February 15, 2015

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with pleasure and enthusiasm that I write this letter in support of Kate Guendoo. I had the joy of working with
Kate during her coursework at the College of Education. I worked with Kate in the Fall 2013, Summer 2014, and Fall 2014
semesters when she was a student in my undergraduate and graduate level elementary mathematics methods courses as well
as my STEAM integration course.
Each class, Kate immersed herself in considering mathematical problem solving from the learners perspective.
Over the next four semesters, Kate intentionally asked critical education questions and sought answers through her
coursework, practicum experiences, and student teaching. Kate created three semester-long projects for mathematics
methods: In her first project, Kate asked, What are effective teaching strategies to help students learn basic facts? She used
a research framework for effective basic fact practice to select, evaluate, and create mathematical games. In her second
project, Kate asked, How can I maximize instructional time and student understanding by integrating math across the
curriculum? She created and modified curricular resources for integrating science, technology, engineering, the arts, and
mathematics. In her third project, Kate asked, How can I use assessment data to make instructional decisions? Kate
researched and tested a variety of formative and summative assessment strategies and linked her assessment data to
differentiated instruction. Then, Kate took her project a step further and extended her assessment strategies to other content
areas. She implemented ideas within each of her math lessons and evaluated their effectiveness based on student assessment
data. Her students were engaged, motivated to make sense of math, and challenged to consider the question, Why?
Kate demonstrated incredible thoughtfulness and thoroughness while making assessment data-driven instructional
decisions. She was responsible for creating and conducting standards-based formative assessments, including mathematical
interviews and performance assessments. Kate analyzed her assessment data and used the data to identify what to teach next
and to differentiate the math tasks in order to target students specific instructional needs. She effectively applied
Backwards Design combined with her data analysis to create differentiated, standards-based lesson plans. In her
Kindergarten lesson on geometric shapes, Kate engaged students as critical thinkers as they described, classified, and
created two-dimensional shapes. Kate also tackled a challenging concept with her fifth grade lesson on the distributive
property. She used multiple representations and real world contexts to help students make meaning of this foundational
property.
Kate is genuinely passionate about connecting with and challenging every student. As a result, her mathematics
instruction emphasizes meaning-making and problem solving for understanding. She uses effective questioning,
translations between representations, and appropriate practice for procedural fluency in order to scaffold each students
growth. Kate creates an inclusive, caring community where her students feel safe to take risks as learners. Kates passion
motivates her to take on additional responsibilities in order to meet the individual needs of her students and to get to know
each student as an individual. She is resourceful, seeks new ideas, and is receptive to feedback.
Throughout the semesters I worked with Kate, she demonstrated outstanding initiative, talent, and teamwork. Kate
is a responsive, enthusiastic pre-service teacher who holds high expectations for all students and supports them so they can
experience success. She also holds high expectations for herself as a professional educator. I believe Kate is an exceptional
individual whose talents as a teacher and collaborator will be assets to any school community.

Kateri Thunder
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
College of Education, James Madison University
thundekg@jmu.edu