Some linguists regard using tasks as an effective way to language teaching. This article aims to present the way of designing a task-based curriculum.
　　Task-based Curriculum
　　（a） The definition of “task-based curriculum”
　　A task-based curriculum uses tasks as the main units around which the course is organized and presented. Task is defined as a part of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending， manipulating， producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form （Nunan， 2004）. Morris （1996） points out that curriculum development includes the processes that are used to determine the needs of a group of learners， to develop aims or objectives for a program to address those needs， to determine an appropriate syllabus， course structure， teaching methods， and materials， and to carry out an evaluation of the language program that results from these processes.
　　Consequently， ‘a task-based curriculum’ is the kind of learning curriculum based on communicative activities which are designed for learners’ needs.
　　（b） Advantages of using ‘tasks’
　　First， tasks embody the purpose that students are learning language for. In a task-based lesson， the lesson is based around the completion of a central task and the language study is determined by what happens as the students complete.
　　Second， students have much more varied exposure to language. Tasks enable learners to integrate separate elements of knowledge and language skills into their actual communicative competence.
　　Furthermore， tasks provide a context for the learners’ natural learning process to operate. It will be developed from students’ experiences with the language that is personalized and relevant to them and students will explore the language from their needs.
　　Task-based curriculum design
　　Theme： Spoken English class for junior middle school students
　　Reasons for choosing this topic：
　　Communication is an exchange of meaning and understanding. For successful communication， students require more than the formal ability to present well. With the globalization， calls have been made for graduates to be proficient in communication skills so that they can function effectively in the academic and professional settings.
　　In addition，， spoken English is always the weakness of Chinese students and how to teach it effectively is always one of the difficulties in English teaching. In traditional English class， all tasks are taking notes， reciting and imitation， which can not raise students’ interests.