1. Solveig Laverty’s
4th Grade
Inclusion Teaching
Portfolio

2. SOLVEIG LAVERTY
solveig00@yahoo.com
SPECIAL EDUCATION/ELEMENTARY EDUCTION TEACHER
~Detail Oriented ~Experienced ~Creative ~Sensitive
Experienced professional with the ability to collaborate with others so as to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum and
differentiated instruction. Strive daily to develop student’s confidence in their own abilities through positive behavioral supports.
Continue to develop professionally by attending workshops and collegiate classes on the latest curricular programs and developing
technology for students.
EDUCATION
Masters of Education (MED): Special Education
The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, May, 2010 GPA: 3.8
Bachelor of Science: Major: Sport & Exercise Science
Stetson University, Deland, Florida, May 2000
CERTIFICATIONS
Praxis Elementary Content Knowledge: Passed, March, 2007
CEAS (Spring 2010): Teachers of Students with Disabilities (K-12) and Elementary (K-5)
Standard Certification: Preschool -Third grade, State of New Jersey, May 2005
Interactive Metronome (IM) Certified: Qualified to plan and conduct IM training for children and adults with
special needs
HONORS
NJAEYC Conference-Co-Presented, The Nursery School Movement and Its Relevance Today, October 2003
TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship- Smith (maiden name), S. et. al. (2005). The nursery school
movement: Its relevance today. The College of NJ: Journal of Student Scholarship, Vol. 6, 82-83.
available online at: http://www.tcnj.edu/~joss/archive/2005.pdf
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3. SOLVEIG LAVERTY
solveig00@yahoo.com
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Student Teacher/Internship II- Holly Hills Elementary School, Westampton, NJ, Jan 2010 – May 210
-Teaching a 4th grade inclusion classroom.
-Collaborate with the special education and general education teacher.
-Observing a self-contained/special education classroom
-Participate in the school wide Positive Behavioral Support initiative.
-Develop lessons plans that meet the needs of diverse learners by applying my knowledge of differentiated
instruction and the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards.
-Attended grade level meetings and in-service.
-Attended “IEP Tracker” computer training.
-Implemented a unit on myths vs. facts regarding The Underground Railroad.
Substitute Teacher-Edgewater Park Elementary, Edgewater Park; NJ; M. Joan Person Elementary and Walnut Street Middle
School, Delanco NJ; Riverside Elementary and Middle School, Riverside, NJ; Holly Hills Elementary and Westampton Middle
School, Westampton, NJ, March 2007-Current
-Teach students in Pre-Kindergarten through the eighth grade.
-Easily adapt to each age group by accommodating students unique needs.
-Participate in the school’s Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS).
-Utilize my time management skills to prepare and present the lesson plans.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE CONTINUED
Pre-Kindergarten Teacher-The Village Learning Center, Pennington, NJ, August 2003-May 2006
-Prepared students for kindergarten by providing differentiated instruction.
-Assessed students through anecdotal notes, Brigance Inventory Test and compiled portfolios .
-Worked cooperatively with Mercer County Special Services and participated in IEP meetings.
-Collaborated with teachers and staff for NAYCE reaccreditation.
-Utilized NJ Core Curriculum and the Creative Curriculum to create developmentally appropriate lesson plans.
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4. SOLVEIG LAVERTY
solveig00@yahoo.com
PART TIME TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Tutor-Self Employed, March 2008-Current
-Tutored 2 students individually in Language Arts and Mathematics.
-Utilized the Qualitative Reading Inventory Assessment (QRI) to assess and reassess students.
-Utilized the text Words their Way to further assess and reassess students.
-Reinforced mathematic skills by utilizing the Everyday Math.
VOLUNTEER WORK
Garden Club-Edgewater Park Public School, April 2007-June 2007
-Assisted Elementary student with planting, watering and exploring nature.
Sunday School Teacher- Princeton, NJ, 1994-1996
-Taught lessons and a related crafts to 20 four-year-olds monthly.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
Everyday Mathematics Classroom Strategies – 8/2008
Biting and Other Challenging Behaviors - 2/2006
Building Portfolios and Observation – 2/2006
Developmental Red Flags – 2/2006
Reducing the Spread of Infectious Disease-9-2006
NJAEYC State Conference-10/2003
-Using Art Materials Does Not Fine Art Make!
COMPUTER SKILLS
Proficient in: Smart Board, Pinnacle Studio (movie editing), Inspiration/Kidspiration, Interactive Metronome, MS Excel and Word, IEP
Tracker.

5. Core Belief: Differentiate Instruction
Instruction should be differentiated so that students
can reach their fullest potential, based on their own
instructional and independent ability:
-Students all learn differently, which means that teachers need to present
information so that multiple senses are stimulated.
-Some such examples are: visual, auditory and kinesthetic.
-The following lesson exemplifies my belief in multi-sensory learning.
Students:
+Listened to a passage in Bridge to Terabithia and were shown an
example of what the teacher visualized (auditory and visual).
+Then students read a different passage in the book to themselves.
+Then students drew and wrote what they visualized (visual and
kinesthetic).

6. Guided Reading:
Visualization
• Novel: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine
Paterson
• Objective: Students will be able to apply
visualization techniques by accurately
sketching and labeling their drawings (with 3
bullets points) based on a setting passage in
the text.

7. Guided Reading:
Visualization
Activity (part I): Student’s were asked to CLOSE
THEIR EYES and visualize the following passage:
“The first two began dragging their toes to make the
finish line. The ground was rutted from past rains,
but had hardened in the late summer drought, so
they had to give up on sneaker toes and draw a line
with a stick (Paterson, 1977, 30).”
• Paterson, K (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY, Harper Trophy.

8. Guided Reading:
Visualization
Model: Teacher’s Example
• -What did you
• visualize?
• -Some of the things
• you visualized were
• probably the same
• and some things
• were probably
• slightly different.
•

9. Guided Reading:
Visualization
Activity (part II): Finally, Student’s were asked to
READ the following passage and visualize what
they saw:
“A U-Haul was parked right by the door. One of those big
jointed ones. These people had a lot of junk. But they
wouldn’t last. The Perkin’s place was one of those ratty old
country houses you moved into because you had no decent
place to go and moved out of as quickly as you could”
(Paterson, 1977, 10)
• Paterson, K (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York, NY, Harper Trophy.

10. Guided Reading:
Visualization
All of the students visualized the U-haul and the house.
However, the details they visualized were different.

11. Guided Reading:
Visualization
Modifications/
Accommodations:
-Small group
-Clarified directions as
needed
-Verbal directions with a
visual example
-Formal Assessment:
Students were graded with
a rubric on their written
AND illustrated response
(in order to balance
students varying ability
levels).

12. Social Studies:
Underground Railroad (U.G.R.R.) Postcard
• Unit of study: The Underground Railroad
• Objective: Students will be able to distinguish
myths from facts regarding The Underground
Railroad.

13. Social Studies:
Underground Railroad (U.G.R.R.) Postcard
• Formal Assessment/Culminating activity:
Students wrote a postcard to a friend or family
member explaining a myth about the
Underground Railroad and then clarified what
the truth (fact) really is. Students then drew a
picture that illustrated their myth/fact.
Students were also instructed to write the
postcard in 1st person, as though they were a
slave that escaped many years ago.

14. Core Belief: Research Your Topic
• Researching what I am going to teach is of the utmost importance.
• Research ensures that accurate facts are presented.
• I make sure that I briefly share the research process with students so that
they understand:
- what is involved in researching a topic
- why it is important
-how it can be applied to real life
• With older students (3rd grade and up), I might share the actual research
process with students or have the students research the topic themselves.
• This process allows students and teachers to collaborate, and gives
students a sense of control, regarding what they are learning.

15. Core Belief:
Social Studies
The Underground Railroad (U.G.R.R)
For this particular unit, I asked students to infer
throughout the week:
-How I researched and determined what the myths and facts are, regarding
the U.G.R.R.
-How I determined what was reliable information.
-How I compared facts and that varied (i.e. the number of times Harriet
Tubman went back to help other slaves escape).
-How I justified why facts might change over the years.

16. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard
This particular
student, “M” chose
to write about the
“quilt myth” and
then clarified that
no quilt has ever
been found
(with escape plans
sewn in a “code”).

17. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R.
Postcard
“M”, starting to
illustrate the
front of her
postcard.

18. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
“M’”s finished
Postcard.
Note: she illustrated
the “myth” and not
the “fact”, which is
acceptable according
to the rubric (see
next slide).

19. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard Format
“Check Off Rubric”
Content
Illustration Illustration represents at
Ex: If you said, "I ran least one aspect of what
away to a small town up was written in the
North", you might draw a postcard. Illustration is
picture of yourself (as a neat and has color.
slave) on the run or settled
in your new home.
Ideas Ideas were expressed in a
clear and organized
fashion. (It was easy to
figure out what the letter
was about).

20. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard Format
Category
Salutation and Closing Salutation and closing
have no errors in
capitalization and
punctuation.
Grammar & spelling Writer makes no errors
in grammar or spelling.
Letter is in first person The letter is written in
first person. For
example, "I ran away in
the middle of the night"
Length The letter has 3 or more
sentences (in the entire
postcard) and fits nicely
on the postcard.

21. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard Format
Category
Content Accuracy The letter contains at least
1 accurate fact about the
topic. The letter is written
as though you are writing
to a friend many years
after you escaped slavery
(around 1890)

22. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
“R”’s Illustration
Represents the
U.G.R.R. as
house(s) that
kept slaves safe.

23. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard
“R”’s letter
explains one
myth and
then clarifies
the truth
about what
the
U.G.R.R.
really was.

24. Social Studies:
U.G.R.R. Postcard

25. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
Modifications/ Accommodations:
-Extra time
-Clarified directions as necessary
-Reduced distractions
-One-on-one support/extra time
with 2 students.
Universal Design:
-Students wrote a rough draft in
their notebook.
-Their rough draft was check by
a teacher/paraprofessional
before they moved on to
their final draft.

26. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
Postcards were
hung from the
ceiling around the
room so that
everyone could
see the
illustrations and
the letters.

27. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
-Graded rubric example
-Students read the rubric and
checked off each box as they
re-read their rough draft.
-Each category was worth up
to 4 points.

28. Social Studies
U.G.R.R. Postcard
Rough draft
example

29. Everyday Math program:
Fraction review
-Hook: A Fraction video
called: “study jams” on
Scholastic.com.
-The video explains what the
numerator and the
denominator mean by using
real life examples!
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/fractions/

30. Math:
Fraction review
Sample
manipulative:
Fraction “Flip Book”
-This “flip book” easily
allows students to
compare fractions.
For example:
½ is greater than 2/8

31. Math:
Fraction review
Section I:
Students wrote greater
than, less than or equal to
symbol and used their
fraction “flip book” to
answer or confirm their
answer.
Section II:
Students used tangrams to
answer or confirm their
answers.

32. Math:
Fraction review
Section III:
Students completed the
equivalent fractions.
Students used their
multiplication chart if they
felt they needed it.
Section IV:
Students put fractions in
order from least to
greatest.

33. Math:
Fraction review
Modifications/
Accommodations:
-Extra time (students completed
an extension worksheet if they
finished early).
-Multiplication grid
-Clarification as needed
Universal Design:
-Students were given the
following manipulatives:
•Fraction “flip book”
•Tangrams
-Students were told to complete
the even numbers on the
worksheet and then go back and
do the odds if they have time.
-3 small groups

34. Math:
Fractions
Students completed
an “exit card”
independently when
they finished their
review worksheet.
The exit card focused
on what needs to be a
“secure skill” for the
next unit: creating
equivalent fractions

35. Math:
Fractions
-When Students finished Worksheet Extension
the fraction review
worksheet and the “exit
card”, students completed
the following worksheet
extension.
-The directions tell the
students to come up with
their own fraction
“number story” by using a
real/everyday example (as
demonstrated in the
video).
-Then students exchanged
papers with someone
sitting near them and
solved each others
fraction “number story”.

36. Core Belief: Students often excel when they
work together
• One of the ways students excel in their learning is by working together:
-Science is one subject in particular that often provides opportunities for group
work (small groups or partners).
-The following lesson, involved having students work in pairs in order to explore
light and color.
-Students worked with previously assigned partners. Students were matched so
that one person was slightly stronger academically.
-This was done in order to help students reach their “zone of proximal
development” (Vygotsky).
-In other words, when students are paired in this manner it should result in
increased success (rather than working alone).
-This is because the student who finds science challenging will strive to succeed
because they know that they have the support of their peer and will often want
to strive towards their peers ability.
-In addition, the child that is providing “support”, also gains knowledge because
they are having to analyze what they are learning and then “teach” it to their
partner.

37. Science:
Light and Color
Objective: Students will be able to observe and
record what happens when sunlight passes
through a prism
Activity: Students paired up to use prisms and
discovered that sunlight (white light) is actually a
combination of many different colors of light (the
spectrum).

38. Science: • Will be adding an example
Light and Color of student work
Inquiry based learning:
-Students were given:
•A sheet of white paper
•A prism
•A clipboard
•A worksheet to record
and draw what they
observed

39. Science: • Will be adding a picture
Light and Color
Students
-
discovered that:
when light passes through
the prism, it separates the
light into many different
colors (Red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, and violet).