Supplemental Education available through MISD
It is common knowledge at this point that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has closed schools until May 4 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Students are learning from home and some parents are struggling to keep up with subjects that they themselves have not looked at since their schooling days.
Marlin ISD is committed to supporting students and parents alike through this difficult time. They themselves have been receiving unusual support from other school districts and are using the tools received to continue their educational conquests.
“We are sharing across the state in ways we never have before,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Jean Bahney.
Resources are currently pooled by small and large districts alike, which is not something that has been widely done in the past. In small districts like Marlin, there’s only one specialist per subject, which can sometimes limit the resources available to a school district. Because the larger districts have more reach, the pooling of resources has been incredibly beneficial to Marlin ISD.
Some of those resources, along with ones from the district, have recently been compiled into a list that is separated by level of schooling. There are supplemental activities that can be done with and without technology usage in order to reach every student where they are.
Elementary online resources send students along a fun path to learning, with educational games, videos, and interactive opportunities, like National Geographic- Kids or Go Noodle.
These provide students with an engaging opportunity to learn, while not feeling like they are sitting down in school all the time.
Older children are provided with age appropriate resources to help them understand their rigorous coursework. There are links to Discovery Education, Moby Max, and other similar online learning tools that are meant to develop conceptual understanding.
Resources like Khan Academy, which holds in-depth explanations and videos on a number of upper-level courses, can help parents to understand their children’s work as well, no matter what age group. There’s even resources for finding educational shows for students to watch on Netflix.
Additionally, the page provides resources for parents that have students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, or who need special services to assist in the learning process. Lexia for Home, a program by Family Literacy Centers, provides ways to help parents overcome obstacles at home. Understood.org is also an outstanding resource for parents to learn how to best support their child with their specific learning needs.
As for offline resources, there is a section on the bottom of the page that gives English/Language Arts/Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science supplements for parents to instruct their children on. These span the idea of reading for periods of time, building math skills, along with instilling the idea that parents’ interaction can help students further their own education.
All of the resources provided can be accessed either for free or through a school account, where available.
For the full list of resources, head to the Marlin ISD Website and click on “Remote Learning Resource Page” in the upper left corner.