Job Description — ELA Teacher / ELA Curriculum Specialist

CCSS | CBSE | ICSE | Online & International Students

Position: ELA Teacher / English Language Arts Specialist
Program: Ekam-In
Student Profile: US-based students following CCSS, alongside Indian students following CBSE and ICSE curricula
Mode: Online / 1:1 / Small Group
Levels: Grade 3–10, with scope for higher grades depending on expertise

About the Role

Ekam-In is looking for a highly capable English Language Arts (ELA) Teacher who can work confidently across US Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as well as Indian CBSE and ICSE curricula.

The role is not limited to teaching grammar or completing textbook exercises. The teacher will be expected to develop students' ability to read closely, think critically, communicate effectively, write with purpose, analyze texts, build vocabulary, and apply language accurately.

For US students, the teacher should be comfortable working with the four major CCSS ELA strands—Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language—and with the standards' emphasis on evidence-based reading, analytical thinking, research, communication, and language use.

For Indian students, the teacher should be able to adapt instruction to the expectations of CBSE and ICSE, including literature, comprehension, grammar, composition, vocabulary, written expression, and examination-oriented skills. CBSE's current curriculum framework emphasizes competency-based learning and moving beyond rote learning, while its secondary curriculum includes English Language and Literature.

Key Responsibilities

1. Deliver High-Quality ELA Instruction

Plan and conduct structured, engaging lessons covering:

Reading

- Reading comprehension
- Close reading
- Main idea and supporting details
- Literal and inferential comprehension
- Textual evidence
- Making and supporting inferences
- Character analysis
- Setting and plot
- Theme and central idea
- Author's purpose
- Point of view
- Tone and mood
- Text structure
- Author's craft
- Figurative language
- Literary devices
- Comparing texts
- Analysis of literary and informational texts
- Critical reading
- Research-based reading

The teacher should progressively move students from:

What does the text say? → What does it mean? → How does the author construct meaning? → Why does it matter?

This progression is particularly important for CCSS students, where close reading, evidence collection, reasoning, and analysis are central expectations.

2. Develop Strong Writing Skills

Teach students to write for different purposes and audiences.

Writing Areas

- Narrative writing
- Descriptive writing
- Personal narratives
- Creative writing
- Expository writing
- Informative writing
- Analytical writing
- Argumentative writing
- Opinion writing
- Persuasive writing
- Compare-and-contrast writing
- Literary analysis
- Research writing
- Summaries
- Responses to literature
- Evidence-based responses
- Paragraph construction
- Essay organization

Writing Process

Students should be taught to move through:

Brainstorm → Plan → Draft → Revise → Edit → Proofread → Publish

The teacher should distinguish between editing and revision.

Students should learn that revision is not simply correcting grammar; it involves improving:

- ideas
- organization
- evidence
- clarity
- coherence
- vocabulary
- sentence structure
- voice
- argument

3. Grammar & Language Development

The teacher should have strong command of English grammar and be able to teach grammar in context, rather than as isolated rules.

Core Grammar Areas

- Parts of speech
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Verbs
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
- Interjections
- Subject and predicate
- Sentence structure
- Simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences
- Clauses
- Phrases
- Verb tenses
- Subject-verb agreement
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Modifiers
- Parallelism
- Active and passive voice
- Direct and indirect speech
- Conditionals
- Punctuation
- Capitalization
- Spelling
- Sentence variety
- Concision
- Syntax
- Common usage errors

At higher levels, grammar should move toward stylistic control—how syntax, sentence length, word choice, and structure influence meaning and tone. This aligns with the CCSS Language strand's emphasis on conventions as well as effective language choices.

4. Vocabulary Development

The teacher should develop students' vocabulary systematically rather than relying only on weekly word lists.

Vocabulary Instruction Should Include

- Context clues
- Synonyms and antonyms
- Multiple-meaning words
- Word families
- Prefixes and suffixes
- Roots
- Academic vocabulary
- Domain-specific vocabulary
- Connotation and denotation
- Figurative meanings
- Idioms
- Collocations
- Nuance between related words
- Vocabulary in literature
- Vocabulary in informational texts

Students should learn to understand not only:

What does this word mean?

but also:

Why did the author choose this particular word?

5. Literature & Literary Analysis

The teacher should be comfortable teaching both classical and contemporary literature.

Literary Components

- Short stories
- Novels
- Poetry
- Drama
- Non-fiction
- Essays
- Speeches
- Biographies
- Historical texts
- Contemporary articles





Literary Analysis

Students should learn to analyze:

- Characterization
- Conflict
- Plot development
- Setting
- Theme
- Symbolism
- Irony
- Foreshadowing
- Imagery
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Personification
- Allusion
- Motif
- Narrative structure
- Point of view
- Tone
- Mood
- Diction
- Syntax
- Authorial choices

The teacher should be capable of taking a text such as Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Giver, The Outsiders, or a short story and developing evidence-based analytical questions, rather than limiting the lesson to plot summary.

6. CCSS-Based Instruction for US Students

The teacher must be familiar with the structure and expectations of the Common Core ELA standards.

The CCSS framework for ELA includes:

Reading

RL — Reading Literature
RI — Reading Informational Text

Writing

W — Writing

Speaking & Listening

SL — Speaking and Listening

Language

L — Language

The CCSS also emphasizes the connection between reading and writing, requiring students to draw evidence from literary and informational texts.

The teacher should be able to work with standards such as:

- RL.9-10.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence
- RL.9-10.2 — Analyze theme
- RL.9-10.3 — Analyze complex characters
- RL.9-10.4 — Analyze word and phrase meaning
- RL.9-10.5 — Analyze text structure
- RL.9-10.6 — Analyze point of view

and corresponding:

- Writing standards
- Speaking & Listening standards
- Language standards

For Grades 9–10, CCSS also expects students to participate effectively in discussions, build on others' ideas, and use evidence to support their thinking.

7. CBSE Curriculum Competency

The teacher should be comfortable adapting instruction for CBSE students, particularly Classes 3–10.

This includes:

- Reading comprehension
- Literature
- Grammar
- Writing skills
- Vocabulary
- Formal and informal writing
- Analytical responses
- Creative writing
- Literature-based questions
- Extract-based questions
- Competency-based questions
- Examination preparation

CBSE's curriculum emphasizes competency-based learning, hands-on experiences, and mastery rather than rote learning.

The teacher should therefore be able to teach a CBSE student both:

curriculum content + transferable ELA skills.

8. ICSE Curriculum Competency

The teacher should understand the relatively literature-intensive nature of the ICSE English curriculum and be comfortable teaching:

- Prose
- Poetry
- Drama
- Comprehension
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
- Composition
- Creative writing
- Analytical responses
- Literature-based interpretation
- Character analysis
- Theme
- Literary devices
- Extract-based questions

The teacher should also be comfortable developing listening and speaking skills, which are explicitly assessed within CISCE English coursework at the ISC level.

9. Cross-Curriculum Adaptability

A major requirement of this role is the ability to recognize that CCSS, CBSE, and ICSE are not identical curricula.

The teacher should not simply use the same lesson plan for every student.

Instead:

For a CCSS student:

Emphasize:

Close Reading → Evidence → Inference → Analysis → Argument

For a CBSE student:

Emphasize:

Comprehension → Competency → Grammar → Writing → Literature → Examination Application

For an ICSE student:

Emphasize:

Literature → Language → Interpretation → Composition → Analytical Response → Examination Application

The underlying ELA skills can overlap, but instructional sequencing, assessment style, terminology, and curriculum outcomes must be adapted.

10. Diagnostic Assessment

The teacher should be able to conduct an initial assessment before designing an instructional plan.

The diagnostic should evaluate:

Reading

- Fluency
- Comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Inference
- Evidence
- Analysis

Writing

- Grammar
- Sentence structure
- Organization
- Vocabulary
- Coherence
- Development of ideas
- Argumentation

Speaking

- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Sentence formation
- Confidence
- Organization of thought

Listening

- Understanding
- Note-taking
- Following instructions
- Identifying key information
- Responding accurately

The teacher should then create an individual learning plan based on the student's strengths and gaps.

11. Personalized Learning

The teacher will be expected to differentiate instruction according to:

- Grade level
- Curriculum
- Reading level
- Writing ability
- Vocabulary level
- Learning pace
- Academic goals
- School requirements
- Student interests
- Assessment requirements

For example, a Grade 7 student may technically be in the appropriate grade but have Grade 5-level writing mechanics and Grade 8-level reading comprehension.

The teacher should be able to identify this discrepancy and teach accordingly.

12. Assessment & Progress Tracking

Develop and administer:

- Diagnostic assessments
- Weekly quizzes




- Reading comprehension tests
- Grammar assessments
- Vocabulary assessments
- Writing assignments
- Literary analysis tasks
- Speaking activities
- Periodic benchmark assessments
- Curriculum-aligned tests

Track:

- Accuracy
- Reading comprehension
- Evidence use
- Analytical depth
- Writing quality
- Grammar accuracy
- Vocabulary development
- Fluency
- Independent thinking

Progress should be measured through observable skill development, not simply completion of worksheets.

13. Feedback & Student Development

Provide specific, actionable feedback.

Instead of:

“Good writing.”

The teacher should be able to say:

“Your central claim is clear, but your second paragraph relies on summary rather than analysis. Add a specific textual reference and explain how the author's choice develops the theme.”

Feedback should address:

What is working → What needs improvement → How to improve it.

14. Classroom Methodology

The ideal candidate should use a combination of:

- Explicit instruction
- Guided practice
- Close reading
- Socratic questioning
- Discussion
- Text annotation
- Think-alouds
- Graphic organizers
- Writing workshops
- Collaborative activities
- Independent practice
- Retrieval practice
- Formative assessment
- Project-based learning where appropriate

The teacher should avoid a purely worksheet-driven approach.

15. Online Teaching Responsibilities

For online students, the teacher should be comfortable with:

- Screen sharing
- Digital whiteboards
- Annotating texts
- Google Docs or equivalent collaborative documents
- Digital worksheets
- Presentations
- Online assessments
- Sharing learning resources
- Maintaining digital student records

The teacher should be able to maintain student engagement during a 60-minute online session without relying excessively on passive explanation.

16. Lesson Planning Expectations

Every lesson should ideally have:

Learning Objective

What should the student be able to do by the end of the lesson?

Prior Knowledge

What does the student already know?

Explicit Instruction

Teacher explanation/model.

Guided Practice

Teacher + student work together.

Independent Practice

Student demonstrates the skill independently.

Assessment

A short task demonstrating whether the objective was achieved.

Homework / Extension

Purposeful practice rather than repetitive worksheet completion.

17. Preferred Candidate Profile

Essential Qualifications

- Bachelor's or Master's degree in English, English Literature, Education, Linguistics, or a related field
- Robust command of written and spoken English
- Strong grammar and composition skills
- Experience teaching English/ELA
- Understanding of literary analysis
- Experience teaching school-age students
- Strong online teaching skills
- Ability to create worksheets and assessments

Highly Preferred

- Experience teaching US students
- Familiarity with CCSS
- Experience with CBSE
- Experience with ICSE
- Experience teaching Grades 6–10
- Experience with international students
- Experience designing individualized learning programs
- Experience with academic writing
- Experience preparing students for standardized assessments

18. Skills Required

The candidate should demonstrate:

Academic Skills

- Excellent English proficiency
- Strong grammar
- Strong vocabulary
- Literary knowledge
- Reading analysis
- Writing instruction
- Research skills
- Assessment design

Teaching Skills

- Conceptual teaching
- Differentiation
- Questioning
- Classroom management
- Student engagement
- Feedback
- Assessment
- Curriculum mapping

Professional Skills

- Punctuality
- Reliability
- Professional communication
- Documentation
- Adaptability
- Responsiveness
- Ability to work independently

19. What We Are Looking For

We are particularly interested in a teacher who can move a student beyond:

“I understood the story.”

toward:

“I can explain what the author is saying, identify how the author communicates it, support my interpretation with evidence, and articulate my own argument clearly.”

The ideal teacher should be equally comfortable teaching a Grade 4 student struggling with sentence construction and a Grade 9 student analyzing theme, characterization, author's craft, and textual evidence.

20. Key Performance Indicators

The teacher's effectiveness will be evaluated through:

- Improvement in reading comprehension
- Improvement in writing quality
- Increased vocabulary
- Improved grammar and sentence control
- Ability to cite textual evidence
- Improved analytical reasoning
- Increased confidence in speaking
- Improved academic performance
- Student engagement and consistency
- Completion of individualized learning objectives

Candidate Should Be Able to Teach

Area

CCSS

CBSE

ICSE

The ideal candidate is not simply an English teacher.

They should be an ELA educator capable of translating different curriculum frameworks into a coherent skill-development pathway, while adapting the depth, methodology, assessment, and pace to the individual learner.

Application: Candidates may be asked to conduct a short demo lesson and submit a sample lesson plan/worksheet for a specified grade and curriculum.

Pay: ₹200.00 - ₹250.00 per hour

Benefits:

- Flexible schedule
- Work from home

Work Location: Remote

📌 Job Description — ELA Teacher / ELA Curriculum Specialist (India)
🏢 Ekam - In
📍 India