Community-founded Curriculum: How Provo High’s Elle Morgan Creates a Learning Culture

September 11th, 2024 /
Spencer Tuinei /
News, Provo High, Secondary Schools, Teaching and Learning

Elle Morgan, a geography teacher at Provo High School, understands that geography is more than just content—it’s about embracing life and connecting with those around you. Her approach extends beyond the classroom and begins from day one.

Yet, starting can be tricky. The first few weeks present a genuine challenge for teachers: how do you begin on the right foot? Balancing the setting of norms and expectations with developing a curricula matrix, building foundational skills, and fostering a community can be overwhelming. Elle Morgan noted as much during our visit:

“Some students will be bored because they have covered the content in whatever state or school they’ve moved from,” she shared. “Some students are new to the country and learning the language. There are so many needs and preferences; some kids want to learn hands-on, others would prefer a lecture for 87 minutes– there are kids like that, weirdly; I was one of those kids– all while setting norms.”

So, Elle grappled with this question for a while before concluding with one resounding answer: community comes first. Here’s how she spends her time that first week:

I spend the first day playing games and getting to know the kids. That was my only goal: create a culture where kids work together, meet new students they had yet to talk to, show the students who I am, and give them a sense of what I am like as a teacher. I asked the students pre-assessment questions to build a baseline for each classroom: How do you like to learn? What do you know about geography? What are you nervous about?

The next day, we set and establish norms. They come in, grab bell work, sit in their assigned seats, and transition from bell work to whatever activity we planned for the day. It’s all planned and expressed so kids feel safe in my classroom. It’s all to make them feel safe in my classroom.

This approach lays the groundwork for an interactive, community-centered learning environment, setting the stage for the enriched, engaging lessons Elle is eager to deliver. And she’s got a lot to share.

This summer, for example, Elle Morgan spent her summer in Paris, immersing herself in the city’s museums and gathering content for her lessons—photos, videos, firsthand experiences, you name it. Few teachers can offer personalized insights, which helps personalize the content. It’s fun, and unique, and engaging.

Yet behind the seemingly effortless flow of her classes is meticulous planning centered on curriculum. Unit planning—particularly for teachers like Elle—turns each lesson into a granular process, similar to brush strokes over a canvas. The effect culminates in a tidy, seemingly seamless year.

“First, you look at the scope of the entire curriculum,” Morgan stated, noting that geography teachers grapple with several questions: “I ask myself whether I’ll teach regionally or by theme. Do students even have the skills to complete each standard?”

Then, she uses backward design to build her course, starting with the overall objectives before whittling those objectives down to specialized skills, leading through lower-level standards towards mastery of higher-level standards. She schedules every primary assessment on a Google calendar.

This year, she’s structured her units by placing physical geography as the first term unit, human geography in the second term, and regional studies in the third term. Each region is approached skill-by-skill—editing, writing, sources—culminating in a thematic, skill-based framework.

It’s a lot of work—more work than non-teachers likely imagine. It’s the sort of work and stress that extends beyond contract hours, keeping you up at night, waking you up before sunrise.

Units like Elle Morgan’s units account for and structure each lesson to equip students with the skills they need to learn and the background knowledge required to navigate the world. But there’s a bigger takeaway that Elle offers the kid far more significant, long-lasting, and affecting than the content itself. To quote:

In history, we often remind ourselves that most kids will forget all the facts in two weeks. Our brains are wired to forget everything we aren’t actively using. But I want them to know that they’re loved and capable and that someone believes in them. I want them to know they can do more in their lifetime than they think.

Sometimes, I push kids harder than they’ve tried before. It’s easy to be a teacher who wants to be loved but should push them to work hard. But because I’ve done that, they learn they can accomplish more than they first thought.

As we said in the beginning, Elle Morgan, a geography teacher at Provo High School, understands that geography is more than just content—it’s about embracing life and connecting with those around you. Her approach begins that first day but extends far beyond the classroom. And, as much as the course enriches student’s lives, Morgan says it enriches her life, too.

“My favorite thing about teaching is the kids,” Morgan shared. “I’m obsessed with them. I love their excitement. I love their attitude. I love seeing them grow and how they change and improve me. I cry and laugh with them, and I’m sure I will think about them for the rest of my life.”

Thank you, Elle Morgan.