ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses how components of curriculum are perceived and enacted by teachers and students in English classrooms. It considers the "null" curriculum–in other words, what it left out of formal instructional contexts, as well as horizontal and vertical curriculum alignment. It explores how the perspectives of various stakeholders influence the development of curriculum. These perspectives will be juxtaposed with how curriculum is perceived and delivered from a critical theoretical standpoint. curriculum is multidimensional, involving a range of stakeholders that shape its development and delivery. As a social construction, curriculum is produced by discourse and affected by culture. Content in English classrooms tends to involve texts, including fiction and nonfiction prose, poetry, and digital products. The skills associated with English classrooms are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The chapter concludes with a series of guiding questions designed to facilitate analysis of curriculum to which readers have been exposed.