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Teaching 3rd grade is an adventure. Each day I learn something new. I haven’t had one day where something funny doesn’t happen that makes me giggle out loud or brings on a full fledged belly laugh. My team of 3rd grade Michigan Virtual Charter Academy K12 teachers often have me in stitches and when I want to cry because I’m frustrated they’re right there to help me out.
As a virtual teacher I am always adapting lesson plans to work for the online classroom. I’m assessing online resources to see if they’d help my students and parents. I’m adapting videos and online games to see how they’d help my students practice their letter writing skills, sight words, spelling or multiplication, for example. My office has always been my laptop, smartphone or tablet and now the same goes for my classroom. This is very unique and cutting edge, in my opinion.
As a virtual teacher, communication is imperative. I send my parents weekly newsletters the same as any classroom teacher. Most of my communication has to do with Study Island due dates, attendance reminders, upcoming outings and conference schedules. I also like to provide my parents with ideas on how they can help their student succeed or practice their multiplication or reading fluency, for example.
Last week we had conferences and I learned that some of my students are struggling to master their multiplication facts. We’ve practiced this in homeroom and our math sessions but it never hurts to practice, practice, practice your times tables! Oh and reading! I have some amazing readers but some struggle with fluency. To help my parents and students I provided these online resources and downloads in last week’s newsletter.
- Free multiplication worksheets to download and print for extra practice.
- Free multiplication flashcards to print at home and practice with a friend or parents.
- Online multiplication games for extra practice and this was approved by my son who tested the different games out!
- Excellent multiplication applications for the iPad or iPhone for parents that prefer only educational games on their tablets and Smartphones or that are always on the go!
- To help students feel more confident during our upcoming April DIBELS testing and to improve their fluency and retell practice with these 3rd and 4th grade reading passages. I like how there are easy and hard passages!
I am always on the lookout for great websites, online games and lessons that I can adapt for my online classroom. Feel free to share any websites you use as a parent or teacher.