The Grade 2 English HL curriculum builds on the literacy foundation laid in Grade 1. The 2026 syllabus emphasizes phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and creative expression through engaging weekly themes like “Myself and Others” and “Healthy Living”.
This guide outlines the 2026 English HL Annual Teaching Plan (ATP), providing a structured weekly roadmap to help teachers guide young learners from basic phonics to writing their own stories.
English HL Grade 2 ATP 2026
The curriculum is structured around four main pillars: Listening & Speaking, Phonics, Reading, and Writing/Handwriting.
Term 1: Myself, Friends & Healthy Living
Focus: The first term introduces personal themes to build confidence in speaking and listening, while establishing advanced phonic awareness and handwriting skills.
- Weeks 1–3: Myself and Others
- Listening/Speaking: Revision, discussing holidays, personal news, and expectations for the year.
- Phonics: Revision of single sounds (s, a, t, i, p, n) and short vowels.
- Reading: Shared reading of stories about friendship and emotions.
- Handwriting: Pencil grip, posture, and patterns (www, mmmm).
- Weeks 4–6: Everyone is Special
- Listening/Speaking: Role-playing bullying scenarios and suggesting solutions. Discussing what makes each person special.
- Phonics: Vowel digraphs (ai, oa, ie, ee, or) and split digraphs (magic ‘e’).
- Reading: Identifying core details and sequence of events in stories.
- Weeks 7–8: What Do We Need to Live?
- Theme: Water as a precious resource and basic needs (fresh air, food).
- Phonics: Consonant digraphs (sh, ch, th, ng, qu).
- Reading: Interpreting visual media (posters/advertisements) about saving water.
- Weeks 9–10: Healthy Living
- Theme: Practical ideas for a healthy life and identifying unhealthy habits.
- Phonics: Alternative spellings (ck for /k/, y as /ee/).
- Writing: Writing lists of healthy foods and creative stories (“Ben stays ill”).
Phonics & Language Structure
Focus: Systematic development of phonemic awareness and grammar rules.
- Sounds:
- Single sounds: Revision of all alphabet sounds.
- Digraphs: ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or.
- Magic ‘e’: a-e, i-e, o-e, u-e (e.g., hop/hope).
- Alternatives: <ck> after short vowels, <y> as /ee/ at the end of words.
- Tricky Words: Learning high-frequency words that don’t follow standard phonetic rules (e.g., the, was, said, come).
- Language Thursday: Dedicated time for grammar concepts:
- Nouns: Common and Proper nouns.
- Punctuation: Capital letters and full stops.
- Adjectives: Words that describe nouns.
- Dictionary Work: Alphabetical order.
Reading Programme
Focus: Building fluency and comprehension through various reading strategies.
- Shared Reading (15 min daily):
- Teacher reads Big Books to the whole class.
- Focus on prediction (“What will happen next?”), visual cues, and answering open-ended questions.
- Group Guided Reading (GGR):
- Small groups reading text at their level.
- Focus on decoding, fluency, and punctuation.
- Comprehension:
- Answering questions about the text (Who? What? Where?).
- Identifying the “initial problem” in a story.
Writing & Handwriting
Focus: Developing fine motor skills and the writing process (planning, drafting, editing).
- Handwriting (15 min x 4 days):
- Warm-ups: Fine motor exercises (spider push-ups, tearing paper).
- Formation: Correct formation of lower case and capital letters (Aa, Bb, Cc…).
- Patterns: Continuous patterns (ccccc, ililili) to develop flow.
- Independent Writing:
- Shared Writing: Creating class stories together.
- Creative Writing: Writing 3-5 sentences on familiar topics (“My holiday,” “A good friend”).
- Structures: Lists, posters, and simple narratives with a beginning, middle, and end.
Assessment Guidelines
- Format: Assessment is continuous and integrated into daily activities.
- Tools:
- Checklists: For listening skills and oral participation.
- Rubrics: For creative writing and handwriting.
- Phonic Tests: Weekly tests on sounds and tricky words.
FAQ: English HL Grade 2
Q: What is “Magic ‘e'”? A: It is the split digraph rule where an ‘e’ at the end of a word changes the preceding short vowel to a long vowel (e.g., tap becomes tape). This is a key focus in Term 1 Weeks 6-7.
Q: How is “Group Guided Reading” different from “Shared Reading”? A: In Shared Reading, the teacher reads to the class using a large text to model reading skills. In Group Guided Reading, learners read to the teacher in small groups using their own books, allowing for individual attention and assessment.
Q: What are “Tricky Words”? A: These are high-frequency words that cannot be easily decoded using standard phonics rules (e.g., said, the, was). Learners need to memorize these by sight.