**Blog Updated April 30, 2020**

OUR PLEDGE

As we practice the "art of waiting," we continue our pledge to sustain our vision and mission for every secondary school principal in Missouri. We have opened up our member-only MoASSP Messenger and other services to over 4,300 educators across our great state and throughout the country.

As you feel the weight of your school on your shoulders, we are here to help lighten the load the best we can. We have assembled Coronavirus Information for Schools in one location. We will keep updating the blog as new resources become available. We are scheduling both statewide and regional Zoom meetings to help provide a bridge to help principals get through this crisis. We have partnered with MOREnet and have expanded our available seats to 500. The main thing through all of this is to be here for each other.

As the crystal ball remains cloudy, we continue to push the pause button on the Spring Conference and the Missouri Scholars 100 program. We are still in a wait and see mode. 

COVID--19 has caught the whole world by surprise as we are living through the most disruption in our lifetime. As I reminded the MoASSP Board of Directors recently during a Zoom meeting, we will have eureka moments again very soon. Let us know if there is anything MoASSP can do for you during this unparalleled time in our history.

Clark Mershon

Executive Director, MoASSP   

                                                                    
**Everything Below this line Updated April 30, 2020.**

STATEWIDE ZOOM MEETINGS HOSTED BY MoASSP

• April 29, 2020 Jostens Graduation Options - Jeff Peterson, Kayln Davidson and John Glennon (Video Link)

RESOURCES FOR PRINCIPALS

• MoASSP Inspirational Video The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP) produced a 2-minute 19-second video to inspire colleagues to finish strong amid the most challenging times in our lifetime. Principals from around the state provide words of encouragement for their counterparts as they bring closure to the 2019-2020 school year.
• Thanks to our collaborative partnership with the Association of Washington School Principals, Gina Yonts, Associate Director, shared an excellent resource during this COVID-19 era. Washington State’s Department of Ed Guidance on Supporting Special Education Students
• Budgeting in Uncertain Times: How the Federal Stimulus Aids Missouri Missouri Budget Project
• Thanks to our collaborative partnership with the Illinois Principals Association, Arlin Peebles, Ed Leaders Network Director provided the following live webinar recordings:
• Impact the Narrative with Joe Sanfelippo
• Practices that Increase Rigor and Engagement in Distance Learning with Eric Calvert
• Strategies for Leading Through COVID-19 with Bill Ziegler
• Choosing and Using Online Tools with Eric Calvert
• ELN Virtual Tour with Arlin Peebles
• Maintaining Connections, Reducing Anxiety While School Is Closed - Educational Leadership

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

• Here is a link for an Advanced Placement (AP) testing demo.It allows students to practice in the testing environment before the test goes live

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
**Everything Above this line Updated April 30, 2020.**
                                                                 

STATEWIDE ZOOM MEETINGS HOSTED BY MoASSP

• MSHSAA Update -Kerwin Erhahn, Executive Director (Video Link)
• ACTInformation - Chris Mitchell, Debra FitzGerald, Tim Osborne (ACT Q&A Session) and  (Video Link)

DESE INFORMATION

Summer School

• April 23:DESE recently convened a Summer School Task Force, comprised of school leaders from across the state, to discuss 2020 summer school questions and the options available to school leaders amid COVID-19 and public health orders. DESE received three recommendations from the Summer School Task Force in how best to support schools as they develop their summer school plans. Those recommendations are outlined here in Administrative Memo QS-20-005. More detailed summer school information can also be found in the COVID-19 and Summer School 2020 Questions and Answers document.

Expenditure Restrictions Announced

• Closed Schools Are Creating More Trauma For Students
  
• The Whole Child with David Geurin Character Strong Presentations
• Coronavirus, Virtual Learning and the 5 Stages of Grief
• Teacher Collaboration During a Global Pandemic - Educational Leadership
• 23 Team-Building Activities for Staying Connected in a Remote Work Environment
• https://www.cognia.org/covid19-resources/

• Six Ways for Educators to Avoid Compassion Fatigue
  
• The Dos and Don’ts of Teaching Online                                                                  

RESOURCES FOR PRINCIPALS

• DESE UPDATE: The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MoASSP) hosted a Zoom Roundtable with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regarding the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Chris Neale presented helpful information and fielded questions from principals across the state.
• Heartfelt Message from Phil Lewis, MoASSP Executive Director, Emeritus
• Assistant principal leadership during a global pandemic
• ACT requirement for Bright Flight scholarship extended

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

• Richard Culatta: Can This Crisis Revolutionize the Way We Teach? (Ted Talk)
• 'We're still here. We care': How K-12 teachers are connecting with students 
• Transfer credits and graduate school admission all rely on letter grades

RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

A complete list of what to do — and not do — for everyone teaching kids at home during the coronavirus crisis
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) CASEL CARES is a new initiative that connects the SEL community with experts to address how SEL can be most helpful in response to today’s circumstances. The second webinar in this series features Jennifer Miller from Confident Parents, Confident Kids. Tune in as she helps us explore parenting strategies for SEL and learning during this time. https://casel.org/covid-resources/

• Springfield Public Schools: SPS fitness expert offers families creative ideas to stay active at home
• The Missouri Department of Conservation MDC offering free curriculum online
• Parents become teachers overnight in St. Louis area schools

Video Message from MoASSP

MOTIVATIONAL VIDEOS

Steve Gilliland – COVID-19: Motivation Tips To Manage Fear
Motivational speaker Steve Gilliland shares a VIDEO message to help manage fear during this unexpected and difficult time. Steve was our closing keynote for the MoASSP Fall Conference.

DESE RESOURCES

• Supporting Educators and Learning in the Era of COVID-19
• Resources for Parents: How to Support Learning At Home

UPCOMING SUMMITS & WEBINARS

CHARACTER STRONG THE WHOLE CHILD VIRTUAL SUMMIT APRIL 13-24

REMOTE LEARNING RESOURCES & FREE WEBINARS THROUGH THE ED LEADERS NETWORK

• April 15 3-4pm Strategies for Leading Through COVID-19

Registration link:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/308964272978921485

During this session, your members will learn things such as:

- Effective communication strategies during online learning  

- Tools and tips for leading online Learning

- How to build unity and support during this time 

- Building school culture during online learning 

- Skills to make zoom meetings productive

- Keys for social/emotional learning and mental health 

- How to support students, parents, faculty, and staff during this time

- Getting Creative - How to inspire and model creativity during this time 

- How this experience will transform learning in the future - when we are back to normal

• April 16 10-11am ELN Virtual Tour

Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3935946369181503499 

Description: Are you new to Ed Leaders Network? Has it been a while since you've logged in? Join Ed Leaders Network Director, Arlin Peebles, on a guided virtual tour into the learner and manager roles. Learn how to maximize your use of ELN to access high-quality, on-demand professional learning on a variety of educational topics.  Educators will learn how to search and filter the learning library, while administrators will learn how to manage their team by creating courses, assigning content to staff, and running usage reports on the ELN learning management system. There will also be time for your questions.

• April 21 3:30 - 4:30pm Preparing Students for College, Careers and Civic Responsibilities in the 21st Century

Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1469102969965484299 

Description: Our Virtual Learning Systems 13 units under the Government Strands of History, Geography, Economics, and Government is your solution to a successful inquiry-based classroom.  Our units are designed to:  

-Encourage reading, writing, and research 

-Advocate working in teams 

-Develop student's thinking and evaluation skills

-Teach our students how to ask questions, conduct interviews 

-Encourage logistical and critical thinking 

-Teach how to uncover information and evidence 

-Help students reach conclusions and advocate a position, taking informed action 

-Help students understand the financial and economic outcomes based on their conclusion. 

Don’t hesitate to contact Arlin Peebles.
Ed Leaders Network Director
Phone: (217) 241-0598
Fax: (800) 856-8603
www.edleadersnetwork.org

ACT RESOURCES

• ACT SEL Resources
• ACT is offering digital learning and workforce resources to assist students, teachers, schools and workers impacted by COVID-19.
• ACT Principal Researcher, Dana Murano and Program Director for the ACT Center for Equity in Learning, Nancy Lewin will present a webinar with EdWeek on April 22. Here is thelink to register. The topic is Social Emotional Learning and Equity: Follow the Data

ARTICLES & GOOGLE DOC FROM WISCONSIN

Leading Your People In Times of Crisis
10 Traits of Courageous Leaders

• Check out this google doc from about 80 districts in Wisconsin on how they are meeting the grading challenges.
• GRADING IDEAS FROM WISCONSIN                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

STATEWIDE ZOOM MEETING RECORDINGS

David Geurin, Principal Bolivar High School and NASSP 2017 Digital Principal of the Year. “Overcoming Challenges of Remote Learning”

• Presentation Link  
• Video Link

REMOTE LEARNING RESOURCES

• Remote Learning Resources
• CENTER FOR THE COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM

Collaborative Classroom is providing instructional resources that will support remote learning for educators.

ARTICLES

• What's Next: Schooling or Learning?
• Preparing for a Fall Without In-Person Classes
  If campuses are still off-limits to students come September, this spring's version of remote learning won't suffice. Some colleges are preparing (quietly) to deliver better online learning at scale if needed.

 LIGHTHEARTED VIDEO
Dr. Ed Gettemeier, principal, Hardin MS, MoASSP Past President

SELF-CARE RESOURCES

Tim Elmore YouTube 2 minute Video

How to Lead Anxious Students When You're Anxious Yourself

How are you supposed to help others when you need help yourself? In this video, Dr. Tim Elmore shares a story along with two ideas to help you overcome your stress so you can continue to help others.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

MOST RECENT INFORMATION FROM DESE

REGIONAL ZOOM MEETING RECORDINGS

MoASSP Central Region Zoom Roundtable March 31

Hosted by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, Central Region President and Principal of Clinton High School, Jarrod Steffens, facilitated a conversation with his peers around the implications caused by the COVID-19 virus in schools in central Missouri.

MoASSP Southeast Zoom Roundtable March 31

Hosted by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, principal leaders from southeast Missouri trying to find answers to questions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

LINKS FOR LEADERS

• JON GORDON AND POSITIVE UNIVERSITY PRESENT “THE POWER OF POSITIVE SUMMIT...FREE ONLINE EVENT, APRIL 2-8. CLICK HERE FOR FREE ACCESS
• Tools for Leading Through COVID-19 with Dr. Bill Ziegler. Bill was our closing keynote at the MoASSP Fall Conference a year ago. Great information from our friend, Bill.

JOSTENS RENAISSANCE OFFERS GUIDANCE & RESOURCES

Every Monday and Friday, Jostens Renaissance will host a Facebook Live session at 11:00 am CST addressing a topic of urgent concern to educators and school communities during this difficult time. Motivation Monday topics will help schools create and maintain a positive climate and culture remotely, and Graduation Friday topics will share ways to celebrate seniors and their accomplishments. Visit Jostens Renaissance on Facebook to join or click on a topic below to view a past recording or see a post listing the ideas.

• Food Distribution
• Building Connections

SELF-CARE RESOURCES

• Mental Health And COVID-19 – Information And Resources

SAFE & SECURE TELECONFERENCING

• FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 Pandemic
• Best Practices for Securing Your Virtual Classroom 

AVOID ZOOM BOMBING & MAXIMIZING ZOOM

§  Holding Class on Zoom? Beware of These Hacks, Hijinks and Hazards

HELPING TO HONOR OUR SENIORS
Thanks to Jostens for distributing their video series, The Harbor. Jostens is also making available their leadership curriculum free of charge.  

Jostens Renaissance 
Username: JOSTENS
Password: JOSTENS

ZOOM Virtual Backgrounds

FREE ONLINE RESOURCES & VIRTUAL EVENTS

• Sponsored by Character Strong, there will be a FREE Virtual Summit on the Whole Child April 13-24.  The summit will include two Missouri administrators;  Beth Houf, Fulton MS and David Geurin, Bolivar High School, along with notables Angela Duckworth (Grit) and Jon Gordon (bestselling author).   
• GRADUATION ALIANCE is offering online capabilities at no cost to districts as they try to adjust to virtual education.

SELF-CARE RESOURCES

• This video depicts how caring adults absorb the distress of the child and how they need to actively refuel their emotional reserves. This resource is from the Midwest PBIS Center.
• Self-Care Assessment

Statewide Zoom Meeting with Beth Houf  (Link to her presentation, Video Link)

DESE Update

DESE has provided guidance to many of the questions we are hearing from around the state.  CLICK HERE.   DESE updates on a regular basis.   DESE is meeting today at 10:00 regarding graduation requirements, etc. They should be able to produce guidance fairly quickly after that.  Since Higher Education administers the student side of A+, they will give direction for A+. DESE has been in close contact with Leroy Wade from DHEWD and have worked out just about everything.  DESE is also going to clarify the need for an Algebra I.  They are still working on that issue.

A+ Scholarship

•   A+ Eligibility for Postsecondary Students
•   A+ Eligibility for 2020 High School Seniors

Resource awareness is the name of the game right now. We continue to assemble resources for secondary school leaders here in Missouri. We also want to acknowledge our friends from Illinois Principals Association (IPA) and Michigan Association for Secondary School Principals (MASSP) for allowing us to share what they have found or created. Thanks Jason and Wendy!!! The Missouri School Counselors Association contributed two links for this update. Thanks Shari and company!!! Clark Mershon

Ideas for School Counselors

• School Counselors Role During the COVID—19 Crisis
• Taking care of your students, and yourself, during this time of uncertainty. A conversation from the Missouri School Counselors Association Board of Directors.

Special Education

We found these two documents thanks to our colleagues at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. U.S. Department of Education has provided the following guidance for serving children with disabilities during COVID-19 Pandemic. They have partnered with The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) navigating the COVID-19 crisis. We have included a slide deck and a fact sheet.

View the Slides

View the Fact Sheet

Other Resources

• Don't feel bad for my senior year. I'll be OK.
• Don’t fret, ’Pandemic school’ is new to us all; tips from Michigan teacher of the year
• Leading Through COVID-19: Making Smart Decisions Through Uncertainty
• Wellness Check-ins for Staff and Students Michigan Principals Association

MoASSP continues to add resources for principals to use and share as appropriate through our MoASSP Connect Blog. We have opened up our member-only MoASSP resources to over 4,300 educators and education companies throughout our state and nation. We appreciate our colleagues from the Illinois Principals Association, and Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, for sharing their latest resources with us. If you have ideas or resources to share via our MoASSP Connect Blog, contact Doug Mirts. 

Coronavirus Updates for All College Board Programs.  Get up-to-date information on all the changes for students and educators affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). The College Board announced Friday that for the 2019–20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online AP exam at home rather than testing in person. Read More

• Math Resources. ST Math is available at no cost to parents, schools, and districts affected by closures.
• PE Remote Learning Welet ResourcesThis Wakelet collection from Laura Bradley has 6 links specifically targeted for PE resources.
• OPEN - Online Physical Education NetworkThis blog post by OPEN has a list of activities that students can do at home.
• Resources from GoogleThis link is a one stop location that includes everything from health information to resources for educators.
• Deciphering differences between COVID-19 and other illnesses article.
• InquireEdA free resource for distance learning curriculum. It's called Together When Apart and will be updated weekly. Each week, InquireED will release a week-long, interdisciplinary inquiry that explores the question: How can we stay together when we're apart? 

Teachers (and at-home adults) can share the day's webpage directly with students. 

• 15 Days to Slow the Spread
• Talking to Your Kids About COVID-19
• Free live yoga

Good Morning Leaders!

We are aware that our Missouri schools have closed for quite some time. We can imagine the stress and worry this has created for you, your students, staff members and families. Please know that we are here to support you any way we can and we are excited to share several resources that are now available to all our schools, not just Leader in Me (LiM) Schools.  We hope the ideas and suggestions below will help support your schools community during this time:

1. Leader in Me COVID-19 Response Center: As COVID-19 continues to spread, we want you to know that we want to support you any way we can.  Leadership, resilience, trust, and synergy- all are the very essence of Leader in Me.  These resources in the links below are available for no cost through the end of the academic year.  We will update the links regularly.  Here you will find bite-sized lessons, activity blogs, family resources, videos and much more! If staff members are looking for things to send to parents (or use with their own children), they can download and email out the resources they wish to share.

Click here for Family Resources

Click here for Staff Resources

Click here for Administrator Resources

1. NEW Resources: We’re all in this together. As we confront this time of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to remain rooted in an abundance mindset that prioritizes proactivity, innovation, and third alternatives while continuing to honor our circle of influence and building our resilience. We have and will continue to developed content to support schools during this time.  

1. Specific support and content for Superintendents and Administrators. CLICK HERE.
2. LiM weekly is now providing support around virtual learning and supporting schools during this change.  This virtual newsletter will be available to non LiM school until the end of the academic year. CLICK HERE.  I strongly encourage you and your staff to sign up for this amazing resource!
3. Support: FranklinCovey Education is here for you during this trying time…no strings attached! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for anything you need. We want to do our part in alleviating as much stress as possible. If you would like to connect with us to discuss our Leader in Me resources, please click here to sign up for a date/time that is convenient for you.  

Finally, be on the lookout for additional resources from FranklinCovey Education surrounding virtual learning, support for families, working from home, team strengthening, and more. 

• Columbia Public Schools
• Kansas City Public Schools
• Lee’s Summit Schools
• Rockwood Schools
• Springfield Public Schools

• EdSurge
• 30+ VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR KIDS

• Smore COVID-19 Template Center (New 3/19/2020)
• What You Need to Know About Handwashing (New 3/19/2020)
• COVID-19 Outbreak - 24 Hour Hotline and Information from DHSS and CDC
• Common Sense Provides Resources for Parents to Prepare for Coronavirus School Closures (Common Sense Media)
• 10 Strategies for Leading Online When School is Closed
• AASA to Lead Communications on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Resources &Strategies for Schools Dealing with COVID-19
• Coronavirus Resources for Technology Leaders (Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 
• Guidance for School Settings - Before and During an Outbreak (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Communication Templates/Coronavirus (COVID-19) 
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information from DESE
• U.S. Coronavirus Map:  Cases Now Reported in All 50 States (The New York Times)
• Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19)
• Call Center Information/Script
• https://www.mo.gov
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• World Health Organization
• NASSP COVID—19 Resources
• Coronavirus Print & Social Media Resources to help stop the spread.
• Navigating Uncertain Times: How Schools Can Cope With Coronavirus
• Songs for Social Distancing...Another 20 Second Parody
• Update From Kim Marshall
• Remote Learning and Online Teaching, School Closure Planning, Self-care and mental health
• We Do Not Have The Answers': K-12 Schools Try To Figure Out How To Go Online
• SLU Prime Center:  RESOURCES FOR HOME LEARNING DURING THE QUARANTINE

Facts about Coronavirus 

• Fact Sheet in English
• Fact Sheet in Chinese
• Fact Sheet in Spanish

Keeping Up With Closures 

• Map:  Coronavirus and School Closures
• Spreadsheet of Closures Announced by Colleges & Universities
• Spreadsheet of Academic Conference Cancellations

Message from Kim Marshall

In this extraordinary national emergency, millions of students are unable to go to school, and teachers are stretched thin attending to students' learning needs, in many cases while home-schooling their own children. I'm sending along a variety of materials that might be helpful. First are some of my own classroom writings that are available free online. Then I've pasted in an excellent 2019 article by Nancy Flanagan from Knowledge Quest (summarized in Memo 802) with online links to free reading and instructional materials. I'm also attaching the list of online suggestions from the last item in this week's Memo.

Here's another idea. For teachers who are using Zoom with their homebound students, there's a feature that allows the teacher to have up to 250 people in the "room" (for example, a seventh-grade teacher could assemble all 125 students from her five sections), deliver a mini-lesson, and then ask Zoom to split them into 42 three-person breakout groups, give them ten minutes to discuss a question, and then call the whole group back together for sharing and discussion. During breakout sessions and whole-class instruction, it's possible for students to throw in ideas via the Chat function. Pretty neat!

One more idea. You might encourage colleagues to use this homebound time to explore the Marshall Memo archive, which has more than 8,000 article summaries from the last 16+ years. This might be for a study group, action research, or problem-solving in classrooms or teams. The powerful search engine at www.marshallmemo.com can find article summaries by topic, keyword, author, publication, and level (elementary, middle, high). Let me know if you need a reminder of your password so you can encourage maximum use of this resource.

I hope at least some of this will be helpful. And I hope you and yours are well and safe.

All the best,

Kim


KIM’S OWN WRITING, AVAILABLE FREE AT THE LINKS BELOW:

• Reading Stories, Book 1: 92 high-interest stories with comprehension questions originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open sourcemarshallmemo.com/articles/Reading%201.pdf 
• Reading Stories, Book 2: 94 high-interest stories with comprehension question, originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open sourcemarshallmemo.com/articles/Reading%202.pdf 
• English: 36 Cumulative Units in Grammar, Writing Skills, and Word Analysis, Book A, originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open sourcemarshallmemo.com/articles/English%20Book%20A.pdf 
• English: 36 Cumulative Units in Grammar, Writing Skills, and Word Analysis, Book B, originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open sourcemarshallmemo.com/articles/English%20Book%20B.pdf 
• Math: 35 Cumulative Units in Concepts and Skills, Book A, originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open source marshallmemo.com/articles/Math%20Book%20A.pdf 
• Math: 35 Cumulative Units in Concepts and Skills, Book B, originally published by Educators Publishing Service, now open source marshallmemo.com/articles/Math%20Book%20B.pdf 
  (Teacher guides to the English and Math workbooks are available at www.marshallmemo.com, click Kim Published Writing and scroll down to Curriculum Materials.)
• The Story of Life, from the Big Bang to You: Written for middle- and high-school students (with illustrations by Ingrid Johnson), this is a comprehensive history of the origins of the solar system, the Earth, and life on Earth (originally published by Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, the updated 2019 edition is open source) bit.ly/38ZI6ov 
• Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary: Written in consultation with author Jared Diamond, this 14-page summary (with maps and illustrations) of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the origins of worldwide wealth inequality is suitable for high-school students in world/global studies courses bit.ly/2IYJq0y 

ONLINE TECHNOLOGY LINKS FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LIBRARIANS

In this article in Knowledge Quest, Nancy Flanagan Knapp (University of Georgia/Athens) suggests five areas in which teachers and school librarians can make effective use of technology, with free links in each:

Making basic literacy skills practice effective and fun:

• PBS Kids Reading Games: pbskids.org/games/reading 
• Education World, The Reading Machine: www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/readingmachine.shtml 
• Scholastic Student Activities website: teacher.scholastic.com/activities/clf/tguidesitemap.htm 
• The Learning Company games: classicreload.com 

Increasing the number and variety of texts available for readers at all levels:

• The International Childrens Digital Library: en.childrenslibrary.org 
• Unite for Literacy: uniteforliteracy.com 
• Storyjumper: www.storyjumper.com/book/search 
• Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org 
• Gismo Freeware: www.techsupportalert.com/free-ebooks-audio-books-read-online-download.htm 
• Amazon and Barnes and Noble: search Free Kindle books at www.amazon.com or Free Ebooks at www.barnesandnoble.com. 

Scaffolding texts for struggling readers and writers of all ages:

• Tech for Teachers: Supporting Struggling Readers with Speech-to-Text: youtu.be/zBLXkAVyJWU 
• Personalizing and differentiating instruction for diverse readers:
• Newsela: current non-fiction articles at multiple Lexile levels: newsela.com 
• Simple English Wikipedia: simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page 
• Storyline Online: read-aloud, mostly for younger children: www.storylineonline.net 
• Fact Monster: fun facts, trivia games, and homework help for elementary students:factmonster.com
• Khan Academy: short online tutorials for all ages: khanacademy.org 

• Goodreads for students 13 and up; librarians can create private groups with restricted membership: www.goodreads.com 
• Biblionasium, which allows users to share their reading preferences; for students age 6-13:www.biblionasium.com 
• Library Thing: lets students create a private but shareable personal bookshelf, for kids 13 and up:librarything.com 
• Poetry-Free-for-All: for poets of all ages: www.everypoet.org
• Teen Ink: www.teenink.com
• Book Crossing: a forum for sharing actual print books in a unique way: www.bookcrossing.com
• Epals: A reputable global pen pal site that can encourage reading and writing: www.epals.com/#/connections 
• Using Technology to Foster Real Reading in the School Library and Beyond by Nancy Flanagan Knapp in Knowledge Quest, September/October 2019 (Vol. 48, #1, pp. 54-60); Knapp can be reached at [email protected], summarized in Marshall Memo 802
• Free digital books are available at Bookshare - www.bookshare.org/cms/

Educational Apps if you have a sick child at home (or if school is closed) 

Sometimes screen time is a necessity if we have children at home and work we need to do. Here are three apps that make screen time a learning time:

• CodeMonkey: a game-based education program that teaches children to code. It comes with a membership fee, but there's a free 14-day trial that doesn't require a credit card.
• BrainPop: Online learning across subject areas for children in kindergarten through middle school and ELL learning for all age groups. Free.
• Khan Academy: Online learning in math, science, and literacy for all age groups. Standards-aligned. Free.