Learning resources

March Break and then a two week closure of schools in the province. This puts a great deal of pressure on parents. The common wisdom/advice is to avoid large gatherings so things like hanging out at the mall generally isn’t a good idea.

I also know that many parents have cancelled family holidays that involve going out of the country or into places where there are large crowds. In fact, many of these places in the province are rightly closed down. March Break programs, swimming pools, etc.

And yet, I think that all parents recognize that this is different from a summer break in terms of the continuity of learning. They will be looking for some help. Hopefully, it goes further than just doing a Google search for resources. Teachers and Program Departments spend a great deal of time curating resources all the time that address expectations in the Ontario Curriculum. Google’s mandate is to give you the best results based upon your searching abilities and not necessarily the ones that students in the province need. It takes the skill of an educator to align content to provincial expectations and ensure that the language is Canadian and the techniques demonstrated consistent with what regularly happens in the classroom.

I thought that the Ministry of Education might be proactive and provide resources for the province. I couldn’t find anything at their education website. The announcement of school closings is here. Perhaps resources are forthcoming? Technically, the upcoming week is still a holiday.

In the meantime, educators are doing their best to help out. Over the weekend, I was tagged by a couple. I have no doubt that there will be more coming. If you develop or share something and want it placed here, just tag me with a link It could be a blog post or a curation.

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Deb Weston – Stay Home Activities for Kids

Upon hearing that my students could be at home for up to 3 weeks due to an “extended March Break”, I started putting a list together of “kid” things to do. Once my students discovered I was writing this list, they gave me many more activities to keep kids busy at home.

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Aviva Dunsiger – Kindergarten From Home: Here Are My Suggestions. What Are Yours?

Never would I have thought that I would need to write a post like this one, and yet, sometimes the unexpected happens. Every Friday, I start my day by reading Doug Peterson‘s This Week In Ontario Edublogs post. Just like with all of Doug’s blog posts, I know that he writes and schedules this Friday post the day before (often earlier in the day, I think). When he chose to include John Allan’s post, he wouldn’t have known that by Thursday evening we would all find out that Ontario schools would be closed for an additional two weeks following the March Break.

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Finally, a “post from the past” on this blog. Just before the Bring IT, Together Conference, Neerja Punjabi and her team from TVOntario wrote a guest post on this blog about what TVO offers.

Discover new and interactive ways you can inspire curiosity, exploration, growth and learning. Bring TVO’s in-depth Current Affairs, thought-provoking Documentaries, and award-winning TVOkids content into your lessons today!

At TVO, we believe learning has the power to ignite potential – and change the world. As we get ready to celebrate TVO’s 50th birthday, we continue to create powerful learning experiences for Ontarians of all ages. We do this through TVO’s portfolio of impactful digital learning products, award-winning TVOkids content in-depth current affairs, and thought-provoking documentaries. Visit https://education.tvo.org/ for more information.

Explore TVO’s portfolio of digital learning resources to spark more moments of learning:

Award-winning, advertising-free children’s programming, games and online content that helps set children up for early success in school and in life. Visit tvokids.com.

Free creative online games that support the development of foundational K-6 math and STEM skills, while fostering positive attitudes toward math. Visit tvo.org/mpower.

Seamless school-to-home math learning for grades 7-10 that includes free one-on-one online after-school math tutoring with an Ontario Certified Teacher. Visit tvomathify.com.

Ontario’s largest online high school that enables students to earn credits towards their OSSD. Offers flexible start times and 100+ courses. Visit ilc.org.

An innovative online community where educators share best practices and collaborate on new ideas to support stronger student engagement and achievement. Visit teachontario.ca.

TVO’s balanced, in-depth journalistic videos, articles and podcasts engage and inform Ontarians on issues that matter. To read articles, watch videos, listen to podcasts, and read newsletters anytime, anywhere, visit tvo.org.

Thought-provoking TVO documentaries enable you to explore social, political and current affairs through a diverse range of storytelling perspectives. Browse documentaries at tvo.org/documentaries.

Searchable by grade, subject, and keyword, TVO in the Classroom provides access to more than 10,000 videos, articles, and games to enhance in-class learning for students in grades K-12. Search at education.tvo.org/

We are proud to be a trusted partner for educators. Find what you like and bring TVO into your teaching and learning today. Visit your VLE, speak with your TELT contact and check-out TVO.org. We also support schools and classrooms through Outreach.  Send an email to Outreach@tvo.org to learn more.

Connect with TVOntario on Twitter at:  https://twitter.com/tvo