Curriculum Design
Post-break writing prompts, ESE and ASD accommodations, and ELL-accessible materials designed for the moments when students need more than academics. This collection was born from real classroom needs — the Monday after a long weekend, the kid who can't find the words yet, the learner who needs a different way in.
The Monday after winter break is a different planet. Students come back carrying things — some visible, some not. I watched kids struggle to re-engage with academic content when they hadn't had a warm meal in two weeks, or when home had been loud and uncertain. Our existing curriculum had no on-ramp for these moments. It jumped straight into standards without acknowledging that learning requires feeling safe first. I needed materials that could meet students where they actually were — not where the pacing guide said they should be.
I created a collection of resources designed for the in-between moments: post-break writing prompts that invite reflection without requiring vulnerability, structured re-entry activities that rebuild classroom community, and differentiated materials for students with ESE/ASD accommodations. The ELL components span WIDA levels 1 through 6, because "language support" shouldn't mean a single simplified worksheet — it means six versions of the same invitation to think.
Every piece was designed with trauma-informed principles at the center: choice, safety, predictability, and connection. The visual design is deliberately calm — soft colors, generous white space, clear and consistent layouts. Nothing flashy, nothing overwhelming. Just a steady, reliable structure that says "you belong here and we're glad you're back."
These materials became my most-shared resources among colleagues. Teachers told me they finally had something to reach for on those hard Mondays that wasn't "just wing it" or "show a movie." The pack gave them structured, intentional ways to honor what students were carrying while still moving the learning forward. That's the whole job, really — holding both things at once.
