One area I improved on this year was professional responsibilities.

took more time to reflect on the effectiveness of my instruction &

responded frequently to family concerns with professional and cultural

sensitivity. The family/student interest survey adapted from

Implementing the Framework for Teaching in Enhancing Professional

Practice, by Charlotte Danielson was used to inform me the preferred

method of communication by families, students interests, and cultural

heritage. Communication with families was transparent with all 5th

grade team members to ensure a consistent and integrated team

effort to make certain behavior and academics were communicated

frequently with families. In order to achieve a consistent delivery of

communication to families, it was essential and agreed upon that e-

mails to parents involving students in other classes were triple checked

by other team members and team members were to be CCd on all

parent communication. Also, communication via Classdojo was shared to

promote immediate and effective communication with colleagues,

students and parents. According to feedback received from parents

through Classdojo, e-mails, and conversations pertaining to my 56

students, families appreciate the efforts to engage them in the

instructional program and the learning process. Additionally, all

students contributed to and maintained data files indicating and

reflecting on their own progress in learning (4b, see student written

record of contribution to monitoring goals). Throughout this year, I

read many articles and books to improve my practice for future

teaching. One resource in particular is adapted from Artful Thinking:

Project Zero/Harvard University. Please see website below. 4e & 1e, 1d

https://www.edutopia.org/stw-arts-integration-research What is truly

remarkable about this resource is that it integrates thinking maps,

artful thinking routines, and questions to help facilitate strategies to

deepen content. I see. I think. I wonder was used in my observed

lesson for students to interpret and infer how George Catlin and Ansel

Adams art persuaded Congress to act. The impact on student learning

was quite powerful. Students were able to make sense and scaffold

their own learning to see the impact of how images ultimately

influenced Congress to create the National Parks system. In order to

be distinguished in communicating, it is essential that students

participate in maintaining records. One way students participate in

maintaining their own data is through a growth folder. Also, students

have been tracking their own reading and writing goals through

reflection & revision while collecting artifacts throughout the year to

demonstrate growth. (4b, please see individual pages in artifacts).

In order to be distinguished in 4c, students participate in preparing

materials for families and the teacher provides frequent information

about the instructional program. Students are responsible for creating

a class newsletter and teaching the next set of students the role of

each person participating in creating the newsletter. Home-school

connections practices include weekly Classdojo reports and real-time

data collection of missing assignments, turned in assignments, late

assignments, parent volunteer of maintaining project assignments and

weekly on-line Wonders assessments and leveled weekly skills and

concepts newsletters. Students also set weekly goals for themselves

and make suggestions for me to change for the following week. One of

the ways students communicate what they are doing in class is by

writing letters to their parents when our class begins a new topic.

Parents write their kiddos back and students turn in both writing

pieces in their folder. In addition, students communicate to parents by

writing in their agenda daily. Agendas are checked daily for written

communication (4b & 4c, please see artifacts).

(4d, please see artifacts, communication with colleagues and previous

notes from meetings). This year, I co-lead the fifth grade team with

my colleague, Candace O Connor. I supported my team in grading and

assessment practices and encouraged my team to allow students the

opportunity to retake assessments if the student was ready to prove

they mastered skills or concepts. I also provided my team with

resources and articles on the value of assessment for learning. As a

result, our fifth grade team allows students to make test corrections
and revise their work as much as they need. I was also asked by my

cadre to assume the role as secretary of the Learning Through the

Arts Cadre. My involvement in a culture of professional inquiry is

demonstrated through a willingness to challenge current practices,

policies, and procedures at Doral Academy. 4f & 4e Here are just a few

of the professional responsibilities I have contributed to our school

and team; Departmentalizing fifth grade to prepare our students for

middle school, taking the lead on creating supply lists for our team,

creating a unified 5th grade welcome letter for our team, suggesting a

presentation to 5th grade parents at open-house, co-creating a

classroom management system for our team, utilizing Classdojo to

document and provide team communication to all students with

transparency, modifying an on-line version progress report for both

students and parents to be engaged in creating goals and be held

accountable, and working with SPED several times to create a schedule

for our instructional assistant to meet the needs of all students. Also,

I suggested that our team utilized Signup genius for parent/teacher

conferences and volunteer needs for the classroom. Lastly, I served on

the Social Committee for the first semester and serve on the Teacher

Council to contribute to positively impacting student and staff life.

One of the many ways I dedicated my commitment to the teaching

profession was to volunteer to participate in classroom observations by

a student from USC on a weekly basis.