Welcome to my showcase! Here, you will find a collection of work that symbolizes who I am as a teacher. I pride myself on the relationships I build with my students and the opportunities for growth I seize whenever the chance arises. I have divided my work into categories based on classroom management, mathematics instruction, and literacy instruction.

Classroom Management

Classroom Management is arguably one of the most important aspects to elementary teaching. Here are a couple of examples of what I use to help my classroom run smoothly.​
Whole Brain Teaching
A couple of years into teaching, I struggled to get (and maintain) student attention. I felt I had tried everything until I stumbled across Whole Brain Teaching. This approach to instruction has transformed my classroom and helped my students understand my expectations while striving wholeheartedly to reach them. I have attached a brief slideshow to give you an overview of what teaching the instructional techniques looks like. Although I made a few tweaks based on my preferences, the idea behind WBT holds firm. In this artifact, I demonstrate my ability to to implement a strong classroom management plan that holds myself and my students accountable.
Theory of Learning
Through my Psychology of Learning class, we explored various learning theories. From that information, I built my own theory of learning. The information provided in my theory of learning demonstrates my ability to think critically about my teaching choices. Diving into the full theory, you'll see why I encourage students to work collaboratively, how I promote memory-making, and when consequences are doled out.
Some major components to my theory of learning are demonstrated in this photograph: students are working collaboratively, problem solving in the real-world, and having fun while they accomplish their goals. This photo was taken on a field trip to a local Nature Preserve where students learned about the ecosystem, wildlife, biodiversity, and got to go fishing and canoeing.  

Mathematics Instruction

One of my greatest passions is teaching mathematics. Although this was not a strong suit in my own schooling, that has helped drive my determination to build confidence and skills in ALL of my students. These are some of my favorite classroom additions.
Differentiated Output Hierarchy
With so many diverse learners in any given classrooms, learning to differentiate assessments has been critical, but I also found this to be challenging to get started. With practice, I am confident that my students are getting the support they need to be successful on any given assignment in my classroom. Here you will find an example of a differentiated math test that I created for my special education students. This artifact demonstrates my ability to differentiate for the learners in my classroom.
Games 
Is it even math class if you're not playing games? After teaching math for ten years, I've learned that children are more willing and more engaged when they're having fun. I'm lucky enough to have a curriculum that provides some amazing options, but even before that I realized that a deck of cards and some dice can create many fulfilling learning experiences for the kids. I also participated in a training called Add+Vantage Math Recovery (AVMR) which has excellent options for small group and whole group intervention games. This artifact demonstrates my ability to create a positive and enjoyable learning experience, even in one of the most misunderstood subjects.

Literacy Instruction

I spent my undergraduate focus a majority of my first few years heavily involved in my growth as a math teacher. Recently, I have shifted my focus to literacy instruction. I have found that I love learning about teaching reading as much as teaching math! These are some of my latest endeavors.
Back to the Basics
I recently attended a three-day course for The Writing Revolution (TWR), and it has truly revolutionized my approach to teaching writing. The basis of this technique is to start back at the basics of writing sentences and build, slowly and deliberately, from there. Here, I have included some of the work we begin with in fourth grade to start with strong sentences after reading about sea turtles. With this artifact, I demonstrate my ability to build quality writing instruction into any curriculum or topic.
Publishing a Class Book
My fourth grade class wrapped up our 3rd annual Haiku poetry book this year. I began this project through Student Treasures three years ago, and have refined a process that makes our publication engaging, exciting, and efficient. The attached document explains the process I use. With this artifact, I demonstrate my ability to plan and prepare a learning experience outside of the curriculum that students will remember forever.
Utilizing Rubrics
It is imperative when creating rubrics for assessment that you are purposeful about the areas in which you are scoring. I've recently learned the importance of tying each area back to it's standard, which is immensely helpful with standards-based grading, but even breaking it down to see what the students are achieving and what we still need to work on is useful. This artifact demonstrates my ability to create equitable scoring guides on a variety of assignments.
LETRS Training
My attendance in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Training has transformed how I think about literacy instruction. There is so much going on behind the scenes that is not covered in typical undergraduate classes. This training showed me a glimpse of what goes on in a child's mind as they learn to read and, spoiler alert, it's not as straightforward as some would believe. This artifact demonstrates my ability to assess and teach literacy using any curriculum or materials.
All photos are my own (unless otherwise noted) and used with permission of individuals photographed.