Scheduling Virtual Learning

At-home learning requires increased independence for students. With no bells signaling the beginning or end of class and no teacher leading the class for each subject, students must follow a virtual schedule. Within these schedules, students are responsible for accessing the appropriate links to class sessions and work activities. In addition, students often must populate usernames and passwords—most of which are unique for each different site or task.

With this expectation of independence, it is imperative that teachers provide both daily agendas and individual subject outlines that are clear enough for students and families to follow. This tip sheet and example schedules were developed by Kerry Hayes Trotta, Etmi Lopes Martins, Kendra Haggerty, Maryann Reilly, Michelle Silvia, and Amy Burns, educators and administrators at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. The Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School is one of twenty-two elementary schools in Providence Public Schools, the largest urban school district in Rhode Island. Kennedy Elementary has an enrollment of 502 students – 18% have IEPs, 30% are multilingual, and 26% are chronically absent. Kennedy Elementary’s distance learning approach provides student engagement and support through clear, consistent communication and professional learning tools and systems.

Scheduling Virtual Learning Tip Sheet

Example Kindergarten Agenda

Example Second Grade Agenda

Example Distance Learning Small-Group Reading Outline

Example Distance Learning Small-Group Math Outline

These lessons were developed as part of a National Center on Intensive Intervention Community of Practice with educators focused on implementing intervention virtually during Spring 2020 in response to COVID-19. Participating educators represented Colorado, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. These activities were developed by practitioners and are intended to showcase example strategies that educators have used to deliver intervention in a virtual environment during the pandemic. Please note that NCII does not endorse specific intervention programs. As such, any programs noted in these documents are used for illustrative purposes only, or as potential resources for source materials (e.g., sample text, graphic organizers).