Updates!

Dear Parents,

I am grateful for the sweet birthday wishes on Monday from your children! Covid birthdays aren't terribly exciting, but it helps to have such kind people in your life to remember it! :)

This week's language arts lessons are still focused on doing research for our country reports as I try to create groups for the next part of our work: planning a vacation!

Though I know students are excited to go on a vacation, the group work and planning will start after students finish reporting on their countries! I am hoping to give them a template for their report tomorrow.

In math last week and this week I have assigned some Core Focus lessons with Khan Academy options to go along with them. These assignments cover Lessons 4.1-4.5 in our Proportions and Probability book. 

In order to check for understanding, I assigned a "quiz" on Khan Academy. If your child has not completed this quiz, you (and your child) should have already received an email from me.

I currently have 17/23 students who have taken the quiz, and all have done well on it! None of the grades go into the grade book, but some assessing of skills has to happen so that I know how everyone is doing.

Having just recently talked with my colleagues, 17/23 is a reasonably high participation rate! Good job class!

I have recorded a few math instructional videos that are uploaded onto google classroom as well as a "challenge" video (that isn't really a challenge if they have completed lesson 4.5.) I hope students find them entertaining!

Until next time, please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Cheers,

Mrs. Hart

Resources and Information

Happy Friday Families! (It's Friday... right?)

I have been reading many journal entries from students saying how their days seem to be more and more monotonous and they have trouble keeping track of what day it is.

It got me to thinking about finding some resources to "shake things up" a little bit! I know the Northshore Learns website has a lot of information and links, here are some more that I found.

Coding classes! 

Code.org has weekly interactive lessons on Wednesdays at 10am PST. I recognize that may get in the way of our classroom meetings, but I totally understand if kids leave early to take another class!

This coming Wednesday, April, 22, the coding class will feature Bill Gates as a special guest! 

Science projects!

This is a link to some engineering activities that could be done at home.

Or you could do some Science Experiments! 

Or more Science Experiments!

This site has ads, but also lists of a lot of experiments too!

Read a Good Book!

Excellent News, Audible has FREE audio book subscriptions for kids! 

Write something! 

The New York Times has free accounts for students and teachers, and this part of their website has activities, lessons, and webinars.  (some of this site seems to be geared more for high school students, so you may want to look through it a bit more)

Art is always fun!

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems! 

This post has 12 Art Channels on YouTube that have a variety of mediums. (Sorry for all the ads on their website!)

This channel is more geared towards adult artists. Its website has a subscription box for materials etc. but if you have a lot of art supplies and child who is really interested in using them, their tutorial videos are free, so it might be a place to go!

Quality Time...

Finally, this time is stressful, and your children feel it from you and from the world around them. They miss "normal" and want to do all the things that they used to do, even if they know they can't. 

Spending time doing something fun with them, whether it is board games or video games, a nature walk or a book club. If it is something you never get a chance to do together, you can create experiences that make "abnormal" fun instead of stressful. (For example, here is a video my friend posted of a Rube Goldberg machine he made with his son.)

Children all over the world are missing school, their friends, and all of their extra curricular activities. They will never forget this time. Don't be afraid to make it memorable for good reasons as well. 

Sending my love to all of you.

Mrs. Hart