es PARK CITY HIGH SCHOOL 1750 Keams Blvd. * Park City, UT 84060 * 435-645-5650 April 5, 2016 Dear Sir or Madam, Itis my pleasure to recommend Dolly Duke for a teaching position at your school. Dolly was student teacher in my 10" grade English classes this year and exceeded my expectations. Her ‘thoughtful planning, creative flair, and impressive background knowledge will enable her to adapt to any teaching situation. Words that describe Dolly are conscientious, dedicated, professional, energetic, and passionate. She has committed herself to being a well-informed and innovative educator who strives to challenge and support her students in their learning. In her unit plans, she carefully develops learning opportunities to help students achieve the goals she set out for them because she researches and plans her material so meticulously. While teaching Night, by Ellie Wiesel, Dolly included historical primary documents, personal stories and biographies af Holocaust victims, situational simulations, and current news articles, which all tied into her thematic goals. The information she provided students was socially and culturally relevant to the students. She also chose appropriate formative and summative assessments that reinforced the concepts she taught. Additionally, Dolly worked extensively to differentiate her lesson plans to meet the needs ofall of her students. This year, she taught in an ELL link class, meaning about half of her students receive additional support and modifications for their work in English, Dolly balanced scaffolding curriculum to ensure success with maintaining high expectations. She counseled reluctant students about their next steps and helped them form goals for their future learning. She also was very intentional about getting to know students and having a connection with each of them. The result was that her students trusted her instruction and valued her feedback. Dolly also is the constant professional. She was very open to collaboration with me and with all of the other teachers in our department. Dolly questioned strategies, adapted lesson plans, and experimented with new ideas. When she had free time, she observed master teachers from all departments throughout the school and discussed her observations with me. She is constantly absorbing subtle strategies that teachers employ in the classroom to apply to her own practice, Overall, Dolly would make an amazing addition to any faculty. Her skills far surpass what one ‘ould expect from a new teacher. You can count on Dolly making a positive impact in your school on day one. Sincerely, Kelly Yeates Park City High School English Teacher Department Co-Chair