Brain Waves Instruction: Lessons, Activities, and Projects to Support Remote Learning

If you're a teacher or a parent looking for fun ways to help kids learn at home, then you're in the right place. I've put together a list of the 10 best ELA activities, lessons, and projects for kids to complete at home. To make it on this list, each resource had to meet this criteria...

--- Kids can complete the work independently.
--- The lessons require no additional planning for teachers and/or parents.
--- The activities are fun and engaging.
--- They are easy to share with families.
--- And most importantly...they tap into critical ELA skills like reading, writing, and grammar.

Some of the resources can be completed digitally. Others, require just a piece of paper and a pencil. And...many of the resources I'm sharing are FREE.

These FREE READING PROMPTS are perfect for tracking kids' reading and helping them to think deeply about their reading. First, students read for at least 20 minutes a day. Then, they report out on their reading on the tracker. Finally, they respond to a reading prompt.

The prompts are in a "choice board format" so that kids can choose what they'd like to do. This does wonders for motivation. I'm using this at home with my own son, and it's going really well. He completed the movie poster prompt yesterday. Download it all for FREE RIGHT HERE.

Here's another free lesson that has a craft element. First, kids learn about couplets and poetry writing. Then, they write their own poem. Finally, they turn their work into a pinwheel. The "craft element" makes this especially fun for learning at home. Imagine these displayed on the kitchen table! Download the lesson and poetry writing materials HERE.

Learning at home lends itself perfectly to book projects. This file folder book report is designed for kids to do all on their own! The resource includes all the directions and even rough draft materials that kids can review before making their final copies. Check it out HERE.

I made this FREE set of 10 writing prompts the very first day my own sons were set to learn at home. I knew that I wanted them to keep writing, but I also knew that getting them to write might be a little like pulling teeth. That's why this set of "This or That" writing prompts works so well for kids learning at home. Kids get to choose which prompt their complete each day. The element of choice makes the task of writing a lot more fun. Download the FREE writing prompts here.

If you're looking for an "all-in-one" resource for English Language Arts, this is it! It's designed specifically for learning at home. That means that there are paper pages, digital pages, and even links to PDFs to share via email inside the resource.

With these practice pages, students complete a grammar, reading, and writing task each day. It's the perfect way to support kids and keep them learning at home! Learn more here.

One of my friends inspired me to include these FREE mindfulness quotes in this "round-up." Since my friend started teaching her kids at home, she's instituted a "moment of mindfulness" before they get started on the day's work. I love that idea! If you'd like to give it a try, check out this post about mindfulness and find links for the free quotes and finger labyrinths.

You knew that digital resources were going to make the cut, right? I've filled my shop with reading, writing, and grammar resources that students can access via Google Classroom. Check out over 50 resources that include digital options right here.

This set of 5 FREE choice boards is filled with tasks that allow kids to choose different ways to learn. Each choice board is developed around a different category. You'll find a choice board for creative writing, spelling, vocabulary, reading, and social studies. The tasks encourage creativity and innovative thinking, which makes them perfect for learning at home. Download them all for FREE right here.

OK...I'm not sure why I waited to so long to share about these writing videos, because I'm kind of nuts about them! They're short videos that kids can watch. Each video prompts them to write creatively. I actually made them with my two sons, so they are definitely kid-approved. There are several videos, but you might want to start with this one about personification. (Find it on YouTube HERE.)

Here's one last idea. Get kids completing a mini-research project with this hands-on resource. Kids can research a person, place, animal, or event. Then, they turn their research into a 3-D frame with their learning tucked inside. Everything kids need to be successful is inside. Check it out HERE.

---------------------------------------

I hope you're found an idea...or two...or ten...that you can use to help support remote learning. We're all in this together, so please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you or your kids. Feel free to email me at marybeth@brainwavesinstruction.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth