Teaching Resources for International Schools in Hong Kong
Teaching Resources for International Schools in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's international schools sit under a separate registration regime from local aided and DSS schools, and most teach a non-local curriculum such as the IB, a British-style programme, or a US-style programme. None of the five resources below were written against IB, Cambridge or any other specific syllabus, but each covers content that turns up across those curricula regardless: AP-level calculus practice, a globalization unit built for source analysis and argument writing, a migration and identity unit, a Spanish course for teens, and a twenty-unit world geography bundle.
See the AP Calculus workbook →Where to start
Five Resources for a Globally-Minded Classroom
Pick the subject area your international-curriculum class needs this week. The geography bundle at the end covers twenty printable units for a department that wants breadth rather than one more single unit.
AP Calculus Exam Prep Workbook | AP Calculus AB & BC Review
Globalization Unit – Pros, Cons & Source Analysis / Argument Writing
Migration & Multicultural Society Unit – Immigration, Identity & Integration
¡Vamos! Spanish Learning Essentials for Teens
World Geography Curriculum Mega Bundle | 20 Printable Units
The honest starting point
What an International School Teacher Can Actually Use Here
International schools in Hong Kong are licensed and registered separately from local aided and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools, and most run a non-local curriculum: the International Baccalaureate, a British-style programme leading to IGCSE and A Level, or a US-style programme. The English Schools Foundation runs the largest subsidised English-medium network in the city, distinct from Hong Kong's private international schools, and each of these curricula sets its own subject content and assessment structure independently of the EDB.
None of the five resources above are written against the IB, Cambridge or any other specific syllabus, and none claim to be. What they offer is content that appears across most of these curricula in some form: calculus practice at an AP-comparable level, argument-writing social studies units on globalization and migration, a Spanish course for a world-language requirement, and a large geography bundle for a humanities department. For how a broader Hong Kong curriculum context compares to what an international school runs, see What Is the Hong Kong School Curriculum? A Teacher's Map From P1 to S6 and The Panel Head's Year: Planning a Subject Panel From September on the Teacher Hub blog, or browse the International School Teaching Resources (Asia-Pacific) collection for more options.
A sequence that works
Building a Term Across Subjects
- Diagnose calculus readiness earlyThe AP Calculus workbook doubles as a diagnostic: students who struggle with its early sections need foundational work before exam-style practice is useful.
- Pair the globalization and migration units back to backBoth units use source analysis and argument writing, so running them together reinforces the same skill across two different social studies topics.
- Slot the Spanish course into a fixed weekly blockA world-language course for teens works best with a consistent short block each week rather than occasional long sessions.
- Draw single units from the geography bundle as topics ariseTwenty printable units cover more ground than one term needs, so pull the two or three that match the current humanities topic rather than running the whole set in sequence.
- Revisit calculus practice before any internal assessmentA second pass through the AP-style workbook close to an assessment date consolidates material taught weeks earlier.
Where it goes wrong
Misconceptions About Sourcing Material for International Curricula
The first misconception is assuming AP-labelled material automatically matches IB or A Level content at the same grade. The underlying calculus skills overlap heavily, but assessment style differs across all three, so a teacher should treat the workbook as skill practice rather than an exact match to any one exam format.
The second misconception is buying a single social studies unit and expecting it to cover an entire globalization or migration topic on its own. Globalization and migration are large enough topics that most curricula expect several weeks of material; one unit is a strong starting point, not a complete scheme of work by itself.
The third misconception is treating a geography bundle as a ready-made full-year course. Twenty units give a department useful range, but they still need sequencing and pacing decisions specific to the school's own curriculum map before they become a coherent course.
Inside the files
What Every Download Includes
- Print-ready PDF for every unit
- Answer keys for tasks with a defined answer
- Source-analysis and argument-writing prompts
- Activities suited to mixed first-language classes
- No login needed to use any file
- Instant download, ready the same day
Everything on this page is independent teaching material for a general international-curriculum classroom. None of it is published, vetted or endorsed by the IB, Cambridge Assessment International Education, the EDB, the CDC or any other examination authority.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this material approved by the EDB, the IB or Cambridge?
No. These are independent teaching resources. They are not published by the EDB, the CDC, the IB or Cambridge Assessment International Education, and they are not vetted or endorsed by any examination authority. Teachers use them inside their own school-based scheme of work and decide what fits their curriculum.
Is the AP Calculus workbook written for the IB Analysis and Approaches exam?
No. It is built around AP Calculus AB and BC content. The underlying calculus skills transfer, but a teacher preparing students for an IB or A Level exam should check specific assessment-style questions separately.
Does the Spanish course match a specific exam board's syllabus?
No. It is a general teens' Spanish course rather than material written against IGCSE, IB Language B or any other specific exam syllabus, so it works best as foundational practice rather than exam-format preparation.
Is the world geography bundle written for a specific curriculum's humanities course?
No. The twenty units cover general world geography topics that a school slots into whichever humanities or geography course structure it already runs, rather than following one curriculum's specific unit sequence.
Are these resources suitable for a mixed-nationality, mixed-first-language classroom?
Yes, generally. The units use clear task structures and source material rather than assuming a single first language, which suits the mixed classrooms common in international schools, though a teacher should still check reading-level fit for their specific class.
Can this replace a school's IB, IGCSE or A Level scheme of work?
No. A scheme of work sets the assessment objectives, pacing and internal deadlines a school has already committed to for its chosen curriculum. These units supply lesson content a teacher slots into that existing plan; they do not replace it.
Cover the Range Without Overclaiming Alignment
Calculus, social studies, language and geography — genuine secondary content, not material dressed up as an official IB or Cambridge resource.
See the World Geography Bundle →