home

Hi! My name is Abbie Foristal, and this is my Wikispace for my Synthesis of Assigned Readings for EDUM 5650: Field Experience Teaching and Learning K-6 and EDUM 5660: Teaching and Writing K-6 for the Spring 2011 Semester. I am a graduate student at Metropolitan State College of Denver. I am working on a Master of Arts Teaching degree in Elementary Education. I am also working on my ESL Endorsement.

A little bit about myself....I was born in Oklahoma, and lived there until I was 12. One of my childhood friends was from Mexico, and I thought it was so cool that she spoke Spanish, and this is one of my reasons that I am getting the ESL Endorsement. My family moved to Littleton, CO, and I graduated from Heritage High School in 2000 with High Honors. I attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. I received a B.S. in Architectural Engineering with an Emphasis in Structural Engineering and a minor in Interior Design in 2005. While I was in college, I was actively involved in my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Cardinal Key Honor Society.

I moved back to Denver, CO after graduating and worked in Architecture and Interior Design for several years. I loved the creativity, coordination, and cooperation involved in the profession, but did not feel fulfilled. I got a taste of teaching as a Peer Assistant for the Introduction to Engineering course for the College of Engineering at UW, and decided to pursue my passion for teaching.

I started in the field of Education as a Classroom Volunteer in a second grade classroom at Damon Runyon Elementary in Littleton, CO, and absolutely loved it! I am currently a Guest Teacher for Denver Public Schools, and have done several special assignments for the district including being a CELA (Colorado English Language Acquisition) tester and being an observer for the Teacher Laptop Initiative. I can't wait until I graduate in Spring of 2013, and get my own classroom.

I love golf, rainy days, running, and my kitty, Mac.

My observation is with a phenomenal teacher, Brenna McEvitt, at Godsman Elementary in Denver. She teachers a fourth grade class, and I am learning so much.

The Synthesis is for the following texts:

Online Course Pack: EDUM 5660: Teaching Writing K-6 CoursePack ISBN: 0558911293 To purchase and access your online CoursePack, you will need to do the following: 1. Go to: http://www.xanedu.com/login.shtml?PackId=338761

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J. (2001) Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. (An older version is available free through McREL at: http://www.mcrel.org/citw/ It is called A Theory-Based Meta-Analyasis of Research on Instruction) Routman, Regie (2005). Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann. Sprick, R., Garrison, M. (2009) CHAMPS: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management. 2 nd Edition. Pacific Northwest Publishing.

Thank you for visiting my Wikispace!