Category: Current News

Activities and Assignments List, April 20th – April 24th

Here is an update of activities for week of April 20th.
Read this first!

Please choose one activity from each category each day.

Deadlines are flexible. Communicate if you need more time.

I just want to see you participating and doing your best to move forward with learning.

Check for missing assignments in MS Teams. My feedback is in MS Teams or on e-ports.

I have changed deadlines and not added many new things this week, so everyone has enough time. Thank you for your patience as I adjust based everyone’s needs.

Do NEED TO DO items first before going to optional choices.

Do at least one NEED TO DO assignment in MAKER, GENIUS, or UNIT HOUR per day.
Think 90 minutes per day as a guideline for work in Math, LA, Science and Socials.

______________________________________________________________________

MAKER HOUR (60 minutes)
Do something creative! Make something new! Take a picture to document work!

Need to Do:

  • ADST Skills – Podcasts: Finish PODCASTS assignment. Due April 24, Friday.
  • ART, Critical Thinking – Photography Challenge #1: From last week. Due April 20. See MS Teams.
  • ART and Critical Thinking – Photography Challenge #2: See new photo challenge for week. Due April 24th. Info in MS Teams.
  • ADST Skills – Soundtrap (only if done with all other assignments):  watch this tutorial on how to use the application Soundtrap. Do not join Soundtrap online as I need to set you up on a class account. Just watch and learn how to use it for making sound recordings. If YouTube is blocked for you, please talk to your parents about watching this. NO DEADLINE at this time.

Optional Choices:

FITNESS HOUR (60 Minutes) 
Get moving, get some exercise, get your heart pumping!

Need to Do:

  • Physical Health — Shoe Workout: Due last week. Post in MS Teams. Do the workout once or twice this week to really get your heart rate up!
  • Personal Awareness – Be calm: Try the APP CALM. Ask your parents for help to get the app for free.
  • Personal Awareness – Be Mindful:  Find a quiet space, put on nice music, look at a pleasant image, and do deep breathing to calm yourself. Try it at the beginning and end of the day.

Optional Choices:

INDIE READING (30 minutes) 
Preferably offline. If online, read something fun and avoid news/current events.

Need to Do:

  • LA:  Read 30 minutes for fun, relaxation, or learning each day!

Optional Choices:

  • Go on to EPIC and read books from the class assignments list.
  • As you read, make a list of words you don’t know and look them up later.
  • Write a short story/poem of your own using these new words!
  • Read in another language
  • Build a fort with a blanket over a table or chairs and do some reading under it
  • On Amazon.ca, if you have the Kindle App, there are lots of free books to read
  • With a library card, use online resources for Burnaby/Vancouver Public Libraries
  • Use Audible for free right now to listen to tons of online audible stories.
  • Use the Burnaby School District’s Tumblebooks Account to access books online. Press the ebooks tab at the top. I sent you an Outlook email about how to access this, as you need a user ID and password.
  • Higher Level Reading — Project Gutenberg free ebooks
  • Open Library — has non-fiction and fiction options, some great for IP!
  • Need a break from reading, but love words? Complete a word search or a crossword puzzle.

SERVICE (30 minutes) 
Clean and help others! Connect with your classmates and family. Play! Be kind! 

Need to Do:

  • Art – Essential Service Artwork for the Window: Finish from last week. Explanation on the blog. Post pictures in MS Teams. Due April 24th, Friday.
  • Social Responsibility and Personal Awareness – Make connection: Finish assigned pen pal responses. Be part of our meetings and/or optional read-aloud time to connect with classmates. Respond to MS Teams questions to let us know what you are thinking and feeling.

Optional Choices:

  • Play a pen and paper game with a family member (ex. dots and boxes, sprouts, 24, battleships, Go-Maku, Boggle, etc.)
  • Play a card game with a family member (or as a whole family!)
  • Look through old photo albums together and share memories
  • Play Charades or use the Heads Up app
  • Have an untimed Iron Chef contest with the whole family. Choose an ingredient, and everyone makes a different dish.
  • Prepare a mini lesson and teach someone something you’ve recently learned
  • Participate in the 7PM NOISE outside, done by the community to say thank you to our first responders and healthcare workers!
  • Make a homemade gift for members of your family, and learn how to wrap them using Furoshiki, the art of Japanese gift wrapping
  • Prepare a musical performance to share with your family after dinner.
  • Organize a family game activity.
  • Play a round of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Stretch with a family member
  • Create a dinner night, with fancy napkins, table, outfits, menus, decorations, etc. so when you can’t go out, there is something fun to do at home.
  • Make a shopping list for the family
  • Unload or load the dishwasher
  • Sweep or vacuum the house
  • Call a grandparent, family member, or friend to help them feel connected during this time of isolation
  • Help with the laundry — loading, folding, putting things away
  • Dust the house or blinds
  • Clean windows
  • Help with the garbage, recycling, or compost runs
  • Clean off counters
  • Wipe doorknobs and high-touch spaces with cleaner
  • Take care of a pet
  • Clean the toilet
  • Organize recycling
  • Watch your younger sibling so your parents can have a break
  • Make a dinner for your family so they have a break from it!

GENIUS HOUR (60 minutes) 
Learn something new and document your learning in some way.

Need to Do:
(all related to inquiry and critical thinking skills)

  • IP:  Assigned last Tuesday. Review websites. Post update of research in MS Teams. Due April 24th.
  • Digital Citizenship Module:  Finish module online. Reading of module is required; written assignments are optional. See MS Teams. Was due April 17th.
  • Questions to Ask When Reading Scientific Claims:  Finish. List the questions from the article you had to read. See MS Teams. Was due April 17th.
  • TYPING: Do All the Right Type when you have time after other assignments are all done. Ongoing assignment. We will finish all practice sections by June 10th. Tell me in MS Teams when you have finished so I can check online for completion.

Optional Choices:

UNIT, NUMERACY, LITERACY HOUR (60 minutes)
Specific learning opportunities at grade level or connected to our unit.

Need to Do:

  • LA/Creative Thinking – Invent a Sport:  Assigned last Tuesday. Practice using advanced vocabulary and adding descriptive detail. Write about an invented sport during time of social distancing. Watch video prompt. Post writing on e-port with picture of you playing a part of the game. Write what you can in 60 minutes, or up to 5 paragraphs. See MS Teams. Due April 24th, Friday.
  • LA/Creative Thinking -Tell the Story of Lost Shoes:  Assigned last Tuesday. Watch this video prompt and write untold story of your lost shoes. Write 60 minutes, up to 5 paragraphs. See MS Teams. Due April 27th, Monday.
  • Math – Financial Literacy, Making a Budget: Finish from last week. Make a Budget for the Library. See MS Teams for handouts. Due Friday, April 24th
  • Math – Critical Thinking Window Data:  Finish Outside Your Window activity on You Cubed. See MS Teams. Due Friday, April 24th
  • Socials/Science/Critical Thinking — Resources:  Finish from last week. Look for resources in your house. Handout in MS Teams. Due Friday, April 24th.
  • Socials/Science/LA — Geology:  Finish. Read pages in Geology book on EPIC and answer questions. See MS Teams. Due Friday, April 24th
  • MATH ONGOING WORK: Use IXL to do specific math lessons related to decimals and financial literacy. User ID and password were sent in email. See the blog and MS Teams. Ten lesson sections of your choice due on May 1st. The work on this is ongoing through April and May, so you can work at your own pace.

Optional Choices:

Questions? Email me!

With kindness,

Ms. D

PLEASE READ: Your Schedule and Work Tips April 20th

Hello! Notes for Everyone moving forward

Weekly Schedule:

  • Check the blog beginning of week for the list of updated learning activities.
  • Check MS Teams & Email at least 1-2 times a day. Don’t spend all day on there!
  • Post comments about unit questions Ms. D has in MS Teams.
  • Use a schedule with the categories — one activity from each category, each day.
  • Try focusing on one NEED TO DO assignment each day to meet deadlines.
  • Ms. D will have small-group meetings 2 times daily. Check your email for an invite. Meetings will be a half hour  (10:30-11:00, 1:30-2:00, 2:00-2:30)
  • Wednesday is whole-group meeting on ZOOM 10:00 – 10:30 AM. OPTIONAL
  • Every day read aloud 2:30 – 3:00. OPTIONAL
  • Ms. D is available every day for questions 9AM to 3PM.
  • MS Teams is open daily 8:30 – 4:00 for comments, closed night & weekends.

Helpful Tips:

  • Try not to work on one task for longer than 60 minutes. That’s why the categories I provided are not longer than one hour.
  • Stop and take regular breaks. Think about how we use the Break Board in class. Take SHORT breaks. Get up, get moving, get away from the screen!
  • Find out your assignments, but work on some of them offline. You don’t always need to be on the computer.
  • Work on one “need to do” assignment each day so deadlines are met.
  • If you are having trouble, communicate with Ms. D and I will help!
  • Remember, we are working in a weird time. I am flexible. Just show me you are making an effort and participating in our learning. That is what is important right now. 
  • The District has provided guidelines for technology use, specifically with video conferencing and MS Team Tools. Please follow the Digital Code of Conduct and  see this website for more details.

Questions? Please let me know! See the list of activities for the week on the next entry.

Read Aloud with Ms. D April 15th, Post #2 of 3

Hello Everyone,

Over the next few weeks, I will be doing open video conference sessions to read aloud the book Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder.

Thank you to everyone who attended the reading of Chapter 1 today! I hope you enjoyed it. It is a great story with a lot of descriptive detail!

Today we listened as Deen, the Elder of the island, left on the mysterious boat that comes once a year to Orphan Island for the Changing. What happens to Deen after he leaves on the boat? Why does a new child come on the boat in exchange? Why aren’t there any adults on the Island? Where do the new children come from?

If you missed today’s session, you can get the Kindle version of the book on Amazon.ca

Please don’t read ahead if you are planning to join us!

To join a read aloud session, just go to the General Channel of our MS Teams, look for the purple meeting announcement, and join us. Each day I plan to do it, it will sometime between 2:30 – 3:30 PM. It may not happen each day, depending on meetings, so please check the announcements.

I hope you enjoy listening to this great story!

Independent Project Update April 8 Post #2 of 2

Hello Everyone,

This is a specific update about independent project. We don’t know exactly when or if we will return before the end of the school year, so, we will plan as if we are not going to be together in person. It is important we still finish our projects and share them with one another and our learning community! And we can still do that in so many different ways.

What can I be doing on Independent Project right now?

Continue to do research online, to ask questions as you research, and to look for answers to those questions. Make sure you are taking notes and recording your resources. You will be required to do a bibliography. During April, we will be doing research.

In MS Teams, there is a section called CLASS NOTEBOOK. I have been showing this to each person I meet with individual on video conference this week, but you can find it yourself.

  • If you go to the General Channel of our Division 5 Team, you will see a tab at the top right next to Assignments. It is called Class Notebook.
  • Inside, you will see a section with your name, and this is your online journal that only you and I can see.
  • There is a folder you can click on marked Independent Project. Inside here, you can put notes, thoughts, questions, pictures, and drawings about your project. This is one way you can share your research process with me.

If you are taking notes in something else, please make sure you can share it with me. For example, if you are just making a MS Word document, you can upload that to One Drive and share it with Ms. D. That will work, too. Class Notebook, though, allows me to see things in progress. It would be better to put future brainstorms and notes there to show me your work.

In MAY, we will be working on presentation pieces. So, you can think about what format (see options below), but for now, focus on DEEP RESEARCH. I will be checking in with you about each of your projects.

Do I still do primary research?

Yes, you still need to do some primary research. Remember, primary research is first-hand research you do and document yourself, rather than reading about it on the internet. So, it can include the following options in this time of remote learning:

  • Create an experiment, write up the experiment using the scientific method, do the experiment at home, and then take pictures and document your results. Write a conclusion and think about what you have learned.
  • Create a survey that can be sent out to lots of people. Before you send it out, send it to Ms. D for review, and let’s talk together about how it can be sent and who we will send it to, okay?
  • Learn to Do Something. Many of you are learning to do some new things as a result of this time at home, so this is primary research, when you experience something yourself, first hand! If you learn a new skill, think about what you will produce with the skill to show you have learned it. Document the process of learning — rough drafts, planning documents, pictures of you learning or experimenting with something, etc.
  • Do an interview with an expert. If your parents know of someone you can connect with via video conference for an interview, this is an option. I am also going to be putting out your topics to our community and on Twitter, to see who I can find from the education community I correspond with online.
  • Visit a Virtual Museum. On the list of activities for this week on the blog, I put a link to virtual museums. Doing a visit and documenting your notes from it would also be a form of primary research.
  • Another idea? I am flexible and open to your ideas. Please contact me if you came up with something that is better than the ideas above.


I can’t find any more resources, so what do I do?

Some of you may be able to find extra resources on EPIC, Tumblebooks, Audible, or the other free online book resources I listed.

Ms. Ho, our librarian, and I are going to be working on accumulating resources online to put on blog page for you, based on the list of topics for our class. Stay tuned for more information.

Spend time doing primary research for your topic. Instead of looking up information, look for experiences or experiment online that you could do at home that would help with better understanding your topic.


How will we present?

Even if we are not in person, we will still find a way to present our projects to the class community, our parents, and some members of the Burnaby School District, just like we would have done in the second week of June.

It is likely whatever you create will need to be in some format that can be shared online via a link or upload to the blog.

Some options to explore are:

  • Make an Online Book: I will be creating a new Book Creator class account. Book Creator is an app that allows you to make a book with pictures, drawings, and text, and you can tell us about your topic through that.
  • Make a PowerPoint: Your Microsoft 365 account gives you access to a variety of applications including PowerPoint. You can make an informative slideshow to share. In fact, you can also present and record a presentation with your voice in PowerPoint, and share that.
  • Make a Video: You can create a speech with props and visuals, record it, and then share the video online.
  • Do a Live Conference: You can do a video conference online with the class, where we see your video, and we are listening through an audio connection.
  • Make art or something crafty and Present it! You can make art online or through hands-on crafty materials at home, then take pictures of your final product and explain it with a written explanation. If you want a series of pictures, you could make a slideshow of pictures showing your independent project process, or how you learned something new.
  • Another idea? Ask! There are many other ways online to present information. Have an idea, just ask me.

We need to start thinking about how this will be done now, so we can begin working on it during the month of May.

Okay, that’s all for now. Thank you for continuing your work in these strange circumstances. I am here to support you. Email me if you ever want to talk in person, because I am generally available from 9 AM to 3 PM at the computer, and we can video chat so you can get your questions answered!

All the best,

Ms. D

Staying in Touch MS Teams April 8 Post #1 of 2

Hello Everyone!

Thank you to everyone who is actively participating in MS Teams. It is so nice to connect with you all through daily chats in our conversation channel!

As a reminder, check MS Teams daily. Here are the things you can and need to do in there:

  • Participate in class conversation, on the Connect with Classmates channel.
  • Join a small group meeting or a meeting with Ms. D. For these meetings, you will receive an email invitation. Please click accept, and it will add the meeting to your calendar. Then, you can go in to Calendar on the left side bar of MS Teams to see the meeting in your schedule. At the designated time for the meeting, just click join!
  • Watch videos from Ms. D about class topics or to hear readings. Links are in the General channel.
  • Get information about assignments, in the General Channel OR by using the Assignments tab at the top.
  • Submitting assignments, uploading documents or putting in links to say you have completed work for the week.
  • Use the Class Notebook tab to access your journal. There is a folder called Independent Project, and you can write in that folder anything you are doing about independent project.  It will only be seen by you and me. The Class Notebook tab may also be used in the future for class discussions under the collaboration section, so at least try to find where Class Notebook is!

To answer some questions people have asked:

  • Do I have to do the assignments? Yes. To show me you are actively participating in our class and to give me feedback I need to create new learning opportunities, I need you to participate in MS Teams by submitting assignments.
  • Are we marked on the assignments? I am providing feedback on assignments and e-ports, going through all of them as fast as I can, and the feedback, as always, is part of assessment for our class. There will be a report card for term three, so participation and completion of assignments will be something we can talk about for that report.
  • Are all assignments due by the due dates? I put due dates to help everyone stay on track and have a schedule. Even with this changed learning environment, we all need some structure, otherwise we would never get things done and move forward in our learning. BUT, I completely understand every family is different, you are all doing the best you can in this stressful situation, and you may not always be able to do things by the deadlines. So, MS Teams allows you to turn in work late. I will contact both you and your parents if I don’t see you participating or turning in anything at all.
  • I can’t seem to access the video link from MS Teams. What do I do? Remember, to access videos, you will need to be logged on to your Microsoft school account ON THE WEB first. Generally, you click on the link for the video, and a sign in screen should pop up. Once you sign in, the video will show. If you don’t get a sign in screen, try logging in to your email first on the web. Go to this link to do that. If you still have trouble accessing videos after that, please email me.
  • I need to talk to you, how can I do that? I respond to emails and the Connect with Classmates channel from 9 AM to 3 PM. Sometimes you will see me on there outside of that time, as well, but I may not respond right away. If you want to talk with me, just schedule a 5 minute video conference with me, any time! Send me an email.
  • How can I connect with classmates? Send them email letters! Maybe start with responding to the pen pal letter that was sent to you as part of assignments. Email is best used for longer communications. You can also connect on our Connect with Classmates channel in MS Teams. I will put prompts in there daily, and you can also do the same! You can also make arrangements via email with a friend from class, and then chat with them outside of school, using a non-school communication tool. As a reminder, please don’t use our school email for chatting. The only chatting is on the Connect with Classmates channel, or by using other tools at home, which your parents will need to supervise. I only supervise the MS Teams chats. Thanks!
  • How do I find someone’s email address? Log in to your email for school.  Put their full name in the TO box. Make sure you know their last name, because there could be more than one person in the District with the first name. If you don’t know someone’s last name from class, just contact me. I am happy to help.

More questions? Let me know, either in our one-on-one meetings happening this week, or via email. I will add them to the list here so everyone can see.

Thank you,

Ms. D

Good Morning! Monday, April 6th Post #1 of 3

Good Morning, Everyone!

I hope you all had a nice weekend! Most importantly, I hope you did something that wasn’t in front of a screen. I went to the Pacific Spirit Forest this weekend for a walk. It is one of the regional parks in Vancouver that is still open. There were not many people, as there are so many trails everyone can be spread out, so physical distancing was easier. We also enjoyed the sunshine on our patio. So did my plants! They are all starting to show more green. I hope you were able to get some fresh air, too, and have calm time with your families.

THANK YOU to everyone who has learned how to post their assignments in Microsoft Teams. If you haven’t done this, please take some time today to figure it out or ask me questions about it, so you will be able to send me your assignments. Three assignments were due to be posted, two on Friday and one today.

Each day I will post a video message, but it may not always be in the morning. For example, today I have a meeting, so I will post something later today.

Please continue to work on the categories. An update of the category suggestions and assignments will come later today on the blog. So, in the meantime, please continue with options I provided last week, plus today’s assignment — see below.

I will be scheduling one on one video conferences with you. Starting tomorrow afternoon I will be gradually meeting with all of you, so look for a meeting invite in your email box. If the time doesn’t work, then you can let me know and we will schedule a different time between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. I look forward to talking with you about how you are feeling, what you would like to work on, and your independent project.

I am turning on MS Teams again for comments, but there are now two tabs. The General tab is for Ms. D to post announcements, important questions, or information. The Connect with Classmates tab is for you to ask questions of the whole group. Use the GOLDEN RULE when posting in either section. Please avoid one-word reactions such as ok, sure, or LOL. Just use the emoji reactions for that (they are located on the three dots at the far right of any comment made, just roll your cursor over the far right end of any comment.) Please be kind and be critical thinkers as you post. Help us find positive ways to connect. Ask people what they are doing! Answer my random questions!

Pen Pals Assignment, due Thursday, April 9th. Your first assignment this week is to connect with someone by writing them a letter in email. Write 3 paragraphs.

  • Start the letter with Dear _______,   Note I used a comma, as this is a personal letter. Then skip a space.
  • The first paragraph will ask them how they are doing and tell them how you are spending each day. 5-8 sentences. Skip a space.
  • The second paragraph will tell them something funny that happened to you once, and then invite the person to share something funny with you. 5-8 sentences. Skip a space.
  • The third paragraph will tell them what you would do the next time our class is all together or you can have a real play date with someone. Then, ask the person what they would do. 5-8 sentences.
  • Finally, sign off by saying I hope to hear from you soon and include a salutation.
  • Edit your letter before sending. Send it to the person in email, and then CC me (putting Ms. D in the second line of the addresses) so I know you have sent it and can see the letter.

Here are the match ups. Each person writes the other person.

Ayden — Nihal

Warren — Ambrose

Carl — Charles

Mia — Abhinanda

Victoria — Mavis

Dasha — Shera

Joone — Lucia

Michael — Leo

Stella — Danie

Sasha — Yichen

Ella — Ninad — Stephanie
(Ella writes Ninad, Ninad write to Stephanie, Stephanie writes to Ella)

More to come! I look forward to your letters.  🙂

Ms. D

More Online Reading and Research Resources 4/2, #2 of 3

Hello Everyone,

If you go to the Suncrest Website, you can find free Burnaby District reading and research resources through our library. In order to get the free access, you need to access it through the Suncrest Website portal. Here is how:

  1. Go to the Suncrest Website
  2. On the top menu, select LIBRARY, and then select WEB RESOURCES
  3. On the WEB RESOURCES page, put a check in the box before “Grades 4-7”
  4. Click on any of the resources you see for Grades 4-7
  5. You will need a USER ID and PASSWORD, which is the same for any of the resources listed. I can’t post it publicly, but I will send it to you in email.

You will see one of the options is TUMBLEBOOKS, which is another reading site. I can’t create a class group with suggestions, so you will just have to search on your own. I suggest going to the search tool at the top right of the TUMBLEBOOKS home page, searching for EBOOKS under types of books, and then filtering your choices according to reading level, so you get the most challenging books.

You will also find research resources such as WORLD BOOK, along with EXPLORA, which had many cool things to read and learn about on a variety of topics. We will need these resources when doing unit work, and you may also find things relevant to your Independent Project Research.

Happy reading!! And look for my email to you with the password.

Ms. D

Reading Around the World 4/2 #1 of 3

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for your patience as we get everything set up on MS Teams. If anyone is unable to view my videos from the Morning Message or is unable to log in to TEAMS, please let me know via email right away. This week is really about making sure everyone is set up so we can move forward.

Now, I want to talk about READING AROUND THE WORLD!

So, you all had a Reading Around the World Challenge Booklet that I provided earlier this year. Some of the books will be hard to find now that you don’t have immediate access to a library or the school. So, I am going to start giving you reading assignments using the online library EPIC.

  1.  Go to EPIC website.
  2. Click on the blue LOG IN button at the top right
  3. Click on the blue STUDENTS & EDUCATORS button in the middle of the screen
  4. Put in our CLASS CODE under the STUDENT LOG in, on the left side (I will email you the code)
  5. Choose your NAME on the next screen
  6. Go to MAILBOX to look for assigned books I have picked for you to read
  7. Click on a book, then once it loads, press the HEART button to add it to your reading list.
  8. As you read, I will be able to see your progress. Thus, we can continue with READING AROUND THE WORLD!

You are also able to add any other books you want to your favourites list.  You can also search for books. I hope this provides us with another tool for reading, as I know many of you have used up your resources at home.

Kindly,

Ms. D

Morning Message Each Day 4/1

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are doing well today! In the shared Google album link I sent to you in email, I have added a Morning Message for you. Each day, I will try to post a message for you.

If you haven’t responded to your Outlook email from school yet, please do that so I know you are reading my emails. Many thanks!

I am looking at how we can get connected via video conferencing, but in the meantime, we can connect on Microsoft Teams using the messages on our main page or “channel” as it is called. Make sure you check the feed for our class there. Please let me know if you can’t access it.

Our main goal this week? Finish the 3 basic assignments I posted, and then use your schedule from one of those assignments to some of the activities listed. Submit your assignments and e-port entries, and you will receive responses from me showing I saw it! I am loving the e-port entries so far, and thank you for sharing your thoughts!

I will be asking you about your schedule in a future e-port, so please make sure you are creating something you can use daily, so you get a routine going for yourself!

I hope you are all having a good day, and please don’t hesitate to contact me about ANYTHING. I am here to help support you and also to listen if you need it.

With kindness,

Ms. D

Making Connections and Checking In, 3/30 #1 of 3

Hello Division 5 Students,

I’ve now had the chance to check in with most of you via email, and I was so glad to hear from all of you! It will be so strange not to see all of you in class, but I know we will find ways to connect with one another! If you need someone to talk to, I will always respond to mail. From talking with many of you, I can see our greatest need is having connection with one another AND having some structure to our day. So, we will work on those things first.

 

It will take Ms. D some time to get some things set up for your learning at home, so please be patient. But, here are some questions I can answer for everyone:

  • Will there be independent project still? — Yes, and I will adjust requirements so we can all continue our work and present our research to the community. It will just look different this year! Stay tuned for a blog post specifically about Independent Project.
  • Will we use ZOOM? — No, sorry. But, we will be using MS Teams, which is a tool you can access through Office 365 or your One Drive account. Stay tuned. We will be making connection this way, but I am waiting to make sure we all have access to our school email accounts and that everyone has the tools they need at home to be able to participate. I also am just taking time to make sure everyone is okay during this very strange time at home!
  • How are the gerbils? — They are great! They are in my son’s old bedroom, and I sent you all a video of the two of them in your Outlook email.
  • Will we be doing online learning? — Sort of. Some of the learning will be online, but there will also be some things you can do without a computer. We all need to be careful we don’t spend all day on the computer, too. But, don’t worry, there will be things for you to do!
  • When can I get in touch with you? — I will be working at home on school things between 9AM and 3PM, with our regular lunch time. So, generally if you ask me a question during that time, I will get back to you pretty quickly! I don’t mind talking about anything, okay? So, don’t hesitate to contact me.
  • Will we still do our units? The answer is yes. It will look different, as there are some things we can’t do without being in person. But, we will all do our best to make it a great learning experience!
  • When do we start? — You have two things to do today — please see the next two posts for assignments. Always read my blog posts in order, from the earliest one you see to the latest. That may mean you need to scroll down, okay? Make sure you have read everything that is new.

More questions, please email me! I look forward to hearing from all of you.

With kindness,

Ms. D

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