It has been a snowy week here in New York. Mother Nature
gave us over 10 inches of snow on Wednesday and we are gearing up for another 8
– 12 inches tomorrow! As my children prepare themselves for a hoped-for snow
day, I am preparing for a day of digital learning instead, knowing that I will
need to shift my on campus graduate class to an online class. As you gear up
for a possible snow day tomorrow, here are some ways you can also encourage
your students to continue the learning at home. All you need is a class Padlet
wall and a Flipgrid topic to share:
Share reading on a Padlet wall. Snow days are the perfect
days to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. Encourage students
to carve out some time to read a good book and then take a ‘shelfie’ of
themselves and share on the class ‘Snow Day’ Padlet wall.
Take pictures of snow creations. Encourage students to get
some fresh air and create a masterpiece in the snow! Have them take a picture
of their creations and share on the class ‘Snow Day’ Padlet wall. They can type
a description and use vivid words to describe their creations and then comment
on their classmates, using math skills to compare and contract.
Start wondering. Encourage students to pose snow day
questions to your class Padlet wall. Why does it snow? What city had the most
snowfall ever? Who is in charge of cleaning up the snow? Then, encourage them
to search for their answers using online research and share with the class.
Measure the snow. How much snow did students get at their
own houses? Have students measure the amount of snow they received with a ruler
and share with the class on the Padlet wall. Better yet, have students take a
quick picture of the ruler in the snow and start comparing with classmates!
Summarize the day. So, what did you do on your snow day?
Encourage students to share 1 minute videos of their snowy day. Students can
reply to each other or you can watch a few videos when you return to class.
So, there you have it: a few ways to continue the learning
when home for a snow day. But remember, snow days are also meant to be unexpected,
treasured times with family and friends, so encourage digital learning on snow
days, but let students simply enjoy the day as well. Even if they do not
capture their learning for you, chances are, they are still engaging in it!
Ready to give it a try, teachers? Lead the way for your students and add a tile to our Snow Day for TEACHERS Padlet wall and Flipgrid page. Show them how a snow day is really done!
Ready to give it a try, teachers? Lead the way for your students and add a tile to our Snow Day for TEACHERS Padlet wall and Flipgrid page. Show them how a snow day is really done!
And to think I mentioned warm temps and the coming of spring in my post. I think you've given us a great definition of "snow days" -- "snow days are also meant to be unexpected, treasured times with family and friends." Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteI'm out of town right now and I'm pretty sure my daughter will be off from school (for the second time this week) tomorrow. I'll have to pass along your ideas to the grandparents!
ReplyDelete