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.