February 28, 2019

To Whom It May Concern:

We are happy to recommend Claire Cook for a teaching position. Claire was an
undergraduate student in Lisa’s Spring 2018 section of TE 494: Field Experience in Teacher
Education (ESL/TESOL Endorsement Practicum) and a master’s student in our Fall 2018
section of TE 802: Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice I (Literacy). In every
assignment for both courses, regardless of size or relative importance, Claire submitted
incredibly thorough, detailed, thoughtful responses on time. This attention to detail and the
reflective questions she asked about readings made it evident that Claire not only seeks to
do her best, but that she also wants to learn rather than just complete tasks. In the lessons
and assessments Claire planned, she emphasized helping students make connections to their
background knowledge and experiences through her use of visuals, discussion
questions/prompts, and text choices. In these ways, she scaffolded students’ learning and
also planned adaptations with additional visuals and sentence frames to support language
learners.

We feel Claire’s drive to learn and do well, attention to detail, thoroughness, reflective
nature, and emphasis on helping students connect to and utilize their background knowledge
will serve her well in the teaching profession. Consequently, we urge the hiring committee
College of to give her application every possible consideration. If you need further amplification
Education and/or clarification of these remarks, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Department of Teacher
Education
313 Erickson Hall
Michigan State University
620 Farm Lane and
East Lansing, MI 48824

Lisa Domke, M.Ed. Patricia A. Edwards, Ph.D.

Phone: (517) 353-5091
Fax: (517) 432-5092
TE 494 and 802 Instructor Professor, Language & Literacy
Michigan State University 2010-2011 President, International Literacy Association
education.msu.edu/
domkelis@msu.edu 2006-2007 President, Literacy Research Association
edwards6@msu.edu
Office: (517) 432-0858
Cell: (517) 290-8566