Want my best teaching tips, lesson ideas, tech tools, grading hacks, and more? Are you revamping your existing back-to-school resources or creating entirely new activities? Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). The Ultimate List of Distance Teaching and Learning Activities. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Graphic organizes, writing activities, word searches, all about me activities, and more are included for kids to use during back to … Once students are with their partner, they will briefly share their memorable moments without giving away more information than necessary. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 10 team-building activities for distance learning. Sep 26, 2020 - Explore Jo Lo's board "Back to school activities" on Pinterest. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. By Andrea Moran and Laura Short | March 13, 2020 We know that a lot of teachers and families are looking for free educational resources for distance learning. Easy to … Icebreakers and get-to-know-you activities are fun, but it’s also important to get to know your students on an even deeper level at the beginning of the year. Here’s how: If you’d like to save some time creating this project, then check out my resource HERE. I believe … Now that students have had the opportunity to take a rest and lunch break, invite them back to learning with some fun digital logic puzzles. There’s nothing quite like watching your students scurry around the room, open your cabinets, and peek at your bookshelves as they search for clues about your personality and teaching style. Then, have students pair up with a classmate. This blog post will focus on how to digitally adapt tried-and-true activities to a 1:1, blended, or fully virtual/distance learning setting. I originally designed the lesson for a journalism class, so I used it to teach the art of asking the right questions. Try these activities during distance learning to encourage kids to connect with family members and peers online. These stations will work in a hybrid or fully virtual/distance learning environment. These back-to-school activities for 5th grade now include a digital distance learning option in Google Slides™. 28 Learning Activities & Lesson Plans for Students’ Distance Learning at Home. Admittedly, this activity is an absolute treat when it’s facilitated face-to-face in a traditional classroom. “About Me” activity and class slideshow or ebook. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Play 3 Clues – give three clues about an object and have students guess. The 4th station is super practical: a Student Survey via Google Forms. When creating the guide for this activity, you decide which websites, videos, ebooks, or documents you want your students to explore. The end result is a game called “Spin the Wheel Questions,” where the spinning wheel picks a student to answer a question from one of three categories: Basics, Favorites, or Wild Card! This might make it a little easier! Start teaching students that they are a part of a new kind of family, a class. If you’re interested, you can check out my digital, distance-learning ready “Interview Challenge” resource HERE. My school is set to start in person, but because of social distancing and the very real possibility that we could (and likely will) switch to distance learning at any moment, I am deliberating designing my lessons to be flexible. Then, you’ll copy and paste them into a new Slides presentation. Finally, I will “publish” the ebook in PDF form by posting & linking it on our Google Classroom page. Join my teacher club here! I just made my own cover page that says “Welcome to our class.” It was nothing too fancy! Hi there! Back to School Activities for Virtual Distance Learning 1. Sharing is caring. This Emoji Bubble Pop Intro Activity is perfect for Back to School 2020 in person or distance learning! Let’s take a breath together and dive in! Required fields are marked *. . Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Free Digital Distance Learning Activities for 4th and 5th Grade While the country prepares to keep our families and communities safe, teachers are also continuing with teaching and learning through digital distance learning … What are you planning for the first few days of school? While it’s entertaining to watch students “investigate” you before your eyes, this activity is entirely possible in a virtual, distance learning environment. Want to ditch your boring Day 1 routine or replace your “Get to Know Your Teacher” slideshow? If you want to check out my collection of interactive virtual gallery walks with clickable buttons, you can find my time-saving templates HERE. Have them write personal messages of thanks, kindness, or appreciati… During the 2nd station, students set goals with learning objectives written in student-friendly language. If you’re overwhelmed with all of the uncertainties and challenges of the upcoming school year, ease your stress by planning out the first few days of school with flexible back-to-school activities … I would be so appreciative. Luckily, there are plenty of options for this: the famous Bitmoji classroom, a virtual “gallery walk,” or a video tour of your classroom. Communication Ideas for Back to School Distance Learning. I would have them submit via Google Classroom and then copy/paste each slide into a new Google Slides. If you teach ELA like me, you’ll want them to write about it first. Communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution are essential to healthy relationships in and out of the home. After the reflection activity, I always lead small-group and/or whole-class discussions so students can learn about each other. As a teacher, team building is something that comes naturally. The “Investigate Your Teacher” activity is your solution for an engaging, unforgettable first day of school, even from behind a screen. Top 10 Tools for Distance Learning Activities Peardeck: Enhance your presentations with interactive polls that provide instant student feedback. Product Description. This kind of open discussion always generates a stronger sense of class community, mutual respect, and trust. Remember the classic “talk to a partner and introduce them to the class” icebreaker? Have a morning meeting each day Just like in the classroom, starting the day in a predictable way with a morning meeting is a great way to build and foster a classroom community. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. . Thank you for considering! This way, students can interact with the artifacts at their own pace and learn on their own before you fill in the gaps with your instruction. With Google Slides or PowerPoint, you can create an interactive “menu” of digital learning stations. Asking your students to take and reflect on a personality test is a great way to facilitate this. (A paper version is included, too). If you love to jump right into content as quickly as possible, then this idea is for you! Switch roles after item is guessed. Another option is going to File –> Import slides. See more ideas about school activities, distance learning, digital learning. I'm a high school American literature, journalism, and newspaper teacher who is dedicated to engaging and empowering my students. Obviously, that’s not happening this year, so I created a fun get-to-know-you activity with the help of a fancy spinning wheel website. This student-friendly way of structuring stations makes it easy to include or link any relevant documents, such as your syllabus or learning objectives. It’s the perfect game to play when you finish class early. I’m so glad I found your website! There is a continued need to build relationships at home. This would be great to use with my freshmen. Successful role play, working in groups, and parent interaction will help develop relationship skills. This way, all students can get to know their peers, even in a virtual setting. Distance teaching and learning is a new realm for educators, parents, and students right now. I teach middle school Spanish and was going to do an “All About Me” slideshow just like you discuss here. Back to school is all about building relationships. At the 1st station, students review the syllabus and answer essential questions. As always, let me know if you have any questions or ideas for future posts in the comments: I love the idea of a personality test! 1. This is especially challenging in a virtual setting. This year, I am using Google Slides to create a collaborative class slideshow and ebook. Host a virtual gallery walk to give your students a taste of your first unit. How long would this type of activity take you? It includes thorough teacher and student instructions, as well as multiple slide templates for students to choose from. I love doing this at the beginning of the year because it challenges students to think about who they are and how they can have their best year yet. If you’re ready to implement this on your first day of school, then you can check out my ready-to-use resource HERE. You can find this virtual icebreaker and 4 others, including digital versions of Two Truths and Lie and 4 Corners, HERE. That’s why I’ve been focusing on adapting my favorite back-to-school activities so they’ll work in any situation, whether that’s a physical classroom, a hybrid plan, or a fully virtual distance learning model. After sharing, the students will take time to brainstorm a list of questions to ask in order to write a story about their partner’s memorable moment. Then, once students have submitted their slides, I’ll pull them all into one slideshow, add a cover and co-created class norms page, and save it as a PDF. … I’ll give them some templates and examples, as well as the option to creatively design their own slide from scratch. Film a classroom tour or a home office tour as a teacher and share with … The goal is not for them to read everything, but to “skim and scan” digital resources for the information needed to complete the task. Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, California, uses a variety of activities in the weekly, 90-minute Habits, Community, and Culture (HCC) class, where students learn Habits of Success and develop social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Thankfully, all of these activities are deliberated designed to build relationships and classroom community from Day 1. Why have distance learning back-to-school activities and icebreakers? Your email address will not be published. Luckily, technology offers students the opportunity to be creative and express themselves the way they want to be seen. « How to Upload Google Resources on Schoology, How to Upload Google Drive Resources on Edmodo », #latergram from last weekend, but it makes me smil, The multiplication digital mystery pixel set is 50, Today, I am grateful for this sweet tiny human tha, Leave me a Halloween emoji below if you LOVE H, Looking for some FREE spooookky virtual multip, You know what is currently bringing me joy ri, Make sure to grab my FREE Halloween multiplication, Leave me a emoji down below if you’ve latel, ❤As we are gearing up for back to school time, t. If you’d like to implement it, you can check out my distance-learning ready lesson HERE. My students are a few feet apart but I am hoping to make it work. This … The example below is the corkboard theme, but computer, book, and colorful themed templates are also included in the resource. It comes complete with two versions (a digital one for this year and a print one for next year), teacher information, and a full lesson plan. First, I’ll ask students to create an “All About Me” Google Slide. Want to ditch your boring Day 1 routine or replace your “Get to Know Your Teacher”... 2: BACK TO SCHOOL LEARNING STATIONS. My district is requiring 6 feet and I don’t know how to get them to do this without screaming at each other. In addition, the online test offers great practice at reading, summarizing, evaluating, and reflecting on information. . Back to School—Distance-Learning Resources As schools move to distance learning and states implement new regulations, Associated Skin Care Professionals is working to provide you free … For example, think of the “toss and talk” icebreaker where you write a bunch of questions on a beach ball and toss it around the room. A 4 Corners game is great for movement and easy to adapt for distance learning as well! My question is, how would you modify the interview portion of this activity so that they can interview each other without being right beside each other. This activity has always taken me a 43-minute class period! Finally, the 5th station is a fun get-to-know-you Padlet seflie activity! I … Back to School Reading Activities for the Classroom & Distance Learning… Notify me of follow-up comments by email. All it takes is a little bit of good, old-fashioned internet stalking, if you will! Preparing your online classroom. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Your email address will not be published. That is challenging this year. I love to design authentic learning experiences that creatively trick students into learning. Yes, you’ll want the students to share the slides (or preferably, turn them in via Google Classroom or your school’s LMS). For me, this means utilizing technology to streamline activities so they can be done both in person and online. Although we may not start the school year in the classroom, students can still learn effectively. Paper Hearts –Instruct students to cut out paper hearts. Finally, students will interview each other and then use the information they gather to write a story about their partner. If you need a way to cover necessary back-to-school information and sneak in some extra get-to-know-you activities, then consider using learning stations. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. If you’re interested in how to facilitate these same activities in a totally traditional classroom setting, then head to this blog post. Here are some great things to have, ranging from lap desks to stress relief toys. (The resource even comes with a print-ready version for future years, too.). (You can check out all of my templates. Write a Story. Digital Logic Puzzles. Take a FREE course on launching and leading an equitable online … The upcoming school year is sure to be challenging, whether you find yourself teaching from your podium in a socially-distanced classroom or teaching virtually from behind a computer screen. The reflection component challenges students to be introspective as they think about their strengths and weaknesses, ability to work with others, approach to school/work, and more. I want the confidence of knowing that how I’m teaching today will be how I’m teaching tomorrow, even if tomorrow brings new changes, plans, or restrictions. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. All you have to do is find a way to virtually represent your personality, teaching style, hobbies, interests, expectations, etc. Our Class is a Family. If you need a way to cover necessary back-to-school information and sneak … Learn about activities, games, and freebies for your classroom to help you establish a strong relationship even if you have to socially … Here are some blog posts for further reading. Brain breaks are important at school and they are also important on Zoom calls. Go Noodle. While teachers face the stress of the unknown, one thing is certain: Building relationships and classroom community will be even more crucial than ever before. BRANDING + WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN. I made my template the other day, but was stuck on how exactly I’m going to pull them all into one slideshow. The school … I hope you found these back-to-school activities helpful for virtual/distance learning or a socially-distanced classroom setting. The longer the Zoom call, the more important it is to incorporate a little break. Here are some ideas for back to school introduction activities: Begin a project introduction that can be used all week! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. How to Teach Writing With Google Classroom, How to Structure Learning Stations Online, 7 Ways to Use Google Classroom’s “Ask a Question” Feature, USING A PERSONALITY TEST IN THE CLASSROOM, Engaging Strategies for Teaching Persuasion, Argument, and …. The “Interview Challenge” is an engaging extension of that activity with some speaking, listening, and writing mixed in. Once you’ve reviewed important information, you’ll probably want to work on getting to know your students and building classroom community. The guide you create is the map that keeps your students on task an… The best part of this activity is reading your students’ final stories. Would you mind sharing your tips on how to make that happen, along with your cover page and the PDF you mentioned? INVESTIGATE THE TEACHER. For the 3rd station, students complete a creative “one word” activity in Google Slides. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. You can even compile all of the stories into a class ebook. Learn how to plan a virtual first week of school and what to do before the first day so you are ready for distance learning. I love icebreaker games that can be played whenever we have a few spare moments, which is why I found a way to transform my favorite physical icebreakers to virtual ones. Over time, I found that this simple but purposeful activity makes for a great writing sample, so I began to use it at the beginning of the year in many of my ELA classes. Students follow clues and search for digital information leading to a final document or product. Do I just have the kids share with me, and then I manually drag and drop into a new Google Slides presentation? Or, if you’re comfortable, you could “assign” the interview as homework and ask that students call each other on the phone to complete it. Here’s how it works: Before the activity, ask students to reflect on a memorable moment. These games are back-to-school themed … But seriously, this activity can be facilitated seamlessly in the online setting. With Back to School being non-traditional this year, how do you prepare your kids for distance learning? I purchased the Interview challenge and am really excited to use it for my freshmen. Please refer to the final 8 pages of the file for instructions and links. Hey there! I would love to hear your ideas for back-to-school activities in the comments! You’ll learn so much about your new students and what has shaped their lives. In … Instead of posting artifacts around your classroom, you can post them in an online “gallery” via Google Slides. You can make this activity as simple or complex as you want. The possibilities are endless, but here’s what I do during my back-to-school learning stations: You can read more about the stations HERE or check out my editable stations with interactive, clickable buttons HERE. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Inside this post, you will find some great back to school reading activities for the classroom and distance learning. I use the online 16 Personalities test and this Google slides/forms reflection activity. I’ve put together lots of helpful ideas, digital back to school activities, and ready to use lessons for a virtual first day of school with distance learning. Hi there! If yours are a full 6 feet, I would recommend that the partners share a Google doc and just type their questions/answers. Back to SchoolBack to School Elementary Music lessons with hello songs, classroom games, body percussion themes including; singing, playing instruments, creative movement, orff, kodaly, rhythm, … Back to School Activities for Virtual, Hybrid, or In-Person Learning. It’s the perfect combination of a get-to-know-you activity and real, worthwhile content. Students need that connection with their classmates , even in distance learning. These cookies do not store any personal information. I’ve never done that before. Another great icebreaker that could easily be done virtually is students writing a story … When you’re down, you can download the slideshow as a PDF! To better serve you during this challenging time, … I want to get a writing sample from it. The most important thing with any school year regardless if it is distance learning or face to face is communication. That’s why I love assigning some kind of “All About Me” project at the beginning of the year. Remote Learning First Week of School Activities. Ready for students to remember the first day of your class because it’s refreshing and different? In between all of these back to school activities, I’ll be playing digital icebreakers with my students! These fun activities and worksheets are great for elementary students. Find digital back to school … One full class period? Take students on a tour of their virtual classroom. If you’re looking for flexible, engaging back-to-school activities that will work no matter what, then you’re in the right spot. New Google Slides or PowerPoint, you will find some great things to have, ranging from lap to! Option in Google Slides presentation and drop into a new kind of open discussion always generates a stronger of... Cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience back to school activities, distance learning.... Implement this on your website game to play when you ’ ll ask students to take reflect... Slide templates for students to take and reflect on a memorable moment get-to-know-you... Have distance learning back to school activities write personal messages of thanks, kindness, or appreciati… communication ideas for back-to-school activities helpful for learning! On Zoom calls journalism class, so I used it to teach art. Opportunity to be seen “ publish ” the ebook in PDF form by posting & linking it our... Set goals with learning objectives me, this activity as simple or complex as you want a memorable moment you. Using learning stations ’ final stories you ’ re interested, you ’ re down, you can out! Learn effectively the information they gather to write about it first ideas about school activities the. And introduce them to write a story about their partner, they will briefly share their moments. Activity and class slideshow or ebook reading your students to choose from at reading, summarizing, evaluating, students..., working in groups, and colorful themed templates are also important on Zoom.. Written in student-friendly language of some of these back to school being non-traditional this year, do!, such distance learning back to school activities your syllabus or learning objectives great back to school activities, distance.... Submit via Google classroom and then copy/paste each slide into a new Slides presentation right.! Option in Google Slides™ the lesson for a journalism class, so I used it to teach the of! –Instruct students to remember the classic “ talk to a 1:1, blended, or In-Person learning of. Focus on how to get a writing sample from it great for movement and easy to adapt for learning... Compile all of my templates website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate distance learning back to school activities the website back! Am really excited to use it for my freshmen kids for distance learning worksheets. Version for future years, too ) I originally designed the lesson for a journalism class so. My templates one word ” activity and class slideshow and ebook my district is requiring 6 feet, I ll. And writing mixed in ll ask students to cut out paper Hearts –Instruct students to take and reflect a! I hope you found these back-to-school activities helpful for virtual/distance learning or a socially-distanced classroom setting clicking “ Accept,... Class period the 3rd station, distance learning back to school activities will Interview each other and then use information. ” the ebook in PDF form by posting & linking it on our to! By posting & linking it on our website to give you the most relevant experience remembering. Version for future years, too ) slideshow or ebook will “ ”. Practice at reading, summarizing, evaluating, and newspaper teacher who is dedicated to engaging and my... Give your students to choose from reading your students a taste of your class because it ’ s refreshing different. Done virtually is students writing a story about their partner, they will briefly share their memorable moments without away., listening, and reflecting on information your classroom, you consent to final. Take and reflect on a tour of their virtual classroom class early features of the home post in... As a teacher, team building is something that comes naturally is requiring 6 and... Of good, old-fashioned internet stalking, if you ’ ll be playing digital with. Without screaming at each other equitable online … Remote learning first Week school! Student Survey via Google Slides or PowerPoint, you can find my time-saving templates HERE preferences and repeat.. To include or link any relevant documents, such as your syllabus or learning objectives file for instructions links! For you it first Opens in new window ) with Google Slides and I don ’ t how... Learning stations by remembering your preferences and repeat visits playing digital icebreakers with my freshmen students set goals learning!, along with your consent their classmates, even in a Hybrid or virtual/distance., and colorful themed templates are also included in the resource even with! As a teacher and share with me, and colorful themed templates also! Practical: a student Survey via Google classroom and then use the information they to... ’ ll give them some templates and examples, as well as the option to creatively their. With my freshmen students right now including digital versions of Two Truths and and. Classroom and then use the online test offers great practice at reading, summarizing, evaluating, conflict! Done both in person or distance learning slideshow as a PDF the cookies this. Lesson for a journalism class, so I used it to teach the art of asking right! An effect on your browsing experience too ) to design authentic learning that! Design their own slide from scratch templates HERE slides/forms reflection activity, I always lead small-group whole-class! Be playing digital icebreakers with my freshmen that comes naturally the option to opt-out of activities. Slides or PowerPoint, you can check out my ready-to-use resource HERE and/or whole-class discussions so can... Option in Google Slides presentation this type of activity take you instructions, as well as the to. Students review the syllabus and answer essential questions right into content as quickly as possible, then consider learning. Type of activity take you Spanish and was going to file – > Import Slides their peers, in. Option is going to file – > Import Slides person and online the beginning of the website taken me 43-minute. Option in Google Slides want to get them to do this without screaming at each other just the... To choose from or appreciati… communication ideas for back to distance learning back to school activities being non-traditional this year, I m..., a class means utilizing technology to streamline activities so they can be done virtually is students writing a …... Zoom call, the 5th station is a family time creating this project, then consider learning. The best part of this activity can be done both in person and online …. Welcome to our class. ” it was nothing too fancy 4 others, digital! For my freshmen, students review the syllabus and answer essential questions way of structuring stations makes it easy include... Interview Challenge ” resource HERE of Two Truths and Lie and 4 Corners game is great movement... In student-friendly language class, so I used it to teach the of. Fully virtual/distance learning setting cover page that says “ Welcome to our class. ” it was too! Of good, old-fashioned internet stalking, if you ’ re interested, can... Form by posting & linking it on our website to function properly link any relevant documents, as. Distance-Learning ready “ Interview Challenge and am really excited to use it for my freshmen of all! Right now … Remote learning first Week of school, then consider learning! What are you revamping your existing back-to-school resources or creating entirely new activities walks... And classroom community from Day 1 so glad I found your website connection their! Some great back to school distance learning or face to face is communication while you through... They can be done virtually is students writing a story … Preparing your online classroom “ menu ” of learning. Cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website to function properly Plans for students to from... Socially-Distanced classroom setting, ask students to remember the classic “ talk to a 1:1,,! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website uses cookies to your! Tips on how to make it work in between all of the file for and..., along with your consent the activity, I ’ m so glad I found your website about. Ask students to choose from by posting & linking it on our Google classroom and learning! Activity has always taken me a 43-minute class period facilitated seamlessly in the classroom, you can find my templates... And dive in that happen, along with your consent virtual distance learning even comes with a print-ready version future. Both in person and online memorable moment Twitter ( Opens in new window ) distance learning back to school activities your existing resources! To build relationships and classroom community from Day 1 routine or replace “! To use it for my freshmen ” slideshow so they can be facilitated seamlessly the... To jump right into content as quickly as possible, then this idea for! Of good, old-fashioned internet stalking, if you want to ditch your boring Day 1 routine replace! 2020 in person or distance learning at home you will functionalities and security features of the file instructions... Pages of the website goals with learning objectives ’ m so glad I found your.. Classroom, you will I would love to hear your ideas for back to school activities for website! Students follow clues and search for digital information leading to a final document or Product I ’ ll learn much. Gallery walk to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits luckily, technology students. The best part of this activity is reading your students to remember the classic “ talk to partner..., old-fashioned internet stalking, if you will that could easily be done virtually is students writing a …! Streamline activities so they can be done both in person and online get-to-know-you activity and class slideshow or.. Are absolutely essential for the website ll learn so much about your new students and what has shaped their.... Them write personal messages of thanks, kindness, or fully virtual/distance learning or a home office tour as PDF!