Irish Curriculum · 1st Class English

1st Class English Lesson Plan & Curriculum Map

A full-year 1st Class English lesson plan aligned to the Primary Language Curriculum in Ireland. Week-by-week lessons for 1, 2 or 3 days a week from September to August, covering following instructions and retelling, phonics, decoding and fluency, reading comprehension, simple sentences and recounts, narratives, labels and captions, capital letters, full stops, nouns and verbs, with summer consolidation and preparation for 2nd Class.

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1st Class English learning map

Choose a term, then compare a lighter weekly plan with a more intensive schedule.

1 day/week · steady pace2–3 days/week · guided practice
September · Oral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling

1st Class English — September Lesson Plan

Irish Curriculum · English Language Arts
Week1 Day/Week2 Day/Week3 Day/Week
September 1st week
(English)		Oral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 1: Following 2–3 Step InstructionsOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 1: Following 2–3 Step InstructionsOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 1: Following 2–3 Step Instructions 2: Retelling Simple Stories in Sequence
September 2nd week
(English)		Oral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 2: Retelling Simple Stories in SequenceOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 2: Retelling Simple Stories in Sequence 3: Using Basic Descriptive AdjectivesOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 3: Using Basic Descriptive Adjectives 4: Participating in Turn-Taking Conversations
September 3rd week
(English)		Oral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 3: Using Basic Descriptive AdjectivesOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 4: Participating in Turn-Taking ConversationsOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & Check
September 4th week
(English)		Oral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 4: Participating in Turn-Taking Conversations 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckOral Language: Following Instructions & Retelling Applied Practice Activity
October · Oral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds

1st Class English — October Lesson Plan

Irish Curriculum · English Language Arts
Week1 Day/Week2 Day/Week3 Day/Week
October 1st week
(English)		Oral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 1: Asking & Answering Simple Who/What/Where QuestionsOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 1: Asking & Answering Simple Who/What/Where QuestionsOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 1: Asking & Answering Simple Who/What/Where Questions 2: Phonics: Digraphs
October 2nd week
(English)		Oral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 2: Phonics: DigraphsOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 2: Phonics: Digraphs 3: Phonics: BlendsOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 3: Phonics: Blends 4: High-Frequency Word Recognition
October 3rd week
(English)		Oral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 3: Phonics: BlendsOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 4: High-Frequency Word RecognitionOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & Check
October 4th week
(English)		Oral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 4: High-Frequency Word Recognition 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckOral Language & Phonics: Questions & Sounds Applied Practice Activity
November · Reading: Decoding & Fluency

1st Class English — November Lesson Plan

Irish Curriculum · English Language Arts
Week1 Day/Week2 Day/Week3 Day/Week
November 1st week
(English)		Reading: Decoding & Fluency 1: Decoding Simple Sentences FluentlyReading: Decoding & Fluency 1: Decoding Simple Sentences FluentlyReading: Decoding & Fluency 1: Decoding Simple Sentences Fluently 2: Applying Phonics Knowledge in Context
November 2nd week
(English)		Reading: Decoding & Fluency 2: Applying Phonics Knowledge in ContextReading: Decoding & Fluency 2: Applying Phonics Knowledge in Context 3: Recognising High-Frequency Words in TextReading: Decoding & Fluency 3: Recognising High-Frequency Words in Text 4: Building Reading Fluency Through Practice
November 3rd week
(English)		Reading: Decoding & Fluency 3: Recognising High-Frequency Words in TextReading: Decoding & Fluency 4: Building Reading Fluency Through PracticeReading: Decoding & Fluency 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & Check
November 4th week
(English)		Reading: Decoding & Fluency 4: Building Reading Fluency Through Practice 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckReading: Decoding & Fluency 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckReading: Decoding & Fluency Applied Practice Activity
December · Reading: Comprehension

1st Class English — December Lesson Plan

Irish Curriculum · English Language Arts
Week1 Day/Week2 Day/Week3 Day/Week
December 1st week
(English)		Reading: Comprehension 1: Identifying Characters in a StoryReading: Comprehension 1: Identifying Characters in a StoryReading: Comprehension 1: Identifying Characters in a Story 2: Identifying Setting in a Story
December 2nd week
(English)		Reading: Comprehension 2: Identifying Setting in a StoryReading: Comprehension 2: Identifying Setting in a Story 3: Predicting Using PicturesReading: Comprehension 3: Predicting Using Pictures 4: Predicting Using Text Clues
December 3rd week
(English)		Reading: Comprehension 3: Predicting Using PicturesReading: Comprehension 4: Predicting Using Text CluesReading: Comprehension 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & Check
December 4th week
(English)		Reading: Comprehension 4: Predicting Using Text Clues 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckReading: Comprehension 5: Review & Consolidation 6: Practice Activities & CheckReading: Comprehension Applied Practice Activity
The learning framework

Anatomy of a focused lesson

Each session moves from a clear focus to guided practice and a quick check for understanding.

10 minutes

Focus and activate

Start with a story, rhyme or picture prompt linked to the week’s 1st Class topic.

25 minutes

Analyse and apply

Model the reading or writing skill together, then practise it with guided and independent tasks.

10 minutes

Check for understanding

Finish with a short check-in activity so the tutor knows exactly what to revisit next lesson.

Student learning toolkit

Resources for 1st Class English

Concept lessons

Clear explanations of each 1st Class reading, writing and language topic in the order it comes up in school.

Practice activities

Practice activities and quick checks matched to each week of the plan.

Review & consolidation

Regular review weeks that consolidate oral language, reading and writing.

Progress notes

Regular feedback for parents on reading, writing and next steps.

Free first lesson

Build a plan for 1st Class English

Tell us where your child is with 1st Class reading and writing, and we will shape the first lesson around their schoolwork and goals.

  • No credit card required
  • A one-to-one session with a certified English tutor
  • A recommended next-step study plan