Home Learning

Now that my child’s school is closed, does MLC have suggestions for continued learning at home?

First, we suggest you touch base with your child’s teacher to see if they have ideas or plans. You may also want to visit our Math at Home grade-level pages , which feature an Activity of the Day, family games, and online games. (3/22/20)

My child’s teacher sent home some Bridges in Mathematics student book pages. Can I have access to an answer key or purchase a teacher’s edition?

We recommend you contact your child’s teacher, as they are the best source of information for assignments that are sent home. Our Bridges in Mathematics Second Edition materials are available only to educators who teach in schools or districts that have adopted the curriculum. (3/18/20)

Can students have access to materials on the Bridges Educator Site (BES), such as Work Places, student workbooks, and Digital Display Materials (DDMs)?

We aren’t able to provide direct online access to materials on the Bridges Educator Site, in part because it could potentially create compliance issues with student privacy. We have, however, provided resources for educators on the BES (login required). Additionally, the Math at Home activities and resources do not require a login or registration  —  they're free and available to everyone. (3/22/20)

For which grades and units will module-level packets be posted on the Bridges Educator Site?

• Packets for Units 4, 5, 6, and 7 of all grades K–5 have been posted on the Home Learning page of the Bridges Educator Site (login required).
• Units 1, 2, and 3 will not be posted for any grades; if materials are needed for student review, please refer to the Practice Pages on each grade-level Math at Home page.
• In addition, Unit 8 has been posted for K, but Unit 8 will not be posted for grades 1–5, because those units involve STEM projects that will not work well in non-classroom environments.
• For Pre-K, the Activity of the Day, math games, and downloadable storybooks are available on the publicly accessible Math at Home site. (3/31/20)

Can Bridges in Mathematics Second Edition material be posted within a learning management system (LMS) such as Canvas or Google Classroom?

With any LMS, we assume the materials are password protected (i.e., students and families need to log in for access). Within this context, MLC does not object to posting Bridges materials. In fact, we even allow transmission of materials to families via email if a district does not have a mechanism for securely distributing materials otherwise. We consider it equivalent to sending physical materials home with the student in their backpack or folder. (3/18/20)

Can I share Bridges materials on social media for students and families to access?

You can share downloaded PDFs of student materials with the students and families you support. However, it needs to be through email or a secured site like Google Classroom. We do not allow educators to share Bridges Second Edition materials through unsecured social media or other sites accessible to the general public. On the other hand, all resources on the Math at Home section of our site may be shared via social media. (3/23/20)

Will the Home Learning Resources be available in Spanish?

The module-level packets available within the Bridges Educator Site (login required) and the Practice Pages from the Math at Home section of the MLC website are available in both English and Spanish. We are still evaluating our plans for Spanish translation of other newly created materials. (3/30/20)

Will MLC be releasing instructional plans that will be available online for districts and schools?

It’s important to acknowledge that Bridges in Mathematics was not designed for remote implementation. We have, however, provided guidance and resources through the Bridges Educator Site to assist teachers during school closures. (3/22/20)

Is The Math Learning Center working on student-facing lessons in the form of written instruction for students who do not have internet access at home?

The module-level packets available within the Bridges Educator Site (login required) can be used as written instruction for all students regardless of internet access. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to replicate the Bridges classroom experience so we will not be attempting to directly replace the curriculum. Instead, to complement the packets, we’ve developed new activities on the Math at Home site as options for home learning. These materials will be archived and may also be printed and sent home. (3/30/20)

Are you going to provide daily video lessons online for Bridges classrooms?

At this time, we do not have plans to provide video lessons as a replacement for Bridges classroom instruction, as we know that it would be difficult to replicate the engagement and student discourse in a remote context. We are, however, providing a variety of resources to support daily work with students. Please see the resources we’ve made available on the Home Learning section of the Bridges Educator Site. (3/23/20)

Will Math Learning Center provide virtual assessments, or can you recommend any third-party assessments that would work well with the Bridges curriculum?

The Math Learning Center is not planning to create virtual assessments for the current school closures. At this time, we do not have any recommendations for third-party assessments. If you wish to use the assessments that appear within the Bridges curriculum, you can download them from the Curriculum tab of the Bridges Educator Site , print, copy, and send them home for students. Responses could then be entered through a school learning management system. (3/30/20)

If and when we go back to school this year, do you have any suggestions on how to proceed with Bridges? More generally, how can teachers prioritize what areas of the curriculum to emphasize?

There are many variables to consider in addressing this question, including how long students were out of class, what progress was made during the time away, how much remains of the school year, and whether plans (such as summer school) exist to mitigate the impact.

When students do return, we recommend against teaching only some parts of a lesson to save time. Bridges sessions are intentionally designed, and skipping any portion may disrupt that coherence. In general, we recommend that you focus on the major work of each grade as defined by the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Teachers can also refer to the Achieve the Core focus document or their district’s prioritized standards to determine what is most important. Possibly useful are two taped webinars from MLC that address the issues of pacing and prioritizing that might be helpful:

• Successfully Pacing a Bridges Session
• Bridges Implementation Pacing (4/3/20)

What are the options for workshops that can’t be done in person right now?

The first option is to reschedule for later in the year and assume that by the new date MLC will be able to resume face-to-face workshops. Alternatively, MLC is developing remote training options and will provide updates as they become available. Please contact your regional coordinator to help decide what’s best for your circumstances. (3/18/20)

What is the status of the April facilitator and intervention workshops in Washington and Wisconsin?

All sessions are canceled and will be rescheduled for later in the year. Registered participants may opt for a refund or request to roll over their registration to the future dates, which will be determined as soon as feasible. (3/19/20)

What is the status of the July institutes in Denver and Chicago?

At this time we have not determined that these events need to be canceled. However, we are monitoring the evolving recommendations of health care professionals as well as state and local officials. Should the status of these events change, we will immediately update those affected. (3/19/20)