Below are a few ideas and resources to support your child in physical and social-emotional well-being, literacy, numeracy, and an individual passion project.
Supporting Physical Health & Social-Emotional Learning
- Connect with friends and family through social media platforms
- Support a younger person in your home with their learning through stories or games
- Send kind messages to friends and family online or through the mail
- Set personal goals for the day and reflect on your successes
- Gratitude journal – consider one thing you are grateful for each day
- Yoga or mindfulness – there are many online platforms to support these practices
- If you have access to the outdoors, consider an activity that allows you to get some fresh air
- Find a movement or dance video to try at home that doesn’t require equipment
- Consider expressing yourself through art and music
- Consider establishing a daily routine for yourself
Further links to resources to support physical health and social-emotional learning
- Talking to your kids and teens about COVID-19
- Social Emotional Learning Resources for COVID-19
- Build your best day with participaction
- Smiling Mind: Mindfulness Resources
Supporting Literacy
A focus on reading and literacy activities will help your child in all areas of their learning. We encourage students to consider a variety of text options from print to media. We recognize that not all students will have access to books or novels in the home. We have included information to support the access of online resources.
Students can engage with fiction and nonfiction books or documentaries and other videos; any information they are working to understand.
Below are some possible ways your child could respond to their reading/viewing either orally or in writing:
- Write to explain the author’s message in your text. Remember a text can be video or other forms of media.
- See yourself as one of the characters in your book or video. Write to show what life is like for you at this moment.
- Write as a character in the story to show what is important and why. Use evidence in the story to support your thinking.
- Write to describe the setting in your text. Use evidence and powerful language to support your description.
- See yourself as one of the characters in your book/video and write to describe a problem.
Reflective Writing – Set a writing time to reflect on a topic of their choice. Possible topics could include:
- A story that captures my imagination…
- How I like to spend a rainy day…
- The best kind of laughter is…
- A tradition that makes me feel at home…
- A dream I have for the future…
- The people that make my life better are…
- The best dessert to share with friends…
Further links to resources to support literacy
- Link to free audible audiobooks for tweens – no account necessary and stories are available in six different languages that are read out loud.
- Podcasts for kids: Top 25 for elem, middle, and secondary
- What’s going on in this picture? NY Times – Images from The New York Times stripped of their captions – and an invitation for students to discuss and write about.
- For more ideas on Independent Reading Prompts – go here
- Scholastic Learning at Home Resources
- Wonder of the Day: Wonderopolis.org
Supporting Numeracy
Numeracy involves the abilities to use numbers and solve problems in real life. It means having the confidence and skills to use numbers and mathematical approaches in all aspects of life. We have included information to support both online and offline resources.
- Play games together (including board games, dice games, card games, and computer games)
- Looking at data and percentages in real world examples
- Measurements in a recipe
- Create your own strategy board game and teach your family how to play
- Create your own video game and coding activity at scratch.mit.edu
Further links to resources to support numeracy
- Educating Now – Resources for Parents
- Estimation180.com – Building Number Sense one day at a time
- YouCubed for Students
- Solveme Puzzles
- Greg Tang Math
- Mathematics Question of the Day
- Coding in Grade 6-8 SD61 resource page
Supporting a Passion Project
A Passion Project is an opportunity for students to follow their passions and learn about topics that interest them. Students are encouraged to consider something they would like to spend some time exploring or are curious about. Students can choose to represent their learning in any way they choose.