Megan Snover, an ESL Teacher at Mendota Elementary School of the Madison Metropolitan School District (WI), has been named the Open Up Resources Teacher of the Month for December 2025. Snover 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.
Snover’s work with EL Education K–8 Language Arts 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.
Claire Fallon, an instructional coach at Madison Metropolitan School District, nominated Snover for her exemplary work supporting multilingual learners through the EL Education curriculum. Fallon shared, “Megan serves our multilingual learners by bringing co-teaching inclusive practices to the classroom. She co-plans with classroom teachers to ensure content is accessible to all. By approaching the work in this way, Megan helps build a school where all belong. Her kindness, combined with high expectations, increases academic outcomes at our school. We are so lucky to have her!”
Snover reflected on her experience using the curriculum and the impact it has had on her multilingual learners, sharing, “One of my favorite things about using the Open Up Resources EL Education curriculum as an ESL teacher is the thematic aspect of the module lessons, which integrate science and social studies into literacy instruction. This approach makes the lessons engaging for students while also helping to build background knowledge, which is especially valuable for multilingual learners.”
Snover encourages educators to adopt the curriculum because of its authentic tasks, language-rich routines, and strong alignment to the needs of multilingual learners. She explained, “I would tell teachers to approach the curriculum with an open mind and a willingness to learn alongside their students. The EL Education curriculum provides authentic tasks that help students make connections with the world around them.” Snover noted that the curriculum is especially powerful for multilingual learners because it intentionally builds background knowledge, vocabulary, and confidence through its integration of science, social studies, and language arts, helping her students grow not only in their academic skills but also in their overall confidence.
Open Up Resources is a non-profit publisher in pursuit of delivering the highest quality learning experiences for all students by providing educators best in class, research-based PreK–12 curricula and professional learning so they may support every student’s academic success and create in-class experiences that celebrate, honor, and empower all students. Learn more at openupresources.org.