For the past year, I have been attentively and eagerly observing and student teaching at Sun Valley Elementary in San Rafael, CA.

Beginning in August, I was committed to the Mrs.Hampton's Kindergarten room 3 days a week. By September, I was introduced to higher level classrooms, first and fourth grade.

Every Monday, I spent time in the fourth grade with Mrs.Mitchell and her students learning anything between California's History and Scientific Experiments based on Energy.

On Tuesdays, I spent time with Mrs.Talke and her students in the first grade. We learned how to write stories with precision to the small details and learned to independently spell as best we could.

Fridays were my 'Rotating Days'- meaning, I was placed in a different classroom with a different teacher learning and observing all I could from different classrooms. During the month of January I was student-teaching full time in 1st grade for 7 weeks. I was then hired by Sun Valley as the Long Term Substitute for Kindergarten. Believe it or not, I have seen a full circle and am in the exact classroom with the students of whom I began my teaching experience with! I was the Long Term Substitute Teacher for Mrs.Hampton's Kindergarten room and was proud to have stepped in and take lead for the class from February until June. The class graduated Kindergarten under the name of Ms.Hill's Kindergarten, Room 1. That room and class will always hold a special place in my heart!

GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND GOALS

1. Students will be guided to develop to their fullest academic potential.

2. Students will be recognized in their classrooms, school, and community for demonstrating academic achievement, cooperative behavior, and responsibility.

3. Students will be valued for individual contributions to the class, school and community.

4.Students will engage in active learning where new concepts are introduced and/or reinforced with hands-on experiences.

5. Students will experience a variety of instructional strategies including whole group directed instruction, cooperative learning, individual and small group instruction.

6.Students will be encouraged to develop divergent and critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies.

7. Students will be stimulated to develop a love of learning based on their home, school and community experiences.

8.Students will develop respect for cultural and individual differences in our community

Dominican University Lesson Plan (EDU 5180)

1. Students segmented and blended onsets and rimes to create new words

2. Students reviewed Blends, Digraphs, Consonants and Vowels

3. Students used digraphs and blends to make higher level words

4. Students recognize importance of power words when reading

LINK TO: Lesson Plan

1. Students understood and were able to apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.

2. Students were able to add and subtract within 20 on the number line

3. Students will be able to extend the counting sequence on the number line

4. Students will be able to make sense of the problem

5. Students will use tools strategically to solve the problem

6. Students will look for structure and use to solve problems

LINK TO: Lesson Plan

1. Students are able to represent numbers

2. Students are able to work with addition and subtraction equations

3. Students understand and Apply Properties of Operations and relationship between Addition and Subtraction

4. Students are able to add and subtract within 20 (but within 10, will work up to 20)

LINK TO: Lesson Plan

1. Students will recognize similarities and differences between the past and the present everyday life (school, communities)

2. Students will engage and learn in new social studies vocabulary

3. Students will participate in folklore/chant songs from the past as text for social studies

LINK TO: Lesson Plan

1. Students are able to represent numbers

2. Students are able to model number stories with counters and the addition symbol

3. Students are able to model real-world situations using symbols and numbers