Telling time and knwoing number vocabulary to 60 is common part of English curriculum at grade 4 (Follow Me 3, e-Star 4, Dino on the Go 4, Story.com 4, and Hello Kids 4) . The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: What time is it? It's <number> o'clock. / It's <hour> <minutes>. Vocabulary and concepts consist of numbers and numerals 0-60 and various verbs of daily activities to contextualize the Q & A pattern. Similar to the units on days of the week, the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, so it should be associated with verbs/activities, and sequences of events. Associating time-telling with particular activities provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.

Stating abilities is a common component in the English curricula for grades 3-4 (Follow Me 3, e-Star 3, Dino on the Go 3, Story.com 4, Hello Kids 2) . The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: What can you do? I can <verb>. Can you <verb>? Yes, I can. / No, I can't. Vocabulary and concepts consist of proper names, subject pronouns, and typical vocabulary like run, jump, walk, swim, ride a bike, sing a song, fly a kite. If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can associate the verbs/activities with animals or weather/ conditions, like It has no legs, but it can climb. What is it? It's a snake, It's a bird. It can't fly, but it can swim. What is it?, or  It's rainy. I can't fly a kite. Associating action verbs with animals or weather conditions provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.

Rooms of the house are a common topic in grade 4 (Follow Me 3, e-Star 4, Dino on the Go 4, Hello Kids 4) but does not appear until grade 6 in the HESS Story.com books. The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: Where is <person>? He/ She is in the <room>. Although Story.com 6 associates household objects with rooms, Is there a <thing> in the <room>? Vocabulary and concepts consist of proper names, subject pronouns, and typical vocabulary like bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, mom, dad, table, bed, chair. If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can associate the rooms with verbs/activities, like cooking, eating, watching TV, doing homework. Associating rooms with particular activities provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.

Countries are a common topic in grade 6 (Follow Me 7, e-Star 7, Dino on the Go 7). The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: Where is he/she from? Where are they from? Vocabulary and concepts consist of country names, flags, and icons. If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can intersect countries with famous people and foods. Food vocabulary intersects with Follow Me 7 (6th grade) and Hello Kids and Dino 6 (5th grade) and e-Star 5 (5th grade). Associating countries with famous people and icons builds on students' nascent world knowledge and helps develop it further.

Locations and places in the neighborhood are a common topic in grade 5 (Follow Me 6, e-Star 5, Dino on the Go 5, Hello Kids 6, Story.com 6). The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: Where are you going? Are you going to the  <place>?  Where is the <place>? Vocabulary and concepts consist of proper names, subject pronouns, and typical vocabulary like supermarket, post office, hospital, school. If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can intersect transportation vocabulary that occurs in subsequent units or higher level books, like How can we/I get to the <place>? Or associate the places with other verbs/activities, like I read books at the library. Associating places with particular modes of transportation and activities provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.  

School subjects are a common topic in grade 5 (Follow Me 6, e-Star 5, Dino on the Go 5, Story.com 7) . The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: What subject(s) do you like? What's your favorite subject? Do you have <subject> on <day of the week>? Vocabulary and concepts consist of proper names, subject pronouns, and typical vocabulary like English, Chinese, social studies, PE, science, math, music, art, history.  If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can associate the school subjects with verbs/activities, like I play the recorder in music class or I play basketball in PE class, or I like to draw and paint pictures. Associating subjects with particular activities provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.  

Days of the week are a common topic in grade 5 (Follow Me 6, e-Star 5, Dino on the Go 5, Story.com 6). The lesson content is usually the Q & A pattern: What day is today? it's <day>. Is today <day>?  These units are difficult to teach because their simplicity makes it so boring, yet the students still need to focus on memorizing the order of the days and also their spelling. If the typical textbook content is not challenging enough, you can associate the school subjects with verbs/activities, like I go to the park on Saturday, or I go home after lunch on Wednesday. Associating subjects with particular activities provides the foundation which enables students to infer what is implied by partial information.