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December 21, 2015
Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers®
It is ALMOST here—your end of 2015 break! For some lucky folks, your break has already started. You have earned this time, so enjoy it. Due to the holiday season, we will not have an update on December 27th. New updates will begin again in January.
Still shopping on Amazon?
If you still have a few last minute gifts to purchase on Amazon, consider “giving back” to TeachersFirst. This takes NO TIME or MONEY. Your online shopping can make an automatic donation to TeachersFirst—at no cost to you! “Shop” a donation by doing your holiday shopping at Amazon. Just be sure to enter the Amazon site via the link at the bottom of our How TeachersFirst Stays Free page, and complete your purchase during that visit. TeachersFirst earns a percentage of the profits from the purchases completed via this entry point. Help us maintain our free, ad-free service to teachers. Our non-profit parent company, The Source for Learning, appreciates your help.
New Year—New You! Join TeachersFirst Today!
Make one of your New Year’s Resolutions to join TeachersFirst! It is FREE and will save you so much time. If you are not already a member, check out reasons for joining, such as our “ready to go” email messages for parents, a handy list of the latest new offerings in YOUR subject area(s), and a handy tool to mark and tag favorite resources. Sign up now. Tell your teacher friends to join in 2016. They will thank you!
Organization Tools from the Edge
Start 2016 off right with terrific, reviewed organization tools from the TeachersFirst Edge. Find new and engaging ways to organize yourself, your students, and your classroom.
And the Award Goes To?
Did you know that TeachersFirst has a CurriConnects (book list) that features Award Winning Books? CurriConnects lists include interest levels, ESL levels, and Lexile® levels to ensure the right match. Remember that you can always request books via interlibrary loan. Use the CurriConnects Award Winning Book list to share the BEST of the BEST with your students.
OK2Ask®—Sign up NOW for FREE PD
Grab a hot chocolate and a warm blanket and join us for one of our FREE Ok2Ask Online Workshops. Registration is now OPEN for all winter sessions. Read our FAQ for general information about certificates, etc. Please be sure to read the detailed descriptions and suggested technology comfort levels BEFORE you register for the best match for your learning needs.
Calendar Happenings
The TeachersFirst Classroom Planning Calendar offers resources related to events and observations on the calendar all throughout the year. Here are links for the holiday season:
“Dec” orate the Classroom?
This week’s Teacher Poll asks: Do you decorate your classroom in December? Place your vote on the teacher poll on the TeachersFirst home page.
Featured Sites
This week in our Featured Sites you will find:
- Reading Glue
- Galaxy Zoo
- Re-Mission 2: Fight Cancer and Win!
- AppInventor—Learn to Build Android Apps
- Doodle.ly
- TomRichey.net
- Mega Seating Plan
- Map Stack
- And more
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are reading this January 4, or later, the link above will take you to the Featured Sites for the current week. Find the archived December 20 Features here, and don’t miss our many other recent additions from the link at the bottom of the Featured Sites page.
Have a family-fun, food-filled, and relaxing break! We will see you in 2016 with new ideas, new sites, and new professional development opportunities. Enjoy your break!
The TeachersFirst Team