KERA At-Home Learning For Spring 2020


You can find the most recent semester’s At-Home Learning toolkit here »
¿Necesitas recursos educativos en español? Ayude a los estudiantes a aprender en casa con estas actividades, libros, juegos, videos y más »


With school and family plans disrupted due to COVID-19, KERA is providing educational content and resources to help families care for children’s health and emotions.

These tools and materials have been specially curated for parents and caregivers with school-aged children at home, as well as for educators who are teaching remotely this summer.


Toolkit sections

Distance Teaching: Children learning at home. Get a collection of remote-teaching resources and advice.

Family Care: Learning good habits. Help children understand how to care for their health and emotions.

In the News: Staying updated on the virus with trustworthy news sources.

Child’s Play: Engaging and growing. Keeping young children entertained at home and ideas for talking to them about illness.


Distance Teaching

» A trove of teacher resources

Quick Picks

Want a few suggestions before diving into the full PBS LearningMedia repository? Our Education & Community Engagement teams recommend these lesson collections to start:

Early literacy & social/emotional learning
» Sesame Street
» Between the Lions

Social/emotional learning
» Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
» Arthur: All About Community

English language arts
» The Great American Read
» Shakespeare Uncovered

History/social studies
» Ken Burns in the Classroom
» Wide Angle: Window into Global History

Science
» NOVA
» Nature

Math
» Math at the Core
» Math + Arts

Also:
» PreK-12 resources for at-home learning

PBS LearningMedia is a huge collection of curated resources — videos, lesson plans, games, activities, documents and other materials — for all grades and core subject areas. Access is FREE and most items are aligned to the TEKS or Texas PK Guidelines.

Many LearningMedia resources are based on great PBS shows like NOVA, American Experience and Cyberchase, to name just a few. You can also find content in the organized in broad topic areas by clicking on “Subjects” in the bright blue bar at the top of the page. Examples include:

Earth and Space Science and Life Science
U.S. History and World History
K-8 Math and High School Algebra
ELA Writing and Literature

Learn how to use PBS LearningMedia like a pro! PBS has created a suite of short tutorials to help you search for content by grade level, language and subject area and then organize the materials to share with students. Tip: Start with the tutorial on creating an account, which will set you up to access Texas instructional standards and tools for creating and presenting lessons.

» Recursos en español

También hemos recopilado recursos de PBS para el aprendizaje en el hogar en español. Consíguelos en learn.kera.org/recursos-en-espanol.

(We have collected PBS resources for at-home learning in Spanish, too. Get them at learn.kera.org/recursos-en-espanol.)

» Printables

If you are looking for educational resources to download and print out, PBS LearningMedia offers some good ones.

▸ Packet of printable resources for Pre-K

▸ Packet of printable resources for grades 1-2

▸ Check out this instruction sheet (PDF) to learn how to search the repository for printables like a pro.

» Tips for teachers

Distance Learning Tips from One Teacher to Another – This post by a veteran teacher shares ideas for distance assignments for all grade levels. It appears on the Teachers’ Lounge blog from PBS Education.

Virus Information and Prevention – Need help introducing the topic of coronavirus to students? These resources for all grades explore the nature of viruses, how they are transmitted and the healthy habits we can all engage in to prevent their spread.


Family Care

An image with 5 steps to take to protect against COVID-19

Tap to download this printable reminder poster (PDF).


Help children understand how to care for their health and their emotions.

▸ Browse the KERA Emotional & Mental Health Resources toolkit, specially curated to help parents and caregivers explain worrisome events to children and teens. There are also guides for how to help kids de-stress and build resilience and empathy.

▸ Watch these Daniel Tiger hand-washing and germ-fighting videos.

Download and print this infographic showing five easy steps kids can take to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

▸ Check out Sesame Street‘s Caring for Each Other toolkit

More ways to care:

▸ Are you passionate about a cause and want to donate or volunteer? Use the KERA Helps tool in English or Spanish to connect to funds and organizations working to help North Texans in need. You can give help or get help.

▸ Encourage children to express their feelings through drawing or telling stories.

▸ Listen carefully to what children say. Help them acknowledge and name their feelings.

▸ Minimize their exposure to age-inappropriate media coverage.


In the News

Follow trustworthy news sources to stay on top of developments.

PBS Frontline — The “Covering Coronavirus” podcast series features several important angles of the pandemic, including the struggle to keep feeding children, the challenges for homeless people and a report on the rapid spread in Italy.

KERA News — Our roundup of coronavirus & COVID-19 coverage includes updates from the CDC, WHO and other health authorities, plus stories from around North Texas, the state and the country. For quick-hit updates, follow the newsroom’s COVID-19 live blog.

You can also sign up for KERA’s weekday COVID-19 newsletter. We’ll deliver a roundup of the latest developments to your inbox.

PBS NewsHour  — Watch a roundup of video coverage and read updates about the novel coronavirus, such as 4 Questions On Kids And Coronavirus, Answered By A Public Health Expert.

Coronavirus explainer video — This animated video from PBS NewsHour Extra explains how the virus works. It also includes discussion questions and links to resources in English and Spanish. For middle and high school students.


Child’s Play

Engage your child with enriching activities and conversation starters.

▸ In spring 2020, we offered monthly printable calendars with fun things to do at home each day, but the calendars are fresh any time. Tap on the most recent calendar to download:

Click/touch to download the most recent calendar of activities.

These tips for talking to pre-K through elementary-aged kids about the virus (and illness in general) from PBS Kids for Parents includes advice on healthy habits from such reassuring experts as Daniel Tiger, Curious George and Sesame Street.

Sign up for the new PBS KIDS Daily newsletter, a resource to help keep your kids playing and learning at home while school is closed. You’ll receive tips and activities in your inbox each weekday. Subscribe here.

Get help starting conversations with children about difficult events in the news with our emotional and mental health toolkit.

Guide children in their social and emotional development with these fun activities from Sesame Street.

Sign up for our Start Smart text messages to receive easy tips on engaging with young children.

Get fun, librarian-recommended book ideas for kids.

Learn about Parenting Minutes, which are really short, really helpful videos for parents about early childhood and raising kids.

Browse more resources on KERA Learn!, our one-stop tool for teachers, homeschool parents and other educators, and follow KERA Learn! on Pinterest.