What a scheme of work is
A scheme of work is a term-by-term, week-by-week teaching plan that turns a KICD curriculum design into what a teacher actually delivers in class. Where the curriculum design sets out what a learner should know, do, and value by the end of a grade, the scheme of work breaks that down week by week: what to teach, the specific learning outcomes for that week, suggested learning experiences, the key inquiry question, learning resources, and how learners will be assessed. Every lesson plan a teacher writes is drawn from the relevant week in the scheme of work.
If you're not yet sure this is the right page — a scheme of work is not the same as a lesson plan (a lesson plan is one lesson's worth of detail, drawn from a single week of the scheme) and not the same as a curriculum design (the design is the source document; the scheme is the plan built from it).
How schemes of work are developed in Kenya
In Kenya, every scheme of work traces back to a KICD curriculum design, and the sequence is always the same: design → strands and sub-strands → weekly breakdown → scheme. KICD publishes the curriculum design for each learning area and grade; schools and teachers then convert that design into a scheme of work that spreads its strands and sub-strands across the school calendar — normally three terms, with each week tied to specific learning outcomes and a key inquiry question from the design. This is a genuine teaching-and-planning skill covered in teacher training, and it's also the part of a teacher's workload that a ready-made, curriculum-aligned scheme saves the most time on.
Because the scheme is derived directly from the design, a scheme of work is only as reliable as its link back to the current KICD design — one reason schemes going out of date (an old syllabus, a superseded strand) is a real risk when sourcing them from an unclear origin.
Who this page is for
Pick your grade below if you already know what you need — otherwise, here's how to use this page depending on why you're here:
- Teachers — go straight to your grade in the list below, then your learning area, for the editable Word file.
- Trainee teachers and educationists — the two sections above cover what a scheme of work is and how it's developed in Kenya; each grade-level page below also breaks down what's actually inside a scheme for that level.
- School administrators, or anyone sourcing schemes on someone else's behalf (including if you're doing this from a cyber café or business centre) — schemes of work are specific to grade, subject, and term. Before you download, confirm with whoever asked you for these which grade, which subject(s), and which term they need — the wrong file means starting over. If you're not sure, the grade-level pages below list every learning area for that grade so you can match against what you were told.
Browse schemes of work by level
Pre-Primary
Lower Primary
Upper Primary
Junior School
Senior School
Secondary (8-4-4)
What every scheme of work contains
Whichever grade or learning area, a scheme of work is built the same way: strands and sub-strands from the curriculum design, broken into weekly lessons, each with specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, a key inquiry question, learning resources, and assessment. Core competencies — communication and collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, digital literacy, learning to learn, and self-efficacy — along with values and Pertinent and Contemporary Issues, are mainstreamed into the weekly activities rather than taught as separate topics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a scheme of work and a lesson plan? A scheme of work covers a whole term week by week at a summary level; a lesson plan expands a single week of the scheme into full lesson detail — introduction, lesson development, extended activities, conclusion, and reflection.
What is the difference between a scheme of work and a curriculum design? The curriculum design is the official KICD document defining what should be taught and assessed for a learning area and grade. The scheme of work is the term-by-term plan a teacher builds from that design.
Are Elimu Library's schemes of work editable? Yes — they're provided as editable Word files, so you can adjust weeks, dates, and activities to fit your school's calendar and your class.
Are the schemes aligned to the current KICD curriculum? Yes — every scheme is kept in line with the current school calendar and the latest KICD curriculum design for that learning area and grade.
I need schemes for a grade I'm not sure about — where do I start? Use the "Browse by level" section above to find the grade, then the subject you were asked to source. If you're getting the request from someone else, confirm the exact grade, subject, and term with them before downloading — schemes are specific to all three.
Download schemes of work (Editable Word)
All schemes of work above are in our catalogue as editable Word files, aligned to the current KICD curriculum designs and kept in line with the current school calendar. Use the level sections above to go straight to your grade, or the button below for the full catalogue across every grade.