Curriculum
BYU Citizenship Clinic
The BYU Citizenship Clinic curriculum equips citizenship-eligible immigrants (CEIs) in Utah with civics knowledge and English language support for the naturalization process. Developed with BYU’s Office of Belonging and English Language Center, the program includes a 4-week pre-course training for BYU student instructors and a 10-week course for CEIs. It covers key topics like the U.S. Constitution, the naturalization interview, and the N-400 application while fostering an inclusive learning environment.
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The course integrates civics, English practice, and spiritual teachings through interactive activities such as games, mock interviews, and discussions on belonging. It enhances civic understanding and language skills for CEIs while helping BYU student instructors develop teaching and cultural awareness. The curriculum builds a supportive, diverse community centered on respect and belonging.
Make a Difference
LifeThought International
The LifeThought Make a Difference unit teaches students about the importance of community involvement and volunteerism. Through a series of lessons, students learn about their role in the community, the impact of kindness, and how small actions can make a big difference. Activities include games, discussions, drawing, and sharing experiences. The unit culminates in students creating and implementing a small community service act and sharing their experiences with classmates.
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Designed to be adaptable, this curriculum meets different contextual needs, such as elementary school ESL students in Panama, students at an English immersion summer camp in Romania, and students in a public school in Mali. Given the varying access to materials and the diverse levels of teacher experience in these contexts, the unit uses few materials and requires low preparation for teachers. It empowers students to make a difference in their communities, wherever they may be, and whatever their circumstances are.
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Online English Program
Cumorah Academy
After completing my English teaching internship at Cumorah Academy in Czechia, I was hired as a full-time remote curriculum developer to create an online A2 English curriculum, following the decision to dissolve the in-person A2 program.
This was my first experience with curriculum design, and as I worked independently on the project, it became a considerable challenge. Over the course of six months, I made significant progress, from setting up a learning management system on campus to building a team of employees to support me and creating new programs and materials. Unfortunately, I was unable to launch the program before starting my master’s degree at BYU, and the program was ultimately closed down a year later.
While this was disappointing, it served as a valuable learning experience, teaching me that effective curriculum design requires careful planning, time, and collaboration. Since then, I have gained deeper insights into curriculum development that would have shaped my approach. Despite the challenges, I’m grateful for the personal and professional growth that this experience provided.
4th Grade Spanish: Fossils
West Kearns Elementary
This unit, taught in a Spanish Dual Immersion classroom, focused on how fossils and rock layers provided evidence of environmental and organism changes over time through inquiry-based learning. Students analyzed fossil data, made inferences about ancient organisms, and explored the relationship between fossils and past environments. They engaged in evidence-based arguments to explain how environments had changed, using questions and observations to guide their understanding.
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The unit aligned with standards for analyzing fossils (4.1.3), explaining environmental changes (4.1.4), writing informative texts (4.W.2, 4.W.4), and reasoning abstractly (4.MP.2). It helped students understand how the earth had changed over time through fossils and rock layers, fostering deeper learning through their own questions and discoveries.
