I currently work with students in developing their Reading Comprehension Skills and strategies; as well as Language Arts/Writing Composition; Lower School Exploratory w/emphasis on cooking; and Upper School Exploratory with an emphasis on Gardening. I received an Associate of Arts & Sciences from Central Virginia Community College with a major in General Studies. Later in life, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Special Education from Lynchburg College. This is my 22nd year of teaching in March, with 19.5 at New Vistas School.
Reading Comprehension: Development of independent reading skills. A variety of age-appropriate literary works including recent and classic fiction, narrative nonfiction and poetry will be explored. Supplemental activities introduced to foster confidence in the areas of narrative structure, drawing conclusions, making inferences, use of imagery, figurative language, analogies and various poetic elements.
Writing Composition: Use of the writing process to generate detailed narratives, persuasive, explanatory, and descriptive compositions. Emphasis is placed on the students’ abilities to demonstrate correct sentence structure that includes all the conventions of grammar and mechanics learned to date.
US Exploratory: This course integrates gardening with various class room curricula. Science is the most effortless fit, with the school garden playing the role of science laboratory, our school garden also acts as a catalyst for a wide range of lessons in mathematics, history, social science, English-language arts, visual and performing arts, health, problem solving and social skills. Specific activities that assist students in achieving the Virginia Standards of Learning are incorporated along with providing an ideal context for learning interpersonal and cross-cultural content, skills and values.
LS Exploratory: This course integrates cooking with a taste of gardening and various class room curricula. We incorporate STEM and science whenever possible. Also incorporated is real life experiences as well as, a wide range of lessons in mathematics, history, social science, English-language arts, visual and performing arts, health, problem solving and social skills. Specific activities that assist students in achieving the Virginia Standards of Learning are incorporated along with providing an ideal context for learning interpersonal and cross-cultural content, skills and values.
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