1109 E Anson Street Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 March, 2014 Dear Reader: It is with great interest that I am applying

to fill a secondary Social Studies vacancy in your district. I am confident my passion-driven teaching, willingness to collaborate with the learning community, ability to teach seven different disciplines of Social Studies, and dedication to professional growth will be an asset to your district. Through my experience teaching American History at both the middle school and high school level, I believe all students can progress and achieve excellence in the classroom. By engaging students and creating opportunities for them to own and construct their learning through rigorous, relevant work, they reach greater depths of knowledge by understanding the underlying concepts of the Iowa Core. This progression towards tighter standards based instruction and assessments has created more transparent learning that reveals to students and parents what has been mastered and what can be improved. To help prepare students for higher education, the workplace, and a lifetime of learning, I also integrate literacy instruction that addresses the Common Core History/Social Studies Reading and Writing Standards. I also strive to implement technology in order to enhance learning and turn it over to where it belongs, in the hands of students. Using technology effectively gives students an opportunity to direct their learning, collaborate with others around the world, create for a broader audience, reflect on and track their learning, research to build their own knowledge, and practice the habits of lifelong learners. Great teachers also help students grow in ways that cannot be measured with a grade. My goal is to help students develop a backpack containing values, attitudes, and employability skills that will prepare them to meet future challenges and allow them to make a positive impact in their school, community, and world. With their backpack of 21st Century Skills, I believe they can become successful students and extraordinary human beings. I welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my qualifications can meet the needs of your district. I can be reached by phone at 712-269-8778 or by email at alexander.abbe@yahoo.com. I also invite you to visit www.tinyurl.com/colonescoss for a glimpse into my classroom and http://mrabbemakinghistory.weebly.com/ to view my digital portfolio. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to the possibility of hearing from you. Sincerely, Alexander Abbe