Term 1 Scheme of Learning
The first term of the academic year sets the tone for everything that follows. For teachers in Ghana’s basic school system, walking into Term 1 without a solid Scheme of Learning is like setting off on a long journey without knowing the road. You might eventually get somewhere, but you will waste a lot of time and energy along the way.
This guide breaks down what the Term 1 Scheme of Learning is, why it matters, how to get it right from day one and how to download it.
Recommended
- GES Lesson Plan First Term : KG, Basic 1 To 6, All Weeks All Subjects
- GES Lesson Plan Second Term : KG, Basic 1 To 6, All Weeks All Subjects
- GES Lesson Plan Third : KG, Basic 1 To 6, All Weeks All Subjects
- Download GES JHS Lesson Plan And Scheme Of Work All Subjects
Table of Contents
The First Term Has a Specific Job To Do
Term 1 is not just the beginning of the school year. It carries a specific instructional purpose within the Ghana Education Service calendar. This is the term where foundational concepts are introduced, where teachers assess what learners already know from the previous year, and where the academic expectations for the year are established.
For teachers moving up with a class, Term 1 is a chance to build on existing relationships and prior knowledge. For teachers receiving a new set of learners, it is the term for taking stock before pressing forward.
Getting the Scheme of Learning right at this stage shapes how smoothly the rest of the year will run.
What the NaCCA Curriculum Expects in Term 1
Ghana’s Standards-Based Curriculum, developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, organizes content across three terms for every subject and every year group from Kindergarten to JHS 3. The Term 1 content is typically structured to introduce new strands while revisiting prior learning to build continuity.
In English Language, for example, Term 1 often opens with oral language and listening skills before moving into reading and early writing tasks. In Mathematics, number sense and basic operations tend to anchor the first weeks before the curriculum moves into more abstract territory. In Integrated Science, learners are reintroduced to foundational concepts about living things, matter, and the environment.
The key point is that Term 1 content is not arbitrary. It follows a deliberate sequence that the teacher’s Scheme of Learning must reflect accurately.
What a Term 1 Scheme of Learning Should Contain
A properly prepared scheme is more than a list of topics. It is a week-by-week instructional map that connects what is being taught to why it is being taught and how learning will be measured.
For each subject, your Term 1 Scheme of Learning should clearly show the strand and sub-strand being covered, the specific learning indicators from the curriculum, the teaching and learning resources you plan to use, the core competencies the lesson develops, and the assessment approach for that week or topic. These elements should not be filled in as an afterthought. They should reflect genuine planning that a colleague could pick up and follow if you were absent.
Headteachers and circuit supervisors review schemes at the start of term, so there is also a professional accountability dimension to getting this right.
Download Term 1 Scheme of Learning – KG, Basic 1 To Basic 6 All Subjects
| Term 1 Scheme of Learning | DOWNLOAD |
| KG 1 | Download |
| KG 2 | Download |
| Basic 1 | Download |
| Basic 2 | Download |
| Basic 3 | Download |
| Basic 4 | Download |
| Basic 5 | Download |
| Basic 6 | Download |
Common Mistakes Teachers Make in Term 1 Schemes
One of the most frequent errors is copying a scheme from a previous year without adjusting it for the current class. Learners change, learning gaps shift, and sometimes the curriculum itself is updated. A scheme that served a class two years ago may not serve your current learners well.
Another common problem is front-loading too much content in the early weeks and leaving insufficient time for assessment and consolidation later in the term. Term 1 tends to feel long when it begins, but it moves faster than most teachers expect. A scheme that is not paced realistically will start falling apart by Week 6 or 7.
Some teachers also treat the scheme as a document for supervision rather than a tool for teaching. When that happens, what is written in the scheme and what actually happens in the classroom begin to drift apart, which undermines the entire purpose of planning.
Steps for Preparing Your Term 1 Scheme
Start by collecting your curriculum documents before the term begins. You need the relevant teacher’s guide, the learner’s textbook, and the NaCCA curriculum framework for your subject and year group. If you do not have these, your district education office or headteacher should be your first stop.
Next, count the number of teaching weeks in Term 1 and subtract any weeks likely to be disrupted by public holidays, school events, or assessment weeks. This gives you your realistic instructional window.
From there, map the Term 1 content from the curriculum into that window, week by week, subject by subject. Spread the content evenly rather than bunching heavy topics at the start or end. Build in at least one week near the end of term for review and end-of-term assessments.
Once the content is mapped, fill in the supporting details: resources, core competencies, assessment methods. These columns matter because they push you to think beyond what you are teaching to how you are teaching it.
A Word For Newly Posted Teachers
If you have just been posted to a school and are preparing your first Term 1 Scheme of Learning, the process can feel overwhelming. There are several subjects to plan, unfamiliar learners to understand, and administrative expectations to meet all at once.
The most practical advice is to start with your headteacher. Ask for the school’s existing scheme templates and any curriculum resources the school holds. Ask a senior colleague in your subject area to walk you through their own scheme as a reference point. You do not need to reinvent the planning process from scratch. What you need is to understand the structure well enough to make the scheme genuinely yours.
Good evening colleague’s teacher’s
My name is Alusine Alimamy Kamara from Sierra Leone I am very excited to be part of your institution
And I want to join your WhatsApp group
Please help so that I can join you in your discussion
Please for the kg scheme of learning, is it term 1 or term 3
Pls what is the password for basic five scheme of learning