MATATAG Curriculum Phase 2: What Grade 2 and Grade 5 Teachers Need to Prepare

The pilot year is over, and the rollout continues! For School Year 2025-2026, the MATATAG Curriculum officially expands to cover Grade 2, Grade 5, and Grade 8.

If you are teaching these grade levels, take a deep breath. It’s not just a change in textbooks; it’s a shift in how we budget our classroom time.

Key Changes to Watch Out For

1. Time Allotment Adjustments DepEd has recalibrated the time allotments to focus on foundational skills.

• Grade 2: Notice the shift in Makabansa and the integration of literacy hours. The schedule is tighter but more focused on reading.
• Grade 5: Science becomes a major focal point, but with streamlined competencies to avoid congestion. The time allotment has been adjusted to ensure mastery rather than just "finishing the book."

2. Where is Mother Tongue? One of the biggest questions I get: "May Mother Tongue subject pa ba?" Under the new guidelines for the MATATAG rollout, the Mother Tongue is no longer a separate learning area in the matrix for Grades 2 and 3. Instead, it serves as a medium of instruction and is integrated into literacy/reading. This frees up time for English and Filipino literacy focus.

3. Lesson Exemplars & Worksheets Don’t worry about making lesson plans from scratch yet. DepEd is releasing Lesson Exemplars (LEs) and Learning Activity Sheets (LAS). Make sure to download the official versions from the LR Portal or your division drive.

My Take

Change is always hard. I remember when K-12 first started! But the goal here is decongestion. Let’s give it a chance. Focus on the literacy of your Grade 2 kids—if they can read well, everything else follows.

Good luck with the prep, Teachers!