Many schools have the ESL curriculum planned for the whole year. Some schools leave it all up to the foreign ESL teacher. I was so lost at my first teaching job; the school did not have any teaching materials, nor any teaching plans.
To give you an idea of what to teach and when, I have laid out a basic ESL curriculum for young learners who are just starting to learn English. It’s by no means complete or the exact order to follow, it’s a start to work from. Check my list of 25 basic subjects for starters below.
Basic ESL curriculum
1. Alphabet | A for apple, B for ball, C for cat, etc. |
2. Greetings | Hello and hi, goodbye and see you. |
3. Introductions | What’s your name? My name is. Nice to meet you. |
4. Age | How old are you? I’m 5 years old. |
5. Describe feelings | How are you? I’m happy, sad, tired, cold, hot, hungry. |
6. Numbers | How many monkeys (are there)? (There are) nine monkeys. |
7. Colors | What color is it? It’s blue, red, green, yellow, pink. |
8. Shapes | What shape is it? It’s a square, circle, triangle, heart, star. |
9. Fruits | What do you like? I like apples, oranges, bananas. |
10. Body | Touch your head, mouth, eyes, nose. |
11. Animals | I like dogs, cats, butterflies, lions. |
12. Actions | I can walk, run, jump. I can’t swim, fly. |
13. Weather | What’s the weather like today? It’s sunny, rainy, windy, cloudy. |
14. Days of the week | What day is it? It’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. |
15. Time | What time is it? It’s 9 o’clock. |
16. Family members | Do you have a brother, sister, father, mother, uncle, auntie? |
17. School bag | What’s in your bag? There’s a pencil, eraser, book, bottle. |
18. Sizes | It’s big, small, short, long, fat, thin, fast, slow. |
19. Food | I want to eat chicken, rice, pizza. |
20. Transport | I go to school by bus, train, car, taxi, helicopter. |
21. Jobs | I’m a teacher, pilot, fireman, police officer. |
22. Clothes | I’m wearing shoes, pants, a T-shirt, dress, skirt. |
23. Prepositions | Where is the eraser? It’s in, on, under, next to the table. |
24. At home | Where is? In the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room. |
25. Countries | I’m from China, Korea, Japan, America, England. |

This list is 1 to 3 years worth of material, depends on the age of your students and the frequency of classes. Done with this ESL curriculum? Let me give you some more ideas.
Other subjects
On the farm | What can you see? Pigs, cows, ducks. How many? |
In the park | Flowers, grass, trees, bees, butterfly, sky, sun. |
At the beach | Sand, seashells, swimsuit, towel. |
Breakfast | What did you eat for breakfast? I ate bread, butter, jam, cereal, milk, eggs, noodles, pancakes |
Dinner time | What’s on the table? Spoons, forks, knifes, plates, cups. |
Where do you live? | I live in Hong Kong. |
Morning | What do you do in the morning? I get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, comb my hair, get dressed, pack my bag, go to school. |
My school | Where is the playground? It’s across from, next to the hall, library, computer room, lunchroom. |
Be polite | I’m sorry, it’s OK, please, thank you, you’re welcome. |
In the store | How much is a hotdog? That’s 11 dollars, please. |
On the phone | Can I speak to Annie, please? |
Senses | I can feel, smell, hear, see, speak, taste. |
What is good for you? | Vegetables/meat/fish water is/are good for me |
A cold day | I want a hat, coat, jacket, scarf, gloves, boots. |
My birthday | Gift, birthday cake, party, present |

I will give you weekly ideas on how to teach these subjects in my blog. Please let me know which subject you’d like to receive more tips for.