Weekly Tech-y News

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Book Review Vlogs

As I recently discussed in a previous blog post (click here to read) I really think, when used effectively, technology can enhance and support a student's love of reading.In most classrooms, once a child finishes a book they will be asked to then fill out a book review...

The Power of Reading!

As much as I love technology, I will always talk about the importance of reading on my CPD sessions. It really annoys me when people like to blame technology as a reason why children don't read as much. We like to blame technology for a number of things but for me, it comes...

Deconstructing The New John Lewis Christmas Advert

It is that time of year!!We've been waiting all year in anticipation for the new John Lewis Christmas Advert and I love this year's effort.I know not everyone is a fan. Personally, I think it is more about people possibly not liking Elton John but the message of the...

5 Things Every Teacher Should Try In The New School Year!

As many of us are gearing up for the start of another academic year, I thought I would share some useful ideas and resources that will have you hitting the ground running in September. You can watch the video here:Links to the ideas mentioned:Taking Teaching Back Blackfish Project Designing websites Music for Comprehension ReadWritePerform....

Reading Comprehension through World Cup Songs

So the World Cup is here! I'm sure many of your pupils are excited and can't wait to see their footballing idols in action.A great resources to link to the World Cup, which helps raise standards in English but also embeds key digital literacy skills is the Read Write Perform...

Bringing Picture Books to Life!

Ever since John Murray (@ReadingExplorer) visited our school around 5 years ago, our school's approach to reading has changed massively. One aspect of the training which has really engaged our teachers and students was the use of picture books as a stimulus in English....

Removing Barriers in Reading Comprehension by improving Oral Speaking

Recently, I was asked to write an article for Teach Primary magazine alongside John Murray (@ReadingExplorer.) The topic was to explain the pedagogy behind the Read Write Perform approach. You can read the article here:A big focus with Read Write Perform is to get...

An Empowering song for Comprehension

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...

Seeing AI - An App That Narrates the World!

One of my favourite new discoveries at BETT was the app Seeing AI. My good friend, Julian Woods (@Ideas_Factory) shared this with me and I am really impressed by how accuarate and quick it is.The app is described as a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed...

Another Song to Develop Comprehension in Class

I have blogged about the power of music in the classroom and have previously shared a number of songs which can be used in the classroom, especially for reading comprehension. You can read them here. The song currently at Number 1 in the charts - These Days by Rudimental feat. Macklemore, Jess Glyne and Dan Caplen - is another great song which can be used in class. Here is a link to the music...

Morning Settlers with Thunks!

I absolutely love Ian Gilbert's Thunks. This book "The Compleat Thunks Book" is described as 'A collection of classic Thunks from a number of his books, as well as hundreds of new ones, all designed to make your brain hurt as you think, question, debate and argue your way...

Another song for Comprehension with links to Growth Mindset

I love using music in class for a number of reasons: remembering facts, teaching narrative structure and improving comprehension.  Another song that I came across recently is Grace by Rag'n'Bone Man. The message of the song is powerful and lends itself well to...