Good Afternoon!
I just wanted to wish everyone a peaceful, restful, and wonderful Spring Break next week.
When we come back to Remote Learning, please do not hesitate to ask me for help. I am here to support anyway I can.
Stay healthy and safe!
Best,
Ms. Puchala
Good Afternoon Howe Families,
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful, spring day. Earlier today, we learned that we will not be returning to our school buildings for the rest of the academic year. I am devastated by this decision, but know that it was made for the safety and protection of our children, families, and community.
What we can focus on moving forward:
The comeback is always greater and stronger than the setback.
Stay healthy and safe,
Ms. Puchala
Good Afternoon!
I hope that everyone is well and has gotten the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the fresh air!
I want to share a resource with you today that will allow your children to use their imaginations and be creative.
Story Starters is a creative writing activity provided through Scholastic. Students start by choosing the type of story they want to write: adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, or scramble. The program then guides them through the next steps. The program asks for the student’s name and grade level. Next, it instructs them to spin a wheel to get the story starter. Each screen from there offers different instructions that will keep your child engaged and actively participating. When they complete their story, there is even an option to print it. This program is interactive and never the same twice.
Have a great evening!
Best,
Ms. Puchala
Good Morning!
It is going to be a beautiful day! Today would be a wonderful day to get outside for a long walk, a run, or a bike ride with the family. Staying active outdoors is great for your mental and physical health. It will help increase your energy, keep you happy, and focused.
Your children still might be struggling to understand what is happening in the world. PBS has an article, How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus, that can offer guidance and support.
Please, stay healthy and take advantage of the beautiful weather that we will be having today!
Best,
Ms. Puchala
Good Afternoon,
I hope that everyone is adjusting to the new norm for now. I have been very restless and took a bike ride this morning to enjoy the fresh air, it was very nice!
Our 4th and 5th graders have been learning about our Government, and I wanted to share some resources that would be very enriching and powerful for them to use.
Scholastic: We the People is a civics and media literacy resource that provides information on the following topics:
Scholastic Junior: 5 Minute Guide to the U.S. Constitution is another Scholastic publication that discusses how the Constitution created our government and how it affects us. This article will offer more of a challenge to students that want to extend their understanding of how our government works.
Mrs. Polster and Mrs. Davis both have more information on their blogs.
Please, continue to stay healthy and safe.
Best,
Ms. Puchala
Good Afternoon,
I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy!
I am posting today about some amazing sites that will get your children exploring and learning facts about our earth!
NASA Kid’s Club is a website that engages children through games in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It offers grade level content at multiple skill levels.
Switch Zoo is a website where children can discover interesting facts about animals, make new animals, play animal games, hear animal music, and build a biome.
Switch Zoo would be a wonderful resource for students in Mrs. Angel’s Kindergarten Class who are writing about animals and insects write now 🙂
Please, let me know if there is anything that I can help you with.
You are all in my thoughts. I miss seeing everyone each day!
Stay healthy and safe,
Ms. Puchala
Good Evening!
I hope everyone is well and staying healthy!
I wanted to share with you all some fun resources that allow our children choices in literacy and gives them a window into the world.
Unite for Literacy is a corporation that believes all children should have access to books. They have created a platform to supply books to families and support the development of lifelong readers.
News-O-Matic provides current news and world events to students in engaging and understandable ways, while at the same time encouraging them to read daily.
News-O-Matic requires a login. I made one for each grade level along with a password, I will put it below. If you visit the site, please let me know what you think! 🙂
News-O-Matic Logins:
Password for ALL grade levels: student123
Stay safe and healthy!
Best,
Ms. Puchala
Good Evening!
I hope everyone is well and staying healthy!
With our world being very chaotic right now, I wanted to provide a source with many beneficial supports.
Understood.org an organization that provides a supportive community with helpful resources that can be hard to find. They are dedicated to supplying information that can be utilized to create change and better a community that embraces the opportunities to flourish.
Understood has posted about the Coronavirus and its effect on family life, the articles are below:
For more meaningful resources about education, family, community, and social-emotional health, please visit understood.org.
I have listed below some websites that will help develop our students’ love of reading.
Storyline Online
Developed by The Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Storyline Online features accomplished actors and actresses reading some of their favorite children’s books. Each story comes with a free Activity Guide and can be viewed on YouTube or SchoolTube. Rainbow Fish, Wilfrid Gordon Macdonald Partridge, and To Be a Drum are just a few of the books available.
International Children’s Digital Library
Discover books from around the world at the International Children’s Digital Library. The free site does not read the books aloud, but students can read them independently during Read to Self or free time. This is a great site for extension activities when learning about different regions of the world and can be used effectively into the middle school grades.
Story Place
At Story Place, you’ll find entertaining stories and early literacy activities, in formats compatible with desktop computers and with different mobile devices. As soon as you enter, you will see eye-catching colors and characters that your children will love.
Free Kids Books
This great portal with books sorted by categories for children of different ages. What is wonderful, is that you have the options to read online or download the books in PDF format for free for your child to read as many times as you want without an Internet connection.
These are a few websites that will help develop and enhance student understanding of the world that we live in.
Country Reports
Country Reports provide information and content on countries and cultures worldwide for students to utilize. They can choose a country for a report, read about a culture from around the globe, or compare two countries for a class assignment. The content is current, concise, and unique.
History for Kids
History for Kids is a history network that provides articles, games, and much more for students to explore the past with.
iCivics
“I have worked to promote civic education for young people through iCivics. I consider engaging the next generations of citizens to be my most important work yet and my legacy.”
-Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, U.S. Supreme Court [Ret.] founder