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Home Learning during Covid 19

 Scoil an Fhraoich Mhóir Home Learning during COVID-19
 
The current COVID-19 emergency has impacted on all our lives in a myriad of different ways. From our school’s perspective it has disrupted the curriculum and activities planned this term. It is important to remember however that this is a small price to pay to ensure the health of our nation and in particular the health of the most vulnerable. While school closures are an in-convenience they are also an opportunity for us to connect with our children, to show our love for them, to reassure them, to spend time with them and to create precious memories that will live with them forever.
 
With this in mind and also considering that it is unlikely that schools will reopen until after Easter at earliest, the staff have put together a list of resources to help parents with home-based learning. Please remember that these activities are completely optional and for the present do not involve any new school learning. Our suggestion over the coming weeks is that you give your child some routine each day with regard to formal learning but that you also enrich their lives with shared learning activities you or they may never have experienced before.
 
Please remember we are still here and you can contact the school via email at, office@theheathns.com, should you require any assistance or have any suggestions for us. We will continue to monitor developments in the coming weeks and will update you as information becomes available.
 
Please note that the majority of books used in school are from two publishers CJ Fallon and Folens. If you want to access any of your child’s books you can do so online by visiting the relevant websites.
 
As a guide we would suggest the following over the coming weeks:

  • Core subject work:
  • English, 3rd-6th class: New Wave English: (one column daily)
  • Gaeilge 3rd-6th class: Leigh sa bhaile (an audio recording of each page being read aloud is available for free and can be accessed using any device: https://my.cjfallon.ie/dashboard/student-resources
  • Maths: 3rd - 6th class: Master Your Maths, one column daily.
  • General core work with parental assistance (revise sounds, spellings, tables, practice handwriting, practice reading)
  • Daily independent reading in both English & Gaeilge.
  • Infants see activities towards the end of this document
  • Physical activity
  • Creative work
  • Practical Life skills
 
You can pick as many of the activities below over the coming weeks. Every subject is covered below and some require the help of family, some can be done on a computer, but most can be done by children on their own.
 
Free writing
Many pupils will be familiar with the concept of “free writing” and may have a special notebook or journal in which they write freely about any topic of choice, and in any genre. This is a simple idea that can be continued in the home setting. Children have the autonomy to decide what they wish to write about and there are a variety of different styles that they can practice:
  • Diary writing (personal accounts)
  • Recount writing (a report of an event)
  • Fiction (short stories)
  • Instructional writing (e.g. rules of a game *the children can even come up with a new idea and create their own game!)
  • Poetry (Limericks, acrostic poems etc.)
https://storybird.com/member-family-plan (offer a free 7-day trial)
https://www.mystorybook.com/
Letter writing
Post from a pen-pal and the anticipation of awaiting the arrival of a response may be lost in our global world where social media has taken over the art of writing, but this may be the time to resurrect that magic!
Another interesting idea is to chart the journey of a letter from the writer to the recipient. An Post have an educational resource on their website https://www.anpost.ie/anpost/schoolbag/primary/our+people/the+journey+of+your+mail/
Children can also design their own stamp or begin a collection of stamps and look out for special commemorative stamps that were commissioned by An Post to celebrate a particular occasion.
Lists
If parents are venturing out to shop and stock up on groceries, children can help by writing the list of what is needed. Depending on the age of the child, elements of mathematics could be incorporated here estimating prices and weights etc. Children could also work out which option is better value (e.g. two individual boxes containing 80 teabags or one box with 160 etc.)
Book review
We all know that a grá for reading is one of the most important gifts that we can pass on to our children. Use this opportunity to read a wide selection of books. Children can then write a review, give their personal opinion, talk about their favourite character and give a star rating. They may have a chance to present this in front of an audience in their own home (i.e. immediate family – maintain social distance!)
https://pdst.ie/sites/default/files/Time_to_Read_Int_04_0.pdf

Read a Book with a Parent/GrandparentSnuggle up on the couch and spend ten minutes reading for no other reason than the joy of reading a book. Of course, there are loads of benefits to reading every day but what a nice time to drop everything for a short time. Use Skype or Facetime to read a story with a grandparent or relative.
 
The Daily NewsThis task can be done with any age from Junior Infants to 6th class. It can be done in a number of ways but here is a suggestion for 2 different age groups:
 
Infants to 1st Class
2nd Class Upwards
  • Child tells you the news they have for the day. Stick to things in their own life rather than focusing on the news on the radio or TV.
    • The day, the date, the weather outside
    • 1 or 2 things they did yesterday
  • Write down what they tell you on a whiteboard or piece of paper.
  • Child either types out what you’ve written or copies it down in a journal or copybook.
  • You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use Green Screen apps on an iPad and record your child reading their news.
  • You can send it to loved ones to keep in touch.
  • Child writes/types their news as well as news happening outside the world. 
  • You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use Green Screen apps on an iPad and record your child reading their news.
  • You can send it to loved ones to keep in touch.

If it’s not a ….. then what is it?
This is a visual literacy challenge to get your child thinking. Here are a few to get you started.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hJ9XI68fK3rzCTKQjm6dTZGaeZoXRNzG/view
 
Irish TimeEven if you can’t speak Irish, there are some great ways to pick up some vocabulary. One really easy activity is to pick a topic, for example: food, household objects, colours, and so on, then write down 20 words associated with that topic in a list. Next go to https://www.focloir.ie/en/ and translate the words. The great thing is that almost every word on the website has an audio recording of it so you can listen to how to pronounce the words! As a family, you could try and learn a few words every day!
 
For more advanced speakers, how about doing any of the tasks in the grid through Irish? The news is probably the easiest one to do as Gaeilge.
 
Another idea is to sign up to https://www.duolingo.com/course/ga/en/Learn-Irish to learn some Irish - 5 to 10 minutes a day and who knows how fluent you’ll be when you get back!
 
Bí ag caint as Gaeilge chomh minic agus is féidir!
Try to incorporate Irish into daily activities. As well as cartoons on TG4, children can play games such as “I spy” (Feicim le mo shúilín) as Gaeilge and perhaps put labels (lipéid) on items around the house. There are some useful websites online to support the learning of Irish (mar shampla Duo Lingo agus Seomra Ranga).

Cooking and baking (weight and time)
  • How many / how much of an ingredient is needed?
  • If a recipe is to serve 2 but the meal is for four people, we must double the amount.
  • If the dish takes 45 minutes to cook, what time will it be ready at?
  • Make an analogue clock.
  • Convert time on an analogue clock to digital time.

​Shape Hunt
A “shape hunt” in the home / garden (shape and space strand in primary maths curriculum). Children identify and classify as many items as possible.

Time (schedules)
Children can look at a tv guide from a newspaper or tv guides on the television and work out the duration of programmes.

Distance
Children can incorporate distance into football / hurling drills. How far do they think (estimate) they can throw a ball? Use a measuring tape to obtain an accurate answer.

Project work
Children can work on a longer-term project based on a theme of their choice.
A scrap book is ideal, and children can cut and paste articles, pictures, diagrams and pieces of writing.
Other children may prefer to use their IT skills and create a PowerPoint presentation.
 Project Ideas:
  • The History of my Family                    An extension of the Family Tree Project - tell us about your family
  • Peace                                                  What does peace mean to you? How will we get there?
  • Who is your favourite artist?              Tell us something about your favourite artist - A singer? A painter? A poet?
  • My Holiday                                          Tell us about your last holiday
 
  1. Write it!                       Make your project on paper and bring it to school. (No bigger than A3 please!)
  2. Type it!                        Using Google Docs, Word or Powerpoint, make your project adding text, images and maybe video
  3. Build it!                        Using whatever materials you want, build and make your project
  4. Present it!                   Make a Google Slideshow or powerpoint about your project
  5. Make a Book!              Use Book Creator on an iPad or Chromebook to make a book about your project
  6. Video it!                      Grab a phone and hit record
  7. Your way!                    Present your project in whatever way you want - whether it’s a virtual tour or even a podcast, do what you like!
 
You can do this project in Irish or English.
 
Oral language games: ‘5 seconds, don't panic, name 3…….’ (e.g. items ,which are red, things that live in the sea, brands of cars, sauces, farm animals etc)
 
Interviewing
Children can devise a list of questions for a member of their family / wider family circle. For example, with grandparents / aunties / uncles they could explore aspects of the past (school life / pastimes / festivals and traditions around Easter etc.). This can link nicely with the “Then and Now” strand of the History curriculum.
Skype with a Relative.This can be a nice idea if you have a family member who may have to self-isolate or who you may not be able to visit. It’s a way for children to use oral language and it might be a nice kind of game to play to keep boredom away.
 
Ideas include:
  1. Play 20 questions - take turns in thinking of an object and the other person can only ask questions which have a yes or no answer.
  2. A-Z - Pick a topic and take turns in naming something beginning with A then B then C and see if you can get to Z Without skipping any letters.
  3. The Big Interview - child prepares 10 questions they’d like to know about the relative and then asks them
  4. More ideas here: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-vocabulary-games/
 
Family Tree 
Make your family tree with your child. You can do this digitally or by hand and you can go back as far as you want!
 
Creative arts
Most homes will have a “bits-and-bobs” box or a bosca somewhere with nets, buttons, lids, wrapping paper etc. Now is a good time to use those recyclables and create a piece of artwork. Children should be encouraged to be original, be creative – and don’t forget to take a picture!
A Sketch A Day 
If you have a copybook or sketchpad, this would be useful but you don’t really need anything except paper and a pencil. Your job is to create one sketch a day for the duration of this break. The only catch is you have to pick a theme. Choose from:

  • Healthy Foods
  • Happy Things
  • Things that need batteries
  • Famous People
  • Objects that are usually red
 
A Photo a Day
 
Why not capture this time in photographs. Look for a suitable photo that captures this time each day. Make it into a photo album that you can share when you get back to school.
 
Learn a musical instrument 
Do you have a musical instrument at home? If not, it’s not too expensive to get yourself a tin whistle, recorder or even a ukulele. It’s never been easier to learn with loads of apps and websites to bring you along the way.
 
Tin Whistle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdUH1QZvEm8
Piano / Keyboard: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJOfTzSYW-9q2WSmGH1CNjmP3--2qaXN5
Ukulele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bTE5fbxDsc
 
Puppet Show 
Making a puppet show can be a fun way to spend some time and there’s lots of different ways to do it now.

  1. Make a sock puppet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-mfUBQE3_s
  2. Make finger puppets - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eq370x_lvo
  3. Make an online Puppet Show - Puppet Pals App
 
The main thing is to write the scripts and record them! If you have a puppet show stage, great; if not, use a table to hide underneath!
 
Outdoors / physical activity
Check the 6th Class section of our School Website for our Gaelic Football and Hurling/Camogie Challenges.
There are endless opportunities for physical activity. Even if children are playing on their own or in very small groups, there are many fun ways of keeping active:
  • Hopscotch
  • Skipping
  • Hula-hoops
  • Obstacle courses
  • Treasure hunts
Local GAA clubs and county teams have been posting videos on their social media outlets with some of their star players demonstrating drills that children can follow.

HIIT Homework
Stick on your favourite upbeat playlist and try out these exercises one after the other. To give yourself a bigger challenge, do each circuit twice or three times or more!
 
Session 1 - 5 x 25  
  1. 25 jumping jacks
  2. 25 squats
  3. 25 seconds run on the spot
  4. 25 push ups
  5. 25 seconds plank
Session 2 - Legs Moving
  1. 30 seconds run on the spot
  2. 30 seconds high knees
  3. 30 seconds jumping jacks
  4. 30 seconds butt kicks
  5. 30 seconds jog on the spot
Session 3 - Up and Down
  1. 30 seconds jumping jacks
  2. 30 seconds mountain climbers
  3. 30 seconds run on the spot
  4. 30 seconds plank
  5. 30 seconds burpees!
OR
Have a family disco - stick on your favourite tunes and bop around the room for 20 minutes!
 
Nature walks
This is one for parents and children. It is so important to remember to get active and get outdoors to open spaces.
Incorporate science, geography, oral language, drama and music into a walk whether it’s in a nearby park, along a beach or in the countryside.
Get OutsideTry out as many of these exercises outside (keeping social distance!) that you can and tell your teacher which ones you’ve done.

  • Cycle your bike for 10 minutes
  • Go for a walk
  • Ride your scooter for 10 minutes
  • Draw your own hopscotch with chalk and play
  • Throw a ball against a wall and catch
  • Create your own obstacle course
  • Run for 5 minutes
  • 10 minutes of free play outside
  • If possible, now that roads are quieter walk home from school one day with your parents.
  • Jump on your trampoline
  • Walk your dog
  • Bubble bashing - get someone to blow bubbles for you to try and burst all of them
  • Do 3 laps of your house or up and down the hall 10 times
  • Keepie uppies - how many can you do in a row?
  • Skip sideways up and down the garden 5 times

Back to basics – other enjoyable, but educational activities
  • Board games
  • Card games
  • Lego
  • Jenga
  • Jigsaws
  • Flying a kite
  • Memory games (e.g. stop the clock with one letter of the alphabet and come up with words beginning with a specific letter under certain headings such as boy name; girl name; country / city; food; item of clothing; activity; kitchen utensil etc.)
  • Recreate “Countdown” television programme with word puzzles and maths problems.
  • Painting

Some suggested activities for Infant classes
While all the above activities are suitable for the infant classes, below are some activities specifically for children in infant classes:

Alphabet Hunt
  • This is a fun and purposeful way of revising letter knowledge in the infants classes. Pick a different letter every day. Try to complete three or four different hunts from the box below with the focus letter for that day. E.g. On Monday,focus on s etc.
Find five items around the house beginning with the letter _____.
Find three things in the kitchen beginning with the letter ____.
Find five things in the garden beginning with the letter ___.
Find a mirror. Say the alphabet aloud. Look at the shapes your mouth makes. Which shape is the funniest?
Open the fridge. How many items begin with the letter ___.
Find four things in your bedroom beginning with the letter ___.
Find a cereal box. How many letters in the name of the cereal are vowels.
Look all around the house. Can you find something in every room that begins with the letter ___.
  • Letter/Tricky Word Hunt
  • This activity is most suited to the infant classes. Get out the magazines, flyers, Aldi brochures and the scissors and get chopping! Pick a different tricky word/letter to focus on each day and get your child to hunt for & cut out all the target words they can find and stick them on a page to create a collage. Another idea is to find all the letters in their name and create a name collage. This is great for letter revision, familiarisation with different fonts and environmental print.
  • Talk Time: Word of the Day
  • Pick any word and discuss the following with your child: How many letters? How many vowels?, How many consonants?, How many syllables?, What does it mean?, What does it rhyme with? Say it. Whisper it. Shout it. Clap it. Act it. Draw it. Write it.  Put it in a sentence.
  • Letter & Number formation/Making words
  • Get your child to practice forming and writing their letters and numbers on a plate of rice, flour or salt or even in the sandbox. 
  • Playdough
  • Playdough is a very beneficial resource for young children. Making letters, words and numbers with playdough is a great activity. Some children may find it hard to make the words so get them to make objects with that beginning sound e.g. for ‘s’ they can make a sun or a snake. Playdough writing is another activity where children can roll out their playdough so that it is flat, and using a twig or a toothpick, practice writing letters and words. Another fun activity using playdough is creating a scene from a book that you have read with your child. After reading a story your child could pick their favourite part/scene and re-create it using play dough. It is also lots of fun to make your own playdough at home. Here is a link to a fuss free playdough recipe : http://www.littlemissteacher.com/2019/10/fuss-free-play-dough-recipe.htm
  • Play
  • One of the best activities children can do is play. Physical play, games with rules, creative play, language play and pretend play are all extremely important for learning and development. Don’t underestimate the power of play and what children can learn from building something with LEGO, playing a board game, imaginative play or simply just playing with their toys. This tip sheet explains the importance and benefits of play in the infant classes.
  • https://ncca.ie/media/4066/tipsheet_play_parents_of_young_children.pdf
  • Jigsaws/Puzzles
  • Jigsaws are great for hand eye coordination, problem solving and fine motor skills.
 
Online resources suitable for infant classes:  
 
Online resource bank suitable for primary school level
Scoilnet.ie
A very useful online forum with a wide array of resources (emphasis on free tools). Resources are organised into theme pages and the website is easy to navigate.
Twinkl.ie
Created by teachers, ideal for home education, it has lots of appealing games, stories, worksheets etc. It is offering a free month’s subscription (enter offer code: IRLTWINKLHELPS).
Cúla4.com
A collection of resources as Gaeilge – cláir, físeáin, cluichí, tomhais agus srl.
Ask about Ireland
A treasure trove of resources with an Irish interest, focusing on our national culture.
Padlet.ie
A collection of tools, apps, ideas and sites to support Irish Primary pupils working at home, compiled by Ciara Reilly primary-school teacher and lecturer in education with Marino Institute.
https://padlet.com/s_maher_theheathns/ba367hgt1mio
(Check out our own Padlet from the link above.)
MúinteoirLOI
Another resource created by primary school teacher Tom O’Connor which is ideal for anyone who has a house full of League of Ireland fans this morning. Free themed lessons focused on Irish soccer clubs.
Go Noodle
Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.
Scratch
Learn to programme interactive games, stories and animations.
Khan Academy
Non-profit site which provides free video tutorials in maths and reading.
IXL.com
Subscription-based learning experience that provides curriculum-aligned maths and English content from junior infants up to sixth year.
National Geographic Kids
Learn about science, geography and history.
Nasa Kids’ Club
Child-friendly resource where kids can learn about science and space.
I am an Artist
A visual arts initiative comprising 30 short TV programmes (each 6 minutes in length), an interactive website with slideshows, lessons, weblinks and interactive games, providing a stimulating collection of curriculum-mapped resources.
http://www.kiddle.co
http://www.holyfamilyns.ie/gaeilge
http://www.getepic.com
http://www.storylineonline.net
http://www.storyjumper.com
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com
http://www.pobble365.com
http://www.kahoot.com
http://www.mathsbot.com
http://www.splashlearn.com
http://www.mindmeister.com
Scratch online – https://scratch.mit.edu/
http://www.code.org
http://www.hourofcode.com/ie
Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs and other interactive games
http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/learning-activities/languages/words/naming-nouns/
Discuss types of language and words
http://www.eduplace.com/tales/index.html
Science week website
http://www.science.ie/
Resource section
http://www.science.ie/resources/primary-schools/
Climate kids website
http://climatekids.nasa.gov/
BBC science
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/
Bill Nye the Science guy
http://billnye.com/#educational    
Bob the builder
http://www.bobthebuilder.com/usa/index.asp
Brain pop science
https://www.brainpop.com/science/
Science bug
http://www.sciencebug.org/
Marine institute lesson plans on Science
http://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area/areas-activity/education-outreach/science?language=en
Engineer girl  
http://www.engineergirl.org/
Schoolearthed
http://www.schoolearthed.ie/
European Space Agency kids website
http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/
Engineering Europe project
http://www.engineer-project.eu/
Teacher created science activities
A group of lesson plans for experiments in the classroom.  
http://www.primaryscience.ie/activities_advanced_search.php?type=teacher_created&page=1
Bird watch Ireland.
There is a kidszone which contains 18 projects for children based on birds around the school.
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/
Paddy Madden’s school garden videos
Commissioned by The Blackrock Education Centre, Paddy Madden and Tomás Ó Briain created a series of short videos aimed at teachers and students who wish to carry out projects in their school garden. There is a different series of videos for each month of the year.
http://schoolearthed.ie/paddys-school-garden/video-index.html
Habitats
A website full of primary resources
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary
New Zealand science resources
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
Huge App list, one for each day of the year: 
http://project252.donenda.com