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This practice guide is an updated version of Supporting and Responding to Student Behavior (Office of Special Education Programs, 2015). "Supporting and Responding" summarizes evidence-based, positive, and proactive practices that support and respond to students' social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) needs in classrooms and similar teaching and learning environments (e.g., small-group activity).

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Center on PBIS | Resource: Supporting and Responding to Students' Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs: Evidence-Based Practices for Educators

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PDF: This practice guide is an updated version of Supporting and Responding to Student Behavior (Office of Special Education Programs, 2015). "Supporting and Responding" summarizes evidence-based, positive, and proactive practices that support and respond to students' social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) needs in classrooms and similar teaching and learning environments (e.g., small-group activity).

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Whole Day Example

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DIGITAL CALENDAR ROUTINE | Functional, differentiated, and now PAPERLESS skill work that is the perfect addition to your morning routine and calendar time. This digital calendar will help your students start their day off right, and once mastered, can be a set of skills they complete successfully and independently.

Please watch the video preview for a look at this resource works. :)
What is included?
* 14 (fourteen) calendar slides ( please read list below to see skills practiced)

* instructions for opening and editing the document (*must have access to Google Slides™)

* direct link to copy and save the file to your Google Drive™
What skills are practiced?

Greeting

How I Feel Today

Date (Month, Day, Year)

Days of the Week

Weather

Season

Temperature

Clothes I Can Wear + Colors

Days in School

Piggy Bank (day + days in school)

Find the printable, interactive calendar routine here.
Nervous or a little curious about going digital in a special needs classroom?
READ THIS BLOG POST TO LEARN MORE
You can find other digital resources >> HERE. <<
Connect with me:
Don't forget about the green ★ to follow my store to get notifications of new resources and freebies!

Thanks for Looking and Happy Teaching!

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DIGITAL CALENDAR ROUTINE | Functional, differentiated, and now PAPERLESS skill work that is the perfect addition to your morning routine and calendar time. This digital calendar will help your students start their day off right, and once mastered, can be a set of skills they complete successfully an...

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Need more Picture Cards?
View2Do is an online program that lets you create customized teaching aids for visual learners.

View2Do gives schools and families a powerful tool to create, share, network, and teach, all in an engaging visual medium ideal for students with learning and communication differences. Teachers will love how easy it is to make great-looking learning tools and collaborate with their colleagues. Students will love the clear, easy-to-use, and visually engaging learning supports that are customized just for them.
Learn more about View2do!

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picture exchange communication system cards

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Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

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Need more Picture Cards? View2Do is an online program that lets you create customized teaching aids for visual learners. View2Do gives schools and families a powerful tool to create, share, network, and teach, all in an engaging visual medium ideal for students with learning and communication differences.

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Choice Boards enhance student motivation and engagement in the classroom while using differentiated instruction to promote learning.
Why use Choice Boards in the Classroom?
It is best to give students plenty of opportunities to practice and master the concepts taught in class. However, structuring such activities is no easy task, as teachers need to take into consideration the need for differentiated instruction and varied learning styles; all while ensuring that it is both interesting and challenging for the students. Use of Choice Boards is a strategy that can help simplify lesson planning and address learning requirements. It is easy and simple to design and implement in the classroom and can help promote learning, as well as stimulate student motivation and engagement.

Here we will learn more about Choice Boards and how they can be used to differentiate instruction.
What are Choice Boards?
Choice boards are graphic organizers that comprise of different amounts of squares. Each square is an activity. The activities help students learn or practice a primary concept, while allowing them a choice. Students can be instructed to choose one or more of these activities to complete. They can progress from one activity to another either in an organized or random order.
Benefits of using Choice Boards
Choice Boards provide students with the power to choose "how" to learn a particular subject or concept. This freedom encourages them to be more responsible, accountable and independent in their learning. It also allows them to work on the activities at their own pace. The boards are useful for teachers as it enables them to identify and use student interests and preferences to stimulate active learning and student engagement.
Designing Choice Boards
The board should revolve around a particular concept or learning goal and each activity is structured to stimulate learning, practice or mastery of that subject. The first step in designing a Choice Board is to identify the core concept or academic goal that the students need to complete. Second, plan the activities so that it provides students with a variety of mediums or methods for learning the concept. To do this, first identify the students' interests, preferences and even levels of readiness. The activities can be different levels of complexity and can be arranged on the board in an increasing order of difficulty. Additional instructions for each task can be included and students are instructed to perform the tasks either as individual activities or in groups. One square can also be a "FREE CHOICE" allowing students to create and perform an activity of their own choice.
Differentiating Instruction through Choice Boards
The following are tips to using Choice Boards for differentiated learning:

1. When creating the boards be sure to have activities that cater to every learning style such as visual, auditory, read-write and kinesthetic.

2. Boards can be created for weekly tasks, homework, projects and even assessments. Detailed instructions and requirements can be given for each task. An extra credit slot can be included to encourage students to better their learning.

3. Tic-Tac-Toe: Encourage students to perform a set of three activities so that it forms a Tic-Tac-Toe. Students can choose these activities horizontally, vertically or diagonally. In this method the "FREE CHOICE" square can be in the middle.

Use of Choice Boards help to improve student motivation, engagement and learning by empowering them to learn to the best of their ability.
Like this article for teachers?
Browse the Professional Learning Board COURSE CATALOG to find related online courses for teachers in your state. Professional Learning Board is a leading provider of online professional development classes that teachers use to renew a teaching license or renew a teaching certificate.

About Network

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How to Use Choice Boards in the Classroom?

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Teachers need to take into consideration the need for differentiated instruction and varied learning styles; all while ensuring that it is both interesting and challenging for the students. Use of Choice Boards is a strategy that can help simplify lesson planning and address learning requirements.

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"A choice board offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A choice board could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study."
- Angela Cunningham

In order to create a choice board:

Identify the most important elements of a lesson or unit.

Create a required assignment or project that reflects the minimum understanding you expect all students to achieve.

Create negotiables which expand upon the minimum understands. These negotiables often require students to go beyond the basic levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Create a final optional section that requires students the opportunity for enrichment. The optional section often reflects activities that students can use for extra credit.

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"A choice board offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A choice board could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study." - Angela Cunningham In order to create a choice board: Identify the most important elements of a lesson or unit.

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The lesson planning steps highlighted below outline some areas of focus when planning lessons. When creating a lesson plan, I preferred not to write out a detailed lesson plan, but instead focus on the objectives, Agenda and well designed tasks that will incorporate multiple TEKS. I also had a list of student engagement strategies from which I selected on a daily basis. Our main for teaching is to ensure that students are learning and applying knowledge gained.

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The lesson planning steps highlighted below outline some areas of focus when planning lessons. When creating a lesson plan, I preferred not to write out a detailed lesson plan, but instead focus on the objectives, Agenda and well designed tasks that will incorporate multiple TEKS.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H-9tQeUt3s

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Basic Example (dense/thick reinforcement)

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How To Use Token Boards for Behavior 101(English)

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15 Behavior Strategies for students with ASD

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15 Behavior Strategies for students with ASD

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15 Behavior Strategies to Help Kids with Autism

1 - Let the child know what will happen next.

For example, "After you finish the puzzle, it is time to brush your teeth", or "In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment." For some children it is helpful to set a timer so the child can keep track of how much time is left. So in the example above "In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment" you would set the timer for five minutes. Some children need reminders as the time is winding down to 2 minutes, 1 minute, etc.

For children who have trouble understanding the concept of time or numbers, a visual timer can be helpful because the child can see how much time is left.

Visual timers can be purchased on Amazon or other online stores. Here are some examples below that you can click on to see prices and reviews.

Red Clock Visual Timer

With a red clock visual timer, children can see time running out as the red disappears.

Sand timer

Sand timers let children know that time is up when the sand at the top gets to the bottom.

You can even get a free visual timer app on your IPhone, IPAD, or Android device. Just do a search for visual timer in your app store.

See 3 Ways to Use Timers to Encourage Homework and Chore Completion for more information on how to implement timers for children with and without autism.

Some children respond better to a visual countdown chart, than a visual timer. An example would be a piece of laminated construction paper with the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 Velcroed on. When there is 5 minutes left you show the child the countdown (e.g., we have five more minutes of computer time). At four minutes you pull off the number 5. You keep doing this each minute until you pull off the 1 and that is the signal that the activity is over and you will be moving on to the next activity).

You would need to get the paper laminated and purchase Velcro to make this kind of chart (there are instructions at the bottom of this article for how to do this).

Side Note: *Children who have difficulty understanding language may respond better to pictures telling them what is expected, rather than verbal directions. For example, if you want the child to work on math and then have a play activity, you can show them a "first/then" board rather than saying "First we will do math and then play a fun game." See an example of a "first/then" board below (you can find instructions for how to make this at the bottom of the article).

Just like the timers, you can also find IPAD, IPhone, and Android First/Then Apps. These apps have libraries of real photos to create first /then boards right on the screen. Check out the First Then Visual Schedule HD by Good Karma Applications, for IPAD/IPhone for an example.

2-Set Expectations, be Consistent, and Follow Through

For example, if you tell your child that you will play a game with him if he plays quietly while you talk on the phone for five minutes, make sure that you keep your end of the bargain (barring unforeseen circumstances). You may need to give him a choice of what activity to do during that time that you are on the phone. If your child can't tell time, set a timer that your child can see, get off the phone in exactly 5 minutes (barring unforeseen consequences), and play the game. If you do this consistently, your child will come to know what is expected and will believe in what you say. As he improves, you can increase the time. Once he learns how to play independently while you talk on the phone, you may be able to fade back on such a rigid set-up, but it is a good starting point to teach him how to act while you talk on the phone. This is one example but can be applied to many scenarios.

If you don't implement expectations with consistency and follow through on your words, your child will not know what to expect. This can lead to anxiety and challenging behavior (e.g., talking to you while you are on the phone, repeatedly asking when you will be off the phone, etc.). Children with autism or other challenging behaviors thrive on predictability, so do your best to make their world predictable. Another example of predictability would be having a set routine each night (e.g. first homework...then TV or first put pajamas on...then read a story). Keep in mind that difficult behaviors are more likely to come out when things aren't predictable, and we know we can't make everything predictable all the time. Just know that if you are doing your best, it is not yours or your child's fault when things don't go according to plan. Just get back in the swing of a predictable routine as soon as possible.

3 - Acknowledge your child or students for complying with your requests

For instance, if your child is using a loud voice in the movie theater and you say, "whisper in the theater," praise the child with a comment such as "nice job whispering", or "thank you for being respectful in the theater." For children who understand language well, situations like this are a good time to teach about other people's perspectives (e.g., "Thank you for whispering. This let's other people hear the movie.").

4 - Tell the child specifically what you expect and allow him to earn privileges for complying with your expectations

For instance, if your child often has a tantrum in a store when he can't go to the toy aisle, tell him exactly what you expect of him before you go to the store and reward him with a privilege for following that expectation. For instance, you can say something like "We are going to Target. We are going to the school supply aisle to buy paper and pens, and then we will pay and go home." Once in the store you can give reminders (e.g., now we are going to get the paper and pens, now we will go pay, you're doing a nice job following the rules, now we are going home, etc.).

Let the child know that he can earn a privilege for following the rules. Privilege ideas include getting a sticker of a favorite character, playing a favorite game once at home, watching a favorite show, going on the computer, staying up ten minutes past bed time, etc. Try to think of a privilege that your child might like or ask him what he would like to work towards.

When the child earns the privilege, praise him with specific language. In the example above you could say, "You followed the rules at the Target. We got the paper and pens, paid, and came home. Nice work! Now you can enjoy some computer time." Make sure the privilege is something the child wants. You can let the child choose what he would like to work for ahead of time. Children also benefit from nonverbal praise such as high fives, smiles, thumbs up, etc.

Side Note: *Children with difficulty understanding language often respond better to pictures, visual cues, demonstrations or physical prompting than verbal instructions. For example, many children I have worked with with autism walked nicely in the hall after I demonstrated how, rather than after I said "walk nicely."

5 - Give Choices

All children, including those with autism, like to feel a sense of control over their world. Many children benefit from having the choices limited to two to four options (depending on the child), as they get overwhelmed with too many choices and cannot decide. Examples of choices are: "Do you want to play a board game or watch TV," "Do you want butter or jelly on your bagel," "Do you want to wear the green or red shirt?" Again, children with language difficulties often have more success making choices when you show them the options or pictures of the options (e.g., hold up the red and green shirt and let them point to the one they want). A free IPAD App for generating pictures to show kids choices is ChoiceBoard-Creator. See an example below:

6 - For some children with language difficulties, showing the child the activity or toy that he will be utilizing next is helpful to encourage him to move from one activity to another

For example, if the child is on the computer and you want him to come work on a puzzle, show him the puzzle so he knows what it is you want him to come do.

7 - If possible, use a schedule to let the child know how his day will go

For children who have trouble reading or understanding language, a visual schedule would be best. A schedule for after school could include "eating a snack", "doing homework", "watching TV", "playing a game with the family", "reading a book", "taking a bath" and "going to bed." A visual schedule at school could include "math", "reading", "gym", "lunch", "recess", "art", "science", "packing up", and "getting on the bus." Below is an example of a visual schedule:

See How to Use Schedules to Improve Children's Behavior for more on getting the materials for and utilizing "first/then boards" and visual schedules.

8 - Allow the child to bring a transitional object from one activity to the next.

For instance, if the child has to leave the classroom to go with a new staff member such as a speech therapist, let him bring a favorite object from the classroom such as a stress ball or toy car. This can assist with helping him feel more comfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings.

9 - Distract and redirect problematic behavior instead of saying "stop" or "no."

For example, if the child is running in the store, remind him or show him how to walk nicely. If necessary, find something interesting to show him and call his attention to it, rather than focusing on the problematic behavior. If he is running in the hall at school, redirect him back to the line, with a short directive such as, "Come back to your spot in line" or remind him to "walk in the hallway." For children with trouble understanding language, try demonstrating what is expected or use a gesture, rather than just giving the verbal direction.

10 - If the child seems over stimulated from sensory input, such as in a large crowd, bring him to a quieter place to de-stress.

Be mindful of situations where your child might feel overwhelmed before you take him there (e.g., a fireworks show, a crowded festival, etc.).

There are also strategies to create an environment that helps a child with autism feel less overwhelmed by sensory input. See How to Set Up the Classroom for Children with Autism and ADHD which includes strategies that can be used at home as well.

11 - Make directions clear, short, and concrete.

For example, if your child is throwing food at the table say, "eat your food" rather than "Be good at the table," "Don't throw your food" or "Would you stop with that! You are always throwing your food." For children with difficulty understanding language, showing them a picture or a visual demonstration of the behavior you want to see, can be helpful.

12 - Take advantage of teachable moments.

For example, If the child snatches a toy from another child, teach him how to use his words to ask for they toy (if he has the language capabilities to do so) rather than reprimanding him for snatching the toy.

13 - When giving tasks, assignments, chores, etc. many children do better if they know when the task will end.

Some examples of activities with a clear ending include puzzles, a specific number of math problems, a specific number of pages to read, a timed event (e.g., the lesson will last ten minutes - set a timer), a specified way to complete a chore such as "Put ten toys in the bin." or "Spray the window three times and use the paper towel to wipe the spots off," a specific number of lines to write on the page for a writing assignment, etc. (visually defining the task is helpful as well; for example numbering the paper for a math assignment, using a visual timer or graphic organizer for a lecture, numbering the lines for a writing assignment, etc.). See an example of an activity with a clear visual ending below:

Please cut out each word and match it to the correct picture.

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15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum

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Learn 15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum through the International Board of Credentialing & Continuing Education Standards.

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Positive reinforcement is generally the most effective behavior management strategy in dealing with challenging behaviors of children with autism or Asperger's syndrome. It can also be used to help autistic children to learn new behaviors, from life skills through to alternatives to repetitive behaviors.

Positive reinforcement underlies the majority of all human behavior. We act in certain ways to obtain desirable consequences, whether it is going to work to get our paychecks, or treating others nicely in the hope they will do the same to us.

Positive reinforcement is an incentive given to a child who complies with some request for behavior change. The aim is to increase the chances the child will respond with the changed behavior. Positive reinforcement is given immediately after the desired behavior has occurred so that it will shape the child's future behavior.

The difference between reinforcement and bribery

The difference between reinforcement and bribery is that reinforcement comes after a task is completed whereas bribery is offered before. That is not to say that you can't show your child the reinforcer he or she is working for during trials. In this case, it would be a visual cue. If you offered a treat before even making a request, you would be using bribery.

choosing positive reinforcers

When choosing reinforcers for people, remember that each individual will respond to different things.

* Looking at what has motivated the child in the past
* asking the child what they like and dislike
* Look at their deprivation state - what do they want, that they cannot easily get?
* Try to make sure the reinforcer is practical, ethical and valid for the behavior being targeted.

Some examples of positive reinforcement include:

* Preferred activities (e.g., specific job; coffee with a friend; concert; sporting event)
* Free time
* Verbal praise
* Food-related activities (special treats - not food they have the right to access anyway)
* Desired objects (if affordable)
* Privileges (e.g., team leader for a day or week; certificate; badge; choice of outing)
* Tokens (e.g.: a special trip when the child earns five gold stars on the fridge).

You can also give your child positive attention by:

* Leaning toward and/or looking at your child
* Smiling
* Making a comment; asking a question
* Conversation with your child
* Joining in an activity.

points to consider

Timing is critical to the effectiveness of positive reinforcement. It is important for an individual to feel that the goal is achievable and that reinforcement is attainable.

It is also important that the reinforcer is not something the child already has free access to. When setting amounts of positive reinforcement, do not give as much as the child would want given free access, as this would leave them nothing to work towards. Ensure the reinforcer can be continual and enhanced. A visual system can work well with autistic children, where they can see their progress as well e.g. ticks on a behavior chart.

RULES FOR USING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

* When starting out, you will reward the child every time the target behavior occurs

* Quickly fade reinforcers by offering less and less as the desired behavior emerges
* Always pair edible, social or toy reinforcers with verbal praise

* Eventually you will be giving only verbal praise and your child will learn your pleasure is a reinforcer

* Make sure you model the desired behavior (e.g. Don't lose your temper if dealing with tantrums)

* Keep your requests for the desired behavior concise and clear.

Free Access Rule

The maximum amount of reinforcement made available during intervention must be less than what the person would seek, given "free access". No more than 80% of desired access should be given or else the reinforcer will reach satiation levels and no longer be effective.

The 50% Rule

This is used when calculating how long to wait between giving reinforcers. It is recommended that you work out the average length of time between incidences of the behavior, and halve it. For example:

If the behavior is currently occurring once per week, divide 7 days by 2, equaling 3½ days. The individual would receive positive reinforcement every 3½ days if the behavior were not displayed.

Delivery Style

Be aware of the child's possible reactions to reinforcement. Some children are not used to positive attention and may find it so uncomfortable that they resort back to their undesired behaviors in order to receive a known response. There may be a need to be discrete, perhaps allowing the child to overhear you praising them to another person.

Contracts

A written contract may be used if the child has the ability to understand it. If used, ensure that the contract specifies all of the criteria and is signed by all parties.

For example, "If I ---------, by ---------, then -----------."

This kind of visual backup can be very useful for autistic children who may have trouble with verbal information only.

Set your child up for success

When your child is having a difficult day, be sure to end on a positive note. You can do this by requesting a skill the child has already mastered, then deliver some nice verbal praise. These mastered skills have a high probability your child will get them right - thereby giving you a chance to reinforce the behavior.

Click here for the full range of Asperger's and autism fact sheets at www.autism-help.org
This article adapted with permission from www.biaq.com.au and remains under their copyright

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Autism, PDD-NOS & Asperger's fact sheets | Using positive reinforcement for behavior management of children with Asperger's syndrome or Autism

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Positive reinforcement is generally the most effective behavior management strategy in dealing with challenging behaviors of children with autism or Asperger's syndrome. It can also be used to help autistic children to learn new behaviors, from life skills through to alternatives to repetitive behaviors. Positive reinforcement underlies the majority of all human behavior.

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Set the Stage

Identify the core value(s) or behavior(s) that you'd like to have teachers target with students and the goal of the program (i.e. increase positive reinforcement).

These can be broad like "Safe, Respectful, Responsible," or more detailed like "On Time, Active Learner, Teamwork."

Have teachers plan for time at the end of each class to track the behaviors so that it is simple to use and easy to remember.

Encourage teachers to ask questions and offer suggestions to increase their buy-in.

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Free Student Behavior Tracking Sheet | Kickboard

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Set the Stage Identify the core value(s) or behavior(s) that you'd like to have teachers target with students and the goal of the program (i.e. increase positive reinforcement). These can be broad like "Safe, Respectful, Responsible," or more detailed like "On Time, Active Learner, Teamwork."

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This Ultimate List of PBIS Incentives contains over 350 items to inspire your PBIS rewards program. Sort by tangible, recognition, or privilege.

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Create a new spreadsheet and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Sheets to edit Excel files. Free from Google.

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As most of you know and maybe some of you are about to find out very soon, special educators have a daunting amount of paperwork to go along with all the other tasks we do on a daily basis. This paperwork is very important, tedious, and requires so so so much time that sometimes we don't have time to truly enjoy the joy we get from our jobs (the kids) because we are overworked and stressed.

I have tried several free trials of "IEP data collecting" apps and only find myself in awe that these companies think their product is worth the amount of money they charge underpaid teachers for their less than flexible product.

Then stepped in Google Docs - my true love (other than my husband, and my beloved Ipad, of course).

I use google docs for literally every ounce of data collection I have, I can create whatever kind of forms I want specific to each student and it spits out tons of graphs, spreadsheets, circle charts - I die!

First things first, you have to have a Gmail account. When you are signed into your account, click on the "Drive" option located at the top of the page.

When you get there, click on CREATE and then FORM from the drop down menu.

You will first have to choose a theme - my favorite is "Blue Birds," but you are certainly allowed to pick your own, then click OK. 🙂

I usually title my forms specific to IEP goals. If a student has different goals for different subjects, I will separate them, unless the goals go together and I will be working on them at the same time.

In the description part, I write out the actual goal.

Here's the fun part - Google Docs literally allows you to create whatever question type you want.

First, I wanted to create a question that prompted for the date. Even though each submission has a time stamp, I like to do this just incase my Ipad died and I was away from a computer, so I could still input the data with the correct date.

For the question title, I simply typed "Date:"

and for the question type, I used the drop-down menu to select "date" which inputs another option, which includes the year and the time. For this purpose, I just selected "include year" but it would be up to you!

After I clicked down, here is what it looks like:

Here is another question I added:

Passage Reading Level question with a drop down menu, with three different choices to choose from (this can be as many as you want!)

When you are all finished creating your form, you will click SEND FORM and the box below will pop up.

Now, if you are sharing a student on your caseload, you may want to try to "Add collaborators" but they must have gmail as well to input information. You can also send them the "Link to share" and they can access the form anytime through this.

Here is what the form looks like when filling it out:

Okay.. I know this is a long post, but hopefully informative.

Anytime you want to view your responses, you click on VIEW RESPONSES and a chart like this will pop up.

If you want to open your spreadsheet up into another program, such as Microsoft Excel (to create other data charts - I WILL EXPLAIN THIS IN ANOTHER POST!)

Click on FILE > DOWNLOAD AS > MICROSOFT EXCEL

If you want to see some pretty graphs and such, you can click on RESPONSES > SUMMARY OF RESPONSES.

I hope you found this post useful!

Please feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have any questions!

Fonts credited to: Kimberly Geswain and Luckyfrog's Lillypad

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Be Proactive: Using Google Docs to Collect Data for IEP Goals!

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As most of you know and maybe some of you are about to find out very soon, special educators have a daunting amount of paperwork to go along with all the other tasks we do on a daily basis. This pa...

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A video on using google forms to collect data 

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A video on using google forms to collect data 

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IEP data collection using google forms part I.

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from Brentwood

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Anxiety is a huge barrier to learning and very difficult for educators to identify. "When anxiety is fueling the behavior, it's the most confusing and complicated to figure out," Minahan said. That's because a student isn't always anxious; it tends to come and go based on events in their lives, so their difficulties aren't consistent. When we are anxious our working memory tanks, making it very difficult to recall any salient information.

Researchers surveyed a group of first graders none of whom had any reading or math disabilities. Those who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder were eight times more likely to be in the lowest achieving group in reading, and two-point-five times more likely to be in the lowest quartile in math achievement by the spring.

"Anxiety is a learning disability; it inhibits your ability to learn," Minahan said. But it isn't usually recognized as a learning disability and there is almost never a plan for how to address it in the classroom. "For kids with anxiety, the 'can'ts fluctuate," Minahan said. "When they're calm they can. When they're anxious they can't. And that's very deceiving."

Anxiety isn't about ability, it's about interference, which means that traditional rewards and consequences don't often work with this group of learners.

"Rewards and consequences are super helpful to increase motivation for something I'm able to do," Minahan said. But an anxious person's brain has shut down and they aren't able in that moment to complete the task being asked of them. The best way to combat this tricky problem is to try to prevent anxiety triggers and build up students' social and emotional skills to cope with the moments when anxiety sets in.

When kids are in the throes of bad behavior they have poor self-regulation skills, often get into negative thinking cycles that they can't stop, have poor executive functioning, become inflexible thinkers and lose social skills like the ability to think about another person's perspective. That's why kids can seem so unempathetic when teachers ask, "how do you think that made Sam feel?" At that moment, the student acting out has no ability to take Sam's perspective, but a few hours later or the next day, he might be able to show the remorse educators want to see.

ALL BEHAVIOR HAS A FUNCTION

Bad behavior is often connected to seeking attention, and when kids act out, they can see the results.* "Negative attention is way easier to get and hands down easier to understand," Minahan said. "It's much more efficient." Adults tend to be unpredictable with attention when a student is doing what she is supposed to do, but as soon as there's a dramatic, obvious tantrum, the student has the teacher's attention. And negative attention is powerful -- one student can hijack a whole classroom.

A common teacher response to low-level negative attention seeking is to ignore the student. The teacher doesn't want to reward bad behavior. "I want to caution you about ignoring someone with anxiety because their anxiety goes up," Minahan said. Ignoring an already anxious student can accidentally convey the message that the teacher doesn't care about the student, and worse might escalate the situation. Perhaps a teacher can ignore a student tapping his pencil or banging on his desk, but threatening behavior can't be ignored. And the student learns exactly what level of behavior he must exhibit to get attention.

TIP 1: Instead, "what you need to do is make positive attention compete better," Minahan said. She often suggests that teachers actively engage the most difficult student at the beginning of class saying something like, "I can't wait to see what you think of this assignment. I'm going to check on you in 5 minutes." When the teacher actually comes back in five minutes, validates the student's progress, and tells her another check-in is coming in ten minutes it sets up a pattern of predictable attention for positive behavior. And while it might seem unfair to take that extra time and care with one student, it ultimately saves instruction time when a teacher doesn't have to deal with a tantrum that sends the student out of the room.

TIP 2: Often in an attempt to form a positive relationship with a student teachers will publicly praise positive behavior. That can backfire, especially with anxious kids who don't want any extra attention from peers. Private or non-verbal praise is often better. Minahan recommends pulling students aside at the beginning of the year to ask how teachers can best tell them they're proud. "It's a gift to your February self if you can figure out a system now, otherwise you'll get stuck on the negative attention scale," Minahan said.

Tip 2.1: She also recommends fact-based praise as opposed to general praise. Vague praise is easy to dismiss.
ANTECEDENTS TO BAD BEHAVIOR
Many kids have predictable anxiety triggers like unstructured time, transitions, writing tasks, social demands or any unexpected change. Similarly the antecedents of negative behavior are fairly predictable: unfacilitated social interactions, interaction with an authoritative adult, being asked to wait, when demands are placed, being told no, writing, and transitions.**

Tip 3: "Teach waiting now," Minahan said. "When you are anxious, despite your age, it's very hard to wait." She was asked to observe a boy who constantly disrupted class. Minahan soon noticed the boy often did his work, but if he finished early or there was downtime in the class, he would start causing trouble. When Minahan pointed this out to him he had no idea what "wait time" was. She had to spell out to him that when he finished a task he should apply a strategy, like turning over the paper and doodling appropriately on the back. After this small intervention the student's behavior was so improved that his teacher thought he'd gone on medication.

'You can have really bright, able children whose anxiety is interfering so much.'

For kids with anxiety, there are a number of strategies teachers can employ. The first is not to take any student behavior personally. The student isn't trying to manipulate or torture the teacher, his behavior is reflecting something going on internally. Often a short movement break can help relieve anxiety, but not the way they are commonly given.

Minahan described a seventh grade girl who was recovering from an eating disorder. The girl was scraping her arms so badly they would bleed. After lunch, predictably, the behavior was worse, so her teachers were letting her color and draw to relieve her anxiety. Another common break is to tell a student to go get a drink of water down the hall. The coloring break wasn't working for this seventh grader and Minahan soon figured out why. "We accidentally left her alone to fester in her anxious thoughts," she said.

Tip 4: Leaving class doesn't give the student a break from internal negative thoughts like "I'm fat," or "I'm not smart enough," which paralyze thinking. But a break paired with a cognitive distraction does offer respite from the "all or nothing" thinking that's so common with anxious students. An older student might take a break and record herself reading a book out loud for a younger student with dyslexia. It's impossible to read out loud and think another thought. Other distractions could include sports trivia, sudoku or crossword puzzles. Little kids might do a Where's Waldo or look through a Highlight magazine for the hidden picture.

Tip 5: When teachers want to wrap up a task they often use a countdown. "Silent reading time is going to be over in five minutes." But counting down doesn't support a high achieving anxious child who feels she must finish. And it takes a lot of executive function skills and cognitive flexibility to fight the urge to keep going after the time is up. So instead of counting down, a teacher might walk over to that student and say, let's find a good stopping point. She may stop a minute later than the rest of the class when she reaches the designated point, but it won't escalate into a tug-of-war.

Transitions are another common time for kids to act out. Younger students often don't want to come in from recess, for example. But when a teacher says, "Line up. Recess is over. It's time for your spelling quiz," it's no wonder the student doesn't want to go from something he loves to something he hates.

Tip 6: The teacher can give students an in-between step to make the transition more palatable. Go from recess, to two minutes of coloring, to the spelling quiz. The intermediary step gives that non-compliant student behavioral momentum. He's already sitting down, quiet, with pen in hand, so the jump to spelling isn't as jarring.

For middle and high school students, school is all about being social, but the only times students get to see their friends are in the two to five minute passing periods between classes. Again, the transition is from something they love to something they hate, so don't make that transition extra hard by collecting homework as they come in the door. The toughest kids are probably already not doing well in the class, and a reminder of the homework exacerbates feelings of inadequacy.

Tip 7: One high school geometry teacher started playing two minute YouTube videos about geometry as students came into class. It got students from the hallway into the classroom without thinking negatively and her class started to run more smoothly. She didn't have the same interruptions she used to, which made the lost two minutes seem worth it.

Tip 8: Minahan also likes some of the biofeedback tools that are now available, like the EmWave. A wound up student puts a sensor on his finger and calming down becomes a game. He might start out with a picture of a black and white forest, but as he calms down (and the sensor monitors his heart rate) the colors start to pop in. It can take as little as two to five minutes to completely calm a kid down when they can see the feedback so clearly.

"I like it because it's so concrete," Minahan said. A student with high functioning autism might not even know what a teacher means by "calm down," but with the biofeedback device she can see what it means.

WORK AVOIDANCE

Minahan says it's very common for students to have trouble initiating work, persisting through work and asking for help, but there are strategies to help kids build the skills to get better in these areas.

"You can have really bright, able children whose anxiety is interfering so much," Minahan said. The anxiety isn't coming from nowhere; it's coming from prior experiences of feeling frozen and stupid. In that moment the child's working memory isn't working, so teachers need to find ways to bypass it until the anxiety passes.

Tip 9: One way is to let students preview the work for the day. In the morning, an elementary school teacher might work on the first few problems with the anxious child so she knows she can do it. Then, when it's time for that work later in the day, that child receives the sheet she's already started and can go from there.

Tip 9.1: In high school, teachers can give students with trouble initiating the preview as homework. Students can start at home without any pressure and continue at school. "Fight or flight is the worst when they first see it," Minahan said, so try to bypass that moment and prevent a breakdown.

Tip 10: At the same time, when the teacher names the strategies a student is employing, he is helping the student build a toolbox that can be used independently. Strategies might include, asking a teacher to help her start when she feels frozen, or asking to preview the homework. For perfectionist students, difficulty starting can stem from a fear of messing up. Give those students dry erase boards, where the mess ups can be easily erased. It helps when teachers treat the difficulty starting as a small problem and say something like, "Looks like you're not initiating. What strategy are you going to use?"

'When I shift the reinforcement to skills, I've noticed the skills go up and that's what makes the difference for the kids who have mental health difficulties.'

Tip 11: Some strategies to build persistence include skipping the hard ones and doing the ones a student knows first, working with a buddy, and double checking work on problems that have been completed.

Giving help in class is often a tricky balance, especially if a student is too embarrassed to ask vocally. Instead of acting out because she can't do the work, the student might raise her hand, pass the teacher a note or make eye contact. Then the teacher has to be careful not to give too much help. "We accidentally create dependency because we help so much," Minahan said.

That goes for academics as well as behavior. Often a teacher will notice a student becoming agitated and dysregulated and tell him to take a short walk. But ultimately the student will be better served if he can learn to monitor himself and implement strategies when he notices early signs of agitation. "Kids have to learn how to catch themselves on the way up and calm down there," Minahan said, because that's when the strategies work. But kids need to be taught how to recognize the signs.

Tip 12: Teach kids how to do a body check. With younger students a teacher can describe the signs of agitation as they are happening so the student starts to recognize them. With older students, ask them where in their body they feel anxious, for example, "in your belly?" "Give them the data every day," Minahan said. "This is your body on the way up." After the groundwork has been laid, a teacher can just say "body check, please" to let a student know it's time to check in with themselves and start using a strategy.

But what can you do when a kid is already exploding? Minahan says, not much because the child will have a very hard time reacting in a reasonable way once he or she is riled up.

Tip 13: What educators can do is anticipate those moments and rehearse self-calming strategies when the child is calm.

In one case, Minahan knew an elementary student she was working with was going to have a traumatic change in her life. The child's mom was giving her up to foster care and the date had been set. To prepare for what would undoubtedly be a moment when the student couldn't control herself, Minahan had her practice self-calming in the social worker's office, where she would probably go on the day. Twice a day for five minutes she rehearsed a self-calming routine when she was already calm so her working memory was available and she was learning the strategies.

When the day came and the child did freak out, Minahan quickly got her into the office with very little touching or verbal interaction which might further set her off. Once there, the girl got into her routine, and started singing to herself as a cognitive distraction. "The rehearsal allowed for automaticity and did not require cognition or working memory in that moment," Minahan said.

Tip 14: Rehearse replies to confrontations. Minahan worked with a high school student who constantly got in fights. If he felt disrespected he'd start swinging. Together they rehearsed over and over him saying, "I don't have time for this," and walking away. During the rehearsals, Minahan gave him something to hold in his hands as he said this. And soon, he stopped getting in fights. It gave him the moment he needed to make a decision not to use his fists and a go-to automatic reply.

Tip 15: Use data to disprove negative thinking. Writing is a common barrier for kids with anxiety, Minahan said. But one way to begin getting students past this hurdle is to ask them how hard a task will be before they start and again after they've completed it. Almost always the perception of the task is worse than the actual task. With several weeks of data you can show students the pattern in their responses.

Minahan worked with a girl who hated writing so much that she was skipping school twice a week. She would often say that writing was torture to her. Minahan broke writing down into component parts with corresponding strategies for getting started on each part. When the student worked on a writing task Minahan would ask her how many strategies she employed. Often the girl didn't use that many strategies, which didn't fit with her own conception of herself. "We reframed her whole thinking and she felt more empowered to solve her problems," Minahan said.

INTERACTION STRATEGIES

In any interaction with students teachers can only control their own behavior, but that's actually a lot of power. "We are 50% of every interaction with a child," Minahan said. "We have a lot of control over that interaction."

Tip 16: If a teacher gets off on the wrong foot with a student early in the year, try randomly being kind to the child, rather than only giving positive attention based on his or her behavior. This kind of noncontingent reinforcement helps the child to see the teacher likes him for who he is, not because he does math well or reads perfectly, Minahan said.

Tip 17: In areas where the difficult student is competent, give her a leadership role. Maybe let her take a younger child to the nurse or start an activity club. This helps change the child's perception of herself and also her relationship to the teacher.

Tip 18: When demanding something of a student, don't ask yes or no questions and teach kids not to ask yes or no questions. In that scenario, someone has a 50 percent chance of being disappointed with the answer. By changing the question, the teacher opens the door for the answer to be diffusing, rather than an escalation of defiance. For example, if a student asks, "Can I work with Jack?" The teacher can reframe the question: "Oh, did you want to know when you could work with Jack? You can ask: When can I work with Jack." The student might not like the answer, but it likely won't produce the same explosive reaction as getting an outright "no."

Tip 19: Give kids time and space. If a student is prone to arguing, eye contact and physical proximity can escalate potential protests.*** For example, if a kid is humming in an annoying way, a typical teacher move might be to make eye contact with the child and shake your head to get him to stop. But in this situation eye-contact is non-verbally asking the child for a response, which he may be incapable of giving at that moment. Instead, calmly walk over and put a note on his desk that says, "please stop humming." Then run away and do not make eye contact with that student for a few minutes.

"The initial reaction is not pleasant and you have to wait for them to de-escalate before they can comply," Minahan said. Sometimes the mere presence of the teacher prevents that de-escalation.

Tip 20: Reward practice or strategy use, not performance. "When I shift the reinforcement to skills, I've noticed the skills go up and that's what makes the difference for the kids who have mental health difficulties," Minahan said. Ultimately, educators are teaching kids the skills and strategies that they can then use throughout their life when they're anxious, so rewarding practice makes sense.

The more teachers can empathize with students, teaching skill building and focus on preventing challenging behavior, the smoother the classroom will run. Often that means learning about the student in order to identify triggers and design new ways of interacting with even the most challenging students.

*An earlier version of this post overstated the connection between bad behavior and seeking attention.
**An earlier version of this sentence highlighted only one type of negative behavior -- fighting.
*** This section was updated to include the situations under which eye contact could make a situation worse for a student. We regret these errors.

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Disclaimer 1: This post was written in the Spring of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, so a lot of the information here is discussed through the lens of distance learning launched by a global pandemic. I have attempted to broaden the lens beyond our current situation to take other distance-learning situations into account.

Disclaimer 2: I recommend quite a few tech tools in this post. Before you proceed with them, please check with your district to make sure the tools comply with your specific use policies for age, privacy, etc.

If you've found yourself teaching in a distance-learning situation, especially if it's been foisted upon you by circumstance, you'll discover pretty quickly that distance learning offers different challenges from face-to-face instruction. And if you look online, you'll find tons of ideas and resources that can help you tackle those challenges, so much that it's easy to get paralyzed at the volume of it all. This is especially true if you're expected to hit the ground running with very little notice.

To help you, I'm going to take my best shot at sharing clear, carefully curated information on distance learning. We'll do this in four parts:

In Part 1 I'll address your head and your heart, the very real, valid emotional and psychological factors that may be preventing you from doing a decent job with online learning.

In Part 2 we'll get into the nuts and bolts of distance learning, options for content delivery, different ways students can demonstrate learning, and some of the tech that can make it all work.

In Part 3 I'll share some general tips and advice I've gathered from teachers in the field.

And in Part 4 we'll talk about troubleshooting, solving some of the more specific problems that come up often when we talk about online learning.

PART 1: START WITH YOUR HEAD AND YOUR HEART

None of the practical stuff is going to do any of us much good if we're in a distracted, panicked headspace and haven't tended to the ways our current situation has impacted our emotions. Here are three things you can do to get your head and heart in a better place.

Get Perspective

There will likely be times when the people in charge of you start to expect too much, or you expect too much of yourself. If you're in a situation like the one we happen to be in right now, in the spring of 2020, you may need to regularly step back from what's right in front of you and remember that we're dealing with life and death circumstances right now. None of this is normal, and there really is no precedent to follow. Most people are doing the best they can on any given day, and that means things will not go smoothly. And by "people," I mean everyone: students, parents, your colleagues, your administration, your family members, and you. YOU. Giving yourself plenty of grace is key at times like this.

If you need something to help you regain perspective and cut yourself some slack, read Carolyn Todd's editorial, Is Anyone Else Just Barely Functioning Right Now?

Now if you personally have a cool, level head at the moment, but someone else is pressuring you to do more, keep in mind that they are feeling their own unique pressure to perform, and they're passing that on to you. It may be an opportunity to validate their feelings, or it may be time to push back on expectations that are simply unreasonable.

Get Physical

When things start to feel like too much, start moving. Decades of research has pointed to the link between physical activity and brain function, but most of us don't need research to know that some of our best ideas come to us when we change things up and go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride. This is especially important during times when we are more likely to be cooped up in our homes, such as, say, a quarantine imposed by a global pandemic.

Get with Other People

One of the things that has really overwhelmed me in the process of putting this post together is knowing that everyone's situation is a little different and not having the tools to address each situation.

One way to alleviate this is to get in touch with others who are more familiar with your specific needs. Apart from collaborating with your colleagues, a great way to share ideas is to find and join online groups. Two I'm recommending here are on Facebook. If you're not on Facebook, I strongly suggest you set up an account just for the purpose of collaborating with others.

Dealing with Educational Inequities in Distance/Online Learning: This group was created "in response to the growing list of resources and practices during the COVID-19 shutdown that further increase the educational divide as it relates to accessibility; race; socio-economic status; gender; and other marginalized communities. We want to demonstrate real solutions in distance/online learning that can provide solutions for all learners."

PART 2: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning has so many components to it; each one could honestly get its own whole blog post. Since I can't go too in-depth all at once, I'll just do an overview of all the pieces and link out to a few resources that can help you learn more about each one.

1. CONNECTING AND COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS

It's essential that you have clear, consistent, accessible channels for communicating with your students. Different pathways for communication will need to be established. The first two are essential and asynchronous, meaning participants can access the conversation whenever it's convenient; they don't need to be present at the same time. The third pathway is optional and is usually synchronous, meaning participants must "attend" the conversation at the same time.

Must Have: Outgoing Communication asynchronous On this pathway, you give instructions, post announcements, and generally inform your students about what's going on and what's expected of them. Some teachers are creating daily or weekly videos for this purpose, while others are writing out instructions in places like Google Docs, and others are doubling up-pairing short videos with written instructions so students get the information through different modes.

It seems like one of the most important considerations with outgoing communication is that you keep it consistent: Pick one place to deliver and store outgoing messages and stick with that, so students know where to look, nothing gets lost in the mix, and no one gets overwhelmed with information overload.

Must Have: Incoming Communication asynchronous This pathway is for students and parents to reach out to you with questions, feedback, and updates on their ability to complete required work.

Nice to Have: Two-Way Communication
synchronous OR asynchronous On this pathway, you and your students can communicate back and forth in a more open dialogue, where you broadcast yourself live and students attend as participants in one-on-one, small-group, or whole-class sessions.

Video conferencing: For this pathway, many teachers are using video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, and Microsoft Teams. These can be great for community-building and giving students a sense of connectedness with you and each other.

It's important to note that these platforms also have their pitfalls, one of which is that they may directly violate your school's privacy policies, so be sure to check with the people in your district who are in charge of compliance with those policies to make sure you're ok. This article from Edsurge does a good job of explaining the potential problems with video conferencing; it focuses specifically on Zoom, but the concepts would apply to any video conferencing tool.

This infographic, created by the Celina High School SWAT Team in Celina, TX, and their advisor, Tisha Poncio, offers tips for students when participating in video conferences:

Alternatives to Video Conferencing: If you've decided not to go the video conferencing route for now, you can still set up text-based discussions that can get students interacting:

Discussion boards: Many platforms, like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Edmodo, and Microsoft Teams, give you the option to set up ongoing, text-based discussions on individual topics. You can make these optional, open for students to ask questions on their work, or make participation a required part of students' grades.

Backchannel discussion: If you'd like something that feels more dynamic and "live," try a backchannel discussion, which can happen at a set time (synchronous) or stay open for a longer period of time to allow students to participate when it's convenient for them (asynchronous). You can open up a text-based chat room in YoTeach (which is very similar to the now-defunct TodaysMeet). If your students are 13 years or older, you could also set them up on Voxer, which allows them to use voice or text to carry on discussions.

2. KEEPING EVERYTHING ORGANIZED

Ideally, you and your colleagues will have chosen a single platform for storing and delivering assignments, collecting student work, posting announcements, and so on. Many schools are already set up on a learning management system (LMS) like Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, or Edmodo. If you don't already have something in place, and you don't have time to learn a new platform, it's probably not a good idea to jump into anything new.

But creating a central hub should be a priority. What parents and students are saying most often is that it's incredibly stressful to have to keep up with multiple platforms and multiple streams of information, with some pieces coming through email, others through Remind, others through an LMS, and so on. With more than one child at home and more than one teacher per child, things can get out of hand very fast. It's perfectly fine to use different tools as part of your instruction-you might assign Quizlet flashcards, Edpuzzle lessons, Newsela articles-but for communication, keep things as streamlined as possible.

One simple approach taken by some schools is to maintain a single document (usually a Google Doc) for the whole school. In that document are links to individual documents for each teacher.

This type of document-which is just a really simple hyperdoc -creates a central hub where parents and students can start every single time, then click over to the places where they can find updated information for their classes. Even if you don't use this specific model, setting up something like it will make your whole school run more smoothly.

Individual teachers can then replicate this type of hub for their own classes, creating a central folder or file where students can find daily or weekly assignments and other communications.

3. LESSON DESIGN

Entire degree programs have been created to show teachers how to design lessons for online learning, and I wasn't able to delve into this enough for this post. What I did find are two resources that you might find helpful without getting another master's degree:

One principle that I've seen in several discussions of online learning is the idea that it works better when you give students some choices, choices in how they take information in and choices in how they demonstrate learning. The next two sections will share some possibilities for both of those.

4. OPTIONS FOR DELIVERING CONTENT

One of the main things you need to do when setting up online instruction is figuring out how students are actually going to take in the content. You have a few options, and it's a good idea to not just stick to one avenue, since you ideally want to give students multiple modes of intake.

Readings

Google Docs or Microsoft Word Files: As long as you remember to manage the security settings on these so they can't be edited, these kinds of files are perfectly fine to use as reading materials.

Regular PDFs: One advantage of using PDFs is that you generally don't have to worry about them being altered by the student, and things like fonts and other design elements will be preserved no matter what device a student is using.

PDFs with Annotation Tools: Several tools like Edji and Kami allow users to annotate PDFs, which would make a great close-reading assignment.

Websites: There's a ton of outstanding free content online that would make excellent reading material for class assignments. On CommonLit, Newsela, and Actively Learn, you can find good reading material for many grade levels and subject areas. NewseumED offers fantastic primary sources for history and social studies.

Websites with Customized, Added Layers: With any website at all, you can use Insert Learning to layer on your own instructional content, such as notes, discussion questions, quizzes, and other embedded content.

Videos

Video is a very popular way to deliver content online, because it has the potential to restore the voice and visuals that are lost when we move away from face-to-face instruction. Once you have a good video, you can share it directly with a link or use a tool like Edpuzzle or PlayPosit to build a complete lesson around that video.

You have two options for sourcing your content: use videos that were created by someone else, or create the videos yourself.

Created by Someone Else
Obviously, the internet is absolutely loaded with videos, and using them means you don't have to make them yourself. What's challenging is finding videos that (a) are appropriate for student viewing, and (b) accurately represent the content you want to deliver, in a way that's succinct and maybe even entertaining. Finding videos that meet these criteria can be really time-consuming if you don't know where to look.

To save time, it helps to go to sources that have already proven themselves as creators of high-quality educational videos.

Khan Academy offers a massive library of videos on math, science, and arts & humanities, including history and government, so that would be a great place to start.

Look for YouTube channels created by organizations that already have a strong reputation for good content, like National Geographic, the History Channel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As with anything else, your colleagues are going to be one of your best sources for finding good stuff, so ask around at school, or find a group on Twitter that can recommend something for you.

Created by You The good thing about creating your own videos is that you have total control over the content. Probably the easiest way to create instructional videos is with screencasting software, which simply records whatever is on your screen while you narrate into a microphone. So you could, for example, create a PowerPoint-based lecture, then just deliver that lecture on your screen and use screencasting software to record it.

Here are two affordable, popular options for screencasting:

Screencastify
screencastify.com
This recorder is built right into Google Chrome, which makes it an incredibly convenient tool for creating on-the-spot screencasts. As of right now, the editing tools are still kind of rudimentary, which means you're not likely to end up with a very polished end product. Still, for many purposes, this tool gets the job done quickly and easily. Watch this video to learn how to use it.

Screencast-o-Matic
screencast-o-matic.com
This popular recorder is one that you download onto your computer, which is slightly less convenient than one that's built into a browser, but the editing features available with the paid plans might make it worth it for you. This video gives you an overview of how it works.

Static Slide Presentation

Slideshows that combine text with appealing visuals can be a nice alternative to text readings. They're also much quicker and easier to create than videos, and viewing them requires a lot less internet bandwidth.

These kinds of slideshows, which students would click through on their own, should ideally be designed with that independent experience in mind. Unlike a presentation that you give live, these would not be simply a support for a speaker; they'd need to stand completely alone, with all the necessary text on the slides, rather than in the speaker notes.

Rather than sharing these as a file, which would require you to adjust editing permissions and would likely result in the student looking at it in editing mode, you can share it in presentation mode so the slides take up the full screen and it feels more like an experience, like in this sample presentation. Learn how to set this up with a Google Slides presentation in the video below:

Audio

Content can also be delivered via audio, which can be a nice change of pace for students who are used to text or videos only, and because audio files are much smaller than video files, they're less likely to strain home internet capabilities.

Listenwise houses a fantastic library of curated, standards-aligned podcasts.

You can find lots of other podcasts on pretty much any topic imaginable. Here are some good ones that are produced specifically for student audiences.

Recording your own audio instructions, reflections, or lectures is simple and quick. You can use a voice recording app on a smartphone or a web-based tool like Online Voice Recorder to create MP3 files, which are just audio files, then upload those files right into whatever platform you're using to distribute information to students. In many cases, students will be able to play them right on that platform.

Interactive Learning Experiences

Some tools have come along in recent years that allow you to create interactive online learning modules, where students click through various instructional components, play games, take interactive quizzes, and so on. Although some activities may not justify the time it takes to put these interactives together, they can offer something different and more fun than the standard fare. You can find these on sites like GoConqr, Deck.Toys, BookWidgets, and Wizer. The one platform that seems to have the most robust collection of options is Genially. Take a look:

5. OPTIONS FOR DEMONSTRATING LEARNING

Just as there are many different ways to get the content into students' heads, you can also offer choices for how students demonstrate their learning. Probably the quickest, most traditional way to measure whether students learned the material is to give them some kind of test or quiz, but that may not be the best way to get students to experience the content in a deep way. Sticking only to tests also favors students who work well in that mode, rather than allowing other students to shine in areas they might be stronger in. Beyond all that, it's not much fun.

On Twitter, I asked teachers for some fresh ideas for "end products," and got tons of ideas back. Below I've listed some really good ones. Before you jump on these, be mindful that these end products still need to align with your instructional goals and are not what we call Grecian Urn assignments, creative-looking projects that don't ultimately have much instructional value.

Book: Students create a children's book, mini-textbook, handbook, comic, or other kind of book. These can be done on paper or created with apps like Book Creator.

Google Tour: Using Google Tour Builder, students can create customized tours that combine photos, text, and targeted locations on Google Earth. These could be used to create tours that explore current events, historical periods or phenomena, science or geography topics, global research topics, students' personal histories or future plans, or completely fictionalized stories that take place in various locations around the world.

Infographic: On paper or using a tool like Piktochart, have students create an infographic to represent or teach about an idea or set of data.

Lesson: Have students write their own lesson on a chunk of your content. Provide them with the basic structure of a lesson to follow, including objectives, direct instruction, guided practice, and some sort of assessment to measure their success.

Model: Students can create a physical model representing some aspect of your curriculum, then photograph it from various angles or create a video tour of the model with their own narration.

Museum or Multimedia Collection: Have students curate a collection of artifacts representing a curricular concept, along with their own written captions, in a Google Slides presentation. Two fantastic resources for gathering these artifacts are the Smithsonian Learning Lab and the Google Arts & Culture website.

Podcast: Have students use the recording tools mentioned in the "Audio" section above or an app like Anchor to record a podcast where they express an opinion, tell a story, or teach about a content-related topic. If students have a lot of material, they can break their podcast into multiple episodes and do a series instead.

Scavenger Hunt: Have students participate in a content-based scavenger hunt and take photos to record their findings. An app like GooseChase can make this even more fun.

Sketchnote: Have students create a sketchnote to represent a content-related topic using paper or with a drawing app like Sketchpad.

Video: Students can create their own videos as creative, informative, persuasive, or reflective pieces. These can be public service announcements, commercials, mini-documentaries, instructional videos, short feature films or animations, or TED-style talks. Tools for creating these can range from quick response platforms like Flipgrid, to screencasting tools listed in the previous section, a tool that creates stop motion videos like Stop Motion Studio, or simple online video creators like Adobe Creative Cloud Express.

Website: Using tools like Weebly, Wix, or Google Sites, have students develop a website to document a long-term project or teach about a particular idea.

PART 3: GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE FROM TEACHERS

Begin again.

If distance learning has been introduced suddenly, where it takes the place of face-to-face learning rather than being the standard from the start, treat the beginning of the shift the same way you'd treat the beginning of a school year, by establishing routines and protocols before digging deeply into content, and giving extra energy to rekindling culture and relationships on the new platform even if they were already established in the face-to-face setting.

Keep home responsibilities in mind.

When schools are closed district-wide, all children are out of school and under one roof. This means older kids may be shouldering some responsibility for caring for their younger siblings, and that could impact how well they are able to keep up with deadlines, log in for synchronous events, or respond to communication in a timely manner. Letting students know up front that you get this, and maintaining flexibility with deadlines, can go a long way toward keeping lines of communication open and avoiding misunderstandings.

Make social interaction a priority.

When we are kept apart from one another for whatever reason, our need for human interaction increases. So if you're teaching a distance learning course that was set up that way to begin with, it's important to build in structures to keep students interacting with each other and with you.

This principle is even more vital in situations where distance learning is coupled with large-scale social isolation.

Some of the tools and systems I mentioned earlier, like video conferencing and discussion boards, can meet this need; even your own outgoing video, audio, and written communication can be used for more "human connection" reasons. A good general rule to keep in mind is that you don't need to use 100% of your time for instructional purposes; allowing space for regular conversation, venting, and laughter can be incredibly important.

Keep messaging to a minimum.

I mentioned this earlier, but it's important so I'm repeating it. If kids and parents are receiving multiple messages from multiple teachers every day, and families have multiple kids, they can become overwhelmed really quickly, and things will start slipping through the cracks.

Try to limit the number of platforms you and your school are using for distributing information. Ideally, you'll have one clear channel for sending out announcements and messages, and those will be limited in number. Parents and students will have one place to look for all important information, and that "place" will be clean, simple, easy to navigate, and updated regularly so that all users can count on the information being current. The closer you can get to this ideal, the more smoothly things will go.

PART 4: TROUBLESHOOTING

Two specific problems tend to come up more often than any others when it comes to distance learning. Although neither one is completely solvable, here are some of the ways schools are addressing them:

1. Students Who Do Not Have Home Access to Tech

The whole notion of distance learning becomes a problem if some of your students don't have devices or reliable internet access. Here are some ways to address this problem:

Get more students connected. In a 2017 post, When Your School is Short on Tech, I showcased some ways that schools are getting unconnected families online, including information on how some schools partner with organizations like Kajeet to loan WiFi hotspots out to families. Although some of the solutions may not be relevant to a distance-learning situation, you may find some resources that can be helpful in your community, even if they can't be implemented right away.

Offer non-digital options. Some districts are working around the problem by offering paper resources for pick-up and drop-off. This is how we did distance learning in all the years before the internet, so it's certainly possible to do it again.

Use the phone. If you've tried other avenues and still can't get a hold of some families, a regular phone call might be your best option. If you want to keep your number private, you can set up a Google Voice account, which allows you to call, text, or message another phone without sharing your personal number, or use some of these phone settings to block your regular number. If you are reaching out to families that don't speak your language, try the free TalkingPoints app, which allows you to communicate with them in their language.

Use the mail. Although not ideal or cheap, it may be possible to mail materials back and forth (if you have office staff still going to school each day, they may be able to help with this). Even if instruction isn't possible this way, consider the impact it would make if you took ten minutes to mail a hand-written letter to an otherwise unconnected student, just to let them know you're thinking about them.

Consider home visits as a last resort. This isn't out of the question. And if you're deeply concerned about reaching students who can't be reached in any other way, it may be possible to just drive to their neighborhoods and, maintaining all precautionary measures and social distancing, check in with them. One visit might be all that's needed to at least establish a phone connection that you can maintain from that point on.

2. Meeting Special Education, RTI, and Language Learning Needs

So many of our students have individual needs that we have figured out how to meet in a school setting. When school moves to a distance-learning model, both teachers and parents are often at a loss for how to continue working with students with IEPs, those who receive RTI support, English learners, and other students who get one-on-one time with educators specifically trained to meet their needs.

Since this one is really far out of my wheelhouse, I reached out on Twitter for help. Really, your best bet is to read the replies to see what might work for you. You'll not only get some good ideas, you're likely to connect with people you can reach out to for even more good ideas.

Apart from that, I have a two more resources to share:

Microsoft has a growing suite of tools made specifically to make online learning more accessible for all learners. One or more of these may make it easier for you to meet more students' needs from a distance.

The TalkingPoints app enables teachers to communicate with parents in the parents' native language, and it even works if parents only have text-based phones.

As I neared completion on this post, I opened up my inbox and found five other resources that had been sent to me for possible inclusion in this post. Looking through them made me realize I had missed gobs and gobs of information here. I felt completely deflated and overwhelmed all over again, but then, as I have often had to do in the past couple of weeks, I took a deep breath, closed up the things that were distracting and upsetting me, and said to myself, "Today you have done enough."

I hope this has helped you in some way. If not, tomorrow is another day.

Come back for more.
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Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers

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An overview of the nuts and bolts of distance learning, including general tips, advice on tech, and troubleshooting some common problems.

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (google site template for purchase)

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (google site template for purchase)

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Google Site Template Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse google site template resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (Google Site Tutorial (by Kaci)

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Building a Meaningful classroom website (Google Site Tutorial (by Kaci)

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If you want to create a Google Meet or Agenda slide like mine (or something similar), you can keep the default page dimensions and move onto Step 2.

If you want to create a Google Classroom header, change the page dimensions to 1,000 x 250 pixels by going to File -> Page Setup in Google Slides or Design -> Page Setup in PowerPoint. Just a warning though: When you upload your banner on Google Classroom, you'll get this frustrating dark overlay on your image. It's an accessibility thing and can't be changed, so just keep that in mind and try to keep everything as bright as possible.

To create a custom Google homepage, you'll want the dimensions somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 in x 8 in.

Next step is to collect the images for your scene.

For mine, I used posters from ECHO-LIT (my favorite poster shop) and a variety of Google Images. All Google Images were found using the "labeled for reuse" filter (more on that in a minute). I also want to note that I reached out to the creator of ECHO-LIT for permission to use her posters in my scene. Please do the same if you decide to include something similar.

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How to Create a Virtual Bitmoji Classroom in Google Slides or PowerPoint - Hello, Teacher Lady

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Learn how to make your own virtual Bitmoji classroom using Google Slides or PowerPoint with these step-by-step directions.

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Glossary of icons you could use in classrooms.

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What is this tool?

This is a picker wheel that spins and picks a random word based on your input. Fun and useful! Let's say you're a teacher and all of your students have to hold a presentation today. Who will go first? You can start at the top of your student list, but then the same students always have to start first, plus you don't always have your student list within reach. The solution: pick a random name. How? With this tool! Simply fill in all of your students and let the wheel decide.

There are more examples in which you could use a wheel:

A challenge with friends and you want to decide who goes first.

Playing a board game with the family. Who starts?

For vacation you'll be traveling. However, there are so many spots you want to visit and you can visit them all. So you have a hard time deciding which one. Letting the wheel pick a random destination will make your vacation even more fun and surprising!

You're living in a dormitory with other students and someone has to clean up the mess. Nobody wants to, of course. No need to decide yourself!

How can I use it?

How to use the wheel should speak for itself, but we've made a quick tutorial.
First, to set up a new wheel:

1. Scroll down to the 'Edit wheel' section.

2. In the text box, you can edit the words or names that are displayed on the wheel. Simply select and remove everything and put your own entries in it. Each entry should be on a new line or separated by a comma.

3. Click on the 'Update' button. When clicking on it, a new name roulette wheel will be generated.

Second, to use it:

1. By now you've set it up. Simply click on the wheel (it doesn't matter where you click) and it will spin.

2. The selected entry will show up on the screen. You can choose to remove it from the wheel by using the 'Remove' button.

3. Whether you removed the picked entry or not, you can spin again by clicking anywhere.

Can I share or save it?

As soon as you add new names, words, places, brands and update the wheel a new share URL will be generated. It will show up in the text field underneath the 'Update' button. Either copy the URL manually or click on the 'Copy wheel' button. You can give this link to your friends, family, teachers, co-workers or use it yourself later on. Just paste the link in your browser can go the URL and we will automatically set up the wheel.

Do you want to save your wheels to your account? Be sure to check out our other spinner wheel!

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With this random picker wheel you can enter various words or names, spin the wheel and let it choose a random value. An easy name selector.

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Sponsored by World101 and Listenwise

Disclaimer 1: This post was written in the Spring of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, so a lot of the information here is discussed through the lens of distance learning launched by a global pandemic. I have attempted to broaden the lens beyond our current situation to take other distance-learning situations into account.

Disclaimer 2: I recommend quite a few tech tools in this post. Before you proceed with them, please check with your district to make sure the tools comply with your specific use policies for age, privacy, etc.

If you've found yourself teaching in a distance-learning situation, especially if it's been foisted upon you by circumstance, you'll discover pretty quickly that distance learning offers different challenges from face-to-face instruction. And if you look online, you'll find tons of ideas and resources that can help you tackle those challenges, so much that it's easy to get paralyzed at the volume of it all. This is especially true if you're expected to hit the ground running with very little notice.

To help you, I'm going to take my best shot at sharing clear, carefully curated information on distance learning. We'll do this in four parts:

In Part 1 I'll address your head and your heart, the very real, valid emotional and psychological factors that may be preventing you from doing a decent job with online learning.

In Part 2 we'll get into the nuts and bolts of distance learning, options for content delivery, different ways students can demonstrate learning, and some of the tech that can make it all work.

In Part 3 I'll share some general tips and advice I've gathered from teachers in the field.

And in Part 4 we'll talk about troubleshooting, solving some of the more specific problems that come up often when we talk about online learning.

PART 1: START WITH YOUR HEAD AND YOUR HEART

None of the practical stuff is going to do any of us much good if we're in a distracted, panicked headspace and haven't tended to the ways our current situation has impacted our emotions. Here are three things you can do to get your head and heart in a better place.

Get Perspective

There will likely be times when the people in charge of you start to expect too much, or you expect too much of yourself. If you're in a situation like the one we happen to be in right now, in the spring of 2020, you may need to regularly step back from what's right in front of you and remember that we're dealing with life and death circumstances right now. None of this is normal, and there really is no precedent to follow. Most people are doing the best they can on any given day, and that means things will not go smoothly. And by "people," I mean everyone: students, parents, your colleagues, your administration, your family members, and you. YOU. Giving yourself plenty of grace is key at times like this.

If you need something to help you regain perspective and cut yourself some slack, read Carolyn Todd's editorial, Is Anyone Else Just Barely Functioning Right Now?

Now if you personally have a cool, level head at the moment, but someone else is pressuring you to do more, keep in mind that they are feeling their own unique pressure to perform, and they're passing that on to you. It may be an opportunity to validate their feelings, or it may be time to push back on expectations that are simply unreasonable.

Get Physical

When things start to feel like too much, start moving. Decades of research has pointed to the link between physical activity and brain function, but most of us don't need research to know that some of our best ideas come to us when we change things up and go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride. This is especially important during times when we are more likely to be cooped up in our homes, such as, say, a quarantine imposed by a global pandemic.

Get with Other People

One of the things that has really overwhelmed me in the process of putting this post together is knowing that everyone's situation is a little different and not having the tools to address each situation.

One way to alleviate this is to get in touch with others who are more familiar with your specific needs. Apart from collaborating with your colleagues, a great way to share ideas is to find and join online groups. Two I'm recommending here are on Facebook. If you're not on Facebook, I strongly suggest you set up an account just for the purpose of collaborating with others.

Dealing with Educational Inequities in Distance/Online Learning: This group was created "in response to the growing list of resources and practices during the COVID-19 shutdown that further increase the educational divide as it relates to accessibility; race; socio-economic status; gender; and other marginalized communities. We want to demonstrate real solutions in distance/online learning that can provide solutions for all learners."

PART 2: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning has so many components to it; each one could honestly get its own whole blog post. Since I can't go too in-depth all at once, I'll just do an overview of all the pieces and link out to a few resources that can help you learn more about each one.

1. CONNECTING AND COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS

It's essential that you have clear, consistent, accessible channels for communicating with your students. Different pathways for communication will need to be established. The first two are essential and asynchronous, meaning participants can access the conversation whenever it's convenient; they don't need to be present at the same time. The third pathway is optional and is usually synchronous, meaning participants must "attend" the conversation at the same time.

Must Have: Outgoing Communication asynchronous On this pathway, you give instructions, post announcements, and generally inform your students about what's going on and what's expected of them. Some teachers are creating daily or weekly videos for this purpose, while others are writing out instructions in places like Google Docs, and others are doubling up-pairing short videos with written instructions so students get the information through different modes.

It seems like one of the most important considerations with outgoing communication is that you keep it consistent: Pick one place to deliver and store outgoing messages and stick with that, so students know where to look, nothing gets lost in the mix, and no one gets overwhelmed with information overload.

Must Have: Incoming Communication asynchronous This pathway is for students and parents to reach out to you with questions, feedback, and updates on their ability to complete required work.

Nice to Have: Two-Way Communication
synchronous OR asynchronous On this pathway, you and your students can communicate back and forth in a more open dialogue, where you broadcast yourself live and students attend as participants in one-on-one, small-group, or whole-class sessions.

Video conferencing: For this pathway, many teachers are using video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, and Microsoft Teams. These can be great for community-building and giving students a sense of connectedness with you and each other.

It's important to note that these platforms also have their pitfalls, one of which is that they may directly violate your school's privacy policies, so be sure to check with the people in your district who are in charge of compliance with those policies to make sure you're ok. This article from Edsurge does a good job of explaining the potential problems with video conferencing; it focuses specifically on Zoom, but the concepts would apply to any video conferencing tool.

This infographic, created by the Celina High School SWAT Team in Celina, TX, and their advisor, Tisha Poncio, offers tips for students when participating in video conferences:

Alternatives to Video Conferencing: If you've decided not to go the video conferencing route for now, you can still set up text-based discussions that can get students interacting:

Discussion boards: Many platforms, like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Edmodo, and Microsoft Teams, give you the option to set up ongoing, text-based discussions on individual topics. You can make these optional, open for students to ask questions on their work, or make participation a required part of students' grades.

Backchannel discussion: If you'd like something that feels more dynamic and "live," try a backchannel discussion, which can happen at a set time (synchronous) or stay open for a longer period of time to allow students to participate when it's convenient for them (asynchronous). You can open up a text-based chat room in YoTeach (which is very similar to the now-defunct TodaysMeet). If your students are 13 years or older, you could also set them up on Voxer, which allows them to use voice or text to carry on discussions.

2. KEEPING EVERYTHING ORGANIZED

Ideally, you and your colleagues will have chosen a single platform for storing and delivering assignments, collecting student work, posting announcements, and so on. Many schools are already set up on a learning management system (LMS) like Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, or Edmodo. If you don't already have something in place, and you don't have time to learn a new platform, it's probably not a good idea to jump into anything new.

But creating a central hub should be a priority. What parents and students are saying most often is that it's incredibly stressful to have to keep up with multiple platforms and multiple streams of information, with some pieces coming through email, others through Remind, others through an LMS, and so on. With more than one child at home and more than one teacher per child, things can get out of hand very fast. It's perfectly fine to use different tools as part of your instruction-you might assign Quizlet flashcards, Edpuzzle lessons, Newsela articles-but for communication, keep things as streamlined as possible.

One simple approach taken by some schools is to maintain a single document (usually a Google Doc) for the whole school. In that document are links to individual documents for each teacher.

This type of document-which is just a really simple hyperdoc -creates a central hub where parents and students can start every single time, then click over to the places where they can find updated information for their classes. Even if you don't use this specific model, setting up something like it will make your whole school run more smoothly.

Individual teachers can then replicate this type of hub for their own classes, creating a central folder or file where students can find daily or weekly assignments and other communications.

3. LESSON DESIGN

Entire degree programs have been created to show teachers how to design lessons for online learning, and I wasn't able to delve into this enough for this post. What I did find are two resources that you might find helpful without getting another master's degree:

One principle that I've seen in several discussions of online learning is the idea that it works better when you give students some choices, choices in how they take information in and choices in how they demonstrate learning. The next two sections will share some possibilities for both of those.

4. OPTIONS FOR DELIVERING CONTENT

One of the main things you need to do when setting up online instruction is figuring out how students are actually going to take in the content. You have a few options, and it's a good idea to not just stick to one avenue, since you ideally want to give students multiple modes of intake.

Readings

Google Docs or Microsoft Word Files: As long as you remember to manage the security settings on these so they can't be edited, these kinds of files are perfectly fine to use as reading materials.

Regular PDFs: One advantage of using PDFs is that you generally don't have to worry about them being altered by the student, and things like fonts and other design elements will be preserved no matter what device a student is using.

PDFs with Annotation Tools: Several tools like Edji and Kami allow users to annotate PDFs, which would make a great close-reading assignment.

Websites: There's a ton of outstanding free content online that would make excellent reading material for class assignments. On CommonLit, Newsela, and Actively Learn, you can find good reading material for many grade levels and subject areas. NewseumED offers fantastic primary sources for history and social studies.

Websites with Customized, Added Layers: With any website at all, you can use Insert Learning to layer on your own instructional content, such as notes, discussion questions, quizzes, and other embedded content.

Videos

Video is a very popular way to deliver content online, because it has the potential to restore the voice and visuals that are lost when we move away from face-to-face instruction. Once you have a good video, you can share it directly with a link or use a tool like Edpuzzle or PlayPosit to build a complete lesson around that video.

You have two options for sourcing your content: use videos that were created by someone else, or create the videos yourself.

Created by Someone Else
Obviously, the internet is absolutely loaded with videos, and using them means you don't have to make them yourself. What's challenging is finding videos that (a) are appropriate for student viewing, and (b) accurately represent the content you want to deliver, in a way that's succinct and maybe even entertaining. Finding videos that meet these criteria can be really time-consuming if you don't know where to look.

To save time, it helps to go to sources that have already proven themselves as creators of high-quality educational videos.

Khan Academy offers a massive library of videos on math, science, and arts & humanities, including history and government, so that would be a great place to start.

Look for YouTube channels created by organizations that already have a strong reputation for good content, like National Geographic, the History Channel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As with anything else, your colleagues are going to be one of your best sources for finding good stuff, so ask around at school, or find a group on Twitter that can recommend something for you.

Created by You The good thing about creating your own videos is that you have total control over the content. Probably the easiest way to create instructional videos is with screencasting software, which simply records whatever is on your screen while you narrate into a microphone. So you could, for example, create a PowerPoint-based lecture, then just deliver that lecture on your screen and use screencasting software to record it.

Here are two affordable, popular options for screencasting:

Screencastify
screencastify.com
This recorder is built right into Google Chrome, which makes it an incredibly convenient tool for creating on-the-spot screencasts. As of right now, the editing tools are still kind of rudimentary, which means you're not likely to end up with a very polished end product. Still, for many purposes, this tool gets the job done quickly and easily. Watch this video to learn how to use it.

Screencast-o-Matic
screencast-o-matic.com
This popular recorder is one that you download onto your computer, which is slightly less convenient than one that's built into a browser, but the editing features available with the paid plans might make it worth it for you. This video gives you an overview of how it works.

Static Slide Presentation

Slideshows that combine text with appealing visuals can be a nice alternative to text readings. They're also much quicker and easier to create than videos, and viewing them requires a lot less internet bandwidth.

These kinds of slideshows, which students would click through on their own, should ideally be designed with that independent experience in mind. Unlike a presentation that you give live, these would not be simply a support for a speaker; they'd need to stand completely alone, with all the necessary text on the slides, rather than in the speaker notes.

Rather than sharing these as a file, which would require you to adjust editing permissions and would likely result in the student looking at it in editing mode, you can share it in presentation mode so the slides take up the full screen and it feels more like an experience, like in this sample presentation. Learn how to set this up with a Google Slides presentation in the video below:

Audio

Content can also be delivered via audio, which can be a nice change of pace for students who are used to text or videos only, and because audio files are much smaller than video files, they're less likely to strain home internet capabilities.

Listenwise houses a fantastic library of curated, standards-aligned podcasts.

You can find lots of other podcasts on pretty much any topic imaginable. Here are some good ones that are produced specifically for student audiences.

Recording your own audio instructions, reflections, or lectures is simple and quick. You can use a voice recording app on a smartphone or a web-based tool like Online Voice Recorder to create MP3 files, which are just audio files, then upload those files right into whatever platform you're using to distribute information to students. In many cases, students will be able to play them right on that platform.

Interactive Learning Experiences

Some tools have come along in recent years that allow you to create interactive online learning modules, where students click through various instructional components, play games, take interactive quizzes, and so on. Although some activities may not justify the time it takes to put these interactives together, they can offer something different and more fun than the standard fare. You can find these on sites like GoConqr, Deck.Toys, BookWidgets, and Wizer. The one platform that seems to have the most robust collection of options is Genially. Take a look:

5. OPTIONS FOR DEMONSTRATING LEARNING

Just as there are many different ways to get the content into students' heads, you can also offer choices for how students demonstrate their learning. Probably the quickest, most traditional way to measure whether students learned the material is to give them some kind of test or quiz, but that may not be the best way to get students to experience the content in a deep way. Sticking only to tests also favors students who work well in that mode, rather than allowing other students to shine in areas they might be stronger in. Beyond all that, it's not much fun.

On Twitter, I asked teachers for some fresh ideas for "end products," and got tons of ideas back. Below I've listed some really good ones. Before you jump on these, be mindful that these end products still need to align with your instructional goals and are not what we call Grecian Urn assignments, creative-looking projects that don't ultimately have much instructional value.

Book: Students create a children's book, mini-textbook, handbook, comic, or other kind of book. These can be done on paper or created with apps like Book Creator.

Google Tour: Using Google Tour Builder, students can create customized tours that combine photos, text, and targeted locations on Google Earth. These could be used to create tours that explore current events, historical periods or phenomena, science or geography topics, global research topics, students' personal histories or future plans, or completely fictionalized stories that take place in various locations around the world.

Infographic: On paper or using a tool like Piktochart, have students create an infographic to represent or teach about an idea or set of data.

Lesson: Have students write their own lesson on a chunk of your content. Provide them with the basic structure of a lesson to follow, including objectives, direct instruction, guided practice, and some sort of assessment to measure their success.

Model: Students can create a physical model representing some aspect of your curriculum, then photograph it from various angles or create a video tour of the model with their own narration.

Museum or Multimedia Collection: Have students curate a collection of artifacts representing a curricular concept, along with their own written captions, in a Google Slides presentation. Two fantastic resources for gathering these artifacts are the Smithsonian Learning Lab and the Google Arts & Culture website.

Podcast: Have students use the recording tools mentioned in the "Audio" section above or an app like Anchor to record a podcast where they express an opinion, tell a story, or teach about a content-related topic. If students have a lot of material, they can break their podcast into multiple episodes and do a series instead.

Scavenger Hunt: Have students participate in a content-based scavenger hunt and take photos to record their findings. An app like GooseChase can make this even more fun.

Sketchnote: Have students create a sketchnote to represent a content-related topic using paper or with a drawing app like Sketchpad.

Video: Students can create their own videos as creative, informative, persuasive, or reflective pieces. These can be public service announcements, commercials, mini-documentaries, instructional videos, short feature films or animations, or TED-style talks. Tools for creating these can range from quick response platforms like Flipgrid, to screencasting tools listed in the previous section, a tool that creates stop motion videos like Stop Motion Studio, or simple online video creators like Adobe Creative Cloud Express.

Website: Using tools like Weebly, Wix, or Google Sites, have students develop a website to document a long-term project or teach about a particular idea.

PART 3: GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE FROM TEACHERS

Begin again.

If distance learning has been introduced suddenly, where it takes the place of face-to-face learning rather than being the standard from the start, treat the beginning of the shift the same way you'd treat the beginning of a school year, by establishing routines and protocols before digging deeply into content, and giving extra energy to rekindling culture and relationships on the new platform even if they were already established in the face-to-face setting.

Keep home responsibilities in mind.

When schools are closed district-wide, all children are out of school and under one roof. This means older kids may be shouldering some responsibility for caring for their younger siblings, and that could impact how well they are able to keep up with deadlines, log in for synchronous events, or respond to communication in a timely manner. Letting students know up front that you get this, and maintaining flexibility with deadlines, can go a long way toward keeping lines of communication open and avoiding misunderstandings.

Make social interaction a priority.

When we are kept apart from one another for whatever reason, our need for human interaction increases. So if you're teaching a distance learning course that was set up that way to begin with, it's important to build in structures to keep students interacting with each other and with you.

This principle is even more vital in situations where distance learning is coupled with large-scale social isolation.

Some of the tools and systems I mentioned earlier, like video conferencing and discussion boards, can meet this need; even your own outgoing video, audio, and written communication can be used for more "human connection" reasons. A good general rule to keep in mind is that you don't need to use 100% of your time for instructional purposes; allowing space for regular conversation, venting, and laughter can be incredibly important.

Keep messaging to a minimum.

I mentioned this earlier, but it's important so I'm repeating it. If kids and parents are receiving multiple messages from multiple teachers every day, and families have multiple kids, they can become overwhelmed really quickly, and things will start slipping through the cracks.

Try to limit the number of platforms you and your school are using for distributing information. Ideally, you'll have one clear channel for sending out announcements and messages, and those will be limited in number. Parents and students will have one place to look for all important information, and that "place" will be clean, simple, easy to navigate, and updated regularly so that all users can count on the information being current. The closer you can get to this ideal, the more smoothly things will go.

PART 4: TROUBLESHOOTING

Two specific problems tend to come up more often than any others when it comes to distance learning. Although neither one is completely solvable, here are some of the ways schools are addressing them:

1. Students Who Do Not Have Home Access to Tech

The whole notion of distance learning becomes a problem if some of your students don't have devices or reliable internet access. Here are some ways to address this problem:

Get more students connected. In a 2017 post, When Your School is Short on Tech, I showcased some ways that schools are getting unconnected families online, including information on how some schools partner with organizations like Kajeet to loan WiFi hotspots out to families. Although some of the solutions may not be relevant to a distance-learning situation, you may find some resources that can be helpful in your community, even if they can't be implemented right away.

Offer non-digital options. Some districts are working around the problem by offering paper resources for pick-up and drop-off. This is how we did distance learning in all the years before the internet, so it's certainly possible to do it again.

Use the phone. If you've tried other avenues and still can't get a hold of some families, a regular phone call might be your best option. If you want to keep your number private, you can set up a Google Voice account, which allows you to call, text, or message another phone without sharing your personal number, or use some of these phone settings to block your regular number. If you are reaching out to families that don't speak your language, try the free TalkingPoints app, which allows you to communicate with them in their language.

Use the mail. Although not ideal or cheap, it may be possible to mail materials back and forth (if you have office staff still going to school each day, they may be able to help with this). Even if instruction isn't possible this way, consider the impact it would make if you took ten minutes to mail a hand-written letter to an otherwise unconnected student, just to let them know you're thinking about them.

Consider home visits as a last resort. This isn't out of the question. And if you're deeply concerned about reaching students who can't be reached in any other way, it may be possible to just drive to their neighborhoods and, maintaining all precautionary measures and social distancing, check in with them. One visit might be all that's needed to at least establish a phone connection that you can maintain from that point on.

2. Meeting Special Education, RTI, and Language Learning Needs

So many of our students have individual needs that we have figured out how to meet in a school setting. When school moves to a distance-learning model, both teachers and parents are often at a loss for how to continue working with students with IEPs, those who receive RTI support, English learners, and other students who get one-on-one time with educators specifically trained to meet their needs.

Since this one is really far out of my wheelhouse, I reached out on Twitter for help. Really, your best bet is to read the replies to see what might work for you. You'll not only get some good ideas, you're likely to connect with people you can reach out to for even more good ideas.

Apart from that, I have a two more resources to share:

Microsoft has a growing suite of tools made specifically to make online learning more accessible for all learners. One or more of these may make it easier for you to meet more students' needs from a distance.

The TalkingPoints app enables teachers to communicate with parents in the parents' native language, and it even works if parents only have text-based phones.

As I neared completion on this post, I opened up my inbox and found five other resources that had been sent to me for possible inclusion in this post. Looking through them made me realize I had missed gobs and gobs of information here. I felt completely deflated and overwhelmed all over again, but then, as I have often had to do in the past couple of weeks, I took a deep breath, closed up the things that were distracting and upsetting me, and said to myself, "Today you have done enough."

I hope this has helped you in some way. If not, tomorrow is another day.

Come back for more.
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Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers

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An overview of the nuts and bolts of distance learning, including general tips, advice on tech, and troubleshooting some common problems.

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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Opportunities to Respond, Correction, and Formative Assessment within a Behavior instructional focus. 

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Opportunities to Respond, Correction, and Formative Assessment within a Behavior instructional focus. 

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Modeling, Practice, Specific Praise, and Correction within a Behavior instructional focus.

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Modeling, Practice, Specific Praise, and Correction within a Behavior instructional focus.

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Pre-Correction/Prompting, Correction, and Active Supervision within a Math instructional focus. 

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This video demonstrates the instructional strategies of Pre-Correction/Prompting, Correction, and Active Supervision within a Math instructional focus. 

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Overall behavioral supports Content for Change Behavioral momentum Task Length Increasing the Probability of Desirable Behavior Increasing the Opportunity for Choice Creating Bridging Activities Classroom Management Predictability

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Overall behavioral supports Content for Change Behavioral momentum Task Length Increasing the Probability of Desirable Behavior Increasing the Opportunity for Choice Creating Bridging Activities Classroom Management Predictability

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Praise, Ignoring, Limit setting and Invitations for Cooperation 

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Praise, Ignoring, Limit setting and Invitations for Cooperation 

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Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

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Coach Ben - @cogswell_ben - Seesaw Activity Author

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Discover Coach Ben - @cogswell_ben's classroom activities to inspire and engage your students - Kinder teacher, @kindrockets, husband, & dad of 4 | Team @TOSAchat | @mbcue | #cuerockstar & #cuebold | #alisalstrong - Bardin Elementary School, Salinas CA US

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Here are some suggestions on specific choices to give your students.

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Follow Me | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs

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One Little Finger featuring @NoodleAndPals | Kids Song | Super Simple Songs

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The Wheels On The Bus - featuring Noodle & Pals | + More Kids Songs from Super Simple Songs

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If You’re Happy And You Know It | + More Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs

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If You're Happy | Kids Song | Super Simple Songs

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I See Something Blue | Colors Song for Children | Super Simple Songs

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Five Little Speckled Frogs | CoComelon Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs

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Our Favorite Numbers Songs | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs

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Open Shut Them | Learn Opposites | Super Simple Songs

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Down By The Bay | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs

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Going on a Bear Hunt - THE KIBOOMERS Preschool Songs for Circle Time

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As you probably know by now I am working with little kiddos this year for speech therapy. I am linking up with Kristen over at Simply Speech to share what's in my early intervention bag and how I use each toy! The age group of my kiddos range from 1.5 years old to around 7 years old. These toys and tools are what I use for my 1.5 to 4 year olds. I have always been an over planner/packer so I probably have WAY too much in my "bag" but I like options. My bag is more like a rolly cart, actually it is a rolly cart. : ) I remember hearing a good therapist could do therapy with whatever they have in their purse and if that's true I probably wouldn't be a very good therapist! I like to plan and plan some more! Maybe that's my teacher side coming through. : ) Here's what I got going on in my rolly cart.

Want to check out some more Early Intervention bags? Head over and check out the linky!

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As you probably know by now I am working with little kiddos this year for speech therapy. I am linking up with Kristen over at Simply Speech to share what's in my early intervention bag and how I use each toy! The age group of my kiddos range from 1.5 years old to around 7 years old.

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Website/Tool for Sensory Items

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Fun & Function: Sensory Toys, Games & Tools

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Get social with @funandfunction and tag your posts with #funandfunction to connect with us and the community!

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Fun & Function | Sensory Toys & Products for Kids

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Explore our large selection of toys and therapy products for children with special needs like ADHD, autism, or sensory processing disorders. Shop online!

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What child doesn't like to play pretend? Not only is pretend play an excellent way for children to develop their social and emotional skills, but it's also a fun way for them to explore and make sense of the world around them. The key to taking a good pretend game and bringing it to the next level is often found in the form of an accessory-a child pretending to be a firefighter would be nothing without the helmet! A set of DIY binoculars are a necessity for getting into the zen-like mindset of bird watchers or perfecting the observatory gaze of animal behaviorists.

These binoculars are not only great for encouraging kids to engage with play-pretend professions that are STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, math) oriented, but also provide a good way for up-cycling toilet paper rolls. If you're like us, then you have a drawer or a cabinet filled with them (along with paper bags and egg cartons) waiting to either be put to use or thrown away.

The binoculars can be decorated and modified to be used in various ways, making them an excellent project for kids of all ages. No matter how your child decides to play with them-these binoculars are sure to be a hit!

Tip

If you want to use the binoculars to see things up close, use a hot glue gun to add in magnifying glasses as the lenses.

Materials

2 empty toilet paper rolls

White glue

String or ribbon

Construction paper or butcher paper

Decorating supplies, such as markers, crayons, stickers or tissue paper (optional)

1. Attach the Toilet Paper Rolls

Begin by connecting your toilet paper rolls. We chose to use three glue-dots to stick ours together. If the binoculars are going to be played with a lot, we recommend using white glue or hot glue for a stronger hold. Wait for the glue to dry before continuing to the next step.

2. Wrap the Rolls in Paper

This step is purely decorative, so feel free to skip to the next one if you'd like to skip this step!

Choose what paper you want to cover your binoculars in. Wrap the paper around the width of the binoculars and trim off the excess paper with scissors. Use glue dots to secure it around the rolls.

3. Decorate Your Binoculars

Decorate your binoculars however you choose! You can paint them, color them with crayons or markers, collage with tissue paper, cover them in washi tape or stickers, and even bedazzle. There is no wrong way to do this step!

For ours, we cut out tissue paper monstera leaves and glued them onto butcher paper.

4. Poke Holes Into the Sides

If you want to be able to wear your binoculars around your neck, make sure you add a strap.

Measure and cut your string.

Then use scissors to cut a small hole on the outside edge of each roll about a 1/2 inch from the top.

5. Tie on the String

Take one end of your string and thread it through the hole you made. Tie a knot to secure. Repeat with the other side of the string.

6. Go on a Safari

Use your new binoculars to go on a safari or expedition in your own home or backyard. Get up close to plants, play "I Spy inside," or lie down on some grass and look up at the clouds.

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How to Make Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars

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These binoculars are a fun craft for your little explorer. Made from toilet paper rolls and string, you'll likely have all the materials you'll need.

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Go beyond the classic dart and learn how to make some awesome paper airplane designs. These look amazing and fly really well!
In this post, we will show you how to fold 4 different paper airplanes. These paper airplanes are easy for kids to make on their own, they look cool, and they actually fly well. We spent quite a bit of time trying out paper airplane designs and realized that while many of them look amazing, they don't actually fly! So these designs are kid-tested and approved.

After you make these awesome paper airplanes, you'll want to check out our Paper Airplane Launcher! This simple device will power up your planes!

Making paper airplanes is such a fun activity for kids! Grab a pile of paper and show kids the instructions below.

We used regular copy paper for our planes. The ones in the photos are colored copy paper since it's easier to see, but the paper is a standard weight. It might be fun to try card stock on some of the designs and see how that compares!
Video instructions!
We filmed video instructions for two of the planes. Click the play button below to watch.
The Rocket
This first design was created by my 10 year old son. He started with a design in a book, but ended up making some significant changes. This paper airplane is easy to throw and flies far and accurately.

Step 1: Start with a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Cut off a 1.5 inch strip from the side.

Step 2: Fold the paper in half vertically and then horizontally to create creases.

Step 3: Fold the top of the paper 1/4 of the way down so that it lines up with the center crease.

Step 4: Fold the paper down again.

Step 5: Fold your paper in half, mountain fold. The folded edges should be on the outside.

Step 6: Flip the paper over so that the folded edge is on the left. Fold down the top corner so that it lines up with the left edge.

Step 7: Fold down the other side in the same way.

Step 8: Now fold the wings down, one at a time. Make your fold line about 1 inch above the bottom of the plane.

Step 9: Cut a tail from the strip that you cut off at the beginning. If you want a wider tail, use a separate piece of paper.

Step 10: Staple the bottom of the paper airplane to hold it together. Place one staple in the front and one in the back. Make sure that the staple in the back goes through both sides of the plane as well as the tail.

Your Rocket airplane is complete! Time to test it out!
The Falcon
This paper airplane is a glider that still achieves good distance. Easy to throw.

This plane was adapted from an old school paper airplane book called "Best Ever Paper Airplanes."

Step 1: Start with an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Turn the paper so that the wider side runs horizontally. Fold it in half to make a crease.

Step 2: Fold down both top corners so that they meet in the center.

Step 3: Fold the top point down to meet the center.

Step 4: This step looks difficult, but it's quite simple. Fold each side over to meet in the center.

Step 5: Fold the plane in half. Make it a mountain fold, so that the folded edges are on the outside.

Step 6: Fold down the wings on each side so that they line up with the bottom edge.

Step 7: The plane will look like this with both wings folded down. However, we're going to open it up a little while throwing it to get "W" shaped wings.

Step 8: Flip the plane over. Use paperclips to attach the bottom two layers of paper together.

Then you're ready to fly your paper airplane! Try throwing this one with one finger on top. Give it a gentle throw so that it glides really far.
The Super Glider
The Super Glider is a fun shape! Experiment with adding weight (paperclips) to the nose. How much weight makes it fly the best? This plane is fun, but does not go as far as the first plane. I would recommend the first design for young kids.

Step 1: Start with an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. Turn it so that the wider side runs horizontally. Fold down the top by about 2 inches.

Step 2: Fold the paper in half, valley fold.

Step 3: Fold the top corner down to the right.

Step 4: Fold down the other side to match.

Step 5: Now fold down each wing, about 1 inch up from the bottom.

Step 6: Fold up each wing, about 1.5 inches from the tip. Then add a paperclip to the nose.

Now your airplane is ready to fly!
The Bulldog Dart
The Bulldog Dart is another great flyer. Perfect for beginners! You can find the instructions for folding this one here - Bulldog Dart Instructions.
Have fun playing with paper airplanes!
Then go make a Paper Airplane Launcher - SO fun.

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How to Make Awesome Paper Airplanes! 4 Designs - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls

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Go beyond the classic dart and learn how to make some awesome paper airplane designs. These look amazing and fly really well! In this post, we will show you how to fold 4 different paper airplanes. These paper airplanes are easy for kids to make on their own, they look cool, and they actually fly well.

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Do At Home Science Experiments (2 weeks)

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Do At Home Science Experiments (2 weeks)

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100 Easy Science Experiments for Kids to do at Home (2023)

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Discover 100 easy science experiments for kids that use simple ingredients found at home. 1. Homemade Lava Lamp 2. Elephant Toothpaste 3. Homemade Slime 4. Dancing Raisins

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To print out the pages, click on any of the below, then click the "print" key on your browser. ( For optimal printing, in Internet Explorer go to File > Page Setup > and set all margins to 0.5")

Great for those "journal entries" when you have a child who can't think of anything to draw and spell, or is simply overwhelmed by the concept of how to draw. (Ever been asked to draw the Mona Lisa? Drawing a house if you can't remember the sequence elicits a similar feeling.)

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picture exchange communication system cards

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Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

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To print out the pages, click on any of the below, then click the "print" key on your browser. ( For optimal printing, in Internet Explorer go to File > Page Setup > and set all margins to 0.5") Great for those "journal entries" when you have a child who can't think of anything to draw and spell, or is simply overwhelmed by the concept of how to draw.

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Virtual Field Trip

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Ready to explore Yellowstone? You don't have to wait for your trip out here. You can start exploring now by virtually touring some of the main attractions around the park. Included with each map-based tour is additional information about visiting in person.

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Virtual Tours - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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Print/Read Article

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World's Wildest Plants Life Science Article for Students | Scholastic SuperScience Magazine

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These five plants climb, compete, and deceive to stay alive

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Print/Read Article

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Are you ready to visit one of the hottest places on Earth? Here, the broiling sun blazes down every day of the year. Water is hard to find. Burning acid gurgles up from the ground in green-and-yellow pools.

This is Dallol (dah-LOHL), in Ethiopia (ee-thee-OH-pee-uh). Ethiopia is a country in Africa. It's very difficult to live in Dallol. It can get as hot as 125 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). For most of us, an 85°F day is a hot day.

Dallol has no stores. No schools. No doctors. No farmland. No roads, either. To get to the nearest town, you'd have to ride a camel for three days! So nobody lives in Dallol. Many boys and men travel to Dallol from the closest villages to work. They dig huge chunks of salt from salt mines. They sell the salt to get money for clothes and other things they need. Everybody works long days under the burning sun. When their work is done, they travel by camel back to their villages. These tough workers stick together. There aren't a lot of people around, so they depend on each other.

Some scientists say that in millions of years, the heat will cause Dallol to break away from Africa.

But for now, the workers of Dallol get by, even in this rough environment (en-VYE-ruhn-ment). Somehow, they're able to get work done in this super-hot spot!

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Hottest/Coldest Places - Reading Passage Grade 2, 3 | Scholastic Storyworks Jr. Magazine

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Are you ready to visit one of the hottest places on Earth? Here, the broiling sun blazes down every day of the year. Water is hard to find. Burning acid gurgles up from the ground in green-and-yellow pools. This is Dallol (dah-LOHL), in Ethiopia (ee-thee-OH-pee-uh). Ethiopia is a country in Africa.

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Alphabet Coloring Pages Book (Printable)

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Alphabet Coloring Pages Book (Printable)

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Free Kids' 12 Piece Online Jigsaw Puzzles - Kids' jigsaw puzzles to play online. Fun for all ages! These mobile-friendly puzzles are ideal for tablets but can also be played on computers and smart phones. Get started by clicking or tapping a picture.

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Free Kids 12 Piece Online Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids - 12 Piece Puzzles for Tablets & Mobile Devices - Page 1

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Free Kids' 12 Piece Online Jigsaw Puzzles - Kids' jigsaw puzzles to play online. Fun for all ages! These mobile-friendly puzzles are ideal for tablets but can also be played on computers and smart phones. Get started by clicking or tapping a picture.

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Count the bubbles as they pop! Clap hands or yell ‘pop!’ to pop bubbles in George’s bubble bath in this audio input counting game.

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Math game

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Prepositions

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Online Learning Activities

Practice speech and language with these online learning activities. Even a one year old can do it!

You can teach your child to press a key, guide the mouse, click the mouse button, and even drag and drop. Of course, even if your child lacks the computer skills to play a certain game, you can still play by having the parent control the mouse and encouraging your child to use words to tell you what to do next. Computer games are a wonderful way to practice speech words and sounds because the games are highly motivational.

Activities for 1 Year Olds

Bubbles, Songs, Train & Trampoline - Six simple games that teach cause and effect by simply pressing a key on the keyboard. Great for children with little or no computer skills. Games can be played without mouse skills.

Activities for 2 Year Olds

Sesame Street Keyboard-O-Rama Alphabet identification.

Shapes and Colors Talk about the shapes and colors in this fun activity.

Sesame Street Games - Help Elmo learn about going potty.

Bear in the Bathroom - Point and click to help Bear get ready for his day. Brush his teeth, take a bath, wash hands, dry his hair, and go potty. Have your child tell you what he wants the bear to do next.

Easter Egg Match: Same or Different? - This is an Easter egg memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Activities for 3 Year Olds

Counting Practice Count the pictures that you see.

Letters and Pictures - Select a letter and view a picture that starts with that letter.

ABC Letters - Sing your ABC song to this game as you make the letters appear.

Butterfly Match: Same or Different? - This is a butterfly memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Letter Puzzles Alphabet identification.

Making Choices Read-A-Long Story - Read this story to your child. Your child can click the mouse to turn the pages. This interactive story allows your child to make choices that can change the outcome of the story.

Shape Picture Match - Can you find the shapes that are the same? This is a memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Chicken Talk Help your child make requests. Ask your child what they want the chicken to do (jump, sit, fly, sleep, etc.) Parents can type in these commands and then watch with your child as the chicken listens and follows instructions.

Alphabet Letters - Learn the letters of the alphabet! Point and click on a letter to see and hear words that begin with the letter.

Christmas Match: Same or Different? - Are these two pictures the same or different? This is a Christmas memory card game. Turn over two cards at a time and try to make a match.

Activities for 4 Year Olds

The Counting Game - Great for preschoolers developing counting skills and number recognition.

The ABC Letters and Sounds - This fun activity teaches upper and lowercase letters and beginning phonics skills.

The ABC Game - What sound/letter does the word house start with? This game focuses on phonics, letter recognition, and listening. To play, choose the picture that starts with the letter identified on the screen.

Cup Stacking - A fun letter recognition game! Children will see an alphabet letter in black on the screen and must find it and press it on the keyboard in order to stack the cups. See how many cups you can stack.

Activities for 5 Year Olds

Alphabet Zoo - Learn alphabetical order with this fun game! This game involves first, second, and third concepts as well as alphabetical order.

Whack a Mole - This game uses the same concept as whack-a-mole only you "whack" the image that is different from the other two images. Some images are letters and some are shapes. It takes concentration, a keen eye, and some problem solving skills.

Sheep Herding - Herd the sheep into their pens by moving the mouse. Just remember, the sheep run away from the mouse cursor!

Activities for 6 Year Olds

Learning Colors - A simple beginning reading game that teaches your child to recognize the sight words for colors.

Wonka Says - Lots of point and clicks in the game. Watch the screen to see a sequence and copy that sequence with your mouse. This game focuses on attention and memory.

Snowman - Point, click, and drag the mouse to make this snowman. Print or email the picture when you are done.

Snowman Gift Tag - Point and click to help the snowman get dressed up. Put on a Santa suit, funny faces and lots of extras. Then use the print button to have your child print out their "hand made" gift tag to put on a present.

Arts and Crafts Home Toys for Speech Therapy

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Practice speech and language with these online learning activities. Even a one year old can do it! You can teach your child to press a key, guide the mouse, click the mouse button, and even drag and drop.