Not every ESL teacher has to create their own curriculum but there are some positions that do require it. Teaching ESL as well as taking the position of supervisor or as a creative designer for the curriculum are some positions that might require you to write a curriculum. When this is a part of your job description, there are some things that you need to take into account.

Age Groups

The age groups that are being taught are important details for creating an ESL curriculum. You would include different activities or themes the curriculum for children than you would for adults. For example, you might create a Disney theme for children whereas you might create a dating theme for adults. Also, you might use puppets to help teach children whereas you might use actual people in an adult class.

Level of English

The level of English is another important aspect for creating such a curriculum. You wouldn't use matching games for an advanced English class and you wouldn't set out reading text for a class that is only just learning the alphabet. You need to set the activities according to the level of English combined with the age group or the students will not learn properly. You also need to teach the right level of English through these activities. They need to correspond with each other.

Length of Lessons

Shorter lessons keep the attention better of the students but they may not learn as much because of time constraints. Activities and the actual teaching parts of the lesson must be made in proportion of the time that is permitted. Longer lessons are more difficult to fill but there is a better chance for more complex games and for challenges. Everything that you want to include in the curriculum should work according to the time that you have available whether it is thirty minutes, sixty minutes, two hours or anything in between.

Putting It All Together

You shouldn't just base your curriculum on any one of these aspects. It doesn't work that way. You need to consider all three because otherwise your students won't learn as they should. They may become bored, overwhelmed, panicked or experience other types of negative feelings and this will affect their learning ability. It is essential that you create an age appropriate curriculum suitable for the level of English being learned and that it is broken up into the correct time segments in order to be successful.

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