Like many of you, I am about to start teaching kindergarten--VIRTUALLY. And it's hard! How do I engage these little learners, many of whom have never been in school? How do I provide them with rigorous, inquiry-based, hands-on and FUN activities through a computer screen? How do I help them become independent learners? How do I make them love school? These are the questions I've been struggling with.
I am determined to make this happen!
So I have created these Kindergarten Distance-Learning Science Videos and Discussions. These lessons are designed for distance learning--whether you are completely virtual (synchronous or asynchronous), or using a hybrid model where children come to school on some days and learn from home on others.
Each unit comes with 8 short, but highly engaging video mini-lessons (most are 3-5 minutes long). The videos start with a guiding question and end by prompting children to complete a simple but meaningful activity (either a science notebook entry or a hands-on investigation). The activities are meant to get kids off the computer and exploring science in the real world.
The videos are followed up by teacher-led discussions to deepen your students' learning, help clear up any misconceptions and even informally assess your students' understanding of the topic. Each discussion comes with a Google Slides presentation and detailed teacher instructions. I've also included Parent Guides for each lesson, with questions parents or other caregivers can ask their children, needed supplies and extension activities. And best of all--these lessons are very easy for both teachers and families!
The first unit, What is Science? introduces kids to the amazing world of science and how it helps us, the different kinds of scientists there are, science tools, science notebooks and science safety. It is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. The second unit, Our Five Senses, will be available soon!
I am really excited about using these science videos with my kids! If you would like to see what they're all about, here is a preview of the first video!
NOTE: This is a Google Drive product. You must have a Google Drive account (free) to access it, but your students do not! These videos can be assigned in Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Schoology or any other learning platform that supports Google Drive. They can also be emailed. The videos are hosted on YouTube and embedded in Google Slides, so your students must be able to access YouTube from their devices (although they never actually have to visit YouTube, and there are no ads or suggested videos at the end).
Please let me know if you have any questions about these videos, or about how I am tackling distance learning, in general. It's not going to be easy--but I know we can do it!
