2013. Just when it was getting interesting—with a surprise Beyonce album, an actual bipartisan budget deal in Washington, DC, and a Boston Red Sox World Series celebration duck boat parade—it’s time to turn the calendar over to 2014.*
Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from The Mailbox in 2013.
The Mailbox turned 40. Although a lot has changed in those 40 years, we’re not ready to stop. The Mailbox aims to continue producing the classroom-ready, teacher-friendly, lesson plan book-–filling ideas you love. And we plan to do it in some exciting new ways too!
The Mailbox debuted on air. We’ve kicked off a new series of videos on our YouTube channel that highlight the kinds of activities and ideas you’ll find in our latest books and magazines. And don’t miss our presentation of the Gettysburg Address.
The Mailbox continues to go digital. We now have more than 300 eBook titles available for immediate purchase and download at TheMailbox.com. You have no idea how easy our eBooks are to use until you’ve tried one. Best of all, they go anywhere and don’t take up any room on your bookshelf. First-grade teachers can even get our all-new eYearbook!
The Mailbox does Common Core. Let’s face it, Common Core is here to stay. So early in 2013, we added CCSS labeling to The Mailbox and Teacher’s Helper magazines. Our popular Yearbooks for 2012–2013 feature a CCSS index. (What? A whole year’s worth of CCSS ideas?!) In fact, all our K–6 activities for math and language arts now have CCSS labeling—in print and online.
The Mailbox makes it EASY. Just this month, we introduced new eUnits. Right now, we’re focusing on language arts. These are self-contained units comprising activities, ideas, worksheets, centers, and projects that focus on meeting a particular Common Core standard. They’re available for kindergarten through grade 6 now!
Yes, unlike 2013 (and even after 40 years), we’re just getting started.
*Only the third item in this list was truly important.