Need Learning Inspiration? With Freebies, Contests, and Tools, We’ve Got it! Plus Win Two Books!

The return to school in January doesn’t have to leave you cold. Warm up learning with inspiring freebies: resources for Presidents’ Day, a session with a popular author, help connecting with middle-grade students, and more!

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Check out the items below. Then submit a comment to the blog by 11:59 pm EST Sunday, January 25, 2015, to tell me which are your favorites. One lucky teacher will win these books from The Wonderful World of Simon Abbott: Meet the Incredible Romans and Meet the Ancient Egyptians. Both are filled with playful pictures and fun facts that are sure to keep kids learning as they laugh. (Update: congratulations to Brenda, who is the winner of our prize.)

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Here’s a sweet opportunity that will provide you with resources for Presidents’ Day and give you a chance to win! In the Invite the Presidents Into Your Classroom sweepstakes, one lucky teacher will win $100 in classroom cash plus two PEZ presidential dispenser prize packs! Five runners-up will each win a PEZ presidential prize pack. Plus you can download free presidential trading cards, writing prompts, fun facts, and more! It’s all at TheMailbox.com/pez.

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Check out this 2015 Teachers’ Choice Award winner. The Westcott School Scissor Caddy and Kids Scissors offer a colorful invitation to improve cutting skills. Teacher judges who tested this absolutely loved how compact it was and that it made cleanup and storage easy; that the scissors cut well for both left- and right-handed students; and that the colors could be incorporated into center activities (find the yellow scissors and cut). Click here to learn more!

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Do your students like the According to Humphrey series? Then let them meet the author, Betty G. Birney, in a free 30-minute Skype session! Betty will answer students’ questions about her work; how she is inspired to write; about the publishing process; and, of course, about the furry little hamster that stars in the series. The Skype tour will be held the week of February 2–6, so click here now!

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Make curriculum connections as you connect with your grades 5–8 students with a free Common Core–aligned Educator’s Guide for books by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Fish in a Tree and One for the Murphys feature contemporary characters that your students can relate to and that uncover themes of courage, family and friendship, perseverance, and staying true to oneself. How do you get free lesson plans? Click here!

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Here’s a win-win that will spark your students’ imaginations and inspire them to write. You can publish their work in a hardbound book and get a free classroom copy! And, when you publish with Studentreasures from February through April 10, you’re automatically entered to win school grants. Here’s another way to win: order your free publishing kit and download free Common Core–aligned tools to get started. It’s as easy as that! Click here!