25 Ready-to-Use Activities | First Year to Sixth Year

Take the stress out of planning your first week back!

This bumper 42-page Back to English Activity Bundle contains 25 ready-to-use English activities, with age-appropriate resources for students from First Year all the way to Sixth Year.

Rather than filling the first week with generic icebreakers, these activities are designed to help students settle back into school, reconnect with English, reflect on their experiences and produce meaningful work, while still keeping those first lessons engaging and enjoyable.

The bundle progresses with students as they move through secondary school. Younger students are given accessible, creative opportunities to introduce themselves and build confidence, while older students move towards more sophisticated reflection, personal writing, review writing, storytelling and Senior Cycle preparation.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Across the bundle, students will complete activities including:

My English Story – a First Year introduction and reflection activity
Acrostic Name Poem
One Moment to Remember – descriptive writing through the five senses
My Backpack – a creative First Year getting-to-know-you activity
My First Year in Review
A Letter to Me in First Year
My Summer Story
My Bestie: The Main Character
Review It! – recommend a favourite summer book, film or TV series
Compare & Contrast – introducing comparative writing through students’ own experiences
Quality Control – proofreading, editing and rewriting
The Stories We Carry – exploring the power of family, local, school and personal stories
Transition Year English Team Challenge
All About Me: My Crocs
My Summer: Piece by Piece
My TY Scrapbook
Fifth Year English Overview
Letter to Future Me
World Cup 2026 Diary Entry
My Favourite Film Told Like a Children’s Story
I Knew It, I Knew You – personal writing inspired by memory, childhood and growing up
Festival/Concert Review
My Favourite Song Told Like a Dramatic Tale
Letter to First Year Me
What’s in My Attic? – a more mature Sixth Year personal-writing task exploring memory, identity and the things we carry

…and more throughout the individual year-group sections.