Adriana Hart
Curriculum Developer & Instructional Designer
Multilingual Education | Educational Publishing | Learning Design
Designing research-based multilingual learning experiences for educators and students.
About
Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Educational Practice & Innovation
Specialization: Learning Design & TechnologiesI am a multilingual curriculum developer and instructional designer with a background in bilingual education, curriculum development, and educational publishing.After nearly three decades in education, I transitioned from the classroom into curriculum and instructional design, bringing with me a deep understanding of how teachers use instructional materials and how students experience them. My work combines that classroom perspective with research-based practice, learning design, and bilingual literacy.I design teacher-facing and student-facing learning experiences that are purposeful, engaging, and practical for the people who use them. I am especially interested in multilingual education, Spanish-language curriculum, digital learning, and creating materials that connect strong instructional design with authentic classroom practice.Outside of my professional work, I enjoy creative projects, exploring new technologies, and spending time with Archie, my rescue dog.
Projects
This portfolio highlights selected curriculum and instructional design projects across Spanish language arts, multilingual education, and digital learning. Each project reflects a different aspect of my work, from research-informed learning design and curriculum development to teacher-facing instructional materials and digital learning experiences.
El príncipe feliz | Grade 6 Spanish Language Arts
DESIGN GOAL
Create an original Grade 6 Spanish Language Arts prototype that demonstrates my approach to designing standards-aligned, teacher-facing literacy instruction for middle school learners.DESIGN CHALLENGE
Develop an original portfolio sample that reflects the complexity and instructional structure of professional curriculum development while using a different literary text and independently created content.MY APPROACH
Drawing on my experience developing and adapting Grade 6 Spanish Language Arts curriculum, I designed instruction around El príncipe feliz with a focus on literary analysis, academic language, text-based discussion, and intentional teacher supports.SOLUTION
A teacher-facing Grade 6 SLA prototype that demonstrates how I translate literary content, standards, and language-development goals into a coherent instructional experience.KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Literary analysis • Academic language • Teacher scaffolds • Standards alignment • Collaborative discussion
VIEW PROTOTYPE
ELD Learning Experience Prototype
Teacher-Facing Instructional Design
THE NEED
Grade 6 multilingual learners need access to grade-level literary analysis while simultaneously developing the academic language needed to discuss and write about complex texts.DESIGN CHALLENGE
Design an ELD-supported learning experience that maintains the rigor of grade-level ELA while making an older, linguistically challenging text accessible to multilingual learners.MY APPROACH
I integrated ELA, content, and language objectives and sequenced instruction from teacher modeling to collaborative practice to independent application. Visual supports, structured discussion, annotation, context-clue strategies, and optional sentence frames provide multiple entry points without reducing the cognitive demand of the task.SOLUTION
A 55-minute Grade 6 learning experience centered on The Story of Romulus and Remus, integrating characterization, textual evidence, Ancient Rome content, and explicit language development.KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Maintain the original text rather than replacing it with a simplified version.
Make unfamiliar historical English part of the learning through the “Language Then and Now” activity.
Build from modeling → collaborative analysis → independent application.
Provide optional language scaffolds while keeping the learning goal consistent for all students.
Align ELA, content, and language objectives directly with practice and assessment.DELIVERABLE
Grade 6 teacher-facing ELD/ELA lesson prototype with student materials, language supports, formative assessment, and instructional design rationale.
Science & Digital Writing Teacher Guide — Grade 2
LEARNING NEED
Second-grade dual-language students often struggled to express their ideas in Spanish writing and needed stronger vocabulary development, explicit scaffolds, and meaningful connections between reading and writing.DESIGN CHALLENGE
Design an integrated learning experience that builds the language and content knowledge students need before and during writing, rather than treating writing as an isolated task.MY APPROACH
Drawing on findings from my doctoral research, I connected science learning, reading, vocabulary development, and writing within a coherent instructional sequence. Students built knowledge about weather and climate through texts and instruction, then applied that knowledge and language to informational and narrative writing, with scaffolds supporting the writing process.SOLUTION
An integrated Grade 2 teacher guide that combines science, Spanish literacy, scaffolded writing instruction, and digital publishing through Book Creator.KEY DESIGN DECISIONS
Reading-to-writing connections • Explicit vocabulary development • Scaffolded writing • Content integration • Digital publishing
VIEW TEACHER GUIDE
Spanish Syllabification Learning Experience — Grade 2
Research-Informed Instructional Design
THE NEED
A needs assessment with second-grade students in a Two-Way Dual Language program revealed significant gaps in Spanish foundational literacy skills. Students struggled to segment multisyllabic words and identify tonic syllables—skills that support accurate reading, pronunciation, comprehension, and writing in Spanish.RESEARCH & DESIGN CHALLENGE
Assessment data showed that 88% of students struggled to break words into syllables and 100% were unable to identify the tonic syllable. The design challenge was to translate these identified learning needs into an age-appropriate, self-paced learning experience for second-grade students.APPROACH
I conducted a learner and contextual analysis, refined and prioritized instructional goals, developed performance objectives and assessment items, and sequenced instruction from foundational syllable concepts toward more complex concepts of syllabification and accentuation. The experience was designed for students to work independently using digital devices, with instruction, examples, multimedia, and formative assessment embedded throughout.SOLUTION
A self-paced Grade 2 Spanish learning experience that provides explicit instruction and practice in syllable classification, word segmentation, tonic syllables, and Spanish accentuation, with opportunities for students to check their understanding throughout the experience.DESIGN PROCESS
Needs Assessment → Learner Analysis → Goal Analysis → Content Sequencing → Performance Objectives → Assessment Design → Prototype → Formative Evaluation
VIEW PROTOTYPE
Scholarship & Professional Contributions
My work extends beyond K–12 instructional and curriculum design to professional learning, research, scholarship, and contributions to the field of bilingual and multilingual education. Through doctoral research, published curriculum work, conference presentations, and professional learning design, I have explored how research-informed practices can strengthen biliteracy, language development, and learning for multilingual students and educators.
Dual Language 101 — Professional Learning Course
Self-Paced Canvas Course for K–5 Educators
Designed a self-paced professional learning course to support educators new to dual language education. The course introduces foundational concepts in dual language philosophy, program structure, curriculum, and culturally responsive practices through interactive modules, learning activities, and assessments.Highlights: Canvas LMS • Adult Learning • Professional Development • Learning Objectives • Assessment • Interactive Learning
Doctoral Dissertation
The Impact of Book Creator on Spanish Informative Writing in Second-Grade Dual Language Students
University of South Carolina
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Practice & Innovation, 2026
This mixed-methods study examined how Book Creator supported Spanish informative writing among second-grade dual language students, with attention to writing development, student engagement, and the purposeful integration of digital tools in biliteracy instruction.
Published in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
Published Curriculum Unit
Ancient Forms of Communication in the Spanish Immersion Classroom
Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) 2015
Published through a professional development partnership supporting teacher-led curriculum research and publication.
This published curriculum unit combines research-informed practice with classroom application to support Spanish literacy in kindergarten dual language classrooms. Through a sequence of standards-aligned lessons, students develop phonological awareness, reading fluency, oral language, and early writing skills using pictograms and rebuses as instructional scaffolds.
Conference Presentations
La Cosecha Dual Language Conference • New Mexico • November, 2011
WIDA Annual Conference • Wisconsin • October 17–19, 2013
Featured Presentation: El Dictado • La Cosecha Dual Language Conference • New Mexico • November, 2023
This conference presentation introduced El Dictado, a research-based instructional framework for developing metalinguistic awareness, biliteracy, and academic writing in Spanish dual language classrooms. Participants explored its theoretical foundation, implementation process, differentiation strategies, authentic student work, and evidence of student growth through classroom data and writing samples.
Contact
Interested in collaborating or learning more about my work? I'd love to connect. Feel free to reach out by email or connect with me on LinkedIn.