Classroom Friendly Supplies: BEST PENCIL SHARPENER EVER!

I've been looking for a new pencil sharpener for a while now. I've went through THREE electric pencil sharpeners now and I was looking for something different. I came upon Classroom Friendly Supplies on Pinterest and I was intrigued to check it out!

My little package came a couple weeks ago and I started using the sharpener last week. I'll be honest, my third graders this year are a little reckless. My son broke his leg on the playground two weeks ago and I needed a substitute for a couple of days to figure out what I needed to do to help him get around. After I came back, my third electric pencil sharpener, in two years, was stuffed with crayons and colored pencils. Not sure why they thought sharpening crayons was appropriate, but now with my new pencil sharpener, they won't even have that as an option!

I decided that I wanted to order the blue sharpener. When I submitted an inquiry about getting one to review on their website, I was ecstatic when Troy sent me this snazzy blue sharpener to check out and use in my classroom! These are the cutest little sharpeners and absolutely amazing for the kids to use!

I have to admit, they are smaller than what I'm used to, but now after using it, I think that's the beauty of it. The kids have small hands and the small size of the sharpener helps them get their little paws around it to sharpen to the best of their ability. I always hate when a pencil breaks in the middle of a lesson and that child has to sharpen their pencil. This stops the lesson because those electric sharpeners are so LOUD! Not to mention you never really know if it's fully sharpened until you pull it out a couple of times. The Classroom Friendly sharpener fixes both of those issues. Once you stick your pencil into the sharpener, you know when it comes out, it will be fully sharpened! The bonus, it's not loud and obnoxious when your pencil is being sharpened!

Even my little is able to use it!

Another great thing about this sharpener is that it comes with a clamp to hold the pencil sharpener down. I haven't quite figured out where I'm going to put it, but I'm thinking it will go right on my teacher desk. I am going to get another one to put in another area of my room so that we have a couple for the kids to use!

I think the best feature of this sharpener is the auto-stop mechanism that stops sharpening once the pointiest point is achieved. No more eating pencils and no more sharpening multiple times to see if your pencil is sharpened. No more eating away of your pencils. Check out the point on this one!

This is by far the best sharpener on the market. I encourage you to try it out in your classroom or office. The vintage look of the sharpener makes it look great in whatever room you have it in. The quietness and point achieved when sharpening your pencil exceeds the competition! Check out the great video produced by the Classroom Friendly Supplies website. Check out their site and all the great colors they have as well! Get yours today!

How to use the sharpener video

Here are a few more pictures of the sharpener in my room!

You can purchase your very own sharpener here! Classroom Friendly Website

New Products in my Store!

I finally finished up some products I've been working on for a while in my TPT store. One of the products is my inspirational posters that have an elephant theme. I love animals and I found these amazing paintings of elephants that I thought would like great in my classroom. I created quotes to put on the paintings, these are what I came up with!

I also included brightly colored quote posters just in case you don't have an animal theme.

Here's the link to them in my store! They are free for this week!

Elephant Inspirational Quote Posters

Another product I created is geared toward science. I've been teaching both 3rd and 4th grade science for two years. I wanted something that could integrate several different subjects. This is what I came up with! Take a look at the preview files and all the pictures. I think this will be a great integrated project for you and your students! Many skills can be covered and a lot of differentiation can happen for your students!

Here's the link to this pack! The students create their own scrapbook of their most influential scientist pick!

Influential Scientist Scrapbook Project

Finally, I created a classroom jobs display. This one is in a superhero colored theme! I have a couple of different ways you can display it, but check it out to see if it will fit your classroom! It's on sale this week!

Here's the link to my classroom jobs display!

Classroom Jobs Display

I hope you can use any or all of these in your classroom this year! I hope you all have a wonderful year! I think it's going to be a great one!

Meet the Teacher Letter

Here's a link to my free "Meet the Teacher" letter on my TPT store.

I love introducing myself to the kiddos and parents by helping them relate to me! I included my favorite things, etc. This year I included a picture too!

Here's the link! Meet the Teacher Letter

Enjoy!

It's been a while...

So how long has it been?!?!

It has been quite a long time since I've blogged, but I'm back! With a vengeance!

We just returned from our annual beach vacation and I have to say that this has been the BEST one yet! We've been going now for 4 years and this was the best week of weather by far! I am definitely rested and ready to start working on my classroom for this school year.

It is quite daunting looking forward to this year. Not that I don't want to teach, but I'm honestly scared to go back to the school I'm at. I'm not used to the judgement or the unwillingness to be supportive, however, I'm working on my attitude and realizing that it isn't me that's the problem. I know I'm a great teacher. Period.

So onto the teaching info...

I posted some new products in my TPT store, you can go check them out here at Classroom Imagination. Many sellers are having a Back to School sale on August 3rd and 4th! All of my products will be on sale at a 20% discount! If you have any questions about any of my products, contact me here!

I look forward to a great school year and will be posting pictures of my updated classroom shortly! Can't wait to start the new year!

Happy Teaching!

Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade: Technology Help For My Kiddos Fundraiser!

Mrs. Bushnell's 4th Grade: Technology Help For My Kiddos Fundraiser!: Ok, so I haven't posted in a really long time and I'm sorry about that! I've been so incredibly busy and honestly, I'm just...

Technology Help For My Kiddos Fundraiser!

Ok, so I haven't posted in a really long time and I'm sorry about that! I've been so incredibly busy and honestly, I'm just trying to get through the year!

We have another snow day today, so I thought, why not create a fundraiser to get my kiddos computers! I am working at a very small school and we do not have access to anything technology based. The computers we do have are very outdated and most do not work. The ones that do work, simply cannot be used with the software that is out there today!

So, I've created a fundraiser at www.gofundme.com. You can go directly to the fundraiser link here:

http://www.gofundme.com/student-technology-help

I've also created a fundraiser in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I am setting up a group of products that I can sell to go directly towards this fund. I you are a teacher and would like to donate a product to my cause, please do so by following this form:

http://www.formpl.us/form/0B8BFOLKnKqMFTGl1VVBZd2lVbms

I'll post all of the products in a bundle and sell them at a discounted price! I'll also list everyone who donates on my blog and a link to their store or blog. I'm trying to do several things to raise money and will post more things once I come up with them! Anything will help, even if you can't donate, sharing my fundraiser would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much!!!

Mrs. Bushnell and my Third Graders!

Photo by www.heysistersphotography.com

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Classroom Mini Economy

This past year I worked at a pretty amazing school where they had a school wide mini economy that everyone participated in. The fifth graders, who were in charge of all of the product selling, sold items to all of the younger grades once a month.

Once a month we'd go to the cafeteria where the fifth graders had their stores set up, had their mini economy money in hand, their business license clearly placed, and their negotiating techniques practiced and ready to implement to anyone who walked past their stores. It was great! I loved every single time we went because there was always something new. There was always someone trying to out do their competitor; which was a great way to show how companies advertise to the masses and how they get their products into the hand of consumers over the other products.

The year before teaching at this school, I taught in another classroom that had some pretty severe behavioral issues. I racked my brain on how to tame them because it was a constant battle of wills, would it be me or the children running the class?

This is when my mini economy was born...I belong to quite a few teacher sites because I love collaboration. I wrote a little blurb about the issues I was having and got a response that changed my whole outlook on how I could run my classroom. The post led me to a variety of resources about starting a mini economy in my classroom. I purchased quite a few things to get this started because the school and the classroom I was in was not really financially able to help at the time. I was in the middle of a maternity leave and well, they don't exactly hand out money to someone who is just "filling in." I of course did not think that way and I treated those kids as if they were my own, in my own classroom.

So the work began on setting up my class store, bank, and how I would implement my mini economy with the challenging classroom full of kiddos who wanted nothing to do with me. I introduced the idea to the kids, and they LOVED it! I hadn't seen them excited about anything all year. The mundane, boring happenings in the classroom were just NOT working.

We worked together on naming our store and our bank and voted together on who would be the banker and the cashier at the store. Each student filled out a job application and were given a list of jobs that they'd apply to. We then created our money, it was very generic, but worked for what we were trying to do.

Here are some photos of our little store and how we ran things! I made an entire packet for my TPT store that will help other teachers implement their own mini economy. Check it out here!

When you start your mini economy, you'll definitely need to teach about all of the elements that go into working and saving, but that's all included in the packet I made! Let me know how you like it if you use it and if you need any help with what to do, contact me here! Your kids will love it, plus its a great behavioral management technique for any classroom!

Here is the classroom job application and description of all of the jobs we had. You can send this home with the kids and have them fill it out with parents. I also had them write "letters of recommendation" to help them in the decision of what job they should get!

I created these cute little checks and money to use for your mini economy! If you decide you want to fill the checks out online, contact me and I can tailor them to fit your classroom and needs!

Again, check out the full product on my TPT store here and please let me know how I can help you implement this in your classroom!

Melissa

New Primary Resources!

I have been working on quite a bit lately. Since I haven't found a permanent placement yet, I figured I'd work on resources for those who do!

Here's a link to my newest primary resource!

My Color Book

It's a color book that I made, in part, because I wanted to help my son and I wanted to have some things available just in case I end up in kindergarten! The color book isn't exactly like any other color book because it also incorporates writing and thinking skills into the lesson. Students will color each picture then write each word. At the end of the book, students will write out each word and an object or animal that they associate with that color. Finally, they write what their favorite color is!

It's a pretty simple packet, but very beneficial for students who need that extra oomph in the beginning of the year!

Here are a couple of photos of the packet! Let me know what you think!

Here's the cover! You can put the book all together for your students, or use each page as a morning work or learning center activity!

Here's a page within the book where students must color each picture, then write their color word.

Here's the last page where students write their color words, an object or animal associated with that color, and then finish with their favorite color!

I hope you enjoy this packet as much as I did creating it!

Melissa

Things I've been working on...

This summer has been much like last...trying to find a permanent position! No luck yet, but, I'm slowly understanding that I can't just wait around for things to happen, I just have to do them! I've been applying to every position I see that posts and I hope that in August, the calls really start to come. I've been working on some common core resources and really been educating myself on all of the common core curriculum standards. Whatever grade I end up teaching, I want to be knowledgeable in every single one. I am thinking of going back to get my masters degree, both in reading and common core instructional strategies. We will see what this year holds, wish me luck and say a prayer for me!!!


Here are some products that I created for my TPT store! These are all 3rd to 6th grade, but I'm working on more primary stuff that I've been able to use with my son Max ;-) Let me know what you think!

Here's a unit I created for my 4th graders last year. Many of them were not writing very descriptive sentences and some of them did not even know how to add commas or any punctuation for that matter to their sentences. This is a comprehensive look into how to teach word usage, grammar usage, and putting it all together to make a sentence. You then can teach how to write a paragraph and write a detailed one at that! You can find this packet here!

Another packet I've completed over the summer is my Comprehension and Fluency Folders. Before I started the 4th grade position this past year, I worked as an interventionist for the 4th grade. I noticed that many of them were not familiar with their fluency and their comprehension was poor as well. This is something that you can introduce to your students at the very beginning of the year and use it throughout the year to improve in these particular areas. You can find this packet and everything that's in it here!

Well that's it for now, I have much more to share with you, but not enough time to do so! Hope you are all having a great summer and remember me in your prayers! I know the right position is out there, I just have to be patient enough to wait for it! God bless!

Mrs. Bushnell

It's Over...and I'm anxious for the future!

Last Friday was my last day in the current position I have. It was bittersweet to be honest with you, I love those kids, yet, I'm so anxious to be in MY OWN classroom this upcoming school year. I want to know where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be teaching so that I can prepare to the best of my ability! I LOVE teaching and I had some amazing times with the kiddos this year. I'd have to say that this position was one of the best I've had because of how much I was pushed to be better, do better, and to constantly keep learning.

As an educator, I know that you can never really learn enough and this experience made that more evident than ever.

I'm so thankful to the kids, my teaching team and to the amazing parents I had that made me feel so incredibly appreciated my last day!!! Here's to the kiddos and their families, have an amazing summer and thank you for making feel like the most appreciated teacher in the world!!!

Mrs. Bushnell

Spring Break and other FUN stuff!

So I can't believe that it's spring break already! My maternity leave will end soon and I'll begin that journey again for my quest to find a permanent position. I don't really look forward to that this summer, however, I do look forward to putting the experience I've gained onto my resume!

Yesterday at school we had a few serious activities, like DOL and spelling, but the rest of the day was filled with pizza, ice cream, cookies, mini economy and my favorite, Just Dance on the XBOX Kinect! The kids had so much fun, they didn't want to leave! As a teacher, obviously that makes my heart smile, but seeing the kids dance it up and wanting me to join in was such an uplifting event for me. I've been having such a hard time with keeping up. In January 2010, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease and since that diagnosis, my body has been in turmoil with itself. This of course was the time that I received my first maternity position in kindergarten and throughout that time, I was miserable. Like most graves patients, medication is the number one thing that could help get my life back, however, I still have not received the needed medication that will help my fatigued body. I get done at school and I am beyond exhausted. I barely have the energy to play with my son let alone grade papers, make lesson plans, and do all of the other countless things we do as educators. BUT, yesterday was a turning point for me...seeing my kids love what we are doing in school, grasping every thing I say to them, and just having fun, that's what it really is all about isn't it? School shouldn't just be "school," it should be filled with learning and fun experiences in both the learning world and social world.

We are on spring break this week and I'm going to take this time to relax and focus on my son. I of course will do my final grades, final grading of some last minute assignments, and hopefully add a couple more lessons to my repertoire. Whatever you are doing this week, whether its spring break or your back in school, enjoy your kids and remember, they are kids. They are doing so well and trying their best. Instill that love for learning in them not only with academic lessons, but fun, social engagement!

Happy Spring Break!

Service Project

I haven't blogged in quite a while and I'm incredibly sorry for that! I've been CRAZY busy with school and getting caught up with everything after Christmas break!

Over break, I got inspired by the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. It was incredibly heartbreaking and it has really taken over the way I think about life, my family and the way that I teach. I was inspired by Ann Curry's 26 Acts of Kindness campaign that you can check out here at her twitter page. This movement has taken the nation over and I've decided to bring it into my classroom.

I've been in contact with an organization called, Soldier's Angels. This organization is based out of Nevada and was started by a mother of two soldiers. They provide service men and women the opportunity to have a civilian "adopt" them. The adoption requires that you send one letter a week, and one care package a month throughout the deployment of the soldier. A small task to do for those who are protecting our world as we know it. So I came up with a project for my students to write letters and create care packages to send to the men and women overseas. Take a look at the website and see if you might be able to help this organization. These men and women are protecting us and deserve to be treated as so. Take a look at our #26 acts that we are completing in our classroom!

#26 Acts of Kindness

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!!!!