The Health Education and Physical Education programs at the Maine Department of Education have compiled a collection of resources from national partners and Maine educators to share with the field to support teachers, parents and students with continuity of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. These resources will be valuable and useful for many years to come. There are a plethora of links to resources on the following web page, Continuity of Learning Resources for Physical Education.
Curricular Resources for Continuity of Learning for HE & PE, is a Google Folder of resources that can be used to support the creation of asynchronous learning experiences for students at various grade levels.
DOE Continuity of Learning webpage, offers additional resources to support teaching and learning.
Learn with MOOSE - PK-12 Integrated, Project-Based Modules
Encourage students to establish regular times to engage in lessons, to be physically active, eat well and take care of themselves. Check back often for new information.
Learning Experiences
- Explore Maine trails and nature
- Family outings to Maine State Parks, camping, playgrounds
- Participate in outdoor summer activities such as canoeing, swimming, ballgames, yard games, hiking, biking, etc.
- Participate in age-appropriate local recreation programs
- Attend school or local recreation or child care facility camps
- Practice skills for a variety of physical fitness activities, individual or team sports, and/or hobbies
For Teachers
- Take care of yourself!
- Be creative -- with these extraordinary times comes greater latitude
- Focus on what works best for YOUR students based on age, content, and technology access.
- Create asynchronous learning experiences.
- Be empathetic and flexible to the circumstances.
- Less is more for quantity of assignments and instruction.
- Offer a variety of options and experiences to allow for personalization of the learning.
- Give explicit instructions and time expectations.
- Specify expectations for students and parents.
- Communicate consistently and constantly.
- Schedule online “office hours” if feasible.
- Encourage collaboration among your students digitally/virtually.
- Connect with other educators and the DOE for support digitally/virtually.
- Become familiar with the technology and tools needed to participate in the work and stick with them.
- Consider simplicity and varied learning style.
- Maintain relationships
For Parents
- Breathe!
- First take care of yourself and your family!
- Relax! You are not the teacher and it is okay to not know the content. You are not expected to teach new content.
- Recognize that distance learning can never replace classroom experiences
- Time for exploration and play is an important component of learning for early elementary students.
- Check your email & communicate.
- Informal learning can be quite valuable, however
- Help your child plan each day and schedule breaks.
- Create a health and fitness journal, this can be integrated with other content areas. Keep a running log of activities, topics explored, significant events
- Relationships are vital, but need to be kept at a distance
- Check your email & communicate.
- Help your child plan each day and schedule breaks.
- Create a distraction free place for your child to work/study.
- Become familiar with the technology and tools needed for your child to participate in the work.
- Collaborate and check in with your child(ren)'s teacher(s) digitally/virtually.
- Collaborate and check in with other parents digitally/virtually.
- Involve others – you may not be able to go see grandparents, but you can set regular times to call or video chat. Have some topics prepared to propel the conversation and make it a learning situation as well as a social engagement
For Students
- Take care of yourself!
- Check your email & communicate.
- Plan your time each day and schedule breaks.
- Have a distraction free place to work/study.
- Focus on learning styles that work best for you.
- Become familiar with the technology and tools needed to participate in the work.
- Focus on learning styles that work best for you.
- Encourage families (if health and weather allow) to get outside and be active and provide opportunities for both structured and unstructured play. Have them take and share photos of their activities together.
- Provide ideas for hands-on projects or games that families can engage together.
- Consider sharing games or equipment students can borrow and return when they re-enter school or they may keep.
- Offer activities related to relaxation and mindfulness strategies...these days can be very overwhelming and uncertain for young children and their caregivers.
- Above all else…express the importance of talking with the children and interacting with them throughout the day.
- Think about providing choice boards that encourage families to make decisions and vary activities.
- Conversation and play are still important parts of learning – maintain meaningful interactions.
- Collaborate with others.
Contact
Jean Zimmerman
Health Education & Physical Education Specialist
207-215-6841
jean.zimmerman@maine.gov