Soft Technology

Viral crazes, you either love them or hate them. As a teacher, it is probably the latter. There is nothing worse than trying to explain the past progressive tense and spying a pupil trying to perfect the latest dance craze.   We've had everything - dabbing, bottle flipping, even the Harlem Shake... remember that? The latest seems to be the Floss Dance. My pupils have been doing it so much they seem to have forgotten how to walk, they just floss everywhere. Dentists up and down the country must have been buzzing when they heard there was a floss craze. "FINALLY, people are taking our recommendations seriously" I could hear them cry. Imagine their surprise when they realised it turns out to be an awkward, Dad dancing move. The look on their faces! In the past, with some of the crazes, I have used them to great effect when it comes to writing in class. I truly believe children will do their best writing when they are writing about something they are truly engaged with. One o...

Over the weekend, I finally managed to watch the film - The Greatest Showman. One of the songs stood out to me and straight away I thought, this is a must for the classroom. If you have followed my blog, you know I am a fan of using music for reading comprehension and you can read some of my other posts here . The film tells the story of PT Barnum and his circus. "This Is Me" is a fight song for people who are not accepted by society. It is sung by Lettie Lutz after she and the rest of the circus troupe are barred by Barnum from an after party following Jenny Lind's performance. The bearded lady refuses to be cut down by the fact that the showman is embarrassed by them. According to the song's writer, "It was really inspired by the group of oddities in the film, and what they came to represent and what [director] Michael [Gracey] talked about them representing," Pasek told Billboard. "People who had lived in the shadows their whole lives and for the fir...

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Check out this great FREE app from Greg Tang, author of The Grapes of Math . Ten Frame Mania is the latest Greg Tang Math game! Play it to learn and exercise your number sense. It helps you understand the cardinality of numbers, how to play with them, and how the different numbers work together. It’s concept is so simple, yet addictive and fun!

Using Classkick for Instant Feedback June 18th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Let's TACO 'Bout PicCollage June 18th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Seesaw Activities, Folders & Skills (for intermediate to advanced users) June 19th 8:30-11:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE Seesaw Basics (for beginners to Seesaw) June 19th 12:30-3:30 Lincoln Center, room 308 REGISTER HERE All of these courses are worth 3 OPI renewal units. Don't forget, if you are planning to use any of these courses for step up, you'll need to complete the step up request form online at bit.ly/BillingsPD . Nikki Vradenburg, Teacher Liaison for PBS Montana, also put together a great list of summer PD opportunities in Montana and surrounding areas. CLICK HERE to view her list!

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I've been creating some Easter-themed activities for Classkick . Click on the images below to grab a copy that you can use as-is, or edit and adapt to your own classroom needs. Remember to check the Classkick YouTube channel for quick, helpful tutorials, or email me if you have any questions.