This post focuses on specific academic resources, especially for students with special needs. I have included general resources, as well as specific sites for reading, math and enrichment. Please note, some of these resources may require a bit more setup than other “plug-n-play” materials or apps, as they are addressing more complex needs.
First and foremost, keep reaching out to your school team – they are building this plane while flying it, so they may not know today, but may have more resources tomorrow. Ask for what you need.
If your child’s school is not requiring work, use these resources to target the skills you know they need, or give them more relevant, high-interest materials that will help them push their thinking and keep growing their brains.
General Academic Resources
Amazing Educational Resources has a full list of educational platforms offering FREE subscriptions during this time (e.g. Khan Academy). Just a note – this is a very large list. I suggest doing a “find” (Control+F or Command+F) and searching for the subject/skill you desire.
www.Understood.org is a great resource for kids with learning needs in general. Click “Families Begin Here” for the menu of COVID19-related links.
Reading
The Florida Center for Reading Research has specific activities to support reading development, including everything from early reading skills, to vocabulary and comprehension development. Best for K-5.
Reading Rockets (your child may have used their tools in school) created a page of apps for helping with various areas of literacy. They have these nicely organized by topic. All ages.
ReadWorks provides free, research-driven materials for teaching reading comprehension for K-12. They have a specific page to help families learn how to use their resources.
Math
YouCubed, created by a professor of education from Stanford, has math games and activities for grades K-12. Highly recommended.
Recommended by another parent of a student with learning needs, www.MathHelp.com has a number of lessons for 5th grade and above, with ample support for struggling learners. I’m attaching their homeschool user guide.
Enrichment
Teaching Tolerance has posted their resource list, including student texts and film kits to bring to life issues of social justice.
The New York Times is inviting students 13 and older to respond to specific articles as a way to build their writing skills.
Scholastic has weekly lessons for home to enhance reading and engage learners with multimedia learning and follow-up projects (called “quests.)
Professional Help
Most Educational Therapists and Coaches have gone online. If you child is not already working with a professional, now may be the time to start! They can help with academic support, as well as structuring your child’s day, motivation, creating work routines, and strategies for completing long-term projects. Two well-known local options are Strategies for Learning and Classroom Matters.
This post was created to support families through COVID-19. If you have more questions related to working with your children at home, please let me know by sending me an email or commenting on this post!
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