Sandy Hook Elementary

I'm sure all of you know about this horrible tragedy yesterday in Connecticut. I still cannot wrap my head around it and honestly, I probably never will. I can only hope that those little ones and those that lost their lives trying to save those little ones did not suffer. As a teacher, you enter the profession because you have a genuine love for children. You want to see them grow, see them flourish, and send them off into the world to be successful. How can we do that now? How can we move on from this? As many educators across the country face the last week of school before holiday break, I have to wonder, what will we do to CHANGE our way of teaching and/or thinking. We have got to start talking more to our kids. As educators, sometimes we see our kids more than what their parents do. We have to get to know them, not ignore their feelings and their emotions. No more talk of evaluations, test scores, too much work...what we need to be talking about is how we can help these children. If they are in trouble, it is our duty to help them. This has to stop. We cannot be afraid to go to school.

God bless to all those affected by this. God give them comfort and love and peace knowing that you have those precious babies in your arms today. I pray for the ones left behind and for the children who are still here who witnessed the sadness and death. God bless this country because in all seriousness, GOD is the only one who can save this nation and get us through this horrible, horrible tragedy.

God Bless you all this weekend. Hug your kids and pray for those who lost theirs...

I'm loving my little Max today and will NEVER take another moment with him for granted. God bless you all.

Melissa

Really? December?

Well I still can't believe its December already and after my first full week last week in the 4th grade classroom, I have to say I'm pretty wiped out. All the grading and changes is just a lot to take in. As a teacher, you want to do things the way you see them, when you go into another teacher's classroom however, you can't help but do them they way they were being done before. Its just easier and more beneficial to the kiddos to do it that way. The teacher I took over for is amazing. I mean she is probably one of the best teachers I've seen in a while because she really took her time with helping the kids in their reading and writing. I definitely have big shoes to fill, but I know that I can do it! I'm going to be taking a lot of tips from what I saw her do, and incorporate some of my own into the mix.

I think that is what I like most about teaching...the constant want to keep learning. I never want to stop learning and I feel that every day is a new learning experience both in my professional and personal endeavors. I hope you all are having an amazing day, God bless and have a great week!!!!

Melissa

Thanksgiving

I'm beyond thankful this year. It has been a very trying year, but a very reflective and learning one. I've come to realize that teaching is such a learning process, and it's just so amazing that I can even have the experiences that I've been able to have. I LOVE teaching and I LOVE seeing my kids learn. I'm most thankful for the opportunities I've been given and thankful that God has given me the assurance that one day I will have my own classroom. For now, I will be thankful and appreciative to be a part of other teacher's classrooms. Its such a great way to learn and reflect on things that I do. To all of you, thank you for your support and thank you for your encouragement!

Happy Thanksgiving to you! May you and your family have an amazing break!

Photos by www.heysistersphotography.com

Meet The Teacher Letter

I wanted to revamp my teacher letter to introduce myself to my parents tomorrow. I officially start tomorrow, but had an unexpected first day on Friday! Of course it was Grandparent's Day and I needed to kind of wing it! Thankfully the other teachers at school were very helpful and I put a little twist into the day's activities as well! Let me know if you see any improvements in my teacher letter here! If you'd like a copy, just email me and I can send you the template!

New TPT Products and some Freebies Too!

During my spare time, (yeah right), I've been creating some Holiday products for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I've created two Thanksgiving units, one full of math and literacy and the other full of writing activities for the month of November! I've also created a K-3 unit for Christmas and am finishing up my Christmas unit for my upper elementary kiddos. Take a look at them here! I'll be giving away a Thanksgiving and Christmas unit in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to look for that giveaway soon!!!

30 Days of Thanksgiving Writing Activities

Thanksgiving Reading, Writing, and Math Packet for Upper Elemtary

It's Christmas Time Math and Literacy for K-3

So nervous....Yet so incredibly thankful...

So I'm trying my best to get prepared for my upcoming maternity leave in the 4th grade. I'm so thankful that its in the 4th grade because that's where I have most of my experience, however, it just feels different this time. For those of you who don't really know a lot about me, here's my story.... I graduated in 2010 with my Education Degree. Shortly after, I received my Teaching License for the state of Indiana. I spend the entire summer searching for positions and interveiwing, but ended up back at the school I did my student teaching at. I was hired as a skill tutor at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. Well, shortly after I started that position, my principal asked me if I would be interested in a maternity leave position at another school in the district. I said YES of course! I so desperately wanted my own classroom! The position was in kindergarten and I can't tell you how nervous I was because frankly, I've never been that nervous before! Even on my wedding day! I went in full force however, the teacher that I took over for went into labor before her due date so I had to take over fairly quickly. I have to tell you, that was the BEST experiece I've had so far in my teaching career. Those kids were amazing and the building I was at was so supportive and giving. After that maternity leave ended in January of 2012, I went back to the school I student taught at and completed the year in 4th grade for another maternity leave position. It was really the perfect scenario! I spent the summer applying to every district in my area and went on about 7 interviews. Got called back for 2 and unfortunately didn't get the job...It was devastating. I so deserperatly wanted my own classroom and once I again, I didn't have it. I got an email message from a friend that I'd met throughout my experience in the district. She mentioned one of the school's needing a maternity leave sub for 4th grade! I jumped on that opportunity! Sent an email to the principal, prepared an introduction folder for her, and gave her a call the following Monday after the Friday I had heard about the position. I went in for an interveiw that Wednesday and got the job on the spot. I was hired as an RTI interventionist for the first couple months of school and am now getting myself prepared to take over the 4th grade classroom on November 18th. I'm so nervous. I don't know why. It's been a struggle these past few years, with school, graduating, looking for jobs, changing jobs, etc., but I'm blessed to be in this profession. I can't tell you how rewarding it has been to see students learn. In my experience in kindergarten, the kids learned so much! In my experiences in 4th grade, I learned so much. Through it all, it has helped me to be a better person, a better teacher, and a better learner. I will never know enough and I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue my learning experiences. I'm so excited to one day have my own classroom, these different experiences will only make me a stronger, wiser teacher. Wish me luck in this next journey. For some reason I'm more nervous than I've ever been. I want to help these kids so much and I pray that I will be able to do so!!!

Holiday Linky Party!

What better time to start thinking about the Holidays than the day before Halloween!!! I wanted to have a linky party with all of my fellow bloggers so that we can collaborate with others during the Holidays! I know for me its going to get pretty crazy, so why not link up below with your favorite holiday pack or lesson? When you link up, be sure to include the price and if its free, even better!!! Can't wait to start seeing all of the amazing products from you amazing teachers!!!!

Comprehension and Fluency

I've been working hard on coming up with ideas for my students who are having difficulties with comprehension and fluency.  I think we all know that when they ahve problems with these two skills, everything else seems to follow in the problem area.  I've created two different items for my Teacher Store at Teachers Pay Teachers.  One is a comprehensive folder for comprehension and fluency and the other is a unit on writing sentences and paragraphs.  Click on the links below to check them out.  I'll be giving away two copies of these in the next month, so check back for more details on this giveaway!

Reading Comprehension and Fluency Folders

Sentences and Paragraphs: A Guide to Understanding how to write descriptively!

Rubrics

So I LOVE that Peacocks and Penguins is highlighting the ever famous, but ever useful rubric!  I love rubrics because they not only help your students do what they need to do, but help you as the teacher remember what you need to grade on!!!! ;-)

Here is my "menu" rubric that I created for my kiddos during our Health unit on "good for you" foods!  Check out the menu project at my TPT store!  It's only $1.00!!!

Create Your Own Restaurant Menu

Halloween Descriptive Writing Pack

I remember last year trying to get my 4th graders to put some "depth" into their writing.  Now that we've adopted the common core standards, students are required to do a lot more with their reading and writing.  I've created this "Spooky Halloween Writing Pack" for my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  This will help your students THINK!  I used famous and not so famous Halloween quotes and excerpts of different books and poems.  What I did was have each student create a title for the excerpt and then either finish it or write about what they think it means.  This is also a great seg-way into poetry!  I've also included some photos that students had to write about.  Again, they had to look at the photo, create a title and write about what they see in the picture.  The descriptions of some of the pictures was AMAZING!!!!  I can't wait to hear how all of you used this resource!!!

Spooky Halloween Writing Pack

Teachers Pay Teachers

I've had quite a bit of off time this first part of the year.  My maternity leave doesn't start until after Thanksgiving....maybe sooner, but that's the tentative start date.  Although I'd LOVE to already be in the classroom, I'm working as an interventionist 2 days a week at the school I'll be taking the leave for and substituting in the district that the school is in.  I'm hoping that I get to see all of the principals before my long-term leave starts so that they see that I'm willing and able to go anywhere!

Anyway, I've revamped some of my products on Teachers pay Teachers.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, your missing out!  www.teacherspayteachers.com is an AMAZING resource for teachers to not only find ideas on different concepts your are teaching, but a way to get YOUR lessons and ideas out there to help fellow teachers!!!  I've been working on quite a few things that I'd LOVE for you all to take a look at.  For right now, all of my lessons and projects are free.  Download them, use them, and let me know what you think!  Here is a link to my online store!  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Bushnell

I've also included some of the graphics for you to see here too ;-)  I have a lot of history stuff, what can I say, I LOVE history!!!!

Mrs. Bushnell

Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline Project

Be A Word Spy

Homophone Literacy Center

Weekly Spelling Contract

E is for Explore!

Erin Bittman from E is for Explore! contacted me about highlighting some of our Motion and Design lessons we did this past year in my science classroom on their website!  Check them out and show some love!  They have some pretty amazing ideas and lessons for every age group!!!!

Intervention

I'll be working as an RTI Interventionist up until I take the maternity leave this fall.  I'm fortunate to be working with the 4th graders that I will be having in class in the future, so I'm anxious to see how well they do during our reading time.  Like I said in my previous post, the teachers I work with are amazingly organized and creative!  I'm trying to figure out some ways to help with those areas and that has become my ultimate goal....BE ORGANIZED!  I can tell that these teachers are successful because of their organization!  I will be posting some of my organization tips later on this month once I get into the swing of things!  I'm working on some intervention and RTI materials too, so make sure you check back here for those!

GREAT NEWS!

I am so incredibly happy to say that I am now a 4th grade teacher in the district I taught at this past school year!  I haven't officially started yet because I will be filling in for a long-term maternity leave, however, I will be working at the school as an interventionist until the teacher decides to go on leave!  I'm so excited to not only be in the district I taught in last year, BUT I'm in the 4th grade!  How perfect!
The team that I will be working with is absolutely amazing!  They are the most organized, creative, and organized (did I already say that?) teachers I've ever met!  I know that I am going to learn so much from them!
The way this school works has me amazed!  I can't wait to start learning from these pros and implementing my ideas that I've been creating over the summer!

Here's to an amazing year and hopefully I can say that after this year, I'll have a permanent position in this district!  Happy Teaching!  Thank you to all of you for your prayers and support!  I can't wait to start!

Summer Update

So as you all probably know I've been looking for a full-time position all summer.  I've had a few interviews, but nothing has become available yet.
My passion for so long has been to teach.  After selling my company, I thought to myself, is this really what I should be doing?  Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?
I have to say that this past summer has been a trial of ups and downs.  I don't think I've ever been so incredibly stressed to the max the way I've been this summer, however, I know that without a shadow of doubt, this is where I'm supposed to be.
I've taken some time off with submitting application because frankly, that is a full-time job in itself.  I'm back at it again and I know that something will come available.  Pray for me this summer so that I can be placed where I'm needed most.  Children and their learning are really want drive me to keep looking.  I look at my son Max and want to be a teacher that he would be proud of and one that he would want to have in school.  God bless you all and I'll be updating here soon, hopefully with a full-time position!  I'll be updating my Teachers Pay Teachers store as well with some products I've created over the summer!
Much love to you all!

Mrs. Bushnell

This is Max, he's why I do what I do!

End of the Year...

Friday was our last day, technically, the kids last day was Thursday, however, Friday was a teacher day to get things cleaned up and files done!  I have to say that after leaving the school this morning, I got a little sad.  In fact, I got a lot of sad!  I not only am terrified about not finding a position for next year, but, and more importantly, I'm going to miss this amazing school, these amazing teachers and most of all, these amazing kids!  I'm not sure what the future has in store for me, however, I do know that these kids are in good hands at Timothy Ball.  I've never met a more connected group of people who want to help and rally around each other.  A lot of the schools I've been to have been quite the opposite.  This school just has the atmosphere of friendship and that is what I think I'll miss most of all.  I want to be part of that.  Part of something that will allow me to be creative, yet, have the people behind me to help me when I get stuck!  Believe me, this year I had a few "getting stuck" moments!!!

I'm so thankful for this past year and I wouldn't have changed it for anything. I'm so proud of the kids.  Both the kindergarten and 4th grade kids!  Its amazing to see a student learn and "get it!"  I had quite a few of those moments this year and let me tell you, I think I cried 100 times! I think I not only grew as a teacher, but a I grew as a mother and overall person.  So many of our kids are having to go through things that I can't even imagine having to go through at that age, yet they seem to come to school with a good attitude and a drive to be better.  I hope that the kiddos learned that this year.  I know that I was only with them for 4 1/2 months, however, that time was spent teaching and teaching to the BEST of my ability.  I have definitely grown and will continue to do so over the summer.  To be a good teacher, you have to teach beyond the text book.  To be a great teacher, you have to teach beyond the textbook, engage the kids, and most importantly, know your kids.  Not every class will be the same, so we as teachers have a duty to the kids we teach to know who they are and know what they like and dislike.  We would be doing them a disservice to not do those things.

So here's to the summer!  I'm going to do some tutoring and spend time with my little Max.  He is getting so big and the time is flying by!  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as a lot of the summer will be applying and reapplying for positions in and around my area.  Have an amazing summer!  I will miss all of you kiddos and I can't wait to hear and see some of the things you will be doing in the future!

I love you all!

Mrs. Bushnell

Kindergarten Graduation

So I think you all know I started the year off teaching Kindergarten.  I have to say that I am so incredibly thankful for that experience!  Those kids brought a smile to my face each and every day and I was so impressed with how much their little brains absorbed during the short time I was there! 

I was invited to come to the graduation of the kids that I started with and I was so incredibly excited to see all of them!!! I couldn't believe how big they were and was so excited to see all of them!  Here are a couple of photos from their graduation procession ;)  It was absolutely adorable and I will always remember these kiddos!

I had the privilege of having 2 classes, a morning and afternoon class.  Here they all are!

The program was so adorable!  The kids had their little graduation hats and they sang some adorable songs!  It was such a cute program!  Good job to all of the kindergarten teachers!  The kids were great and looked so cute!

When I Grow Up...and other Health Topics!

I was struggling to find one more health assessment to complete with the kiddos, so I decided that I would let them have the choice.  They had to either choose the topic of "When I Grow Up, I want to be...," Bones, or pick a chapter.  A lot of the students picked the "What I Grow Up project," and I was so impressed!  Below are a couple activities that stood out to me!  Check them out!

Chloe's creation!  She wants to be a dentist!

Taylor's study of bones!  She labeled them all!!

Indy 500

Every year, the 4th grade classrooms have a study about the Indy 500.  We watched some video clips last week about the Indy 500, about how the cars are made, about the drivers, and about the history of the race.  After watching the videos and studying a little bit on our own, we created a timeline from when the race started, all the way up to this year.  I had the kids research a 10 year time frame and they each had to write 5 facts about the race.  They had fun doing this and they really learned a lot about the history of the Indy 500!!!

Our Timeline of the Indy 500

Check out all of the years!  They each had 5 facts listed!

Some of the resources we used to find all of our information!

Poetry Portfolios

So I hope all of you had the opportunity to check out the students Poetry Portfolios.  Overall, I was quite impressed with their understanding of poetry and I really hope they continue to write it and study it.  Poetry is such a great form of expression and the kids really got into writing it!  Here are some of their final projects.  We created a poetry portfolio and it had to include 5 original poems.  Check out some of their Imagery Poems and final Poetry folders!  They all did such a great job!

Taylor's Poetry Portfolio

Joey's Imagery Poem, it was about our classroom Poet Tree!  LOVE IT!!!

Bryce's Poetry Portfolio

Bella's beautiful Poetry Folder, she made the adorable flower attached!

Dylan's Imagery Poem about Nature.  Love his take on nature and the beauty of it!

Final Design and Motion Projects!

As mentioned in a previous post, I did not really like the final assessment activity for the design and motion unit.  After a colleague presented me with a roller coaster video and activity, I got to thinking, this would be a GREAT assessment for the kids to create a roller coaster.  They not only had to create one roller coaster, but also had to create an entire amusement park!  They had to create all aspects of the park, including kiddie rides, food vendors, and a variety of other activities!  They had to figure out the pricing of each activity and decide how their park would be "laid" out.  Where should the bathrooms be?  Where should the kiddie rides be?  Where should the food vendors be?  ETC.

I have to say that most of the students did a pretty amazing job.  They understood that to design a roller coaster is a pretty daunting task because EVERYTHING  has to be just right so that it can go from start to finish and not have any problems!  They understood friction and how it correlates with motion and they even understood why the design of something affects the motion of that particular vehicle or contraption.  I took some photos of my favorite parks.  The kids got creative and a couple of them created 3D parks!  The one below was done by my "artist" of the class, RJ.  He created an army themed park including tanks, a watch tower, and even an American Flag ride!  Check it out!!!!

The kids really only had to create maps for their parks, check out my favorite map below!  They included everything in their park map, including their food vendors and kiddie land!  LOVED all the details they put into their map!!!!

Design and Motion: Design Challenge

During one of our final lessons in our design and motion unit, the kids were given a design challenge.  We learned about lunar vehicles and some of the things that were needed to design a lunar vehicle.  We found out that the moon does not have gravity, therefore, our vehicles needed to have a little more weight on them so that they wouldn't fly off into space.  However, they also needed to be designed so that they would fit into the "space ship" going to the moon!  The kids were given 30 minutes and had to design their vehicle so that it would carry lunar rocks (our wooden blocks).  The vehicles had to carry at least 3 blocks and travel a distance of at least 39 inches.  Check out some of our creations!  Most of the groups did a really great job!  Not to mention they carried a lot more than 3 blocks!  We also had to draw our vehicles too!  The drawings were pretty great and included a ton of detail!  I was very impressed!  Check them out below!!!!