The College of New J ersey

Department of
Elementary and
Early Childhood Education
PO Box 7718
Ewing. NJ 08628-0718
p) 609.771.2251
F) 609.637.5197
E) elemeced@lcnj.edu
w) www.tcnj.edu
May 21,2013
To whomitmay concern,
At this point inher teacher preparation program, the completion of her junior year Advanced Core
Block (ACB) courses andher semester-long practicurn inasecond-grade class, Melissa Marks possesses
attributes andskills which predict that she will not only do well inher senior student teaching but will
also be prepared to be aneffective teacher of elementary school children. As her instructor inthe major
ACB course, ELE 301 "Integrating andDifferentiating Instruction for All Learners", andher practicurn
supervisor I have hadmultiple opportunities to observe Melissa both with her peers incollege sessions
andinateaching capacity inher practicurn class.
Throughout her ACB semester Miss Marks set high standards for herself She worked
conscientiously to reach them. Her dedication to acquiring pedagogical expertise andcontent
knowledge was exemplary. Melissa displayed apositive attitude towards challenging situations and
looked uponthemas learning opportunities. Her strong work ethic, perseverance, anddiligence in
applying suggestions presented by her cooperating teacher were commendable. During the one andone-
half days she was inasecond-grade classroom for sevenweeks andfor fun-time for aperiod often-days
atthe endof the practicum her professional conduct was outstanding.
Miss Marks demonstrated proficiency inmany skills. Her lessonplans were clear with well-stated
developmentally- appropriate objectives andperformance-based informal andformal assessments. In
delivery she maximized learning time by maintaining abalance of total class, small group, and
individual activities. To sustain second-graders' focus Melissa related content to their lives and
experiences. She effectively questioned students to encourage higher-order thinking. Her lesson
reflections revealed her strong professional self-awareness as she consistently documented components
that went well andthose that needed fine-tuning.
Strengthening her classroom presence was anareaonwhich Miss Marks invested continuous
thought andeffort. This emphasis resulted inher attainment of anaturalness ininteractions with
second-graders plus effective use of voice, intonation, andnon-verbal body language inenhancing
comprehension ...
To summarize, Melissa Marks is apromising teacher candidate.
Sincerely, R -
~..d~
Harlene Galen, Ed. D.