd like to refer to it as Remote Emergency Learning as many of us were not able to prepare for this emergency situation.

WHERE DO I START?

This is a first for many of us so there are really no 'right' or 'wrong' ways of doing things. From speaking with some colleagues, I know we are trying to keep things "routine" as much as possible. Meaning that certain activities, such as our Poem of the Week on Mondays, will continue online.

So how am I planning for next week and beyond? Keep in mind that your board/union may have provided you with a more specific direction than this. We were told to plan for Literacy, Math and Religion (teaching in a Catholic School) with enough substance (lessons and independent work) for students equivalent to 5 hours total for the week.

Our itinerant teacher, who teaches Health and Phys. Ed., will also be contributing.

WHAT PLATFORM ARE YOU USING?

I'll be using Google Classroom (which we actually started back in September with the class). I created various Topics (or sections) -> Language, Math, Religion, Try This..., and Health/Phys. Ed. (itinerant teacher). See below for more details.

Each day I'll be posting 2-3 activities in any of the above areas combined.

I like to start with a "lesson" or directions to give to the students in that subject area. Then I go on to "assign" a task, which could be anything from a hands-on activity to a response sheet (can either be printed or written on paper at home). I'll share some examples I have planned for next week below.

Here are some questions I received this past week:

HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR WEEK?

I drafted a Week-at-a-Glance template which is editable if you wish to use it to plan ahead.

I'll be posting one literacy and one numeracy activity each day, keeping in mind that religion may also fall under literacy. Not all activities will have a "paper/pencil" follow-up.

I made these editable on Google Classroom for the next 4 weeks (and blank ones also).

These are available on Google Slides if you wish to download.

Click the picture below to download for FREE.

HOW ARE YOU TEACHING A LESSON?

I wish I could be in front of my students and model how to, but since that can't happen I've thought of a few other ways to reach them.

iPad videos

Our union has advised us not to film our faces directly, so I've opted for filming my hands! LOL!

The EA that works with me, Mrs. Chiovitti, suggested that I take an iPad and have it on the edge of a table (kitchen table, coffee table) with camera sticking out. I put a heavy flashlight on it so it doesn't fall when recording.

I set up my materials, or book to do a read-aloud, underneath and this leaves my hands free to move things around while talking.

Honestly, this is the EASIEST way of filming a short lesson! I did a 2 minute math lesson introducing 3D shapes!

I record the video (using the camera function on the iPad), upload it to Google Drive and then attach it directly onto Google Classroom.

Voila!

My math lesson!

Remember that these types of lessons are quick, simple and to the point. I would say 2-3 minutes is great! Anything longer than that is difficult to upload. You can always post another short video during the week building upon this one!

I won't be doing this daily (maybe 1-2 times per week) but it's certainly a great way to connect with your students. I opted for this way instead of a live version (Google Meet) so that students can watch it several times.

I also did this for a read aloud.

*Note: Most publishers allow teachers to record themselves reading a book; however, you may need to say "with permission from...(i.e. Scholastic)" before reading.*

Online Resources

Your lessons may be guiding the students to a wonderful song, story or online resource!

Parent Instructions

I may also just provide a simple attachment (such as a poem, picture, etc.) and suggest questions or activities for parents to do with their children.

WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE YOU PLANNING?

As I mentioned above, our focus is primarily on literacy and math, along with religion.

Here's a breakdown of how I'm planning for the week:

*Although many activities may have a Black Line Master (BLM) printable template assigned, it is not necessary to print that attachment. Students can also draw their findings on a blank scrap paper.

CAN YOU SHARE SOME SAMPLE LESSONS/ACTIVITIES YOU ARE DOING NEXT WEEK?

Sure! As you can see from above, our K team has structured the week as similar as possible to our school day!

Here are some sample lessons/activities:

LITERACY

MONDAY -> We always start the week with a "Poem of the Week". I'll be posting a new poem each Monday and parents can help their children read the poem as well as do several things with it (i.e., find sight words, how many syllables, etc.). I've included a parent tip sheet outlining the many activities they can do with the poem (included in the pack)!

You can find poems for the whole year, as well as the parent tip sheet, in my Rhyme and Chime Pack on TpT.

I've also asked students to use a class favourite....Fluency Cards for Choral Reading. Students love to choose a card and read the poem in a funny voice! We encouraged students to choose 4-5 cards and say the poem in different ways.

TUESDAY -> We wanted to find a way to connect with the students so each week, one of the Kindergarten educators will video tape herself reading their favourite children's book! Students can draw/write about their favourite part of the story or a specific/guided question may be asked.

Here's an example of the template: