Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1278320
they received public shout-outs, which created more drive to be the first one to "get it" and share it with the class. We must be courageous enough to provide online programs to our students and know that we will learn this like we have learned every other platform, program, and new pedagogy that comes each year. R E C O R D L E S S O N S Recording lessons and then following up live on Zoom or through Google Classroom allowed me to teach a complete lesson while also allowing students to pause and rewind when necessary. Topics included the writing formats such as RACES, grammar, and pro/con articles. Have students do something while read- ing, i.e., highlight, annotate, answer questions in the chat bar (if using Zoom), stop and ask questions — the same strategies we would use in the classroom. Recordings were posted on Google Classroom with handouts or resources. Students were expected to watch the lessons and complete the work for the following Zoom meeting. During the Zoom meeting I would go over the assignment, answer questions, and give students the opportu- nity to discuss. Students who had questions prior to the Zoom meeting would ask them on the assignment thread. O N L I N E P R O G RA M S Find online programs that will help you teach or grade or both. [I used] CommonLit, a free online literature/reading comprehension program. I assigned several articles/readings per week. There was a pattern — assign, instruct, and give feedback. I strongly recommend this program for the abundance of reading selec- tions, multiple-choice questions, and the constructed response exemplar answers that are provided. C HA N G E U P Like everything else, once the novelty of a new program wore off, I had to get creative. Cue the next new-to-me program, Flipgrid! The students loved it! This program allows students to record themselves and then post it on the Flipgrid site. They can view other students' Flipgrids, comment on them, and even give stars (similar to likes on Facebook). Students wanted to make sure that their videos were worth watching, so they invested the time to think out their answers. We have been challenged every year with new schedules, new students, new programs, and more. While this challenge is like no other, the solution is the same, and we need to remem- ber, we got this! So, connect with students and their families and get those Google Classrooms, Zoom meetings, and Remind Class Codes set up, because you are about to have the biggest impact on students this year, and they will remember you and this time forever. W H E N S H A N N O N L A D W I G noticed students' attention flagging online, she posted the meme above, saying, "We are all having mixed emotions right now and can probably identify feeling like each of these characters... strong, weak, smart, not so smart, daring, shy, goofy, angry, joyful, sad, and happy." She asked students to make a similar meme and most did; samples below. "While this challenge is like no other, the solution is the same, and we need to remember, we got this!" 22 cta.org