Like all teachers right now, I am learning how to teach remotely on the fly. While our school/district already had a lot of pieces in place to make things go smoothly: 1-to-1 iPads for the entire district, regular Google Classroom use in our building, two years of serious equity training, teaming at the middle school to help make sure kids are accounted for, and many other structural supports, it’s still difficult to know there are a multitude of struggles families are facing during this time. And for many of us, we had certain kids we checked on everyday or provided a safe space for in our rooms who we may not be able to get in touch with now.
So once we move past knowing that we can’t fix everything even if wish we could, how do we plan assignments that are relevant to our content area but also might be helpful to the well-being of our kids while they’re at home? Thankfully, being a language arts teacher makes it so easy to also care for the social and emotional needs of my students. It’s practically built in to our standards if we just choose the right things to be reading and writing.
Out of all the assignments I’ve created now that we’ve been out of the physical building for almost six weeks, a choice BINGO board has been the most successful, so I thought I’d give some tips on what to consider when creating options for kids to do at home.
1. Layer Choices
As a gifted intervention specialist, choice is the cornerstone of my teaching. It increases engagement and motivation. Plus, I hate being told what to do, so I understand why many kids are turned off in the same way. By giving them choice, they are automatically more interested and more likely to complete the assignment. In the BINGO board, there is layered choice. Not only do they choose which 5 squares to complete, but some squares also give them choices. For example, one square says, “Watch a Home Safari from the Cincinnati Zoo. Then write me something fun about one of the animals.” The more choice, the less constricted students feel, which makes them more likely to do work with less complaining.
2. Make SEL a priority
During an unprecedented time, this is the most important piece. Students are in all different situations with all different types of supports for their social and emotional needs, so it is critical for teachers to provide what support they can in this area knowing that for some students it will be supplemental to what their parents are already providing and some it will be the only consideration given to SEL. Many of the blocks on the BINGO board aimed to support students in this area. Practicing mindfulness with Calm app videos on YouTube, trying yoga, spending time doing something you enjoyed when you were younger, writing a letter to a family member you haven’t been able to see since the Stay at Home order began, playing a game with a family member, writing a blog post about how to stay healthy during Covid-19… all of these support students’ emotional and mental health along with keeping their minds and bodies active.
3. Amplify the right voices
While linking activities, it was important for me to consider whose voices I’d be amplifying during this time. It is always important to guide students to see people who look like them and who are relevant to them. Therefore I’ve linked writing resources from Jason Reynolds, creative writing ideas from Angie Thomas, StoryLine Online that has lots of actors and books to choose from, CrashCourse videos from John Green, drawing tutorials from Vashti Harrison on Instagram. Make sure you’re guiding students to relevant, accurate resources.
4. Balance reading, writing, and doing
The ELA standards boil down to reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This is the time of year that would typically fall after state testing and a time to do things that are more fun. I usually save flash fiction narrative writing for after the test since narrative isn’t on the test, but we wrote those early this year because the Dayton Metro Library was having a contest. So we’re having fun making sure that no matter what way the BINGO goes there is some combination of reading, writing, and doing that will support both their health and their content knowledge and maybe add a little fun.
While this assignment took a while to create, it was quick to grade and brought me some joy as I saw how students reflected and interacted with it. There are two versions available for free in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Love and Literacy 