I am a certified teacher for the State of Texas. I specialize in bridging gaps in academic knowledge. I have a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (science, reading, sociology, children's psychology, elementary math, and writing) from the University of TX at Dallas. A Masters in Education from Grand Canyon University -- how to teach students reading, science, social studies, and math. Currently enrolled in Curriculum and Instruction at Grand Canyon University to become a principal. I have more than 8 years experience in the education field. I am currently an elementary teacher in Ft. Worth.
I love teaching children as well as adults. My expertise lies in reading/language arts, writing, social studies, and science. I am patient, understanding, caring, and sensitive to the needs and feelings of students. Students struggling in the above content areas and exhibiting low self-esteem will work well with me. I employ various instructional methods, use manipulatives, and educational websites. I also provide assistance with homework, projects, including ITBS, TAKS, and STAAR preparation.
Instruction should be based on the student's ability to grasp and make sense of the material. As a teacher, I facilitate instruction at multiple levels along the developmental phase of the student. Instruction is centered around visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles (touch/feel).
Children need a foundation in reading from which they can build upon. This includes reading aloud, phonemic awareness, and practice with reading lots of varied texts. Students learn best when introduced to a balanced reading approach (phonics, vocabulary, and spelling).
Students learning English as a second language need ample time/opportunities to develop literacy skills in both languages. If students are struggling in reading, they may also experience a negative impact in math, language arts, health/science, and social studies. Special needs student may require varied teaching methods.
My focus will be:
Phonics: Beginning phonics lessons (pre-k to kinder), overview of sounds/mastery (first through second) segmenting for pronunciation and blending to sound and make words. Learning 100 sight words according to grade level; reading strategies such as recognition of beginning, middle, and ending sounds.
Reading Fluency/Comprehension: By the second semester of first grade your child should read at 80 wpm; 2nd grade=90 wpm; 3rd grade=110 wpm; 5th grade=160 wpm; and 6th grade=180 wpm. I will perform a reading inventory to assess the current wpm and begin monitoring each week for reading fluency (rate plus comprehension). Grade level/TAKS preparation focuses on reading strategies, phonics, prosody, and fluency (reading rate plus comprehension). I am familiar with DRA, Open Court/TPRI, Saxon, and Hooked on Phonics. Reading decodable books, short stories, and completing graphic organizers such as book reports, Venn Diagrams, character and author analysis. My approach to reading is utilizing the whole language/balanced approach--phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, blending, segmenting, spelling, and writing. Good writing skills builds upon all of these concepts. I will tailor an enrichment program just for your child.
Math: Learning numbers through 100 (pre-k/kinder) and 100-999 (1st/2nd); adding and subtracting single and double digit numbers; word problems; multiplication, division, fractions, place value, estimation, patterns, probability, math facts, fact families, geometry, number/position recognition, skip counting (2s, 3, 4s, 5s, 10s, etc.) and math strategies -- tally marks, count up, count down, and mental math.
Science: Include life, earth, health, and physical science.
Language Arts: Grammar, spelling, dictation sentences, sentence and paragraph structure.
Writing: Writing simple sentences to short stories. I will also incorporate the writing process as a learning tool to ignite the desire to write stories and learn research skills.
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