A syllabus is derived from the curriculum. It is about that list of topics to be taught and learned for a specific period, or programme, while the scheme of work is drawn from the syllabus and broken into pieces to be taken on a termly basis. The lesson plan is a further breaking down of work to be done.
The scheme of work also guides supervisors of schools in determining the efforts of the schools and teachers towards meeting the societal demands on them. The scheme of work is aimed at serving the following purposes:
- A Guide to the teacher
- For organisational convenience
- keeping records of what is taught and what ought to be taught (Okai, 2010).
The scheme of work is broken into unit plans per month or per week. A unit plan breaks down further the scheme of work into smaller portions that can be treated within a period of a week. The unit plan can, therefore, be described as the organised sequence of content and learning experience derived for an analysis of the scheme of work designed to be covered by the class within a period of week (Okai, 2010)