Current published Senior Cycle English textbook author with a grá for flaticons. 14 + years experience in creating T&L units for Senior Cycle English & new Junior Cycle English.
My units and worksheets are learner-centred and highly visual. Critical thinking skills and 'responsibility for own learning' are central key skills embedded throughout my resources.
Current published Senior Cycle English textbook author with a grá for flaticons. 14 + years experience in creating T&L units for Senior Cycle English & new Junior Cycle English.
My units and worksheets are learner-centred and highly visual. Critical thinking skills and 'responsibility for own learning' are central key skills embedded throughout my resources.
This learning unit takes students through six Seamus Heaney poems which are commonly contained in the Leaving Cert syllabus. The PowerPoint unit contains visuals, self-directed learning notes tasks ‘style & content’ grid notes tasks, study notes and an exam style essay title. The unit has been designed to promote critical thinking skills as well as independent learners via self-directed learning tasks. This unit was created during Covid and also suits a blended learning approach for remote teaching due to the independent learning tasks incorporated.
Content:** 59 Detailed PPT. slides**
Seamus Heaney bio
Study notes on each of the poems
Two O. level poems included
Links to YouTube videos for N.I. Troubles context
Style and content notes grid task
Exam style essay question title
Junior Cycle studied text ‘Girl Missing’ novel by Sophie McKenzie.
This unit of learning is suitable for first and/or second year English classes age 11-14 years old. 91 Slides with printable worksheets.
The comprehensive powerpoint follows the novel chapter by chapter and contains the following Teaching and Learning:
The shape of stories (plot)
P.Q.E. comprehension style questions
Diary writing x 2
Letter writing x 1
Wellbeing: Expanding feelings and emotions vocabulary
Composing an X tweet and text messages (Characterisation)
‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Studied poem & annotation task with bonus pdf worksheet of Walter de la Mare’s ‘Snow’ included for poetry studies x 2 winter poems.
Script Writing task
Think Pair Share: Oral language activities
Wellbeing: The 5 Love Languages
Book Report activity
Feature Film Studies: Complete T&L unit on ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ (2016) by director Taika Waititi for Junior Cycle English Students
This T&L pack include a 13 page work pack and supportive PowerPoint to support differentiation (adaptive teaching):
A two-page T&L visual explainer on film angles/camera shots with colour stills as examples
A one-page overview of the film director’s work, setting, plot and coming of age genre
Key Moments Film Analysis on 6 Key Moments with higher and lower order questions to support students creating their own film studies notes and personal responses as we move though the movie:
• Analyse the Opening Sequence - Mise-en-scène music, shots, costuming etc.
• Ricky’s birthday - music, shots, costuming etc.
• Ricky and Hec reunite in the Wilderness – Characterisation & Relationships
• Events in the Cabin
• The Wild Boar Incident & Bella’s Ashes
• The Ending - Mise-en-scène, music, shots, costuming etc.
Writing skills activities: diary entry & newspaper article writing task.
2024 Junior Cycle Film Studies Exam question included with lined writing box and a QR link to a sample answer online.
This free powerpoint unit is an introduction to first year film studies
The first short is Pixar animator Carlos Baena’s ‘La Noria’. The theme of the short is growing up and grief with a focus on teaching film angles.
The second short is the award winning ‘Rue’ by young director Sean Treacy. This film focuses on relationships and the theme of growing up is again prevalent. Learners will refocus on film angles for a second time and examine the plot.
This TY English unit will take 4 - 5 classes to complete end of November to December pending TY activities.
It begins with an Christmas themed unseen poem ‘Trio’ by Edwin Morgan and unseen poetry questions with rough work prompts and a link to an online Scottish audio performance of the poem with BBC link to online T&L resources. There are lined spaces for learners to enter their answers similar to the junior cycle English format.
The next class(es) features two creative writing micro activities with the prompts:
Write a short creative piece of writing in which you outline and describe your ultimate Christmas holiday.
Write a personal piece of writing in which you outline and describe your favourite Christmas memory of all time. This resource has doodle ‘colour me in’ features and an aesthetic space for TY learners to write their micro essays (1 A4 page) x 2 options.
The following class, gives learners the space to plan their own creative poem with a scaffolded rough work planning space and an aesthetic space to write their poetry drafts.
TY’s could submit the unseen poetry as a timed assessment or the creative writing options or their self written poem as their assessment to submit for their Christmas reports.
Eavan Boland poetry unit for Senior Cycle English.
This unit is topical for Leaving Cert 2021 and was created during Covid-19 to promote blended learning. PowerPoint features YouTube clips links, study audio clips and topical photo journalism embedded visually to provoke learner’s critical thinking skills and a personal response approach to LC style essays. The unit can easily be adapted to suit ordinary level.
31 slides feature:
Boland’s Biography and back ground context
In-depth study notes for ‘Child of our Time’ - style and content
Notes tasks per poem: Bullet journal notes or Cornell Notes options
Comprehension & personal response question tasks and sentence starters
Content covered:
Introduction to Eavan Boland - Biography
‘Child of Our Time’ - Background context, study notes, student centred written activities and personal response questions.
This PowerPoint unit takes learners though ‘E.T. the Extra Terrestrial’ as a studied visual text for Junior Cycle English.
The unit includes** 75 individual slides** which cover the film in detail with a number of writing activities and two CBA tasks.
Included:
Learning outcomes
Vocabulary tasks
Visual literacy task based on the film trailer
Oral language skills: Discussion topic on alien life
Film angles and shots - study of the opening sequence
Film sequence retrieval comprehension questions
CBA formal letter task - Letter to NASA from Michael Taylor
Creative writing task - chat show host interview - drama script writing skills
Film review task
CBA task reimagine the end sequence write a descriptive short story
Eavan Boland poetry unit for Senior Cycle English.
This unit is topical for Leaving Cert 2021 and was created during Covid-19 to promote blended learning. PowerPoint features YouTube clips links, study audio clips and topical photo journalism embedded visually to provoke learner’s critical thinking skills and a personal response approach to LC style essays. The unit can easily be adapted to suit ordinary level.
18 slides feature:
In-depth study notes for ‘War Horse’ - style and content
Notes tasks per poem: Bullet journal notes or Cornell Notes options
Comprehension & personal response question tasks and sentence starters
Content covered:
‘War Horse’ - Background context, study notes, student centred written activities and personal response questions.
Eavan Boland poetry personal response task for Senior Cycle English.
This essay task is topical for Leaving Cert 2021 and is suitable as a writing task post study of Boland’s poetry.
The question title posed is ‘The Appeal of Eavan Boland’s Poetry’ . Students are provided with starter prompts to elicit a personal response. The learning outcome is to write a Senior Cycle style essay essay using the featured title.
This aesthetic 23 page unit uses Charles Dickens gothic short story ‘The Signal-Man’ with text printed in full with a glossary of certain word choice in every day English.
Links to a free online dramatic narration of the story included.
The printable workbook is also clear and simple for white board projection or digital devices.
It features active reading tasks e.q. a quote quest, critical thinking question regarding the setting and mood as well as scaffolding and a word bank for a 20 mark extended writing question: ‘How does the setting seem unsettling for the reader’?
Suitable for senior cycle students e.g. TY English and/or Leaving O level and LCA
Comparative Study Cultural Context grid notes worksheet with notes for Senior Cycle English.
This editable Microsoft Word docx file features 17 typed pages of Cultural Context notes comparing and contrasting the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ with visual text ‘Brooklyn’.
The document is typed in a stylish and clearly visual grid format. The detailed worksheet features a third adaptable blank grid to input your own third text notes or leave blank to elicit student personal response.
Topics include background context for writing the introduction of a cultural context essay with subtopics including: social setting; gender roles; sex, love & marriage; social class; community values; family values; spiritual values & religion; wealth and materialism.
Studied Drama unit for TY English.
This unit is builds on the foundation of studied drama key skills from Junior Cycle. This unit has been created during Covid-19 to promote blended learning. This printable PDF. features YouTube clips links, audio clips, QR codes embedded visually to provoke learner’s critical thinking skills and a personal response approach.
12 Page PDF features:
Background context to ‘Blood Brothers’.
Critical thinking tasks and personal response tasks blended with Wellbeing strands.
Comprehension activity on Act 1 and Act 2.
CBA style assessment task: Write a formal letter to Jeffrey Sellers director of ‘Hamilton’ with scaffolding sample.
Oral discussion topics for class discussion or remote breakout rooms.
Mindful colouring patterns in the shape of T.Y. to stimulate creativity.
Group work/Individual task: Create a drama script with the Young Offenders as a stimulus.
Comparative Studies full unit which takes learners step-by-step though ‘The Great Gatsby’ novel version. 111 highly visual slides in total.
Topics:
Introduction to F. Scott Fitzgerald
Social historical context of The Roaring Twenties
Setting - old v new money, geographical location etc.
Chapter by chapter notes and student written tasks e.g. key moments & grid notes tasks, questions to provoke critical thinking skills and personal response, Gv&V topics
Mode 1: General Vision & Viewpoint
Slides easily adapted to suit Cultural Context e.g. role of women, wealth [The American Dream] - Theme & Issue & social class slides featured.
This unseen poetry unit explores ‘Trio’ by Scottish poet Edwin Morgan and LC poet (2022-2026) Patrick Kavanagh’s ‘A Christmas Childhood’.
This unit will take a roughly week to cover in December. Both poems are Christmas seasonal themed with stylish aesthetic versions of the poem text printed and features unseen poetry style questions and research tasks.
Full learning unit for the studied fiction text ‘Into the Grey’. Suitable for 1st - 2nd years. This unit comprises of 15 PowerPoint units which covers the whole text.
Includes:
Chapter by chapter summaries
5 language styles short written tasks throughout
Cinquain poem activity
Diary task
Oral language discussion activities
Theme of relationships
Wellbeing strands
Exam style questions included
Cross curricular with History (WWI terms and background context included)
This learning unit contains takes students through six Robert Frost poems which are commonly contained in the Leaving Cert syllabus.
The Power Point unit contains visuals, personal response style questions, study notes as well as an Q. B and a Frost exam style essay title.
The unit has been designed to promote critical thinking skills as well as independent learners via self-directed learning tasks.
This unit was created during Covid and also suits a blended learning approach for remote teaching due to the independent learning tasks incorporated.
Content: 99 Detailed PPT. slides
Robert Frost bio
Detailed study notes on each of the 6 poems
**Two O. level poems included **
Personal response questions
Style and content notes grid task
Q.B write an article
Exam style essay question title
Powerpoint unit which engages learners via personal response questions per film sequence. Learners can use their personal responses to collate key moments and form their notes for the comparative studies. The questions are set for the modes: Relationships and also Theme (freedom). 62 slides in total.
Visual PPT. unit on ‘Brooklyn’ for the Comparative Studies Section.
Modes: Cultural Context and Theme & Issue: Relationships covered.
28 slides in total
11 separate chapter by chapter detailed visual power points to cover the entire topic.
I use a textbook but also refer back and forth to my slides to break up lesson content. These 100+ slides show extra primary source photos, graphics, news articles, satirical cartoons and url links to video resources, music play lists and films. These slides visually compliment the version of the Gill book for Senior Cycle History.
Full visual unit for the topic ‘Ireland and the Pursuit of Sovereignty & Partition’.
Slides run from 1912 to 1923 which is marks the end of the Civil War.
These 199 slides have short bullet points, primary source photos, The Revolution Papers images, embedded links to footage and video clips. Essay trends are also tracked and RSR tips included.
I use these slides alongside a textbook to break up lessons and chunk down content. The slides visually compliment the Gill History book for Senior Cycle History.