Taylor Casarez

Social Studies Teacher at Grand River Preparatory High School taylorcasarez@gmail.com

Summary
Building up People and Communities through Relevant, Rigorous and Exciting Social Studies Instruction

Experience
Social Studies Teacher at Grand River Preparatory High School August 2012 - Present (1 year 7 months) AP European History, World History and Video Game Design Planned and led meetings during the summer of 2013 to reorganize the 9th grade World History curriculum for all four PrepNet schools Helped draft new World History curriculum that had greater emphasis on interpretation of graphs, maps and tables as well as greater discussion of primary sources Facilitated the school's first student-run AP European History exhibit Connected AP students with historians from the Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum and Grand Rapids Art Museum who provided written feedback on their projects Designed culturally-relevant lessons that connected movies, Youtube channels, music and comics to historical topics like 19th Century Romanticism and the New Imperialism Social Studies Teacher at Jalen Rose Leadership Academy September 2011 - May 2012 (9 months) World and U.S. History 100, Research & Technology, Gaming & Design, and Explore U (personal betterment) Collaborated with members of the University of Michigan community and the United States Mission to the UN to create a day-long history event that featured a personalized video from the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adapted and created texts to meet the needs of students at 5th, 8th and 9th grade reading levels Coached students in Gaming and Design through the creation of a business plan and over 60 levels of playable content

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 Dramatically improved reading speed and comprehension through explicit reading instruction and one-on-one mentoring Integrated daily biographies of past and contemporary activists into Research and Technology to encourage students empathy and leadership Supplemented students reading material using books from the public library, used book sales and my personal book collection

Education
School of Education, University of Michigan Certified in Secondary Social Studies and History, 2008 - 2011 Activities and Societies: University of Michigan Rounds Project, Student Ambassador Residential College, University of Michigan Bachelor of Arts in Social Theory and Practice, 2007 - 2011 Activities and Societies: James B. Angell Scholar (3 consecutive 4.0 semesters), Intensive Language Program (Spanish)

Volunteer Experience
School of Education Student Ambassador at University of Michigan January 2010 - May 2011 (1 year 5 months) Chosen to represent the School of Education as an "energetic, articulate, and committed teacher candidate" (program description) Featured on the School of Education website (Spring 2010-Present) Featured in U of Ms education publication Innovator Magazine for Spring 2010 Member of the Student Recognition Committee at Grand River Preparatory High School May 2013 - Present (10 months) Developed new ways of celebrating the academic and philanthropic achievements of Grand River Prep's students. Crafted emails reminding staff members to write academic awards for students. Included amusing, relevant GIFs and photos to ensure they were actually read. Member of the Data Team at Grand River Preparatory High School May 2013 - Present (10 months) Tracking academic growth data and creating reports for the staff

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Skills & Expertise

Team Leadership Innovation Curriculum Development Teaching History Integrating Technology in the Classroom Leadership Development Curriculum Design Leadership Social Studies Research Educational Technology Tutoring World History Lesson Planning Educational Leadership

Languages
English Spanish (Native or bilingual proficiency) (Professional working proficiency)

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Taylor Casarez
Social Studies Teacher at Grand River Preparatory High School taylorcasarez@gmail.com

Contact Taylor on LinkedIn

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