Rachel Castaneda

I am currently an ESL teacher in Cary, North Carolina. This is my first year teaching ESL after teaching fourth grade for the past 8 years. I have a background in special education and I worked as a special education teacher in New York before moving to North Carolina.

Fourth grade is a crucial year for students to become more independent as learners. I spend a lot of time in the classroom increasing my students' responsibility for themselves and their work. We do a lot of partner and small group work in my classroom. When students enter my classroom they often struggle to communicate effectively about their ideas and learning. A goal of mine each year is that my students learn to speak and listen to others independently and successfully by developing communication skills. Most of the items in my shop reflect my teaching practices. I have spent a lot of time making resources that are useful to upper elementary teachers, however many organizational items can fit a multitude of grade levels!

I represented my school as Teacher of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year. I was also a finalist for Wake County Teacher of the Year for the 2017-2018 school year.

I graduated in 2009 from SUNY Geneseo with a dual degree in childhood and special education. I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Literacy, ages 3-12.

Instagram: @mrscteaches4th Classroom website: www.mrschde.weebly.com Follow me on Twitter! @mrschde