Term planning

NERDC Scheme of Work Builder

A Nigerian school year runs three terms, twelve to thirteen teaching weeks each, and every subject teacher is expected to walk into the first week with a complete scheme of work in hand. The scheme tells you what topic gets taught in which week, the sub-topics for that week, and the learning outcome the student should walk away with. The official template comes from NERDC, the National Educational Research and Development Council, and Nigerian inspectors check it against the published curriculum for that class and subject.

LearnStack's scheme of work builder turns the NERDC subject curriculum into a ready-to-edit 12-week scheme for any class from JSS 1 to SS 3. You pick the class and subject, pick the term, and the builder lays out the weeks, topics, sub-topics, and outcomes in the format your principal already recognises. Below is the sample scheme the builder produces for SS 1 Biology, first term. Sign in to your school's LearnStack tenant to generate one for your own subject and class.

Try free. Sign up your school Read the NERDC scheme guide

Sample output: SS 1 Biology, First Term

12 weeks, NERDC topics in order, with sub-topics and learning outcomes for each week.

Week	Topic & sub-topics	Learning outcomes
1	Introduction to Biology Meaning of Biology · Branches of Biology · Career prospects Define Biology as the science of life Name and describe at least four branches of Biology List three career paths open to a Biology graduate	Define Biology as the science of life Name and describe at least four branches of Biology List three career paths open to a Biology graduate
2	Characteristics of Living Things MRS GREN · Living vs non-living · Examples in everyday life State the seven characteristics of living things Distinguish a living from a non-living thing using observed properties	State the seven characteristics of living things Distinguish a living from a non-living thing using observed properties
3	The Cell as the Living Unit Discovery of the cell · Cell theory · Plant vs animal cell structure State the three tenets of the cell theory Label a plant and an animal cell and list four key differences	State the three tenets of the cell theory Label a plant and an animal cell and list four key differences
4	Cell Structure and Functions of Cell Components Nucleus · Cytoplasm · Mitochondria · Cell membrane Describe the function of at least six cellular organelles Explain why the mitochondrion is called the powerhouse of the cell	Describe the function of at least six cellular organelles Explain why the mitochondrion is called the powerhouse of the cell
5	Cell Reactions to its Environment Diffusion · Osmosis · Active transport · Plasmolysis Define diffusion, osmosis, and active transport Demonstrate osmosis using an Irish-potato or visking-tube experiment	Define diffusion, osmosis, and active transport Demonstrate osmosis using an Irish-potato or visking-tube experiment
6	Levels of Organisation of Life Cell · Tissue · Organ · System · Organism Arrange the five levels of organisation in correct order with examples Identify each level in a labelled diagram	Arrange the five levels of organisation in correct order with examples Identify each level in a labelled diagram
7	Mid-term break / revision Review of weeks 1–6 Consolidate prior learning before continuing assessment	Consolidate prior learning before continuing assessment
8	Nutrient Cycles in Nature (Carbon) Carbon cycle · Role of respiration and photosynthesis · Human impact Draw and label the carbon cycle Discuss two ways human activities disrupt the carbon cycle	Draw and label the carbon cycle Discuss two ways human activities disrupt the carbon cycle
9	Nutrient Cycles in Nature (Water and Nitrogen) Water cycle · Nitrogen cycle · Importance to living things Describe each stage of the water cycle Explain the role of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria	Describe each stage of the water cycle Explain the role of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria
10	Classification of Living Things: Five Kingdoms Monera · Protista · Fungi · Plantae · Animalia List the five kingdoms with at least two examples each State two distinguishing features of each kingdom	List the five kingdoms with at least two examples each State two distinguishing features of each kingdom
11	Modes of Nutrition in Living Things Autotrophic nutrition · Heterotrophic nutrition · Parasites and saprophytes Differentiate autotrophic from heterotrophic nutrition with examples Identify a parasitic and a saprophytic organism from a list	Differentiate autotrophic from heterotrophic nutrition with examples Identify a parasitic and a saprophytic organism from a list
12	Revision and End-of-Term Examination Revision of weeks 1–11 · Practice past questions · Examination Demonstrate mastery of the term's topics under exam conditions	Demonstrate mastery of the term's topics under exam conditions

See the full scheme, including second and third term, at /learn/ss1/bio/scheme-of-work.

What makes this different from copying someone else's scheme

Anchored to the current NERDC curriculum. The 2024/2025 SSEC revision is in. You're not working from a 10-year-old PDF that's been re-shared on WhatsApp.
Weeks adjust to your calendar. Mid-term break, sport week, founders' week: pick the dates and the builder rebalances topics across the term so nothing gets crammed.
From scheme to lesson notes in one click. Each weekly topic flows into the AI lesson plan generator. You don't re-type the topic; the system already has it.
Editable per school. Some schools add extra local content (cultural studies, school chapel, agriculture practicals). You can extend or merge weeks without losing the NERDC backbone.

How a NERDC scheme of work is structured

A scheme of work is the bridge between the national curriculum and a teacher's weekly lesson note. The curriculum says what the student should learn over a whole year. The scheme breaks the year into terms, the terms into weeks, and the weeks into specific topics and sub-topics. The lesson note then takes one week and turns it into a usable classroom plan with objectives, activities, evaluation, and an assignment.

NERDC publishes the curriculum in themes and topics for each subject and class. For SS 1 Biology, the curriculum is grouped into themes like "The Organisation of Life", "Ecology", "Reproduction in Plants and Animals", and "Heredity and Variation". The scheme of work takes those themes and distributes them across the three terms. First term usually covers organisation of life and basic ecology, second term moves into reproduction and inheritance, third term covers evolution and applied biology. Within each term, the twelve weeks are arranged so the foundational concepts come first and the applied or comparative topics come later.

Every weekly row should include the topic, the sub-topics, and the learning outcome: three to four short sentences describing what the student should be able to do by the end of that week. Outcomes use action verbs (define, draw, demonstrate, calculate) rather than passive ones (understand, know, appreciate) so they're actually measurable. The scheme should also flag which weeks are continuous-assessment weeks and which are reserved for revision or the end-of-term examination.

For the full breakdown of how the NERDC scheme is structured, what changed in the 2024/2025 SSEC revision, and the subject-by-subject scheme pages, read the NERDC scheme of work guide. If you teach SS 1 Biology specifically, the full three-term scheme is at /learn/ss1/bio/scheme-of-work.

Try LearnStack

One scheme, one term, one afternoon, for every subject in your school.

Sign up your school, pick every class and subject, and LearnStack generates the full scheme of work for the term, then turns each week into a lesson note and a slide deck. You edit, your teachers approve, and the planning is done.

Try free. Sign up your school Read the NERDC scheme guide