2601 Grandview Boulevard West Lawn, PA 19609-1324 (610) 670-0180 November 9, 2016 To Whom It May Concern: Itis my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Miss Rebecca Berry. Rebecca excelled as a student teacher with my colleague, Mr. Michael Smith, from August until mid- October 2016. During this time, Rebecca did an outstanding job collaborating with me and our fourth grade team of teachers. In working with Rebecca as she planned social studies units, was quite apparent to me that she possesses a natural talent for teaching at a very high level. From the start of her placement, Miss Berty was assertive in assuming instructional responsibilities and collaborating with our fourth grade teachers. In Social Studies, Rebecca created an excellent unit of study on the United States Regions. In this unit, the students became experts on one of the five U.S. regions by doing group research with credible websites and books. The students then created a Google presentation to share their information with the class. During this unit, Miss Berry created detziled flipcharts for every lesson. Each social studies lesson consisted of a mini lesson (examples included: how to find strong facts, and how to avoid plagiarizing), and also included time for the students to work in their small groups. Overall, Mr. Smith and I remarked how well the students did with this research project. We plan on using this project for years to come! Another example of Rebecca's collaboration is that she made a review game for this Regions unit using Kahoot. The students and | had a blast with this! Whenever | interacted with Rebecca, she was kind and professional, She was always willing to share information and also willing to learn from other teachers as well. Witson’s Mission: Empoworing Our Students to Create their Own FutureThis is my 14" year as a teacher. I've been a cooperating teacher for several student teachers from various universities. My experiences have allowed me to work with some strong teacher candidates and some very average ones. In my professional opinion, | cannot teach a student teacher to go “above and beyond” and to have the drive to excel in the art of teaching. You either have that excellence or you don’t. When | have a student teacher this Spring | will be sure to share some of Rebecca's hard work with that person as a way to communicate what. excellence looks like. After all, our children deserve the very best educz n. Without a doubt, Rebecca Berry has a natural talent for teaching at a very high level. She will be a prized addition to any district that employs her. If you have any questions about my recommendation for Miss Berry you may e-mail me at votmic@share.wilsonsd.org, or call me on my cell phone (610-401-7344). Mp # Mi of W. Votodian, M. Ed. Mel a! Grade Teacher, Spring Ridge Elementary