il 573 master degree

1. Hello everyone I’m excited to join this class. My name is Lesley Danford and I
currently teach 3rd grade. I am in my 7th year of teaching, and I have taught every
grade in elementary except kindergarten and sixth grade.
Two items that can be found in Walmart the best describe me. The first would be a
beach towel or beach umbrella suit anything that relates to water fun. I enjoy being
on the water whether it be at the beach, lake, or on the river. The second item
would be crayons, markers or paint. I am not a good artist I cannot draw or paint
miraculous things but it does help me with stress and anxiety, so I often find myself
with the adult coloring books or chart paper. These things reflect my personality
number one I’m very outgoing I love to be around family and friends doing fun
things on the water. The crayons , markers and paint so my creative side, and I’m
not afraid to try something new so that’s my adventurous side.
For my Signature Project, I would like to investigate the importance of teaching literacy in all
content areas. I feel that the written and spoken word are fundamental to a child’s education,
but every year students come to me reading less proficiently than the class before. As teachers
we try to fill gaps, but they keep coming with larger gaps.
What do we do to close the gaps in literacy?
Are parents and students held accountable enough?
How do teachers get ahead of this and turn things around quickly?
I look forward to learning and growing with you all this term.