Adapting PMAA’s English Curriculum

Case Study

Adapting PMAA’s English Curriculum for Saudi Arabia

Introduction and Overview

Playhouse KSA Edition is a multicultural curriculum that emphasizes communicative competency. It offers a balanced approach to conversation, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. The series helps learners use English with confidence from the very first unit. Playhouse also provides practical tools that support learners in expressing themselves and thinking critically. Playhouse KSA is a student-centered curriculum that fosters collaborative learning, encourages students to take an active role in their community, and helps them learn English through real-life contexts such as storytelling, problem-solving, and project-based activities.

The Demand

Schools, distributors, and ministries of education in the MENA region and beyond had been requesting multilingual learning programs that align with international standards such as CEFR, EFL, and SFL; balance language acquisition with cultural relevance; provide both print and digital formats for modern classrooms; and offer flexibility for teachers while ensuring strong learning outcomes. This demand grew even stronger with the increasing need for German (DAF), Spanish (ELE), and Italian (ILS) in global markets, alongside the already high demand for English (ELT).

Challenges

The primary challenge was adapting the original Playhouse series for the KSA market. Saudi Arabia has different traditions, cultural norms, and accepted behaviors compared to other countries. Preiss Murphy A&A Education Group (PMAA) conducted extensive research on clothing, traditions, holidays, and festivals and authored the series in a way that accommodates the specific policies and conventions of the KSA Ministry of Education. The Playhouse series was also updated to incorporate Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, ensuring it became a truly specialized edition for the region

The Approach

Our curriculum research team gathered information on standards, outcomes, and Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision to ensure that the new book encompassed all required elements. Playhouse was designed to align with the Common European Framework and the American Common Core Standards, as both frameworks include the key didactic objectives followed by other L2 countries. Our Subject Matter Experts developed the mapping of objectives to ensure that all outcomes were developmentally, socially, age-appropriate, and emotionally suitable for the target learners. Experts were also commissioned to examine and validate the adventures, authentic situations, diversity, character themes, and moral components of the units to ensure alignment with global values. The books were built around 30 active weeks of learning, and the instructional designers completed the mapping of each unit’s outcomes within a two-week period.

The books follow the IMPA learning methodology: Introduce, Model, Practice, and Apply. This approach ensures that students are introduced to new objectives, can master them, and then apply what they have learned. The units recycle key information across lessons to reinforce skills, and they provide a variety of differentiated tasks that support all learners. Design thinking is also integrated to help students respond and communicate in real-life situations.

Each unit is appealing to the age group and activates prior knowledge to encourage communication. Playhouse does not just teach the language; it teaches learners how to use the language. Each unit is horizontal rather than scaffolded, giving teachers the freedom to move around the book and choose the units that best suit the needs of their class. The resources and the teacher’s guide are comprehensive. Both inexperienced instructors and seasoned teachers benefit from the delivery guide, additional activities, and practical ideas included in the teacher’s guide.

“The schools we serve love the 2nd Edition of Playhouse. Many schools have been able to increase enrollment because of the communicative approach. It is our best seller.”

MENA Distributor

Results

The Playhouse KSA Edition, from Playhouse Pals (KG levels) to Playhouse Kids (Levels 1–3) and Playhouse (Levels 4–6), is expected to achieve significant success in the Saudi Arabian market. Our original Playhouse series is one of our most popular global programs, and this edition was adapted specifically for Saudi Arabia. A second edition of the program, originally submitted for nomination at TAA (Textbook and Academic Authors Association) for its Textbook Excellence Award, was published in 2021 and served as the foundation for the KSA Edition.

Company