Summer means warm weather, pools, beaches, time off, oh yah…. and Extended School Year. This year, I decided to work Extended School Year and at the time of this blog post, we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. My district decided to take a cautious approach and we engaged in virtual learning. I truly believe that virtual learning is here to stay for awhile so we might as well make the most of it! I’ll share what ESY looks like for our district and then share some resources that I plan to use. Most are still FREE at the time of this post but a few will be paid resources. I won’t be updating this when those free resources become paid again so do your research.
What Virtual Extended School Year Looks Like For Us
Our district is assigning each student to a teacher and we are providing 1:1 virtual services. They have provided a variety of options for our students and teachers so that we can work with our families to do what is best for them and works with the goals. We have calculated the total number of hours needed per month and can divide them out however works best for the kids. For example, if a student’s IEP says they will attend for 2 hours a day/4 days a week for 4 weeks, we have to provide 16 hours in the month of June and July each. I’m personally approaching this with each session being an hour and increasing the number of days/weeks; however, also telling parents that I am flexible and will do what works best for them and their student.
Option 1- Virtual live videos via platforms such as zoom.
Option 2- Providing videos and materials for parents to implement the programs at home and with coaching from the teacher.
Option 3- A combination approach.
Online learning resources:
Vizzle- interactive lessons that are standards based and also align to TEKS curriculum (Texas). Free until August 1st.
N2Y- interactive lesson materials, adapted newspapers, symbol programs, and behavior supports.
Brainpop- videos and activities for all topics. Grades K-8. You can still currently request a free account through this link. https://go.brainpop.com/covid19
Readworks.org- Free articles and comprehension questions. Can assign to students and view progress. You can also turn on oral administration.
BoomLearning- Digital task cards. You can find many free and paid decks on TpT or the BoomLearning store.
Google Classroom/drive activities- this is also an option. You can create and assign activities through google drive/forms and have students complete. There are also premade free and paid resources on TpT.
Digital Behavior Support
Our students are at home, but behavior doesn’t exist in a vacuum or only at school. Your students will likely still need support in your online learning environment. Check out my print and go and digital behavior supports for an affordable solution that you can carry in to next year as well.
