My Role:
Curriculum Designer - I was part of a design team of 6 that co-developed the inaugural Connected Worlds program for the NYC Department of Education’s Division of Multilingual Learners. I focused on shaping project flow so each activity built on the last, co-authoring curriculum documents and daily lesson plans, and helping to create the instructor handbook. I also supported prototyping, trained youth staff, and observed one partner school to advise on implementation.

Program Description:
Connected Worlds is a summer enrichment program for multilingual learners in grades 3–8, designed to blend literacy development with hands-on making and technology. In its first year (2023), the program reached roughly 800 students across 37 classrooms in 11 NYC schools. Students built imaginative ecosystems and future worlds through journals, storytelling, crafting, and digital tools. The curriculum was organized into two tracks: Fantastic Ecology (grades 3–5) and Futurescapes (grades 6–8). Each sequence wove together reading, writing, speaking, and collaborative building, culminating in presentations and interactive showcases.

Design Approach:
Working from DOE requirements, our team designed a curriculum where literacy was integrated into the making process rather than added on separately. Students practiced English by narrating their designs, collaborating with peers, and presenting final projects. The program was scaffolded so that each step, from sketching and journaling to prototyping and storytelling, naturally reinforced communication and collaboration. The instructor handbook provided a cohesive guide to Beam’s project-based pedagogy, enabling teachers to confidently facilitate a program that balanced open-ended creativity with structured literacy goals.

Implementation:

• Daily lessons scaffolded from sketching and journaling to prototyping, creature/world-building, and final storytelling presentations.

• Projects were tailored to be age-appropriate for each grade band while still reinforcing the shared goals of literacy growth and confidence building.

• Literacy components were embedded throughout: students wrote journals, narrated their designs, collaborated in groups, and presented projects publicly.

• Making activities included drawing, cardboard construction, circuits, augmented reality, and collaborative installations.

• The Instructor Handbook compiled practices and guidance into a cohesive teacher-facing resource, ensuring consistency across 37 classrooms.

Program Outcomes:

• Provided daily opportunities to practice English literacy through storytelling, writing, and collaborative making.

• Teachers reported noticeable growth in student confidence, engagement, and pride compared to traditional summer curricula:

  “I would absolutely do it again! It’s a wonderful program for multilingual learners who are just learning English because it gives them opportunities to feel successful, accomplished, and proud — feelings that may be lacking during the traditional school year.”

• Established a lasting DOE summer program that continues each year, evolving into an ongoing literacy-focused model.

Full lesson plans available to view upon request.