There are many curriculum designs that curriculum developers can consider to apply in their contexts of operation. In this article, three major curriculum designs namely subject matter design, specific competencies design and human traits design. Subject matter design focuses on ordered structure of the subject matter or knowledge from discipline to subjects, grades and periods which are marked as first terms, first quarter and so on. Specific competencies design focuses performance or competencies of the learners while human traits design is related to developing traits which will be demonstrated by learners (Saylor, Alexander and Lewis, 1981).
The aim in subject matter design is to enable the learners to become self-propelled into an educative process. They will understand the structure of the knowledge of a discipline. In specific competencies design, the aim is to enable the learners learn to modify their behaviours or performance in an assigned task. On the other hand, in human traits design, aim is to develop human traits involving values. The content in subject matter discipline design includes the knowledge extracted from that discipline which is derived from accumulated wisdom of experts.  In specific competencies design, content is a specific, sequential and demonstrable tasks, activities or skills including the actions to be learned and performed. In human traits design, content may be the experiences where the learners have opportunities to feel, think, analyze and act about the experiences regarding traits. Role models may also be content because the students can learn traits by observing. Instructional strategies which are considered most useful in subject matter discipline design are discussion, questioning, inquiry training, lecture and viewing-listening while in specific competencies design, teaching followed by practice and drill, programmed instruction, role playing, simulation and games are considered useful strategies. In human traits design, group investigation, independent learning and role playing are considered as productive instructional strategies (Saylor, Alexander and Lewis,   1981).
The teacher is a mediator between instruction and learner in subject matter design. In  specific competencies designs, the teacher is the facilitator providing efficient means of communication and learning while the teacher is role model in human traits design having human traits such as open mindedness,  critical thinking. The learner is active and self-willed by nature in subject matter design, in specific competencies design, the learner is a trainee because competencies are learnt in guided training and the learner is discoverer in human traits design.  
The topics such as kinematics, dynamics, energy, electricity and matter in selected content by Sindh Textbook Board Pakistan for physic curriculum at secondary school level need to be learned in terms of knowledge. The learners need to know the definitions and explanations of terms to understand concepts. For example, rest and motion, gravity, force, statics, electric field, Brownian motion, and pressure are the concepts which provide knowledge about the discipline of physics. Therefore, subject matter discipline design is appropriate for learning the mentioned topics.
Specific competencies design is appropriate for learning such concepts which dominantly develop competencies among the students by working on learning tasks. The selected content in physics curriculum contains such topics which dominantly enable learners learn competencies. For example, measurement of length, mass, time and liquids by using instruments develop competencies of the learners. Simple machines also need students’ competencies of handling them. In the unit of light, ray diagrams are used to find the nature and position of images by spherical mirrors and lenses. Also electronics and electromagnets and their application in electric bells, telephone, and mobiles involve students’ competencies or performance.
Human traits design is appropriate for learning such topics which develop traits among the students. Some topics in selected content for physics curriculum at secondary level are suitable to develop human traits in students. For example, heat, waves and sounds and nuclear physics are such topics which can be used to develop human traits among the students by assigning group tasks and projects. In the unit of heat, the students may be assigned group work in laboratory to discover the ways of transfer of heat where the students will think, feel, perform activities and analyze the ways. The students may be assigned individual tasks to find the relationships between waves and sound, where they consult literature, search internet which will develop their critical thinking skills. In the unit of nuclear physic, the students may be given with a project to cooperatively conduct an inquiry regarding phenomena of nuclear physics which will develop traits “effective working with others” and “problem solving” among the students.
Reference

Saylor, J. G., Alexender,W. M., & Lewis, A. J. (1981). Curriculum planning for better                   teaching and learning (4th ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.