Hands-On Learning from Home

    I think I can assume I'm not alone in the shock and exhaustion that ensued from the end of the 2019-2020 school year. What started as a two-day closing for cleaning, turned into a never-ending and ever-changing school closure. To say I felt unprepared is an understatement. 

    "How am I supposed to hold a Zoom call with a class of 8-year-olds, while my 2 year-old is picking up dog poop in the backyard with his bare hands?" Questions like this clouded my brain for three months. I was terrified of not preparing my students for fourth grade, leaving their parents with no help, while also not being present as a mother. 

    After watching the number of Covid-19 cases in my state climb over the summer, I decided to arm myself with tools and resources that will help my future class succeed whether they are home with little-to-no guidance, or in class spaced 6 feet apart from their friends. In our most recent school meeting, we were told that students should take home their materials every night in case of another shut-down. Picturing the amount of materials that would be lost, broken, and never seen again gave me some anxiety. Instead, I created this resource to show my students and parents that learning materials are all around our home. 

    In the first part of my math choice board series, I included various activities with material suggestions. I practiced them at home myself, without buying a single material. 

The first activity involves making number lines. The possibilities are endless with this one! From chalk, to noodles, you can't go wrong with a number line. I chose to use play doe, because who doesn't love getting messy? 

In the next activity, I challenge my students to find objects around their home that they can use to model equal groups. I used markers, because my son has a ton of them. Other options I picture include rocks, dried pasta, and leaves. After creating their model, students write an equation to match their equal groups. The picture below would show 2 x 5 = 10. 

My absolute favorite is the Distribute Your Food activity. Why? Because it involves food! Students choose any food they have around to make an array. Then, they split it to model the distributive property. I used cheerios, but they could also use dried beans, french fries, baby carrots, or any other small food. 

Last, but not least, I cannot wait for my students to try out BOOM learning cards. If you've never heard of them, you need to go to www.boomlearning.com RIGHT NOW! They are life-changing, self-correcting task cards. Not only does it provide instant feedback, but it gathers data on your students. To use it with a class, there is a small fee. However, I will pay insane amounts of money if it means I don't have to grade papers. 

If you'd like to join to me and prepare for any and all possibilities next year, click the picture below to check out my Multiplication Choice Board for hands-on learning at home. 

Lots of love,