Curriculum that's ready to teach.
Science curriculum writing and teacher coaching for K–12 districts — full units, lesson plans, and the instructional support to make them actually land in classrooms.
"A well-written unit is only as good as the teacher's confidence teaching it. Ground Work builds both."
Most districts adopt curriculum. Few build it for their students.
Off-the-shelf science materials are rarely written for the specific students in your classrooms, the pacing of your school year, or the standards your state prioritizes. Teachers spend hours adapting materials that were never quite right to begin with — and students feel the gap.
Ground Work is different. Jess DiLello Lofstedt writes curriculum from the ground up — full units down to individual lesson plans, built for your district's context, your teachers' needs, and your students' learning. Then she stays to coach teachers through it.
Jess DiLello Lofstedt
Curriculum Writer · Science Coach
Jess brings deep content knowledge in Earth science, Environmental science, and AP Environmental Science to every unit she writes. Her materials are designed to be taught — sequenced carefully, scaffolded thoughtfully, and grounded in how students actually learn science.
Where Ground Work specializes.
Jess writes in three core science areas, with deepest expertise in middle school contexts where content rigor and student engagement have to work together.
Earth Science
Full units covering geology, weather, climate, space systems, and Earth's history. Built to make complex systems tangible for middle school learners.
Grades 6–10Environmental Science
Curriculum that connects ecological systems, human impact, and sustainability — designed to build scientific thinking alongside environmental awareness.
Grades 6–12AP Environmental Science
College Board–aligned units built to develop the analytical depth and scientific reasoning AP students need — without losing the engagement that keeps them in the room.
Grades 11–12From unit design to daily lesson — fully built.
Ground Work materials aren't outlines or frameworks. They're complete, teacher-ready curriculum — everything needed to open the unit on day one.
Full unit plans
Sequenced units with clear learning progressions, standards alignment, and pacing built for your school year.
Daily lesson plans
Each lesson fully written — objectives, materials, instructional sequence, and differentiation built in.
Student materials
Readings, labs, graphic organizers, and assessments designed to work together as a coherent learning experience.
Teacher guides
Content background, anticipated student misconceptions, facilitation notes, and discussion prompts — so any teacher can teach it confidently.
Standards alignment
Mapped explicitly to NGSS and North Carolina Essential Standards — no interpretation required.
Assessment tools
Formative and summative assessments built to match the instruction — not bolted on at the end.
The curriculum is only half of it.
A well-written unit doesn't teach itself — the teacher does. Jess stays in the work after the materials are delivered, coaching teachers through the curriculum she wrote so it lands the way it was designed to.
The person who wrote it knows best how to teach it. That's the advantage Ground Work offers that no off-the-shelf curriculum can.
Coaching is structured around the units themselves — not generic instructional feedback, but specific, content-grounded support tied directly to the materials teachers are using.
Unit launch sessions
Before each unit begins, Jess works with teachers to walk through the materials, anticipate challenges, and set up the unit for success.
Classroom observation and feedback
Jess observes lessons in progress and provides specific, curriculum-grounded feedback — not general teaching tips, but direct support tied to the materials.
Debrief and adjustment
After each observation cycle, Jess and the teacher debrief together — adjusting pacing, approach, or materials based on what students are showing.
Building toward independence
The goal is a teacher who understands the curriculum deeply enough to adapt and extend it on their own — without needing Jess in the room.
See the curriculum before you commit.
Ground Work materials speak for themselves. Request samples from any of the three subject areas and Jess will send them directly — no call required first.
Unit sample + lesson plan
Grades 6–10 · Full unit overview and one complete daily lesson
Unit sample + student materials
Grades 6–12 · Unit plan and accompanying student-facing materials
Unit sample + teacher guide
Grades 11–12 · AP-aligned unit with full teacher facilitation guide
Request samples
Fill this out and Jess will send samples within one business day.
Request received.
Jess will send your samples within one business day. If you have questions in the meantime, reach out at joe@joelofstedt.com.
Ready to talk about what your district needs?
Ground Work engagements start with a conversation. No commitment required — just a chance to understand your context and whether there's a good fit.
Book a discovery call Currently serving K–12 districts across North Carolina