Curriculum

An American curriculum for Grades 1–6: reading, writing, speaking and listening, taught by international and Taiwanese teachers as one team.

Yu-Jen's ESL program in Taichung teaches an American curriculum for half of every school day, from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Children read, write, speak and listen in English across a full set of subjects, taught by international and Taiwanese English teachers working as one team. Today Yu-Jen has almost completed its transition to a fully bilingual school.

How a class works

Each class has a Taiwanese homeroom teacher and an international Literacy Advisor. Each teacher looks after two cohorts in the same grade, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The homeroom teacher leads the class day to day and keeps in close touch with parents; the Literacy Advisor leads reading, writing, grammar and speaking. Specialist teachers add project-based learning, arts, crafts and PE.

What children learn

Subject	What it covers	Taught by
Reading and writing Grades 1–6	Taught together, using the Wonders series (McGraw-Hill)	Literacy Advisor
Grammar Grades 1–6	Explicit grammar, using Grammar Goals (Oxford)	Literacy Advisor
Speaking Grades 1–6	Oral fluency, always tied to the grammar being learned	Literacy Advisor
Phonics Grades 1–2	A clear, step-by-step phonics course	Literacy Advisor
Listening Grades 3–6	A dedicated listening course	Literacy Advisor and Taiwanese English teacher
Integrated English Grades 1–2	English through arts and crafts	Taiwanese specialist
English PE Grades 1–2	Physical education taught in English	Taiwanese specialist
Library Grades 1–6	A weekly library lesson	Taiwanese English teacher
Project-based learning Grades 1–6	Hands-on STEM projects, becoming STEAM from Grade 3	PBL specialist

A young student concentrates as he writes definitions on a shapes worksheet — Reading and writing

A student points to the sh digraph on the screen as his teacher listens during a phonics lesson — Phonics, Grades 1–2

Grammar you can use

We teach grammar far more explicitly than most American curricula do. Every grammar goal is paired with speaking practice, so children use each new structure in real conversation, not only on a worksheet. This is the heart of our approach: accurate English that children can actually use.

An international teacher works with a group of students on comparative adjectives while the class practices in their books

Learning by doing

In Grades 1 and 2, Integrated English and English PE let young children learn English while they make, build and move. In every grade, project-based learning turns English into a working language for science, technology and design.

A young student draws a patterned letter during an Integrated English art lesson — Integrated English: arts and crafts

A PE teacher coaches students practicing a relay baton handover on the school track — English PE, Grades 1–2

A PBL specialist stands beside a student presenting her butterfly project to the class — Project-based learning

How we measure progress

Every subject combines written quizzes and exams, oral interviews and class presentations. Teachers record detailed results throughout the semester, so parents receive a clear picture of how their child is learning, in written reports twice a semester and at a parent-teacher conference each semester. Cambridge English Qualifications add an independent check from Grade 2 onward. English Tests

Our standards

Our Indicators and Standards were developed in-house over many years. They are written as "can do" statements, drawing on US state and Canadian standards and the ALTE Can Do statements, and are aligned with the CEFR. Each grade's indicators are below.

Downloads

ESL program

Regular classes (Grades 5–6)

Last updated: 2026-11-10