As I sit down to write my first blog post, the topic that is at the forefront of my mind is virtual learning for gifted and talented students. This school year, we were all thrown in to virtual learning with really no training. It was hard, but we all did it and made a difference!
I teach third, fourth, and fifth grade gifted and talented students in self-contained classroom where I teach them all language arts, math, science, and social studies. It was definitely a lot of work switching over to virtual learning with three different grade levels, but it got easier as the months went on.
What Worked Well for Myself and My Students?
1. Weekly Checklists
Every Friday or Sunday evening I would email out a weekly checklist to parents so their child had a list of tasks to complete each day of the upcoming week. The students would write comments and “Done” in the left-hand column so I knew what they were completing. I would also leave them individual comments on their Google Doc so we could still communicate with one another. Click the picture above to see a sample checklist.
2. Google Classroom
It was great having Google Classroom to post assignments for students. The students were able to access all of the work needed and turn it all in to me for grading.
3. Flip Grid
My students absolutely loved using Flip Grid during virtual learning. Every day I would post a question for the students to answer. With Flip Grid, they felt like they were still able to connect with one another during the time apart. Some of the questions I asked included:
- If you could go into any TV show, what show would you want to visit and why?
- When you woke up this morning, what was the first thing you thought about?
- Tell us about the best idea you have for an invention.
- If you could do one thing every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?
- Would you rather live forever in a roller coaster park or a zoo? Why?
- Miss Sweetalla is actually a witch! One day she gets tired of you not paying attention and zaps you into a novel. Which novel would you hope she zapped you into and why?
- Show us your favorite part of your house and tell us why you like it.
4. Edpuzzle
I wanted my students to continue learning math skills during the time of virtual learning as best as they could, so I created a PowerPoint with the math lesson and then presented the PowerPoint and recorded my computer screen and voice as I talked through the skill. I then uploaded that video onto Edpuzzle. Edpuzzle is a great tool where you can upload videos and then add in questions (multiple choice or short answer) for students to answer in order to make sure they understand the lesson. You can also assign the video to students onto Google Classroom right through Edpuzzle, which is great!
5. WebQuests
My students really enjoyed doing WebQuests for science and social studies. WebQuests are a great way to get students to research the new information and then complete a project based on what they learned. If you are new to WebQuests, a great place to start is WebQuest.org.
6. Mystery Science
Mystery Science was a great resource that helped me to provide interactive science activities for my students. With Mystery Science, you have two different options for lessons. The first one is just mini-lessons, called Mystery Doug. This is free to everyone and takes 15 to 30 minutes. The other option is Mystery Science, which has different units for you to choose from. This costs money, however, it was free during the school closures. The units include around 3 to 4 different lessons that correlate with one another. There are follow-up questions for each lesson, and then an assessment for the end of the unit. Each lesson also has extensions, including extra readings and videos. They also make it very easy to put the worksheets onto Google Classroom! My students absolutely loved listening to Doug and hearing all of the great things he had to say!
7. Virtual Field Trips
Another thing my students loved doing was virtual field trips during our Zoom meetings. We were able to go to Disney World (credit to Mrs. Silver), the Eiffel Tower, and a ton of national parks! How fun is that?!
Here’s some great resources I found in regards to virtual fieldtrips:
- Google Arts and Culture – This is a great way to get students out to explore the world. When you click on the menu bars in the upper left-hand corner, you can click on “Collections,” and then explore different museums all around the world. You can also look in the menu and find artists, places, and historical events and figures. Here’s where we explored the Eiffel Tower. When you click there, you’ll notice a little yellow guy in the bottom right side of the picture on the top. If you click him, you’ll be brought “into” the Eiffel Tower! This also works for the museums and different places you may visit.
- Google Lit Trips – This is a great place to get tours for different books you are reading with your students. After you find the book you want, go to the menu on the left-hand side and click on “Request a Lit Trip.” They will then email you the link to what you requested.
- Google My Maps – This is a cool website where students can create their own maps. They can also see size comparisons between the different countries around the world.