BEST

PRACTICES
FOR
TEACHING
ONLINE
COMPILED BY LAUREL SPRINGS SCHOOL FACULTY | MARCH 2020
A LETTER TO TEACHERS FROM THE
HEAD OF LAUREL SPRINGS
March 2020
Dear Teachers,

As I sit here scrolling through social media and watching the news, all I can do is think of you. Teaching
and learning with students is your calling—you have chosen the most noble profession. You love watching
the magic of learning, and your heart breaks when your students are dealing with an issue at home. How
do I know this? I taught within the walls of a school building for 20 years of my career.

As you try to work in this “new normal” for now, I am in awe that you can juggle kids at home while teaching
your own students in a completely different way. You are trying new things, and I want you to know that
the world surely admires your valiant efforts. Through this scary time, you are helping to bring normalcy
to your students’ world. Even though you cannot possibly fit in 7 hours of instruction, the call, the text, the
video, the email has made a difference for that child.

I have been feeling a bit guilty because nothing has changed for me. As Head of School of Laurel Springs
School, an online private school, learning hasn’t changed. Our students live in all 50 states and over 90
countries, and they have not felt the disruption in learning that COVID-19 has posed for most of the world.
My teachers are still teaching the way that they always have. Online schooling is what we have been doing
for almost 30 years. Laurel Springs School was established in 1991, with its first online class in 1994. Can
you imagine doing what you are doing now during the dial-up days?

As I was reflecting on the magnitude of what is happening in K-12 education, I wanted to figure out a way
to help the teaching community. It dawned on me that Laurel Springs has just over 150 teachers and
almost 30 years of distance learning experience as a school. So, I asked our expert teaching faculty—what
are your best practices for teaching online? I was overwhelmed by the responses and goodwill from my
team. I am excited to share with you a guide to help with working remotely, communicating with students
and families, and the best tips and resources for lower, middle, and upper school.

I hope that you find this information useful and share it with your colleagues. Feel free to pass it on
and share—we are all in this together. As a parent, teacher, and leader, I appreciate you and all of the
wonderfully creative things you are doing to do what you do best: TEACHING.

Please feel free to contact me for any additional support!

Warmest regards,

Megan O’Reilly Palevich, M.Ed.

Head of School
Laurel Springs School
[email protected]

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
A LETTER TO TEACHERS FROM THE HEAD OF LAUREL SPRINGS 2

GENERAL REMOTE WORK TIPS 4

 Designate a Work Area 4
 Set Boundaries to Prevent Getting Overwhelmed or Burned Out 4
 Create a Schedule 4

GENERAL WAYS OF COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS AND

FAMILIES 5
 Set Up Professional Channels and Expectations 5
 Create a Personal Connection with Students and Families 6
 Maintain Regular Communication 6
 Secure and Streamline Systems 7

K-5 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES 8

 Tips and Suggestions 8
 Resources for K-5 10

6-8 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES 11

 Tips and Suggestions 11
 Resources for 6-8 12

9-12 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES 13

 Get Inspired 13
 EdTech Tools to Try 13
 Resources for Teaching About Pandemics 14
 Subject-Specific Resources 14
 Feedback in an Exclusively Digital Environment 14

SCHOOL COUNSELING TIPS AND RESOURCES 15

 Tips and Suggestions 15

3
 GENERAL REMOTE WORK TIPS
DESIGNATE A WORK AREA
 As much as possible, find an area in your home with good lighting, comfortable
seating, strong internet connection, and as few distractions as possible.

SET BOUNDARIES TO PREVENT GETTING OVERWHELMED OR

BURNED OUT
 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look up from your screen at something that is
20 feet away for 20 seconds.
 Every 30 minutes, take a stretch by your workstation.
 Every 60 minutes, walk around, get water, and take a longer mental break. Your
eyes need to be away from a screen for a few moments.
 Eat meals away from the computer and workspace if possible.

CREATE A SCHEDULE
 Plan your day, but allow for adjustments. For example, each day, you will want
to check your email and respond, look for items to grade or provide feedback,
and plan for the lessons for the day/week.
 Keep your morning routine for getting ready for work. Set an alarm. Put on work
clothes, etc.
 Communicate expectations with your spouse/family while you work.
 Designate times that you can be available Monday–Friday for parents and
students to be able to hop in and ask questions about assignments. Zoom and
Google Hangouts are great free tools for this!

20-20-20 Rule
Every 20 minutes, look up from
your screen at something that
is 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

4
 GENERAL WAYS OF
COMMUNICATING WITH
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
SET UP PROFESSIONAL CHANNELS AND EXPECTATIONS
 Before embarking on any virtual education endeavor, take the time to "scrub"
your social media presence through sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
It's easy to forget how savvy our kids are. They can find posts, status updates,
and those old college photos using loophole methods that we might not even
know. The separation between personal communication and "official" channels
is definitely a good idea.
 Create a separate phone number (Google Voice) for professional interactions.
 Be open to various forms of communication: Zoom, Google Meet/Hangouts,
phone, text, and email. However, you must be clear about when you are available
for office hours and set appropriate boundaries. For example, create “do not
disturb” parameters in overnight hours.
 Create a schedule choosing specific times to respond to emails or messages
at regular intervals during a day (for example 9am and 3pm), so you can focus
on other tasks without feeling the need to answer every email immediately.
Respond to messages within a 24-hour period.
 Don't assume families know how to use email, chat, Skype, Voice, or other
online tools, and clearly outline your expectations. Cover the following topics
with students and parents, using video to explain whenever possible:
 Office hours, as well as how to connect with you during those times.
 Your policy about technical difficulties and any tech tips you have.
 How to submit assignments (drop boxes).
 How to use Google Docs (or other
software).
 How to find their grades in the
grade book or how they will receive
and track feedback and scores on
their work. Do not show specific
students or their grades in your
demonstration.

5
 GENERAL WAYS OF
COMMUNICATING WITH
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
CREATE A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
 Try to make an initial contact via phone call or virtual office meeting to establish
a human connection.
 Create a Google site (or other free resource) for a weekly newsletter. It’s super
simple to create and update. Then, you can send the same link every week, and
families have access to it as you make updates.
 Host a meeting in a virtual space (Google Meet). It’s a fun way for the student or
family to see how you work and to offer suggestions for how to get organized
when doing school from home.
 Maintain a positive attitude and try to understand the families’ situations.
 Don't forget to send emails with praise before you ever have to send ones
regarding class issues. Do not send only pace or concern emails—you can
develop better rapport with families if communications begin positively.
 Make videos and share them with students. Videos allow students to pause,
rewind, and replay as much as they need. Screencast O'Matic and Screencastify
are great free resources to make simple videos. You can essentially move
through a PowerPoint presentation while the app records your screen and your
verbal explanations.
 Think of sending fun tips for the students to stay active and learning, even during
social distancing. They also love to see photos of your real life, too! Share how
you are staying entertained during quarantine. Ask for them to send photos back,
also!
 If you have a virtual classroom, set time aside for "Lunch with your teacher!"
Younger kids love this, and it motivates them to connect with you and peers.

MAINTAIN REGULAR COMMUNICATION

 Create a Google doc or spreadsheet with all your students’ information. Make
a column listing the last time you spoke/communicated. This is great to see who
needs a check-in at a glance.
 Document, document, document. The more you stay on top of your “log” or
notes, the more you will have to jog your memory for future conversations.
 Families love to hear from you. Schedule times that you will reach out to families
both as a group and as individual students. They want to hear progress updates,
tips for how to work through assignments, and additional sites they can use for
practice.
5
6
 GENERAL WAYS OF
COMMUNICATING WITH
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
SECURE AND STREAMLINE SYSTEMS
 Do not leave messages on answering machines or text specific information to
parents, guardians, or students that contain personal information, such as grades.
It is so easy to forget this! Instead, ask them to call you back so you can discuss
the grade if they have a question after looking at the online grade book.
 Use the Bcc function to send emails to multiple students or families at once
without compromising their personal information.
 Create templates for written communication so you do not have to recreate
similar communications again and again. Personalize them with short phrases
about the student.
 Clear directions are vital when communicating remotely. If you can present an
example of how you would like something done via video or document, that's
the best—remember they can't just raise a hand and ask a question. Use rubrics
with measurable outcomes (how many examples you'd like to see, for instance).
 Remind 101 is a good resource for sending bulk, secure, text messages to
students and families.
 Use Google Calendar to help students keep track for online work or synchronous
meetings. You can go into Google Calendar and create a calendar for each of
your subjects or classes, colorize it, and then share it with your students. They
will get an invite and be able to see the calendar.
 In the calendar event descriptions, you can link to documents in your shared
drive, videos, or online Google forms.

Fun Ways to Keep Students Engaged

Think of sending fun tips for the students to stay active and
learning, even during social distancing. They also love to see
photos of your real life, too! Share how you are staying entertained
during quarantine. Ask for them to send photos back, also!

7
K-5 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
 Be patient with yourself, your students, and parents! This may be a very new
experience for everyone involved, so give yourself grace to adjust the amount
of work you provide.
 Remember that parents may be working full-time. Completing homework may
be difficult with this age group, so you may have varied levels of commitment
to academics.
 When teaching online, don't be afraid to show your face. Your students want to
see you!
 Be engaging with bitmoji's (Kids LOVE these), videos, and very few words on the
page. Know what you're going to say because if you just read a PowerPoint, they
lose interest QUICK!
 Use https://safeyoutube.net for all internet video content to delete ads and
other unwanted video advertising.
 Use www.vocaroo.com for voice recordings that you can send to all your
students with general or personal feedback. Then they can hear corrections,
which may be easier than reading them in an email.

8
K-5 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
 Provide resources. Don’t over assign—when planning, consider what you
would accomplish during the designated time on a regular day. Then, provide
supplemental items for families that prefer to add more to fill their day. The
fastest way to overwhelm students and families is to overassign early.
 Be flexible. This is new for them, too!
 Share feedback, tips, and tricks with them.
 Encourage the student/family to create a daily schedule. Consider sharing
your own schedule with them, or think about what your day would be like if you
were still face to face, Help guide them in planning their day.
 Allow them to take breaks. Encourage “recess and PE” times—consider leading
them in some fun exercises using a web-cam resource like Zoom or Google
Hangouts!
 Give clear instructions for new online learning resources.
 Have fun while learning and teaching! :)

Be Patient!
This may be a very new
experience for everyone involved,
so give yourself grace to adjust the
amount of work you provide.

9
K-5 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
MULTI-SUBJECT SCIENCE

 Freerice  Sheppard Software

 Twinkl
 Ck-12 GENERAL
 Seesaw
 BrainPop JR and BrainPopa  Nearpod
 Kahoot
MATH  Educational Shows on Netflix
 Museum Tours
 Prodigy  Virtual Field Trips
 Khan Academy Kids  Amazing Educational Resources

READING

 Read Aloud Revival

 Book Creator
 Classroom Magazines - Scholastic
 Actors read books to kids

10
6-8 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
 Organize synchronous group check-ins or virtual meet-up sessions using Google
Hangouts, Skype, or Whats App.
 Set up weekly individual appointments when possible for student check-ins and
ask questions.
 Think about providing online "social hours" for students to drop in and chat
with friends and instructors for no other purpose than to connect.
 Support your students in creating a schedule for much-needed structure.
 Also support them in scheduling in movement time—indoor or outdoor!
 Create book lists that support the coursework and general book suggestions.
 Share links to free sites that offer classic literature options online, such as
Gutenberg or The Read Aloud Revival.
 Send out Google forms to gather information about student needs, but also fun
or silly topics to keep them entertained.
 If on camera, make sure you are backing up to a wall. Decorate that wall as if you
would your classroom—interesting and age-appropriate items.
 Give yourself a break, always!
 Schedule live meetings when your own children are napping, or whenever they
will be independently occupied for a set amount of time.

Get Connected
Organize synchronous group check-
ins or virtual meet-up sessions using
Google Hangouts, Skype, or
Whats App.

11
6-8 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
RESOURCES FOR 6-8
 Use www.vocaroo.com for voice recordings that you can send to all your
students with feedback personal or in general. Then they can hear corrections
which may be easier than reading them in an email. Students can also record
information and send it as homework as well.

GEOGRAPHY
EASY AT-HOME SCIENCE
 Interactive Maps
EXPERIMENTS FOR ANY AGE!
SOCIAL STUDIES
 Rainbow Walking Water Science Experiment
 Science Activity: Lemon Volcano
 Dogonews
 Scientific American: Make Your Own Lava
SCIENCE  Chemistry: Turn Milk Into Plastic
 Cool Science Experiment: Light Refraction
 Sheppard Software  Activity: Components of Blood
 EpicWin  Printable Life-Size Organs
 FlipGrid  Life-Size Printable Skeleton
 Make a Cartesian Diver

12
9-12 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
GET INSPIRED
 Borrow inspiration from your peers! Just as in brick-and-mortar classrooms, there
are amazingly innovative online teachers. Follow them on social media, bookmark
their blogs, and make their innovations your own.
 Try not to get overwhelmed with the vast array of online tools—try to master one
at time.
 Take the time to go through lessons from start to finish. It is very important to
know what we present and what we require of the students when assessing their
knowledge.
 If applicable, offer virtual field trips. Here are a few resources:
 The Geo Show offered by Learn Around the World—Currently offering free
shows with no registration required.
 Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants: Dozens of trips monthly with science,
history and exploration in mind.
 Smithsonian Learning Lab: You can create your own virtual field trip.

EDTECH TOOLS TO TRY

 Khan Academy. You can create a classroom, have you students sign in with a
code, and keep track of their progress!
 Google classroom. You can design assignments that students submit directly.
You can even design multiple-choice quizzes (they have a security option that
prevents students from clicking outside the browser page while the quiz is open).
They automatically grade when the students submit their work.
 Create a YouTube Channel. Use the unlisted privacy setting for security. This
means only people who have the URL can access the video!
 Flipgrid is great for recording video responses or demonstrations.
 Kahoot and EdPuzzle are helpful for reinforcing topics.
 Padlet can help organize thoughts and structure group work.
 Actively Learn is a way to take an article and incorporate text responses.
 Pear Deck can make your PowerPoints much more engaging for the students.
 Adobe Spark helps you create videos, lectures, and newsletters that are fun to
watch or read.
 Video Maker https://lumen5.com/
 Time management can become an issue for students. Giving them a schedule is
helpful. Here are helpful apps:
 https://www.rememberthemilk.com/
 http://www.rexbox.co.uk/epicwin/

13
9-12 TEACHING TIPS AND RESOURCES
RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ABOUT PANDEMICS—KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER!
 Pandemic Lesson Plan
 Pandemics: How Viruses Are Spread
 Epidemiology: Solve the Outbreak Give Authentic Feedback
 Best Instructional Videos on Pandemics
 Epidemics and Pandemics Help students understand errors they
have made in lower graded work, but
always be positive and offer them
SUBJECT-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
help, so they can learn from mistakes.
 Math
 Flipped Math
 Book resources
 The Read Aloud Revival. This resource has both a website and a weekly
podcast.
 Classic literature and other topics at Open Learn University
 TED Talks Central. While not every episode might be student-friendly, these are
an incredible resource for everything from writing to filmmaking to
entrepreneurship. Definitely worth a bookmark!
 The Armchair Historian. While these videos do deal with heady historical topics,
they're also extremely well-made, fun to watch. and informative. Be sure to vet
the content prior to sharing it accordingly, but it can be a huge enhancement for
lessons ranging from English to History and all points in between.

FEEDBACK IN AN EXCLUSIVELY DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

 Send out a Google form to students asking if they prefer communication via text
message or email. Ask if they are able to do their school work from home, and
be prepared to work around their limitations.
 It is more difficult to clarify questions online. When appropriate, allow students
to turn in rough drafts of their work. This way, they can see where they need to
improve and amend their work accordingly.
 After grading work, always leave authentic feedback. Help students understand
errors they have made in lower graded work, but always be positive and offer
them help, so they can learn from mistakes. Also, use peer-to-peer interaction
strategies, such as chat rooms or discussion boards. Students can learn a great
deal from each other in a well-developed online format.

14
 SCHOOL COUNSELING TIPS
AND RESOURCES
TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
 Copy parents on all email communications. To help with the lack of familiar,
face-to-face contact, create a professional Skype username and offer to meet
with students via Skype during school hours.
 Reach out to colleges and see if they are ok with you emailing official documents
for students or submitting in another online format, rather than snail mail.
 Offer reassurance, but do not make promises. If you do not know the outcome
or answer to something, be there for the student and let them know you will be
looking into their question/concern and will let them know when you will follow
up.
 Be sensitive to the fact that siblings will often share a computer/ device or not
have access until later in the day.
 Although it is more difficult to build rapport online, it is possible! Find time to
check in regularly, ask questions, share about yourself. Anything to help the
family feel your presence is great.
 Counseling/Social Resources
 15 Must-Have Picture Books for Teaching Social-Emotional Skills
 Slideshow/Presentation Resources
 List of 20 Free Tools for Teachers
 Use Screen Cast-o-matic to make short videos outlining how to do almost
anything. Many times a student will not do the work because he cannot find out
HOW to complete it. Make a video of how to find an assignment, how to navigate
your online presence, how to get to the gradebook, etc.
 Use Google Calendar to help students keep track for online work or synchronous
meetings. You can go into Google Calendar and create a calendar for each of
your subjects or classes, colorize it, and then share it with your students. They
will get an invite and be able to see the calendar.
 In the calendar event descriptions, you can link to documents in your shared
drive, videos, or online Google forms.
 Use an online scheduling software such as TimeTap, Calendly, SimplyBook or
SetMore to help students and families set up times to meet with you. Since they
aren’t able to see a line at your “virtual door”, this can help put students and their
families at ease in knowing that they will have a set time to meet with you one
on one, uninterrupted.

15
 PHONE
800-377-5890

EMAIL
[email protected]

WEBSITE
LAURELSPRINGS.COM

1615 WEST CHESTER PIKE, WEST CHESTER, PA 19382