Linda Zdenek Soriano, a 2nd Grade Teacher at Langtree Charter Academy (NC), has been named the Open Up Resources Teacher of the Month for August 2022. Linda is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.
Linda’s work with EL Education K–8 Language Arts and the Kiddom platform makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The EL Education K–8 Language Arts curriculum inspires a new way of teaching language arts by engaging students through compelling, real-world content to build equitable and inclusive learning opportunities.Megan Furr, a colleague at Langtree Charter Academy, nominated Linda for her dedication to supporting her students. Furr shared, “[Linda] works so hard to make sure her students understand the EL curriculum and she has created a ton of ways to make the content relatable and fun for her students! She works so hard to implement every piece and make reading and learning fun!.”
Linda loves how it makes learning fun for the children through the use of song and role playing. She explained, “Some of my students were so incredibly shy in the beginning of the year and wouldn’t like to read or share out to the class, and after using the EL curriculum they enjoy it so much they ask me if they can sing the transition songs on their own to the class or act out parts of the story in front of the class!”
Lastly, she offered some advice for those considering adoption of the curriculum and Kiddom: “Absolutely do it! It might seem like a lot at first, but it is so worth it!”
Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org.
