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The school year is coming to a close for a lot of teachers - our own last day is June 12th with a virtual kindergarten graduation and car parade to celebrate the most unreal year ever.
As preparations are being made for the last day and cleaning and packing up classrooms, it's also a time many teachers are beginning to look ahead. Next year is going to look and feel a lot different than any year before - face coverings, social distancing, contained classrooms, and staggered start times are just a few of the different ideas being floated around. For my school a lot of decisions have yet to be made - or at the very least, shared.
What we can all bank on is the emotional toll distance learning, isolation, and quarantine has put on our youngest learners. Heck, there's an emotional toll for every single adult, parent, and teacher out there! This is why I think it's so important for us to be vigilant about how we kick off this next year.
Easing the worry amid Covid-19
It's not easy to think about what next year could look like for classrooms across the country. But, what remains true though any pandemic or tragic circumstance is that teachers rise to take care of their students. That's why I created this Coronavirus BTS Germs Activity + Discussion resource for K-2 classrooms.
The purpose is to help teachers begin having these discussions at the start of the year, but in a way that is age appropriate and lends itself to lessons we would normally have. Let's take a peek at what's included!
I Can Classroom Posters
To help conceptualize the concepts being taught in these lessons I will use these posters that I can then display in the classroom year round. I anticipate having to refer and reinforce these all year long so having them in a convenient and prominent place in the classroom will be most helpful.
What posters are included?
- I can wear a mask.
- I can stop germs by cleaning my hands (referring to washing and using hand sanitizer).
- When I feel sick I can stay home.
- I can learn/play at a distance (each poster references a distance recommendation of 6 feet).
- I can stay healthy by checking for fever.
CDC Aligned Explanations
This biggest piece about discussing Covid-19 when schools reopen is having current and factual information. The main source of this information should come from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and that's exactly what I used for these posters.
The CDCs website gives recommended ways to factually discuss Covid-19 to children and it's to keep it short and simple. The emphasis should be on that it is a new disease that has made a lot of people sick (fact) and that scientists and doctors are working hard to find a vaccine and keep people healthy (fact).
This lends to a discussion about how we can do our part to keep our family at home and us at school healthy!
Sick Simon Read Aloud & Activity
There are a ton of read alouds on the topic of germs and the importance of washing hands, but washing hands is only 1 way out of many that we must protect ourselves from Covid-19 while at school.
I fell quickly in love with Sick Simon by Dan Krall.
It's the story of a little boy, Simon, who loves school so much that even if he's sick he wants to make it. We begin to notice some big symptoms that Simon is sick and should stay home - with the moral of the story being that a) it's gross and b) he's putting others at risk. Simon learns that he's actually the virus' hero because he continues to go to school when he's sick. Horrified, he makes the best choice and learns how to prevent the spread by washing his hands, staying home to rest, and limiting his contact with other people.
It's a silly story that drives home the very important message that when we're feeling sick (especially right now with the concerns over Coronavirus) we can make safer choices.
Safe and Unsafe Choices
Much like any activity at back to school (i.e. good behavior choices and poor ones), this activity allows students to think about the story, and our current situation, and sort choices that are safe or unsafe.
Safe choices include:
- check for fever, cover my coughs, go to the doctor, play at a distance, wash hands
Unsafe choices include:
- not wear a mask, touch my face, cough or sneeze without covering, play in big groups
Writing Prompts
Making safe choices, much like behavior, exists whether we are at school or at home. The important message through this unit is for students to understand that these choices will help everyone remain safe since Covid-19 wants YOU to be their germ hero like Simon in the story.
Additional activities include these writing prompts!
The first one is a simple writing of one way students can make a choice to be safe with the I Can Be Safe at School/Home.... These choices match the ones from the sorting activity. They begin by tracing the beginning of the sentence then choose which way they can stay safe at home or school. Students can choose to phonetically spell their choice or simply copy the words beneath the picture.
The second writing activity is I Wear a Mask Because... I wanted to include this reflection because masks have become commonplace and the most notable change to how schools will reopen. Masks can be scary for some kids and there may be an unwillingness to wear one at first. By discussing this head-on and building comfort around why we wear one, the goal is that the masks are understood as a way to stay healthy and protect others.
I have 2 girl and 2 boy templates as well as a blank one. There are so many different ways to use them! Simply have students choose which template they want and to color it after their own image or use the blank one for them to draw a portrait. Another idea can be to take a photo of the students wearing their masks and print them out for them to cut and glue to their writing.
The goal
The mission and goal of this resource is to not skirt around the newfound regulations of schools reopening or be scared to have the necessary conversations with students concerning Covid-19. Even though things are beginning to reopen, another surge may be imminent and we must all do our part to be informed and make healthy choices.
I hope you find this Coronavirus resource to be helpful in your classrooms as you begin to plan for what next year will look like. I also hope you all stay safe and continue to be the shining light in all of this!
