TeachersFirst Update

TeachersFirst Update Archives

3/25/2013

Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers™

Schools are coming and going with spring breaks. This week and next, some schools are off for Easter. Whether you are in school or “on break,” TeachersFirst is here to help your students sprout new ideas this spring.

Teacher recommended
A recent OK2Ask® session included an exploration of TeachersFirst’s Differentiating Instruction: Ideas for individual differences. The response was unanimous: “There is so much here!” As we near Autism Awareness month during April, what better time to stop and look for ideas to meet individual needs?

A little help, please?
As a TeachersFirst user, you know we believe in the importance of families in supporting their children’s learning. If you are willing, please share this survey request with your pre-K-12 NON-teacher parents. You can copy/paste this message directly into an email or onto your class web page:

Dear parents,
One of the trusted web sites we use in our classroom, TeachersFirst, has asked us to share a survey with families. TeachersFirst and their non-profit parent company, The Source for Learning, is planning a re-launch of their service for families and would like your input. Please take a few minutes to respond to this parent survey from a non-profit that helps our class with free learning resources. (Copy/paste this address if the link above does not work: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/58KS3J5 )

Batter up!
Swing into spring with the opening of baseball season and TeachersFirst’s Baseball Resources. Help students hit a home run.

The best of times
For timesaving planning, find resources for Easter and Comic/Cartoon resources to limit the foolishness on April 1st. Plan a perfect Poetry Month or look ahead to an Earth Day service project with the TeachersFirst Classroom Planning Calendar. Find the antidote to testing season with a new learning connection, just in time.

Spring refreshments
Need a spring refresher to inspire your lessons? Sign up for a free session of OK2Ask live, online sessions for teacher self-directed professional development. Registration is now open for ALL remaining spring OK2Ask® sessions. Find times and descriptions to register:

Now I See! Infographics as content scaffold and creative, formative assessment, even if you don’t think visually; Tuesday, April 9

One to One: Ideas and Tips for Teaching in a 1:1 Classroom; Monday April 29

Ready, Set, Summer: Student Tools to Stay Fresh and Teacher Professional “Refreshments”; Monday May 6

Secret admirers?
Share a touch of culture with students in other places with Across the World Once a Week (#xw1w). Share responses about life where you live and learn about others. This quick activity uses microblogging and something called a hashtag. It’s easy! Get started now with these simple directions and FAQ. XW1W for the week of March 24: Whom do you admire most in your community?

London and Switzerland
No, we aren’t offering a free tip. But Geo and Meri will be happy to have you join them as they continue their enjoying Mission in Europe. Follow their adventure with your students as they wrap up the final weeks—and plot twists—of Globetracker’s Mission, Ready to Go any time at bottom center on the TeachersFirst home page.

Teachers to be?
Do you encourage students who say they want to become teachers? Share your response via the weekly teacher poll on the TeachersFirst home page.

Featured Sites
This week in our Featured Sites, find new ways to “see” and learn:

Three sites that show information on maps
Atoms and molecules
A great graphing resource
A clever method of formative assessment and differentiation
A simple image editor
Cuisenaire rod ideas
Cuban missile crisis
Fiction and non-fiction writing examples
World language vocabulary

And MORE. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are reading this March 31 or later, the link above will take you to the Featured Sites for the current week. Find the archived March 24 Features here, and don’t miss our many additional recent additions from the link at the bottom of the Featured sites page.

May the first sprouts of spring learning bring beautiful flowers (and not many weeds).

Your “teacher to go,”
Candace Hackett Shively
Director of K-12 Initiatives