KICD Curriculum Designs Explained: Strands, Sub-Strands and Learning Outcomes
Written by EduCore Team · Nairobi, Kenya ·
Every scheme of work and lesson plan under CBC/CBE starts from the same document: the KICD curriculum design for the grade. This guide explains how it is organised, what each part is for, and how to turn it into a plan for the term.
The design is the authority; your scheme is your plan
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development publishes a curriculum design for each learning area at each level. A design is not a textbook. It does not tell you how to teach every lesson; it states what learners should know, do and value, and it suggests ways to get there.
Because it sets the expected breadth, depth and sequence of learning, everything a teacher writes afterwards, from the scheme of work to the lesson plan to the assessment, should trace back to it. If your document names a strand or outcome that is not in the design, it is easy for a head teacher or quality assurance officer to spot.
The four parts you will use most
Layouts differ a little between levels and learning areas, but a design typically works down this chain: strand, sub-strand, specific learning outcome, lesson, assessment.
Strands
The major areas of a learning area. A term usually covers only some of them, and the design tells you which.
Sub-strands
The teachable units inside a strand. This is the level at which outcomes, activities and assessment are attached.
Specific learning outcomes
What a learner should be able to do by the end of a sub-strand, phrased as something you can observe.
Experiences, questions and assessment
Suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions and assessment ideas that help you plan the lessons.
Core competencies, values and PCIs
Alongside the subject content, each sub-strand lists the core competencies it helps develop, the values it supports, and the pertinent and contemporary issues (PCIs) that fit it. KICD's designs name seven core competencies:
- Communication and collaboration
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Imagination and creativity
- Citizenship
- Digital literacy
- Learning to learn
- Self-efficacy
The common mistake is to tick every box on every lesson. Choose the competencies and PCIs that a lesson genuinely develops, and be ready to say how, in terms of what learners do.
Turning the design into a term plan
- Open the current design for your grade and learning area, and note the strands and sub-strands your school covers this term.
- Count your real teaching weeks, minus exams, holidays and events.
- Share the sub-strands across those weeks, giving bigger or harder ones more lessons.
- For each sub-strand, pick the specific learning outcomes you will teach, and write them the way the design does.
- Choose learner activities and resources you can really provide, and decide how you will assess each sub-strand.
- Turn that into your scheme of work, then into lesson plans as each week comes up.
Our guide to writing a CBC scheme of work covers steps 5 and 6 in detail.
Where teachers go wrong with the design
- Writing strand names from memory or from a textbook chapter list instead of the design.
- Using an old version of the design after it has been updated for the grade.
- Planning by textbook chapter, so sub-strands the book covers thinly get skipped.
- Writing outcomes that cannot be observed, like "understand" or "know".
- Listing every core competency and PCI on every lesson instead of the ones that fit.
Keep the reference next to the plan
In EduCore, school leaders with academic permissions can browse KICD curriculum content that EduCore has published centrally, filtered by grade from PP1 to Grade 12. It is a read-only reference, each source shows its attribution and licence reference, and coverage depends on what has been published so far. It does not replace the official design on kicd.ac.ke, which remains the authority.
Schools can also record their own curriculum strands and sub-strands. When a teacher asks for an AI first draft of a scheme of work, those recorded sub-strands are used as grounding for the subject where they exist. The draft is shown for review only, and nothing is saved until the teacher saves it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a KICD curriculum design?
It is the official document, published by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, that sets out what learners should learn in a learning area at a given grade. It typically contains the strands and sub-strands, specific learning outcomes, suggested learning experiences, key inquiry questions, core competencies, values, pertinent and contemporary issues and suggested assessment.
What is the difference between a strand and a sub-strand?
A strand is a major area of a learning area. A sub-strand is a smaller, teachable part of that strand. Specific learning outcomes, learning experiences and assessment are attached at the sub-strand level, which is why schemes of work and lesson plans usually name both.
What are the seven core competencies?
KICD's designs list them as communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, imagination and creativity, citizenship, digital literacy, learning to learn, and self-efficacy. Lessons are expected to develop them alongside the subject content.
What are PCIs?
PCIs are pertinent and contemporary issues: cross-cutting themes the designs ask teachers to weave into lessons where they fit, such as safety, health, environmental and citizenship themes. They are listed in the design, so pick the ones that genuinely fit the lesson and don't list them all by habit.
Where do I get the current curriculum design for my grade?
From KICD at kicd.ac.ke. Designs are updated, and rationalised versions have been issued for some grades, so always work from the current version for your grade and learning area rather than a copy from a previous year.
EduCore is not affiliated with KICD, KNEC or the Ministry of Education. Designs and requirements change, so confirm details against KICD's current publications at kicd.ac.ke before relying on this guide.
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