10 “Do Now” worksheets for GCSE English Language (1-10)

This is a beautifully presented set of 10 “Do Now” activities for GCSE English.

Sometimes it’s difficult to activate learning, especially at the beginning of the first session of the week. A great way to kickstart a class, assess prior learning and to give the students instant feedback is a “Do Now” activity. Over and done in ten minutes or less, I often use them at the beginning of a class to signal to students that it is time to learn – and what better way is there than to get them actively thinking? These worksheets really get them into the “English Zone” as it were.

The stakes are low, but having used these with my own learners, I know that the engagement is high! Each worksheet has a number of very quick activities on it (between three and six) which can be done in around five minutes. For variation, each worksheet has a different “mix and match” of activities. This means the students will not know what is coming in their next “Do Now” and this will hopefully keep them on their toes and interested!

These activities comprise:
Spot’n’Spell – learners read a short passage and correct TWO spelling mistakes
One Word Drafting – learners are asked to improve a sentence with just one word (sometimes an adverb, sometimes any word)
Spot the adjectives – learners must underline the adjectives in a very short passage
Fill the gaps – learners read a paragraph of classic literature and fill in gaps
Suggestion Box – learners are asked to write what a word suggests in a sentence (can be about character, place and so on)
Unjumble – learners asked to separate the adjectives from the adverbs
The Great British Idiom – learners given an image that shows a famous idiom and are asked to put it into a sentence
What Am I? – learners given a definition of a structural or linguistic device and asked to write the answer
That is the Question – Learners given a description of an exam question and asked to give Paper, Question and Mark (eg Question 2, Paper 1, 8 marks)
Punctuate Me! – Learners gives four sentences and asked which one is punctuated correctly
Time to Shine – Learners asked about exam timing for certain questions
Language or Structure? – Learners asked to separate language and structural devices
True or False – Learners asked to say whether a statement is true or false
Word Star – learners asked to match up words with their definitions
I “like” it – learners asked to improve a sentence by adding a simile
Strong Links – learners asked to place an adverbial phrase into a short text to create a stronger link between sentences
Be Direct – leaners asked to reword a sentence, using direct address
List Four Things – learners given a short text and asked to list four things about one of its elements
Order! Order! – learners asked to put four sentences of an exam response into the correct order
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The worksheets are in colour but print off fine in black and white. They are designed to engage the students with individual designs and graphical “Easter Eggs”.