So, asking your young students to stay as diligent in their work during school closures as they would be with their regular schoolwork may be a bit unfair. Let’s face it-one of the joys of childhood is unexpected days off from school. If getting out of the house is an option, outdoor pursuits are a great way to get students thinking about their environment and nature.
UNEXPECTED EXPECTATIONS SAVE OFFLINE
What about looking for offline games to play? If you play games with them in class, simply ask them to share those games while at home. Will they be watching movies or reading? Have them review basic concepts like main idea or character traits while they consume content. Think about how your students will be spending their time during a school closure day and what their minds will be occupied with. If you have some prior notice of your school's closure plans, let students help you brainstorm some ideas to generate buy-in, then share the list with parents along with any other planned school closure take-home resources.Īlign activities to things students will already be doing These activities shouldn’t require any specific materials (think along the lines of worksheets, writing prompts, reading assignments, etc.).
Overcome this challenge by thinking about school closure days like sick days, and try reserving some of the activities you would keep in your emergency substitute plans for an emergency school closure instead. School closures can often be unexpected, and leave you little time to assign topic-relevant work that aligns with what is going on in class. Keep a bank of non-topical emergency activities With parents and other caretakers on board, you’re sure to see more of your students stay on track during their unscheduled holiday. As soon as possible, take an opportunity to explain to parents that you will be providing their children with ways to stay sharp during upcoming school closures and offer some tips on how they can assist in those efforts. Parents and guardians are almost always happy to do whatever they can to help with their child’s learning, but sometimes they don’t know exactly what that support should look like -so be sure to communicate expectations ahead of time. Here are some multi-disciplinary practices to adopt today so you’re ready to make the most of your elementary students’ next school closure.Ĭommunicate expectations with caregivers as soon as possibleĪs compared to secondary students, younger kids need more support from the adults looking after them when school closes during a community emergency. Keeping their minds engaged and focused on the curriculum while stuck indoors can save a lot of time when school resumes, so it’s worthwhile to have some go-to activities and strategies on hand in the event of a weather closure. Although most of those ideas apply to elementary classes as well, younger students sometimes need a little extra structure and direction to be productive when they get a surprise day away from the classroom. We recently discussed ideas for making school closure days for secondary students as productive as possible.
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