6th grade Earth Science- 6 years (remedial, regular and gifted) - includes geology, hydrology, meteorology and astronomy 6th grade Social Studies- 2 years (regular and gifted) - includes economics, government, geography and history of Canada, Australia, Latin America and Europe 7th grade Life Science- 2 years (remedial, regular and gifted) 7th grade Reading- 1 year (gifted only)
I believe in focusing on multiple learning styles. I prefer to do at least one visual, one auditory and one kinesthetic activity for each topic I cover. I like to let students have choice in their assignments, but I hold them to the highest of expectations; for example, doing the minimum requirements will get a "meets expectations" on the rubric and will get a 75%. I encourage students to do their very best on everything they do and celebrate and reward them when they put forth extra effort. My main goal is to make learning fun and accessible to EACH of my students. Differentiation is not hard once we know our kids. Students excel at different areas and I like to acknowledge and let individuals shine (help others) whenever possible to boost confidence in academia; low self-esteem is a struggle in middle grades and especially in the area I teach. I also ramp up the rigor for gifted students and get them to think more abstractly about the world around them.
National Science Teachers Association - Recipient of the Maitland P. Simmons Award for New Science Teachers (2012) South Central Middle, Bartow County, Georgia - Teacher of the Year (2011-2012) Georgia Science Teachers Association - Presenter on "How to effectively reach every type of learner in middle school earth science" (2012 and 2014)
Specialist Degree- Teacher Leadership- Piedmont College- 2013 Masters Degree- Integrating Technology in the Classroom- Walden University- 2010 Gifted Endorsement- Northwest Georgia RESA- 2010 Bachelor of Education- Middle Grades Science, Social Studies and Reading- Kennesaw State University- 2008
I'm a super nerd! I've met Bill Nye (see profile picture) and have a mild obsession with using humor and analogies in my teaching (thank you Bill Nye for inspiring me). I like to keep in mind a global view when covering content in either science or social studies. I ask students questions about how one thing might impact another and what that may cause and so on. I have students explore long term implications for today's decisions. I love to read YA lit; I try to stay up to date with the latest books the kids are reading and find other books that I could recommend students based on their interests and reading levels.
3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Not Grade Specific
English Language Arts, Creative Writing, Reading, Vocabulary, Specialty, Math, Graphing, Measurement, Other (Math), Science, Anatomy, Astronomy, Basic Principles, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Environment, Social Studies, Ancient History, Civics, Government, European History, World History, World Languages, French, Arts & Music, Graphic Arts, Canadian History, Australian History, British History, Geography, Other (Social Studies), Life Skills, Gifted and Talented, For All Subjects, Literature, Classroom Management, Economics , General Science, Physical Science, Short Stories, Writing, Robotics, Oral Communication, Writing-Essays, For All Subjects, Informational Text