Welcome to the English Department!
Ms D. Doyle, Ms L. Galvin, Ms R. Jones, Ms S. Wright, Ms M. Hartnett, Mr J. Byrne
There are three strands in Junior Cycle English:
- Oral Language
- Reading
- Writing
The new specification ensures that over the three years of Junior Cycle English, students have a wide and varied experience of texts that stimulate, engage, inspire and challenge. In class, we study poetry, fiction, short-stories, film and drama, documentaries, music as well as many non-literary texts such as visual images, infographics, etc. Students will also be given the opportunity to partake in co-curricular events such as library visits, cinema trips, writing workshops and drama.
Students are given the opportunity to complete a wide variety of written and oral tasks and to reflect on their own work and make improvements. Work will be assessed through self and peer assessment as well as through written and oral feedback from the class teacher.
Currently, in Junior Cycle, there is team-teaching in all three year groups. Classes are interactive, fun and engaging – our aim is to choose relatable material that will open the eyes of our young people to the world around them and offer them new experiences with language.
Co-curricular activities include:
- World Book Day
- Visiting speakers/authors
- Visits to Kildare Town Library
- Essay Competitions
- Theatre Trips
- Cinema Trips
- Writing Workshops
- Drama
Key Information for assessment
|
2nd Year
(in term three)
|
Classroom Based Assessment
During a period of three weeks, with support and guidance
by teacher
|
Oral Presentation
Individual or group communication or presentation
|
Result will appear on Junior Cycle Portfolio of
Achievement
|
|
3rd Year (before Christmas)
|
Classroom Based Assessment 2
|
Collection of Students Texts
Texts produced over the three-year period, students draft and edit their work with support and guidance of teacher
|
Result will appear on Junior Cycle Portfolio of
Achievement
|
|
3rd Year (before Christmas)
|
Assessment Task
|
Written in class exam based on students’ collection of texts
|
10% of final Junior
Cycle Grade
|
|
3rd Year
|
State Exam in June
|
2 hour exam graded by
the State Examinations
Commission
|
90% of final Junior
Cycle Grade
|
Vocabulary Enrichment Programme:
We also teach the Vocabulary Enrichment Programme as part of the 1st Year English Course. This researched backed programme, developed by the National Behaviour Support Service and the University of Limerick, is a school based, whole class intervention that supports development of oral vocabulary skills in adolescents.
February 2025
Leaving Certificate English invites students into rich experiences with language so that they become fluent and thoughtful users of it and more aware of its significance in their lives. It develops a range of literacy and oral skills in a variety of areas, personal, social, and cultural. Students develop a wide range of skills and concepts. These will allow them to interpret and enjoy a range of material so that they become independent learners who can operate independently in the world beyond the school. Leaving Certificate English is assessed at two levels, Ordinary and Higher level.