Let Me Help You

Are you surviving Distance Learning? Or, better yet, Distance Teaching?

I know. I am on the struggle bus, too, and I’m right there with you.

I can’t even wrap my head around the thought that I have seven more weeks of this. 🤯

I know every state, every district, and every school is different. I’ve heard some teachers cannot use any paper/pencil whatsoever with their students, and that others can only utilize weekly paper packets, and still others can do a combination of both. In my own district, we have a variety of ways to connect with our students whether we choose Seesaw, Google Classroom, Canvas, Zoom, email, etc. It’s up to the individual teacher.

What world is this that we are living in?!

Here’s what’s happening in my little corner of the internet. Teachers are asking me if they can send the Listen and Learn activities that they’ve purchased from me to their families for distance learning.

Um . . .

YES!

I’m doing it, too!!!

Who knew that when I started creating these lessons for use in my own classroom that they would be JUST WHAT I NEEDED for distance learning!?

My own families have told me how much their children love hearing my voice now that we are no longer in school. And, just for the record, as sweet as that is of them to say, the kids in my class, whenever listening to a Listen and Learn lesson whole group, with me STANDING IN THE ROOM AND MOUTHING ALL THE WORDS TO THE ACTIVITY, never actually believed that it was ME on the recording.

Seriously.

I guess now that they miss me, they believe that it is, in fact, really me.

HA!

But now even STRANGERS are messaging me with pictures of their kids completing the Listen and Learn At Home activities, or Numbers to 10, or Sight Words, or the Beginning Blends edition. And I’m not saying that to brag or boast or pat myself on the back. I’m telling you this because these moms and dads, and teachers, and whoever else just need a BREAK, already! AND SO DO I!

I want my own students to be able to review certain phonics skills, as well as be introduced to the ones I was going to “formally” teach later on in the year! I’m looking at you R Controlled Vowels and Diphthongs! 😜

Listen and Learn activities are going to do that FOR ME!

It’s like I AM TEACHING THE LESSON IN THEIR HOME.

BAM!

It’s a WIN WIN.

Now.

I know that in order for this to actually work for my kiddos, and for your kids, too, they need the printable already copied for them in a packet, or they need access to a printer. Because, in order to complete these activities, students need to be able to color and write according to my directions on the recording.

But I’ve sort of, kind of found a work around with Seesaw that might work for some of you that must use it as a digital resource.

You can upload the printables to Seesaw as an activity, and students can use the digital tools (pencil, crayons, colors, etc) to complete it. The only drawback is that they need a secondary device in order to hear the recording of my voice. A second device, such as a phone or tablet, would be used to scan the code and play the recording. So that is a drawback, and it IS a pain, but it is a possibility. So if a student is using a tablet to access the activity on Seesaw, their parent could use a cell phone to scan the code (directly from the image of the QR code on the screen of the tablet) for them. I know it’s not ideal because maybe the parent wants their phone available for a conference call, or to answer emails, or just to peruse Instagram while they drink a cup of coffee because their child is otherwise occupied . . . but it’s also possible that they have an older sibling with a phone who could give it up for 15 minutes, or maybe they have an old cell phone that they aren’t even using. I mean, there are definitely ways to make it happen!!

If you’re not sure where to start, here are two *FREE* Listen and Learn packs with a total of TEN different lessons, covering ELA and Math skills.

All you can do is try, right?

That’s what I’m doing over here. Trying something, failing, trying something else, succeeding, and repeat.

Hang in there. We’re in this together!

And we’re better together!