The must-do activities were usually one reading themed, one maths themed, one writing themed and then a check in. There were also two different variations of the choice board which differentiated for needs, with students being able to choose 1, some from both or all options. 
This was a Google slide that was embedded into our Google site and had all the links on it for students to use. There were screenshots of activities and specific key help for parents to be able to support the learning happening. I also talked through this every Monday so students could see the learning that was happening and the activities for the week. 

How did it go?
Overall I really loved the online learning. Anything technology I thrive off and found it a great opportunity to stretch my learning, change my practice and use technology to enhance learning. Yes it was hard (which I will share below) but I feel my students didn't regress too much in the time we didn't have in class. 
I had 90-100% attendance in every online zoom session, with students being prepared for the session by bringing the materials, being present and engaged online and using technology in a new way we might not have before. The learning was completed regularly by 72% of my students with many doing parts here and there. Of course I wanted them to be happy so there was no expectation for it to HAVE to be done. The 1:1 sessions were always booked each week and were used to target students in discussion with parents. 

Any downsides?
Yes of course there were some which every teacher faced!

• Time - there wasn't enough to do your job justice. Yes I feel like I did all that I could with what I had but of course time to do more would have been great
• Differentiation for all levels like you would do in class is hard. Group work was harder to achieve but Seesaw did help make this happen - thanks to Seesaw for being amazing!
• Ensuring students were engaged in the learning and making the most of who I was as a teacher. I wanted to help them all achieve and found a HUGE amount of pressure on me to do a great job. Especially in those half an hour zoom sessions!
• I missed my kids! Man I missed them a lot!

I love word work and small snippet activities that get students to practice key skills from your classroom. Being online at the moment, it can be hard finding fun activities that students can practice during your online sessions. These word work hot spots are a great quick way to practice key skills! There are eight in this slide deck that can be used online in whole group discussions, or assigned to Seesaw or Google classroom to complete. 

Before the lockdown commenced I created a parent website that was to help reduce the anxiety and pressure that parents might face being home and having to play the role of 'teacher'. Part of the website has a section on common words that students can use to help test themselves or practice over the lock down. I had just kept all the resources on the home learning website but have decided after many requests to publish the common word resources here.  

You will find an image to preview you the slides, the link to the youtube recording of the words as a whole and then in a test mode and then a link to the slide deck where you can make a copy of these slides for yourself. 

Want to visit the home learning website? You can do here!

Using google slides for home learning or distant learning activities? I have a range of resources and activities on my Teachers Pay Teachers store that might help! Why recreate when it is already there? Check them out below with even a preview of how each one works. 

Ice-cream addition and subtraction: this activity is great practice for students who are adding and subtracting to 10/20. There is a number line to help them and the ice-cream can be used to help count forwards to back along the line. 

Word families: this activity is great for learning about word families. Simply drag the words to the right family. 

Build a word: use the word tiles to build a word they know! There are 3 variations to be able to spell different words. 

High Frequency words: drag the right colour dot to the word it tells you! Great for word recall. 

Numbers 1-20: this interactive one has a space for students to find the right number, type the number and then drag the right amount of dots to create the number. 

This week I set up digital sticker books on Seesaw. These are to provide motivation for the work completed and submitted online for our week activities on Seesaw. These are easy to set up and use the stickers that I have created as well - just slightly different. My students have loved this online reward system and encourages them whilst we are on home learning. Watch the recording tutorial below! 

I am using zoom for daily class meetings whilst we are in lock down, meaning that I will be attempting to run some sort of normality PLUS fun activities in these sessions. Using this type of learning could be tricky, but here are some tips that might help you! These are grouped around home fun, reading, writing, maths and word work. Something for everyone and all of these can be done without technology (apart from the zoom session). Click on the link below for the posters. 

I love making fun interactive things that students can use in different ways. Technology can be used in so many ways and it is always fun using something differently to usual - in this case Google Slides. Last year I posted a link to a website post from Kasey Bell sharing a way you can make 'apps' on Google slides. Not really apps, but things that you can click on to go to different places. So fancy hyperlinks. 
I created some different versions over the years but have release a new one day - targeting junior maths concepts of counting sets and adding simple sets!

You can find a link to my other ones below too. Simply click on the URL and copy it to your students to complete at home or assign it as an activity on Seesaw! Can't wait to share this one with my class. 

Today I ran an online zoom session sharing what I am doing in my classroom for home learning whilst we are on lockdown. I have delivered lots of online learning over this holiday period but for some reason I was extra anxious today about sharing my ideas. Mostly because of how judgemental people have been online and I am mindful of what people think about setting work for their students online. But nevertheless, I shared what I am doing with everyone and you can take it or leave it. 
I have always loved sharing what I am doing in the classroom and remote or home learning is no different. I am confident in the ideas I have and that it will help continue to build connections with students whilst also practicing key skills we have learnt in the classroom. 

Missed the session or want to watch the recording? Find the below and also a link to the slides you can access - with links to resources I have made available for you to make copies of. Find that at the bottom of the page. 

Today I ran the last of my online Seesaw PLD, focusing on providing feedback in different ways - using the traditional Seesaw tools and new stickers. It was a really quick PLD but awesome if you are looking to provide your students with feedback in different ways. Check out the recording and slide deck attached for a copy of the slides and also my template you can use. 

With online learning, it can be really daunting to come up with ideas that are fun yet still covering key skills or concepts they might have or be learning in class. So this quick tip for word work is a great way for students to practice and keep up with their learning from class. This one involves a really simple slidedeck which you can make a copy of for yourself here.