Resources to Support Learning During COVID-19

The Iowa Department of Education is collaborating with the following agencies and organizations to provide access to educational enrichment options for students, parents and educators during the temporary disruption of classroom learning due to COVID-19:

• Iowa's Area Education Agencies
• Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council
• Iowa PBS
• Iowa Reading Research Center

The linked resources are intended for use by families, educators, and/or students to support enrichment and/or continuity of learning during the COVID-19 outbreak. These resources may or may not be aligned to a student's specific coursework. Most were created and made available through sources other than the Department. The Department does not endorse any specific curriculum or resources.

Many of the resources have been added to respond to the need caused by COVID-19 and have not been through a full approval or review process. The Department may remove a resource.

General

• ACT
• Advanced Placement and SAT - College Board
• IowaCore.gov - Website supporting Iowa's academic standards.
• Iowa Core Parent Guides
• Learning In The Time Of COVID-19 by Learning Policy Institute President Linda Darling-Hammond

Multiple Subjects

• BrainPop
• BrainPop Jr.
• Discovery Education
• Khan Academy
• Newsela
• PBS Learning Media
• Scholastic
• TED Talks for Kids
• Smithsonian Magazine
  • Education During the Coronavirus Crisis
  • Eight Digital Education Resources from the Smithsonian
• TNTP Literacy and Mathematics
• Wide Open School

Internet Connectivity

• A Complete Guide To Internet Service During the Coronavirus Pandemic - BroadbandNow

Learning about Pandemics

• Coronavirus: Protect Yourself and Stand Against Racism - Facing History and Ourselves
• COVID-19 Module - World History Digital Education
• How to Talk to your Kids About Coronavirus - PBS
• Misinformation, Data Literacy and the Novel Coronavirus - KQED
• Resources for Navigating Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - National Council for Social Studies
• The ultimate kids' guide to the new coronavirus - Live Science
• Visualizing the History of Pandemics - Visual Capitalist

Virtual Field Trips

• 20 Virtual Field Trips to Take with Your Kids - Adventures in Familyhood
• 25 Amazing Virtual Field Trips for Kids - Spring 2020 - We Are Teachers
• Farm Food 360° - Farm and Food Care Ontario
• Great Wall of China - The China Guide
• Here's 33 National Park Tours You Can Take Virtually From the Comfort of Your Home - Totally the Bomb
• Louvre Museum Online Tours
• Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video) - Travel+Leisure
• VirtualFieldTrips.org

Before and Afterschool Programs

Enrichment activities that continue learning from before and afterschool programs.

• BOKS At Home - Resources for physical activity
• HippoCampus.org
• Just for Kids - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NASA Kids' Club
• Sight Words Games - Sightwords.com
• STEM Videos - MIT
• Vocabulary Games - PBS Kids

Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health

• Caring for Children: Tips to keep children healthy while school's out - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• COVID-19 DHS Resources - Iowa Department of Human Services
• Leveraging the Power of Social Emotional Learning - CASEL
• Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak - World Health Organization
• Preventing Suicide: Guidelines for Administrators and Crisis Teams - National Association of School Psychologists
• Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents and Educators - National Association of School Psychologists
• Resources for Supporting Children’s Emotional Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic - Child Trends
• Safeguarding Student Mental Health - American Psychological Association
• School Mental Health - Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
• SEL Resources During COVID-19 - CASEL
• Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health: Setting Routines for Your Family During COVID-19
• Social-Emotional Support - National Association for Gifted Children
• Stress and Coping - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - CDC
• Stress, Resilience, and the Role of Science: Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)
  • Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
    • Cómo lidiar con el estrés durante un brote de una enfermedad contagiosa
  • Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
    • Cómo cuidar de su salud conductual: Consejos para lidiar con medidas de precaución durante un brote de una enfermedad contagiosa: distanciamiento social, cuarentena y aislamiento
  • Talking With Children: Tips for caregivers, parents, and teachers during infectious disease outbreaks
    • Consejos sobre cómo hablar con los niños: Consejos para los cuidadores, padres y maestros durante un brote de una enfermedad contagiosa
• A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus - Teaching Tolerance
• Trauma-Informed School Strategies During COVID-19 - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Character Education

• A Family’s Guide to Teaching Good Character - Guides for for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. - The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center 
• Lesson Plans - Includes a search function by grade level and topical focus. - The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center

By Subject

21st Century Skills
 

Career and Technical Education (CTE)
 

Computer Science
 

Fine Arts
 

Literacy
 

Mathematics
 

P.E. and Health
 

Science
 

Social Studies
 

World Languages
 

By Learner Characteristic

Early Learners
 

English Learners
 

Gifted Learners
 

• Great Books Foundation

• Learning Language Every Day: Activities for Families - Wisconsin Center for Education Research

  • Spanish - Aprendiendo lenguaje todos los días: Actividades para familias
• Resources for Educators and Parents During COVID-19 - National Association for Gifted Children

Learners with Special Needs