P (Puzzle) Day Freebie!

Here's a P (Puzzle) Day freebie!  I'm planning on having my students use this as a way to reflect upon their year in fourth grade.  We'll be putting the pieces of fourth grade together.  Enjoy!

Head over to my TPT store to download this freebie! 

Another One Bites the Dust... Linky Party

Today was M Day of our ABC countdown which means that we have 13 days left!  I'm so excited that summer is right around the corner, but I have a TON of work to get done before that!  EEEKK!

I thought that I would join in on the fun of a Linky Party thanks to Amber at Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher.  Here's my Great and NOT so Great from this year.

The Great

1. Technology

It's been an amazing year of patience and trials with my new technology.  I wouldn't change a thing though.  The kids love it and it has challenged me as teacher to learn more about technology and the power behind it.

2. Shared Reading

Mid-year...my teammate and I decided to make a change for the benefit of our students.  We ended up changing our schedule so that we'd be teaching shared reading lessons 5 days a week versus the 2-3 days that we originally had it scheduled.  I love the change!  Our discussions are stronger and the kids are spending more time talking about great text.

3. Blogging

I didn't learn about blogging until January when I decided to take a "Cool WEB tools" class through my district.  Since then I've become...okay, I'll admit it....obsessed!  It's amazing what you can find and the amazing ideas that teachers have to share. 

The NOT so Great

1. Reorganize and cleaning my classroom

This summer I will not only be moving classrooms, but I'll also be changing grade levels.  Instead of teaching 4th grade next year, I'll be teaching 4th/5th multi-age.  I'm very excited for the change for multiple reasons.  One reason being the chance to reorganize and create a clutter free classroom with the help of Clutter Free Classroom.

2. Continued Education with Technology

I'd really like to work on creating more lessons with SMART notebook that I can use in the classroom..

3. New Curriculum

 

My district is making the move to adopt a newer version of Everyday Math and the Traits Writing program. This means that I'll been spending time around the pool trying to learn as much as I can about this new curriculum before August!

Compliments Posters

Two entries in one day.... OH MY!
How many of you can remember something remarkable or meaningful from middle school?  When I was in middle school (feels like forever ago), my teacher had us complete a compliment pages about our peers.  Well... I guess you could say that it had a lasting impression on me.

When I started teaching I made it a point to include this activity as part of my end of the year activities.  Well...what better day to do this activity then on today which is K (Kindness to Your Neighbor) Day on our ABC Countdown.

Before starting, I asked a parent volunteers who specializes in calligraphy writing to write each student's name on a sheet of construction paper.  This was a huge hit with my class considering they're not used to the calligraphy writing style.  We also spent time talking about what a compliment is and ideas that they could leave on their classmate’s poster.  The students then formed a circle and thus began the process of circulating around the room to write a compliment on each classmate’s poster.

The end result was MAGICAL.  The smiles on their faces not only made their day but it made mine too!  A special thank you goes out to my middle school teacher for leaving a lasting impression that created MAGICAL SMILES today.

Who Am I?

Well, I've made it to Post #2!  Yippie!

I guess it would be important to provide a little more information on whose behind Turtley Loving Teaching so here it goes...

Name: Amy
Location: Chicagoland Area (Illinois)
Occupation: 4th Grade Teacher

Likes: Turtles, 3 C's (Cakes, Cupcakes and Chocolate), Technology, Antique Flea Markets
Dislikes: Snakes, Spiders and ALLERGIES
Loves: My Family, Friends and Teaching
Looking Forward To: Summer Vacation- June 5th

And so it begins...

Welcome to Turtley Loving Teaching blog!  I'm very excited to begin this journey and look forward to seeing where the road will go.  I was inspired to start this blog as a result of all of the hours that I've spent browsing other blogs.  I figure that if they can blog and share their love for teaching then I can too!  Thanks for stopping by and joining me on this journey.