English

The Framework for Junior Cycle 2015 recognises that teachers need professional time to engage in a range of professional collaborative activities, a proportion of which will involve collaboration with teaching colleagues, to support teaching, learning, assessment and reporting.

 Here, we provide some suggestions for things you might consider as part of the range of individual and collaborative professional activities you will engage in during this time.

The resources below have been designed to support teachers and English subject departments in planning their first year English programme. In this section you will also find supporting materials linking with the primary school curriculum.

Junior Cycle English places significant emphasis on the continuum of language development from primary school. The Specification for English explicitly refers to this in the rationale:

“The study of language enables students to build on their learning in primary school and further develop their skills and enjoyment in using it effectively. Through language learning and use, students discover information, develop thinking, and express ideas and feelings. They learn about language, and how to use it well in all areas of their studies.”

To read more about the links between the primary language curriculum and junior cycle English click here. As a way of easing the transition from primary to post-primary English we have produced a Student Profile template that can be used with a first year English class as they start secondary school. Watch the two videos below to hear a sixth class teacher outline the main areas of the sixth class English curriculum and also some of the strategies she uses for teaching writing and reading.