March 28, 2022

Fellow Educators,

It is with pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Bree Hoek. As a professor in the College of Education, I
have known Bree for over 3 years as an undergraduate student. In addition, I also had the privilege to mentor her one-on-
one for approximately 2 years as she worked as a STEM Education Assistant as part of a National Science Foundation and
SD EPSCoR grant. She possesses the following qualities:

Teaching Skills. As an educator, Bree creates opportunities for all students to participate in lessons successfully
and actively. In my science methods course, Bree created a standard-based science unit on living things for
kindergarten students. During the planning of the unit, Bree demonstrated that she could unpack the 3
dimensions of a science standard and then use backward design to create a sequence of instruction that used the
5E Learning Model that included picture books as wells as hands-on approaches.

Technology. Her technology skills would be an asset to your school. She not only has been exposed to a variety of
technology tools but has extensive experience implementing them. When she worked as a STEM Education
Assistant, she developed and piloted standard-aligned curriculum modules for 7th grade learners that could be
used in a face-to-face or in a remote classroom setting. This project was presented at the 2021 SD TIE Conference.
For an overview of this work, visit this link, https://create.piktochart.com/output/53815880-
teaching_science_remotely_nearpod_dsu. In the activities that she developed, the use of technology had two
clear, instructional purposes: 1) to meet content goals; 2) to provide a variety of learning options for students.

Personal Skills. One of Bree’s strengths is her enthusiasm for the profession and for learners. Her projects
consistently ranked among the most creative in my course. She seemed genuinely interested in what she was
learning. I was impressed by her coachability, considering how she could build on ideas and calmly responding to
changing circumstances and new challenges. She communicates professionally, meets deadlines, and will develop
positive relationships with other adults.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Nash, PhD

Associate Professor, Education
Jennifer.Nash@dsu.edu
Cell. 605-644-6274

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