MAY 13, 2020
As we enter our third month (fourth for some) in quarantine, we find ourselves looking for more and more creative ways to keep our kids and families engaged. Virtual Field Trips have gained popularity across classrooms in the past few years, as they do not require permission slips or travel and provide insight into amazing places and exciting journeys. This idea can be adapted to help families embark on their own virtual journeys from the safety of their homes.
MAY 7, 2020
Transitioning for the classroom to the home office - or dining table - can take a lot of effort. Download one of these special backgrounds from your favorite PBS KIDS shows to help fight those "virtual blues".
MAY 6, 2020
One way to connect with families, and make learning fun for all, is by encouraging families to participate in hands-on learning, such as home labs, together. The strawberry DNA extraction activity is a fun, simple home lab that you can share with your families. Teachers can share the materials needed ahead of time and guide families as they complete the activities, or teachers can share the directions for families to complete on their own time.
APRIL 30, 2020
Stanley Nelson is an award winning documentary filmmaker, with a unique perspective examining African-American history and experiences. We have come to know Nelson over his 30 years of documenteering, producing, and directing. Throughout his career, his focus has been to share stories of those excluded from mainstream narratives and become a driving force in highlighting the need to include diverse perspectives, stories and representation in media. Nelson's films have illuminated stories and histories of those who have been denied a...
APRIL 20, 2020
As part of “American History Night with Ken Burns,” PBS will also be making several of his films available for stations across the country to broadcast, and several more full-length films available on PBS LearningMedia. The Roosevelts will lead the charge. In honor of these American heroes who provide us with guidance and inspiration during times like these, I present to you Doing Distance Learning the Roosevelt Way.
APRIL 15, 2020
Young learners are especially curious! Curiosity encourages children of all ages to be more observant and to think about the world around them. When curious, children are more likely to try to figure things out, inquire and think through processes - all paths to deepen learning. As children explore their curiosity, they often expand their vocabulary as they use language to describe what they're seeing, hearing, feeling and experiencing. We can leverage the power of video, books, purposeful use of technology, games and other...
APRIL 14, 2020
Students willing to forge ahead, undaunted by their circumstances, to demonstrate their learning on this year’s APUSH exam should be applauded. Their teachers should as well. Between now and May 15th, ease your students’ fears. Let them know that one day, APUSH students will write about their historical experiences. After that, focus on the fundamentals. Help your students craft resources to make their writing clear and their points decipherable. And last, arm your students with some quality outside resources to take...
APRIL 8, 2020
As much as we have tried to keep student’s minds calm by reminding them that these few weeks - with no clear end date - are precautionary, we continue to wonder how they may be taking this change.
APRIL 7, 2020
As I watched the Distance Learning with PBS LearningMedia webinar, I was so excited to see all of the questions asked by our PBS Teachers from around the country. Still, what was foremost in my mind was the silent teacher, the one I often was, listening attentively and trying to learn something new, trying to earn my skinned knee. Riding a bike took time, but distance learning became an overnight reality, a life-altering event. So let’s look at this reality as a unique type of differentiated instruction.
APRIL 3, 2020
When I wrote this, it was nearly the end of March. For the last two weeks, I, like most of you, have been at home consuming news and feeling a daily mix of trepidation and astonishment. As a teacher, I have been physically (and mostly digitally) apart from my students, wondering how they are and wishing I could help them. As a history and government teacher, I’m also ruminating on the fact that 30 years from now, my grandchildren will want to interview me as a primary source for a future Social Studies project on the Great Pandemic...
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