Cherise (Narr) Jones

B.A. in Global Cultures & Spanish; Master of Arts in Teaching, 2010
School of Education

December 1, 2013

“I am working to develop students who can express their thinking verbally and in writing across all content areas.”

At UC Irvine, Cherise (Narr) Jones received degrees in Spanish and Global Cultures with a minor in Educational Studies in 2009. Immediately following graduation, she entered UC Irvine’s School of Education Master of Arts in Teaching/Multiple Subject Credential program with Bilingual Authorization.

In the fall of 2010, Cherise was hired as one of three teachers to open the third Dual-Immersion elementary school in Capistrano Unified School District. At Viejo Elementary in Mission Viejo, Cherise experienced all of the delights and challenges of starting a new program and emerged with a complete understanding of the Dual-Immersion 90/10 model.

“My time in the classroom allowed me to master the use of Thinking Maps, study guided reading groups, and employ all of my strategies for working with English Language Learners (ELLs).”

As the English Language Development Advisor, Cherise had the valuable opportunity of participating in the process of identifying, supporting, assessing, and re-designating English Language Learners.

After two years of teaching Dual-Immersion Kindergarten at Viejo Elementary, Cherise accepted a 3rd grade Dual-Immersion position at Mark Twain Elementary in Lawndale, California.

At Twain, Cherise has become a teacher-leader in supporting English Language Learners and implementing the Common Core Standards. She is successfully using Writer’s Workshop, and her students are publishing works in both Spanish and English.

I am working to develop students who can express their thinking verbally and in writing across all content areas.

In mathematics, Cherise is balancing using Cognitively Guided Instruction techniques and the EnVision curriculum as her students and the school transition to Common Core. The Dual-Immersion program at Twain Elementary incorporates South America in to the curriculum as a cultural focus for 3rd grade students so Cherise brings South America into the students’ hands with realia, photos, videos, and stories gleaned from her time abroad through UC Irvine’s Education Abroad Program (EAP).

In March, Cherise will be welcoming her first student-teacher.

Currently, Cherise, her principal, and a fellow colleague have submitted a proposal to present at the National Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Conference in San Diego in June in the area of “Writers Workshop in the Upper Elementary Dual-Immersion Classroom: A Teacher’s and Administrator’s Perspective.”

Taking learning, writing, and ELL strategies out of the classroom is a foreign experience for me, but I consider this a welcome experience to continue growing as an educator.

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