What the Grade 5 English schemes of work cover
The Grade 5 English schemes of work break the CBC curriculum down into a teachable, week-by-week plan for the whole year – Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3. They take the strands and themes from the official KICD Grade 5 English curriculum design and organise them into lessons, with specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions, learning resources, and assessment for each week.
If you teach Grade 5 English and want a ready structure to plan from – or an editable file to adapt to your school's calendar – this is the resource. The schemes come in editable Word format, so you can adjust weeks, dates and activities to fit your class, and they are kept in line with the current school calendar and the latest KICD curriculum designs. The full set (Word and PDF) is in our catalogue, linked at the bottom.
The four English skills (strands)
Grade 5 English is built around four strands – the four language skills the learner develops through the year:
- Listening and Speaking
- Reading
- Grammar in Use
- Writing
Each strand is developed progressively across the terms rather than taught in isolation. The schemes of work sequence these skills week by week so that listening, speaking, reading, grammar and writing are practised together in context.
How the skills are taught: through themes
The four skills and Grammar in Use are not taught as abstract drills – the KICD design presents them through real-life themes, so learners practise English around topics that matter to them. The Grade 5 English curriculum uses these 13 themes:
- Child Rights and Responsibilities
- National Celebrations
- Etiquette – Table Manners
- Road Accidents – Prevention
- Nutrition – Traditional Foods
- Jobs and Occupations – Various Occupations
- Technology – Learning through Technology
- The Farm – Cash Crops
- Diseases – Communicable Diseases
- Leisure Time Activities
- Sports – Appreciating Talents
- Environmental Pollution
- Money – Savings and Banking
The schemes of work spread these themes across the three terms, matching each to the strands and outcomes for that part of the year. For the exact theme sequence in your term, use the term-specific schemes file from the catalogue below.
What learners should be able to do
By the end of upper primary, the Grade 5 English learner is working toward these general outcomes from the KICD design: listening for the main idea and specific information in print and digital texts; speaking accurately and with expression across subjects and genres; reading a variety of texts fluently and with comprehension; using grammatical forms to communicate ideas, opinions and emotions appropriately; writing texts for various purposes legibly and creatively; and applying digital literacy skills to strengthen language competency. The weekly outcomes in the schemes ladder up to these.
A note on Grade 5 English
In Kenya, English functions as both an official language and the medium of instruction from Grade 4, so Grade 5 is where learners consolidate reading and writing competency for learning across all subjects. That is why the schemes of work weight comprehension and written expression heavily – the skills here carry over into every other subject the learner takes.
Looking for another Grade 5 learning area?
These English schemes are one part of a full Grade 5 set. If you teach more than one subject, our Grade 5 Schemes of Work hub brings together every learning area – Kiswahili, Mathematics, Science & Technology, Agriculture and Nutrition, Social Studies, Creative Arts and Religious Education.
Download the schemes of work (Word & PDF)
The full Grade 5 English schemes of work – Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3 – are in our catalogue as editable Word files (plus PDF), kept in line with the current school calendar and the latest curriculum designs. Because they are editable, you can adapt the weeks and activities to your own class before printing. Use the link below to get the complete set.