January 26, 2026

The mood this week is KEEP THE SNOW DAY VIBES GOING! Chill and vibe with Snoopy this week as he reads and watches the snowfall.

PS- Apparently Snoopy moved out of his dog house at Charlie Brown's house and got his own place. Good for him.

Here's a direct link to this week's selection

Tony Vincent runs a website called Learning in Hand and sends newsletters with technology tools and strategies to try! His newsletter is worth a read!

The Padlet below is one of his cooler resources, as of late. There are over 100 digital brain break ideas. They're conveniently categorized.

Let's face it, this time of year, we could ALL use a few moments of reprieve throughout the day. Take a look at the Padlet below and find something that fits your style or the vibe you're trying to attain.

Consider using some of these simple retrieval practice ideas to make your lessons more engaging and improve comprehension.

Practicing retrieval strengthens memory!!

Two-Minute Brain Dumps

Set a short timer for two minutes.

Students write everything they remember on a topic. No notes.

No pressure. Just recall.

Gallery walk or partner-up and discuss afterwards. Check notes.

What was missing?

The Friendly Quiz

A quick quiz where:

Students work in pairs.

They can talk it out.

It's not graded....but could it be a competition? A race? A graph?

Low pressure. High engagement.

Emoji Retrieval

Students explain a concept using only emojis.

It's silly, but it could work.

✅ Chromebook Emoji Keyboard Shortcut

Press:

Search (or Launcher key) + Shift + Space

This opens the emoji picker on your Chromebook. You can browse by category or search for emojis directly.

Retrieval Roulette

Spin a wheel with topics on it.

Digital wheels work great for this.

Whatever topic it lands on you get 2 minutes to recall facts silently.

Then another 5 to recall with a partner.

Spin again. Repeat.

Writing on desks with chalk markers or big paper could be cool.

No words Review

Start a timer and give them a topic.

Students brain dump what they know, but with a catch. They HAVE to draw it. No words. No letters. No numbers. Only images.

No artistic skill or judgement.

If they can draw it, they can remember it.

Can be done on paper indvidually.

Can be done on large posters around the room.

Writing on desks in chalk marker is fun for this.

After all students have had a chance to draw for all the topics, let them go back through with partners/groups and discuss/explain what they drew and what it means.

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