Sydney Rossi

Elementary Educator

About Sydney

Sydney has four years of experience as a classroom teacher. In those four years, she has become well-versed with Guided Reading, utilizing data from benchmark assessments and her anecdotal notes to inform instruction. Sydney's commitment to her school community doesn't end at 3:00pm. Sydney volunteers frequently to help out at after-school events.

Sydney graduated from The College of New with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and English in 2016. She holds a standard N.J. Teacher of Preschool - Grade 3 certification, as well as a standard N.J. Elementary Teacher in Grades K-6 certification.

Areas of expertise

Workshop Model

Sydney believes in the benefits of the Workshop Model, utilizing the teaching structure in Reading, Writing and Math. Sydney explicitly teaches skills that the students will not only use that day, but for the rest of their lives. After a mini-lesson, Sydney utilizes small-group lessons to differentiate her instruction for learners with similar needs, while other students are given an opportunity to authentically practice the skills they have learned.

Guided Reading

Sydney utilizes data from the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessments, as well as her anecdotal records to inform her instruction. She plans her Guided Reading lessons with the Fountas and Pinnell literacy continuum in mind and aligns her lessons with N.J. standards. Sydney also is trained in Heinemann's LLI program.

Data-Driven Instruction

In the classroom, Sydney collects formative and summative data, which she then uses to inform future instruction. This is done in various forms, ranging from a simple thumbs up or thumbs down to a more complex unit assessment. Sydney uses the data she collects to make instructional decisions about what she will teach, how she will teach it and to who she will teach it.

Teaching Philosophy

Curriculum

Develop and implement lessons based on provided materials, New Jersey Student Learning Standards and students' interests
Create lessons that recognize varying abilities, promote critical thinking and 21st century skills, and engages students in the learning process

Assessment

Use formative and summative assessments to track students' understanding
Use data from assessments to make short-term and long-term instructional decisions

Differentiation

Utlize data to proactively differentiate instruction for students
Use small-group instruction to tailor lessons to fit students' individual learning styles and needs
Collaborate with special education teachers and/or learning specialists to plan instruction that is appropriate for special education students

Lifelong Learning

Explicitly teach skills using the Workshop Model that students will not only use during the lesson, but for the rest of their lives
Provide students with time to authentically "try out" the strategy a mini-lesson focuses on
- - - Example: If students learned to ask questions while reading a nonfiction book, students are given time to read a nonfiction book of their choice and write questions they wonder on a post-it note

Model lifelong learning as a teacher by mentioning professional development and continued education.
Model and encourage a Growth Mindset through language and actions

Collaboration and Communication

Collaborate with support specialists and colleagues as needed to better meet the needs of students
Develop a partnership with students' families
Communicate with students' families regulary

Building A Classroom Community

Proactively teach social and emotional skills
Explicitly teach procedures and routines, as well as social skills and give specific feedback
Use intentional language to reinforce, remind or redirect students
Use logical consequences to allow students to fix and learn from their mistakes
Utilize class meetings to build community, provide time for reflection and celebration
Establish classroom rules with students so they feel ownership over the rules

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