Malden Public Schools
April Vacation Week Activities

Message to Malden Public Schools Families:
April 21-24 marks the official April vacation week, and although teachers might not be officially online, we understand that some families may be looking for activities to keep students engaged.   We have worked on providing a schedule of activities (below) to keep the learning going throughout the break. Teachers will not be collecting or grading this work, but please feel free to draw upon the activities and use them as they fit your family’s needs.  We look forward to officially welcoming you back on April 27th!

PreK and Up
Lesley University Learning Activities PreK-5
WGBH Distance Learning for Families
Check out the K-5 activities below as well.  Many can be adapted for preschoolers!

K-5 Activities

Monday, April 20

PATRIOTS’ DAY!

 Tues.,

April 21

 Wed., April 22

EARTH DAY!

 Thurs.,

April 23

 Friday, April 24
ELA TODAY is a HOLIDAY, but iXL and iReady are always ready for learning! Log in and keep that learning going! 

Read for 30-60 minutes.  Check out William Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Paul Revere’s Ride. 

ActiveHome_K-2

Today is Patriots’ Day! What is Patriots’ Day and why is it celebrated in Massachusetts?  Take some time to look it up and create a poster that explains Patriot’s Day to a family member unfamiliar with the holiday.

 iReady iReady iReady iReady
Math IXL

 

 IXL

 

 IXL

 

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Social Studies Virtual Field Trips Login Info  

Virtual Field Trip: Let’s learn about the government

 Virtual Field Trip:

The First Americans 

 Virtual Field Trip: 

The Geography of Our Communities

 Virtual Field Trip: 

Land and Water Around Us
Science IXL & Gizmos IXL & Gizmos

Today is Earth Day!

Check out National Geographic Kids to see how you can celebrate Earth Day and care for our world! National Geo. Kids

 IXL & Gizmos IXL & Gizmos
Health / Wellness ActiveHome: Grades 3-5 ActiveHome_MS ActiveHome_HS See Monday – Thursday for Grade Level ActiveHome Movement Activities.
Exploratory (art, music, computers, etc.) STEM /TEch Ed Challenge: How strong is a Piece of Paper? (K-4) Offline activity

STEM/TECH Ed Challenge: PBS Build Big (5-8) Offline Activity

 Check out WGBH’s wealth of resources.  Choose a grade span and watch dozens of interactive activities pop up!

WGBH Family Learning Activities

Check out other Earth Day activities in the section below!

 K-8: Computers

Typing.com (reinforce good keyboarding habits)

Online Activity

 Have a pet?  Or a photo of an animal you would love to have as a pet?  Take some time to study your pet (or the photo of your selected animal), then draw your pet using crayons, markers, or pencil.  Write a sentence about what makes your pet special. 

Don’t forget – WGBH has a wealth of fun, engaging resources organized by subject and grade level.  This site is easy to navigate – enjoy the exploration!  WGBH Distance Learning for Families

Still want more?  Check out the activities below – many of them can be adapted for younger learners!

Grades 6-12
Projects to Beat Boredom 

 

National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month and April 30th is “Poem in Your Pocket Day.”  
Check out poets.org for some cool suggestions on how to celebrate.
Search through the collection of poems (they are organized by theme, poet, and occasion) and pick one – or a few – that speak to you. Create a poster that includes the poem and an illustration. On the back of the poster, tell a little bit about why you chose that poem.  Or, consider writing your own poem about what you’re experiencing in the world right now.

 

Earth Day 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Earth Day is meant to be a day for the world to remember the importance of the earth and celebrate environmental protection. This year is particularly noteworthy as it is the 50th anniversary since the day was officially created in 1970. 
For information on the Earth Day, and activities for you to be involved, go to these sites:

 

Heroes All Around
Mr. Rogers is quoted as saying, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Take a few moments to watch the news.  Among all of the scary things in the news, can you see the helpers?  Who are they? Choose one of those helpers and write a letter to them – you might want to let them know how much you appreciate their work and why, or you might want to express how brave you think they are and why, or you might even just want to give them a few words of comfort and support.  Perhaps the “helper” is someone living with you – they could use a few kind words as well. If you know the helper you are writing to, you might consider sharing your words with them. If you don’t know the helper you are writing to, just know that expressing your gratitude on paper might help make you feel a little more positive about the world.

 

Kindness Challenge
Can you give a gift each day for a whole month?  It is tougher than it sounds! Consider doing a Kindness Challenge with your friends.  You need a piece of paper to log your activity. Next, here is what you need to do:

    1. Each day, think about what “gift” you would like to give.  Examples include: Making a phone call to a family member you haven’t seen in a while; giving a compliment to a sibling (or keeping quiet instead of giving an unkind word!); helping with a chore that you weren’t asked to do, etc.
    2. Once you think about the gift and do it, enter it onto your log.  Make note of the date and the “gift” for the day and start to think about possible gifts for the following day.
    3. If you miss a day, you have to go back and start all over again at Day 1!
    4. At the end of your month of giving, write about the following:
        1. How did it make you feel to give to others?
        2. What was your favorite gift to give and why?
        3. Did you notice a change in yourself over the month?  Explain.

(Adapted from 29gifts.org)

 

Explore the Ocean
Developed by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and more than 20 collaborating organizations, this unique, interactive online source of stories, videos, games, and amazingly beautiful images is devoted to ocean life, ecosystems, and ocean science. Click here to get started!

Google Ocean – As part of Google Earth, this ocean layer allows students to explore the depths of the ocean, view content from marine experts, discover surf and dive spots, and even check out 3-dimensional views of shipwrecks like the Titanic. Visit the Earth here!

 

PBS Build Big Challenges (Offline Activity)
Use materials found around your  home to build a Dome, Bridge, Skyscraper, or Dam.

 

Personal Finance/Post School planning (grades 9-12)
Payback: A financial simulator game that helps you plan how to pay back your student loan.

 

SimCompanies
Simulation game to experience what is is like to run a business

Live Science Class with Mark Rober (Youtube) Science level varies. Appropriate for grades 9-12, though grades 6-8 would enjoy.
Mark Rober is a former NASA engineer who now creates content on Youtube. Many know him for his over the top experiments/ engineer designs (like can you swim in jello?), but check out these live Science lessons  he started creating which feature challenges at the end of each video. Lessons last 20-30 minutes.

 

EL Resources/Activities
Login to Imagine Learning – Challenge yourself to 30 minutes a day!

ESL at Home tech free (8 weeks, translations available) https://eslathome.edublogs.org/?fbclid=IwAR31F-8IrTpKX4r7LpMV9slNARogfT4cCS0UGYA7kInFnG019S78vHNCb6c

 

Virtual Field Trips 
Login Information

 

Don’t forget – WGBH has a wealth of fun, engaging resources organized by subject and grade level.  This site is easy to navigate – enjoy the exploration!  
WGBH Distance Learning for Families