I know many parents must be very concerned about your child's progress this year. Although we are not able to be in school, we would like to provide as many resources as possible for you to use with your child to assist in keeping them learning during this difficult time. To that end, below is a list of websites and resources you can use to assist your child.
Khan Academy
First, here is a link to Khan Academy, which we will be using to assist your child in learning from home. It is mostly geared towards third grade math, but there is also some grammar activities as well. I have set up a classroom area for our class. The instructions to join the class is below. You can feel free to use this resource if you wish. I will be checking student progress each day, and updating assignments as students complete them. In order to stay in touch, we will use Class Dojo. Students and parents will be able to ask me questions on Class Dojo and I will be able to respond.
First, here is a link to an excellent daily schedule for students in Grade 3:
Khan Academy Learning Schedule
If you choose to follow this schedule, then I would recommend using Readworks (as outlined below) for the reading time, and the Writing Workspace (below) for the writing time. The Khan material is also good. At this time, the reading section of Khan is not something that I am able to track student use of yet, so feel free to use it as you wish.
To log into our Khan Academy Classroom, please see the instructions below. Please have your child use their school google account, which is your child's firstname.lastname@ocsbstudent.ca. They already know this. Our class code for Khan Academy is 79QNFH7J:
Here is a video describing the process too: How to Log into Khan Academy
In Khan Academy, we will be starting with fractions as a review of what we did before the March Break, and then begin the Geometry unit. This will be very self-paced, so I will update assignments as students complete them. When working in Khan Academy, please try to ensure that your child watches the videos before attempting the questions and quizzes because that is where the material is introduced. They are also linked in each assignment for student to watch again if they are having difficulty. If I see students needing assistance I will try to connect with them through Class Dojo. Please have students check their Class Dojo regularly to see if I have left them a message.
Readworks
Another excellent resource that we use in class is Readworks.org. Your child should already know how to log into Readworks and has used it in the past. In the instance that they have not, then please assist them in creating a new account by using their Google account that the school provides. I have set up a number of reading assignments for students to work on, and will add more as they are completed. Our Readworks class code is: CCL4WM. When completing the readworks assignments, please remind your child to look back in the text for answers and complete the short answer sections using the ROPES strategy. Here is an outline of what that means:
For writing, I will be using a workspace called "Writing at Home" in Hapara to assist with learning and practicing writing. Students can access Hapara workspace through the student portal. The workspace would be in the Language folder in Hapara. In the workspace, students will have assignments due each week. They will be posted on Mondays, and due the next Monday. For now, we are focusing on Narrative writing.
I will also be sending out the weekly homework as we have done in the past. Students can access the weekly homework through their google drive, in the folder called "Homeroom". It will be due on Fridays as per usual.
Once again, please do whatever you are comfortable doing. All of this work is optional and as a grade 3 team we are just putting it out for families if you wish to work on it. We understand how challenging this time can be for families, so please just do whatever you feel you can handle.
Other resources:
Our school board also has a number of excellent resources that students can access from home. All of these resources can be accessed through the Student Portal when your child logs into their google account.
RAZ-KIDS
For reading, RAZ-KIDS is an excellent tool that allows students to listen to a story, read it, and then take a comprehension quiz. As students read the stories in each level, they progress through the levels. Your child is already levelled in this program and should be able to read the texts with reasonable independence. If they are not able to do so, please contact me and I will rectify this. When students first log in, they must enter the teacher name, which is CPOULIOT2. Then they will see their name and can enter the app. Student should be working in the "level up" section in order to progress from one level to another.
Book Creator
For writing, Book Creator is a fun way for students write online books of their own. We are currently working on Narrative writing - or fiction - so this would be a great tool to have children write their stories. As for actual teaching of the skills required for narrative writing, the grade 3 team will be working on a way to get information or lesson to you so that your child has a framework to work with.
Zorbits
For math, the school board uses Zorbits to help enhance the math curriculum. This is mostly for practice rather than learning, so I would recommend using Khan Academy before Zorbits. I would use Zorbits as extra practice. To use Zorbits, students should go through the student portal to avoid having to log in.
Prodigy
Another excellent math tool is Prodigy. Most students love playing Prodigy and it can be quite effective, but you have to make sure they are doing the questions rather than simply playing with their characters! Again, it is mostly an excellent practice tool, but does have hints if your child is having difficulty. Again, Khan Academy is a better resource for learning the material. Most students have joined our class in Prodigy. If your child has not done so yet, please have them do so using the class code BA1564. In Prodigy students will be working on Geometry questions.
TVO Kids
The Ontario Government recently announced that they will be relying on TVO Kids as a resource to assist students in learning. I have looked at it briefly and there are a number of videos and games in the website that are excellent for learning and practicing. The only problem with these resources is that there is no roadmap, or structure for your child to follow from one concept to another. For the most part, this likely won't be a problem, but again, for math a structured approach is usually more effective. Thus, I would still recommend Khan Academy. I'm sorry if I sound like a salesperson for this site, I promise they don't pay me! It is an excellent, well structured resource, although likely not as engaging as the TVO kids material or Prodigy.
Finally, the list of resources sent out by the school is also excellent and most of the resources listed here are included in that list if you are looking for the links. Here is the link for the resources sent out by the school. Also, I will post these in the "Useful Websites" section of this blog on the right hand side.
I hope this helps you get a start in assisting your child to learn from home. Please feel free to use whichever of these resources you prefer. I will be checking them all regularly to see student progress, and will communicate through Class Dojo to provide feedback as much as possible.
I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Hopefully, we will be back in class sooner rather than later!
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