Distance learning. Virtual learning. Whatever you call it, I'm back to it after two and a half weeks with all my kiddos in the classroom. 😔 All of my students are logging on from home each day and I've been doing a live reading and math lesson daily to keep them on track and in routine. In addition to the live sessions, I record videos as needed and they complete other activities during the day and submit on Google Classroom.
I will be the first to admit that this is hard. Hard for me. Hard for the students. And soooo hard on the parents who are also working and hold down the fort at home! There are so many things to think about and consider. It took some time to see what would work for my students and their parents, but I feel like we are really in the groove of things! As I plan my lessons each week, I have to think about what materials they will need and get it to them in advance. Many things have already been sent home for them to use. But, as we move along through our content, new things are needed. One thing that I sent home for this round of Virtual Learning was a Math Toolkit.
We started the school year out virtually for the first three weeks. Then we finally got to come to school in person for two and a half weeks before we had to switch back to virtual learning. This time, I decided to send the students home with their math toolkits. We had been using them in class, so I figured I may as well send them home so the students will have a set of manipulatives to use during math lessons.
The Math Toolkits have proven to be a super handy was to keep manipulatives at their finger tips, while also giving them individual materials that they won't be sharing with anyone else. We started out with some basic things and can add whatever we need as we go along. Right now, here is what the students have in their toolkits:
a ten frame
foam die
red and white counters
cubes
foam square tiles
The Math Toolkits have been a great addition to their supplies at home. We are able to use them during live sessions and it also gives the students access to materials while they work independently. We did have some serious talks about taking care of our materials. Once we return to school face-to-face, the students understand that they will be bringing their toolkits back to school so we can use them there.
Have you made toolkits for your students? What did you include? Any tips or suggestions for things I could add in later?
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