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WRITER | EDUCATOR
PORTFOLIO
Teacher Leadership
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Developing our teachers as leaders: A vision of professional relationships in Jewish day schools, Laura Pasek, Spring 2023, HaYidion: The Prizmah Journal
Election Simulation
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Elementary-School Students Learn Civics Through Role Play, Ruth Ebenstein, Nov. 4, 2016, The Atlantic
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This school is holding a presidential election — but Trump and Clinton aren’t on the ballot, Ruth Ebenstein, Oct. 19, 2016, The Washington Post
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Kohelet Prize Submission
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Religious Studies / Language Arts Integration
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Leveraging literacy treasures in the Tanakh, Jewish Education Innovation Challenge blog, April 27, 2023
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Tanachsadna.com Consultant and coach
Student Newspapers
Samples of student-run media
Extracurricular Time in Our Schools (Page 32-33)
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Grants, awards, and fellowships
Pedagogy of Partnership, 2022-2023
GreenPrize, Detroit Zoological Society for Green Club (2022)
Adamah Seal of Sustainability (2021, 2022, 2023)
Teacher Leadership Fellowship, Brandeis University (2018-2021)
Walmart Community Foundation grant for school newspaper (2019)
Print, audio, and visual media:
Green Efforts Take Root, February 27, 2023 Detroit Jewish News
Running a student newspaper during a pandemic, Washtenaw Jewish News, April 2021, page 8, coauthored with a student
Come Into Our Classroom, a podcast about teaching and learning
CONSULTING
As a trained coach and mentor, I am available to conduct professional development in the following specialties:
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Fostering teacher leadership in your school - Read about my philosophy on teacher leadership
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Integration of religious and secular studies
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Bringing best practices of literacy instruction into the religious studies classroom
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Embedding religious values into social-emotional learning
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Authentic writing instruction: how to up the stakes of your students’ writing
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Cross-subject integration: bringing together topics using authentic, real-world projects
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Starting up a student-run newspaper, podcast, video blog, or website
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Podcasting 101
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Upping your school-home communication game: student-made podcasts and video newsletters
TUTORING
Writing is an essential tool for communication, and good writers become proficient by writing about topics they are passionate about. What are your child's interests? We can find a genuine writing project that aligns with their passions. For example, they could develop a podcast, website, submit a story contest entry, write to decision-makers to advocate for change, or create a real e-book to sell on Amazon.
I implement a personalized approach to suit each child's individual needs. In fiction writing, we can focus on the six traits of writing, which include organization, content, voice, flow, sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, and syntax. For non-fiction writing, we begin with logic and reasoning. Debating is a fantastic way to develop children's interest in expository writing. Through oral debate, children will learn to sharpen their logical reasoning skills. We will transition into structured writing that emphasizes clear and robust reasoning. Your child's progress will be measured and tracked regularly to ensure steady growth.
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We use proven methods such as CARS and STARS to improve reading comprehension, focusing on developing reading strategies in 12 core areas. We will find highly engaging material to motivate your child to read more. We can also use a word study approach to learn word families and spelling patterns. Their progress will be objectively tracked over time to show their improvement.
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I am available to meet with your child either at my home in Ann Arbor, a local library, or your home, depending on your location. Watch your child's writing and reading skills blossom as we work to achieve their goals!
FEE STRUCTURE​
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Age range: Students in kindergarten through 8th grade
Individual: $60/hour
Two students: $50/hour per student
Three students: $40/hour per student