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How quickly the world of education changed! One day my school district was contemplating closing school for the week after spring break and the next day we learned that our schools would be closed for the rest of the school year! Now we all need literacy activities to do at home!
This change raised a lot of questions. How will students continue to learn? How is this going to work? I understand the choice that had to be made, but it hurt to learn that our school year ended so abruptly.
So now, students are learning from home and we are all trying to figure how we can continue the learning.
I would like to share some easy literacy activities that students can do at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journaling
First, they can journal about this experience. This is new territory for all of us. Writing about this experience can help them organize their thoughts and share their ideas. It’s also a great way to manage stress and anxiety. These weeks to come will go down in history, so these journal entries can serve as references for the future.
Choose their own books
Let your students pick a book to read. Offering a choice over required reading gives them the opportunity to pick a book that addresses something they care about and that they are interested in. At times like these, the goal is to keep them engaged in learning!
Most local libraries will also allow you to check out E-books and audiobooks. I’m all for getting free books without having to leave your house. I have several graphic organizers and writing prompts that can be used for any novel. Get it here for free!
Creative Responses
In addition, students can also find ways to creatively respond to the books they’re reading. Students are used to answer questions or writing reading responses, but this activity allows them to incorporate the arts into their reading. Give them free reign on how they would like to do this.
For example, they can write a poem about their reading. They can compile a playlist that represents the theme of the book. They can write a script, draw a picture, act it out, or write a song. The options are endless. The only rules are to be creative and make it connect to what they are reading.
Write a Letter to the Author
Lastly, they can write a letter to the author. They can tell them what they enjoyed about the book and ask any questions. You can actually send it to the author as well. You can usually find their contact information on their websites. Just google the author’s name!
These are unchartered territories and flexibility will be key. There are literacy activities to do at home. Let’s all just do the best we can to keep our students reading and learning!
