! Talawanda!Middle!School!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4030!Oxford6Reily!Road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Oxford,!Ohio!45056!!

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Phone:!513627363300!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!huelsmanc@talawanda.org!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!To!Whom!It!May!Concern:!! Meghan!Riley!has!been!a!student!teacher!in!my!classroom!for!nine!weeks.!This!assignment!took!place!at!Talawanda!Middle!School,!which!is!part!of!a!rural!district!in!southwest!Ohio.!During!this!placement,!Ms.!Riley!had!the!opportunity!to!teach!six!sections!of!sixth!grade!science.!She!was!responsible!for!teaching!approximately!113!students,!including!students!with!a!wide!range!of!socioeconomic!status,!and!special!needs!ranging!from!giftedness,!ADD,!ADHD,!and!behavior!needs.!! During!this!placement,!Ms.!Riley!was!responsible!for!planning!and!implementing!daily!classwork,!homework,!labs,!quizzes,!and!unit!tests.!For!the!first!six!weeks!of!her!placement,!Ms.!Riley!taught!a!complete!unit!covering!rocks!and!minerals.!For!the!final!two!weeks!of!Ms.!Riley!placement,!she!planned!and!taught!a!small!unit!on!the!introduction!to!living!things,!which!includes!topics!such!as!the!characteristics!of!life!and!classifying!life.!! Ms.!Riley!has!successfully!demonstrated!her!ability!to!run!a!science!classroom.!Developing!and!executing!labs!can!be!very!challenging,!and!Ms.!Riley’s!approached!this!task!with!skill.!She!demonstrated!an!awareness!and!ability!to!adapt!and!change!lessons!and!labs!when!needed.!During!the!rock!and!minerals!unit,!Ms.!Riley!used!our!district!adopted!Lab6aids!science!curriculum!and!appropriate!in6class!technology,!including!an!interactive!white!board!and!document!camera,!to!assist!her.!She!was!also!a!part!of!our!new!building!wide!adoption!of!one!to!one!technology.!This!meant!that!each!student!would!have!their!own!Chromebook!device!every!day!in!class.!Ms.!Riley!helped!implement!the!daily!use!of!Chromebooks!in!our!regular!classroom!activities.!Websites!such!as!Schoology,!Google!Classroom,!Kahoot,!and!Progressbook!were!used!on!a!regular!basis!to!enhance!and!further!the!curriculum.!Using!these!classroom!websites,!she!posted!homework!and!content!related!links,!and!created!engaging!games.!She!showed!awareness!of!different!learning!styles!and!adjusted!assignments!or!grading!methods!to!meet!the!varied!needs!of!her!students.!! Ms.!Riley!possesses!a!positive!attitude!and!enthusiasm!to!take!on!tasks.!She!has!a!great!rapport!with!the!students!she!has!worked!with.!She!has!always!been!on!time,!prepared,!and!ready!to!go!for!the!day.!She!has!had!a!positive!working!relationship!with!all!of!my!colleagues!and!myself,!making!her!a!valuable!member!of!the!teaching!team.!! I!have!thoroughly!enjoyed!working!with!Ms.!Riley,!and!in!my!professional!opinion,!I!would!recommend!her!for!a!teaching!position!in!your!school!district.!I!am!confident!that!Ms.!Riley!will!be!an!asset!to!any!staff!that!she!works!with.!I!believe!that!she!will!continue!to!grow!and!become!even!more!effective!as!a!teacher!with!further!opportunities.!If!you!have!any!further!questions,!please!feel!free!to!contact!me!via!email!huelsmanc@talawanda.org,!my!school!phone!at!513627363326,!or!my!cell!phone!at!513666860079!(summer!months!only).! Sincerely,!!

Christopher!E.!Huelsman!!Sixth!Grade!Science!Teacher!!Talawanda!Middle!School! !