Principles and characteristics of the approach to the teaching of the geography curriculum in St Colmcille’s BNS, Swords

The purpose and nature of geography in the school

Geography involves the simultaneous acquisition of knowledge about the natural and human elements of the local and wider environments, the development of geographical skills and concepts and the fostering of important attitudes.

Exploration of the school and the locality

One of the most important aspects of the geography curriculum and the wider SESE programme is the emphasis placed on the exploration of the local environment of the child and the school.  Exploration of the school will involve teachers becoming familiar with:

• The range of habitats in the area
• The features of the natural environment
• The materials from which the school is built
• The direction in which the school is facing.

A key resource in this process is the map of the school’s environs which is available in digital format on the school website. This map complements the local history trails which are also on the website, www.colmcilles.net

Balance between theme teaching and a subject-centred approach

Thematic approach is more suited to the work of the infant and junior classes. As children grow older, a combination of methodologies will be utilised - theme-based, cross-curricular integration and subject-centred focus.

A broad and balanced geography curriculum

• The geography programme for each class will include a broad range of local studies at all levels. There are two major concerns to be addressed – a) local studies answers the child’s need to understand the world which he encounters ; b) the study of the features and processes of natural and human environments should begin in the locality at all levels
• The child’s awareness of environments in the county, in Ireland, in Europe and in the wider world gradually extends. The recognition of similarities and differences between environments can enrich the child’s understanding
• Ensure that the child acquires a balanced and accurate understanding of the lives of people in their own and other  environments
• Provide adequate opportunities  for  the development and application of investigative skills
• Identify how the reading, use of and construction of maps may be developed through units of work on natural, human and environmental themes.
• Provide for the systematic development of graphical skills
• Provide for continuity and progression
• Foster the child’s sense of local, national and European identity

Assessment Policy

• Teacher observations
• Concept mapping
• Teacher-designed tasks
• Work samples and portfolios

• Scrap books for each pupil to include maps, print outs of online assessments, written tests

• Timed tests on completion of geographical texts (e.g. jigsaws)

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Organisational Planning: Roles and Responsibilities

Board of Management

It is the responsibility of the Board of Management to support and facilitate the school approach to the teaching of geography, and to approve this approach within the context of the overall school plan.

Parents

The emphasis that the geography curriculum places on the exploration of the environment will mean that the children’s families may help to enrich and support the programme in many ways. Parents and local people may contribute to geographical activities in the following ways:

• Participating in school review and planning of the programme
• Sharing knowledge and expertise
• Discussing the learning that takes places in the school
• Reviewing resources for specific aspects of the programme
• Helping to organise visits to places of  interest such as farms, factories, museums and heritage centres

Principal

• Oversees the development of the school plan
• Consults with the Board of Management and parents with regard to the provision of resources
• Ensures that sufficient time is made available for the teaching of geography
• Identifies a teacher with particular expertise and interest in geography to lead staff discussion and to draw up a policy document on the place, purpose and content of geography

Special Duties Teacher

• Encourages teachers to participate in the formulation of the geography plan
• Devises a written plan in consultation with the school staff
• Organises the necessary resources to implement the plan
• Presents draft documents to the staff at meetings
• Supports colleagues as they prepare schemes of work and implement the plan
• Informs new members of the teaching staff about the school plan
• Provides information for parents with regard to the implementation of the school plan in geography

Other teachers

• Devise balanced programmes in line with the school plan which cater for the needs of each child
• Provide information for parents about the class programme in geography

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Aims

The aims of geography are

• To develop knowledge and understanding of local, regional and wider environments and their interrelationships

• To encourage an understanding and appreciation of the variety of natural and human conditions on the Earth

• To develop empathy with people from diverse environments and an understanding of human interdependence

• To develop the ability to use a range of communicative methods

• To encourage the development of a sense of place and spatial awareness

• To encourage the development of caring attitudes and responsible behaviour towards the environment

• To develop an understanding of appropriate geographical concepts

Broad objectives

• Study the impact  of environmental conditions on the lives of people in the locality and in other areas

• Engage  in active exploration of local and other environments

• Acquire the ability to use and understand appropriate investigative methods in the study of natural and human features and phenomena in local and other environments

• Develop a sense of place

• Develop a sense of space

• Develop a cognitive map of the local area and extend the process to wider geographical settings

• Acquire an ability to understand, develop and use a range of plans, maps and globes

• Develop an ability to acquire, analyse and communicate geographical knowledge using a wide variety of sources

• Develop sensitivity to the natural and human elements of the environment

• Learn of and come to value the diversity of peoples, cultures and societies in Ireland and throughout the world

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Infant Classes

Skills and concepts development

A sense of place

The child should be enabled to

• Become aware of and explore some of the distinctive features of the locality – myself, my family, my friends, members of the school  community, people who live in and work in the local community, home, area around home, classroom, school and play areas
• Develop some awareness of people and places in other areas

A sense of space

• Refer to and use simple locational terms – beside,  near, far away, next door, on my road, upstairs, downstairs
• Discuss and record in simple terms journeys to and from places in the immediate environment – home, play spaces, school and class room, shops, churches, supermarkets
• Refer to and use simple direction within home, class room and school

Maps, globes and graphical skills

Picturing places

• Refer to and use simple drawings  of areas
• Make model buildings with bricks and other play materials
• Become aware of globes as models of the Earth

Geographical investigation skills

Questioning

• Ask questions about natural and human features in the immediate environment

Observing

• Observe, compare and discuss natural and human features in the local environment

Predicting

• Guess and suggest what will happen next in a situation

Investigating and experimenting

• Carry out simple  investigations and collect data

Estimating and measuring

• Estimate and compare distances in an informal way

Analysing

• Sort and group objects to observable features

Recording and communicating

• Describe and discuss observations orally
• Represent findings pictorially

Human environments

Living in the local community

My family and community

• Explore and discuss membership of the family, school and local community
• Identify and discuss the roles of people who serve the local community

Homes

• Describe areas within the home
• Acquire some awareness of the different types of homes in the locality
• Make simple drawings of home, immediate surroundings, journeys to and from school

School

• Discuss the people in the school community
• Describe areas within the school
• Make simple drawings of school,, immediate surroundings and journeys to and from school

People at work

• Discuss the work of people in the home, school, local community
• Become aware of buildings and places where people work

People at play

• Become aware of and discuss play spaces at home, school, in the locality
• Suggest ways in which these places can be kept clean and safe
• Make simple drawings of these places

People and places in other areas

• Develop some awareness of people living in other areas
• Acquire some awareness of different types of homes in places outside the locality
• Become aware of some links between school / local community and people in other places

Natural environments

• Become aware of, explore and discuss some aspects of natural environment in the immediate locality of the school – hedgerow, school grounds
• Observe, discuss and investigate water in the local environment
• Observe, collect and investigate a variety of natural materials  in the local environment
• Record and communicate experiences and observations using oral language and pictures

Weather

• Observe and discuss a variety of weather conditions
• Record weather conditions using a weather chart or diary
• Become aware of some of the effects of different weather conditions
• Discuss the suitability of different kinds of clothes
• Record that some weather patterns are associated with seasonal change

Environmental awareness and care

Caring for my locality

• Observe, discuss and appreciate the attributes  of the local environment
• Appreciate that people share the environment with plant and animal life
• Develop a sense of responsibility for taking care of and enhancing the environment
• Identify, discuss and implement simple strategies for improving and caring for the environment

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First and Second Classes

Skills and concepts development

A sense of place

The child should be enabled to

• Become aware of and explore some of the distinctive features of the locality – myself, my family, my friends, members of the school  community, people who live in and work in the local community, home, area around home, classroom, school and play areas, homes and other buildings, natural features such as Swords Estuary
• Develop some awareness of people and places in other areas

A sense of space

• Discuss and record the relative location of familiar human and natural features in the locality – in simple language near, in front of, at the corner
• Discuss and record in simple terms journeys to and from places in the immediate environment – home, play spaces, school and class room, shops, churches, supermarkets, Estuary, Swords Pavilion
• Give and follow directions to places in the immediate environment – places in the school building (IT Room, Principal’s Office, General Office, Reading Room and playground)

Maps, globes and graphical skills

Using pictures, maps and globes

• Record areas in the immediate environment and places in stories using simple picture maps and models – my room, my home, the housing estate, my way to school and to the shops
• Explore the outlines of small everyday items – pencil case or box, model buildings from toy farm or train set
• Develop awareness of maps (Maps of Swords are available from Archives, aerial photograph of Swords also available)
• Explore directions in the classroom using simple signpost maps
• Identify land and sea on maps and globes
• Use maps of Ireland and the globe to develop an awareness of other places

Geographical investigation skills

Questioning

• Ask questions about natural and human features in the immediate environment

What animals and plants live here? Examine pictures of Swords over the past 100 years

Observing

• Observe, compare and discuss natural and human features in the local environment

Predicting

• Suggest outcomes of an investigation based on observation

Investigating and experimenting

• Carry out simple  investigations and collect information from a variety of sources

Direct observations in the environment; classroom investigations; books, information and ICT

Estimating and measuring

• Begin to use simple methods to estimate, measure and compare observations – use non-standard units of length to measure distances, use balance to compare weights of samples collected

Analysing

• Sort and group people, features, events and natural phenomena – people who work in shops, offices, factories, living things on the seashore, on the farm
• Begin to look for and recognise patterns and relationships in the environment – connection between dark clouds and rainfall; links between homes of people and climate
• Draw conclusions from simple investigations

Recording and communicating

• Describe and discuss observations orally
• Represent findings pictorially or using other media – friezes, pictograms, ICT

Human environments

Living in the local community

My family and community

• Explore and discuss membership of the family, school and local community
• Become aware of and learn to value the diversity of people who live in the local community
• Begin to recognise the interdependence of individuals and groups in the local community
• Develop an awareness of people loving in other areas and of the links between them and the local community

Homes

• Recognise that people live in a variety of homes
• Describe own homes, location and surroundings
• Record some of these features using simple drawings, plans, displays, models and sketches
• Investigate materials used to construct homes and  identify materials of local origin (teachers’ residences on North Street and Seatown Road are of Feltrim Stone)
• Discuss and record simple journeys to and from homes
• Develop an appreciation and an awareness of different types of homes in the locality
• Develop an awareness of homelessness
• Describe areas within the home

People at work

• Investigate the work of people in a range of locations within the locality – home, schools, factories, farms, garda station, hospital, health centre, hotels, airport
• Investigate the work of people involved in transport and communications
• Discuss and record the buildings and places where people work in the locality – Dublin Airport, Swords Pavilion, Fingal County Council Offices, Supermarkets, Bayer, Swords Laboratories, Evode
• Discus and record journeys to work-places
• Become aware of the work of people in other areas who supply food and other products to us

People at play

• Appreciate the roles of people who help at play
• Describe the location and features of play spaces
• Discuss and record journeys to and from play spaces

People and places in other areas

• Become familiar with some aspects of the lives of people in Ireland, Europe and other areas
• Appreciate ways in which people in different areas depend on one another and on people loving in other parts of the world

Natural environments

• Identify, explore and discuss aspects of some major natural features in the local environment – Swords Estuary – names, location, appearance, flora and fauna; Hills: Spital Hill, Pipe Hill, Gallows Hill, Pennock Hill; Lambay, Irish Sea
• Observe, discuss and investigate water in the local environment
• Observe, collect and investigate a variety of natural materials  in the local environment
• Record and communicate experiences and observations using oral language and pictures

Weather

• Observe and record varying weather conditions using appropriate vocabulary and simple equipment
• Begin to associate cloud cover and other conditions with different types of weather
• Begin to make and test simple weather predictions
• Identify ways in weather influences the lives of people
• Contrast weather in the locality with that in other areas

Planet Earth in space

• Recognise that sun is a source of heat and light
• Identify the sun, moon, stars, day and night
• Develop familiarity with the spherical nature of the Earth

Environmental awareness and care

Caring for my locality

• Identify, discuss and appreciate the natural and human features of the local environment – environmental impact of M50  crossing Swords Estuary
• Observe and develop an awareness of loving things in a range of habitats in local and wider environments
• Observe similarities and differences among plants and animals in different local habitats
• Develop an awareness that air, water, soil, living and non-living things are essential to the environment
• Realise that people, animals and plants depend on each other
• Realise that there is an individual and community responsibility for taking care of the environment
• Identify, discuss and implement simple strategies for improving and caring for the environment – caring for toys and other possessions, keeping classroom and school  tidy and safe
• Identify and help to implement simple strategies for protecting, conserving and enhancing the local environment – plant some flowers, develop a school garden, anti-litter campaign
• Become aware of ways in which the environment can be harmed or polluted

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Third and Fourth Classes

Skills and concepts development

A sense of place

The child should be enabled to

• Explore and become familiar with some of the distinctive features of the locality – peoples and communities who live in and work in the area, major natural features such as Swords Estuary; homes, other buildings (see local history notes), open spaces, transport (Dublin Airport, DART, Dublin Bus) 
• Develop some awareness of the distinctive human and natural features of some places in Ireland and other parts of the world

A sense of space

• Develop an understanding of the relative location and size of major natural and human features – the major features of Swords, Fingal, County Dublin, the major cities in Ireland, the main mountains, rivers, bays and islands

Third Class

• North County Dublin

Fourth Class

• South County Dublin

• Develop some awareness of the names and relative locations of some European cities

• Establish and use cardinal compass points in the locality

• Use maps to record routes and directions in the locality (see environmental studies notes)

Maps, globes and graphical skills

Using pictures, maps and globes

• Develop some familiarity with, and engage in practical use of maps and photographs of different scales and purposes – plans of a room or building, maps from models and toy houses, maps and aerial photographs of Swords; maps of Ireland, Europe and the world; maps from CD Rom and other sources
• Develop an understanding of and use some common map features and conventions- a sense of aerial perspective, symbols, key, index and grid style reference, align a map of a limited area
• Make simple maps of home, classroom, school and immediate environment
• Identify major geographical features and find places on the globe

Geographical investigation skills

Questioning

• Ask questions about natural and human features in the environment and their interrelationships – What makes this place different from other places ? How does the farmer use this land

Observing

• Observe, discuss and describe natural and human features and processes in the environment and their interrelationships – shapes and sizes of natural features, colours and textures of buildings and streetscapes

Predicting

• Offer suggestions based on observations about the likely results of an investigation

Investigating and experimenting

• Carry out simple investigations and collect information from a variety of sources – observations and experiments in the classroom and environment – photographs, books, maps, electronic media

Estimating and measuring

• Use appropriate instruments and equipment to collect data – improved rain gauge, trundle wheel, compass
• Use appropriate standard units of measurement

Analysing

• Sort, group and classify data on people, features, events and natural phenomena using a range of appropriate criteria – types of plant in an environment, types of shops or buildings in Swords
• Look for and recognise patterns and relationships in the environment – seasonal patterns in weather observation, water and land masses on maps, best places for growing plants in a garden
• Interpret information and offer explanations
• Draw conclusions from aspects of evidence collected

Recording and communicating

• Record and present findings and conclusions using a variety of methods including oral, written, pictorial, photographic, diagrammatic and graphical forms and using ICT.

Human environments

People living and working in the local area and people living in a contrasting part of Ireland

People and communities

• Learn about the people who live and work in Swords and in a contrasting part of Ireland (the area to be contrasted is the choice of individual teachers) – members of the school and local community, how people help each other, the various people and groups in the community (see environmental studies notes), links with people in other parts of Ireland

Third Class

• Meath

Fourth Class

• Galway

Natural environmental features and people

• Become aware of the natural features of Swords and in a contrasting part of Ireland and their relationship to the lives of the people – prominent features – hills, estuary, rivers (Ward, Broadmeadow), flora and fauna; place names and their origins in natural features (cf. Local History notes)

Settlement: homes and other buildings

• Explore and investigate the major features of the built environment and in a contrasting part of Ireland – homes and locations, the variety of homes in the area; other buildings (See Local History notes), instances of conservation (Teachers’ Residences on North Street and Seatown Road); materials used to construct buildings; colours, patterns and textures in buildings, streetscapes, path, street and road surfaces; services to home and another buildings (water supply, sewerage, heating system, electricity, cable television, telephone service; simple plans, maps and models of streets and buildings

People at work

• Explore and investigate a small number of common economic activities in the locality and in a contrasting part of Ireland (one economic activity might be taken in 3rd Class and one in 4th Class) – food and farming; industry, services, tourism; examine general themes such as importance of employment created effect on the environment, interdependence of people in Swords, Ireland and other countries

People and other lands

Study some aspects of the environments and lives of people in one location in Europe and one location in another part of the world under the following headings: location, peoples and communities, myths and stories, play and pastimes, features of natural environment, settlements – homes and other buildings, food and farming, work and work places, similarities and contrasts to Ireland

Third Class

• Spain and Peru

Fourth Class

• Norway and Tanzania

• Develop an awareness of the interdependence of these people and the people of Ireland

• Begin to develop a sense of belonging to local, county, national, European and global communities

The local environment

• Investigate and become familiar with some natural features in the local environment such as Swords Estuary, Ward, Broadmeadow, Spital Hill, Gallows Hill, Pipe Hill, Pennock Hill, Feltrim Hill
• Estimate distances and establish cardinal directions during the exploration of these features
• Observe and explore ways in which these features may have affected the lives of plants, animals and humans
• Investigate the ways in which these features have been used by humans and the changes which have occurred as a result

Land and rivers of Dublin

• Become familiar with the names and locations of some major natural features in the county – mountains, lowlands, rivers, lakes, bays, estuaries, headlands and islands
• Develop some familiarity with the relationship of these features with each other and with elements of the built environment such as roads, bridges, towns and the City of Dublin – sources of rivers, main roads, railways and bridges over rivers, towns built near bays or rivers

Rocks and soils

• Observe, collect and examine different soil samples in the immediate environment
• Sort and group constituent materials in samples – rocks, pebbles, sand and plant material
• Compare and contrast materials focusing  on certain criteria – colour, weight, texture, use, strength, hardness, size
• Begin to explore the influence of soils and rocks on plant and animal life – physical conditions, soil water and food supply influencing range of plants and animals

Weather, climate and atmosphere

Weather observation

• Use simple equipment to observe and record weather phenomena
• Record and display simple weather observations in systematic way using graphs, charts and common meteorological symbols
• Use analysis of weather recordings to begin to associate simple descriptions of clouds, amount of cloud cover, wind direction and other conditions with particular types of weather; make and test weather predictions
• Compare temperatures indoors and outdoors in shade and sunlight, on different sides of the same building, and explore reasons for differences

Weather and climate

• Study weather variations during the year and their influences on plants, animals and humans
• Begin to appreciate the importance of solar energy for the Earth
• Develop some awareness of weather and climate patterns and their relationship with plant, animal and human life in some environments in other parts of the world
• Collect and record weather lore from the locality

Planet Earth in space

• Observe, describe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons
• Investigate shadows, directions and sunlight
• Understand the importance of sunlight for plants and animals
• Begin to understand the influence of the sun on weather and atmospheric conditions
• Become aware of the dangers of sunlight for skin and eyesight

Environmental awareness

• Identify, discuss and record aspects of the local and natural environment which are considered attractive or unattractive – Fingal County Council Offices, Swords Estuary, the Ward (at the back of the Castle Shopping Centre)
• Identify the interrelationship of living and non-living elements of local and other environments – plants, animals, water, air and soil in habitats
• Develop awareness of the types of environment which exist in Ireland and other parts of the world – mountains, boglands, seas, desert, forest, grassland, ice landscape, tundra
• Become aware of the Earth’s renewable and non-renewable resources
• Recognise how the actions of people may have an impact on environments – planting or felling trees, removing hedgerows, draining marshes, new buildings, roads (M50 across the Estuary), dumps, bridges
• Recognise and investigate human activities which may have positive or adverse effects on local or wider environments – activities which produce biodegradable, and non-biodegradable waste; activities which affect the quality of air or water; activities which affect flora and fauna; role of recycling

Caring for the environment

• Examine a number of ways in which local and other environments could be improved
• Identify and discuss a local, national or global environmental issue (one per year) from the following list: litter in Swords, need for new roads or buildings, pollution of Swords Estuary; need for cycle way near school; need to conserve / protect Swords Estuary
• Realise that there is a personal and community responsibility for taking care of and conserving environments

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Fifth and Sixth  Classes

A sense of place

• Explore and become familiar with the distinctive natural and human features of the locality, the county and Ireland – people and communities living in the area, homes, other buildings; economic and leisure activities, townland, parish and county bondaries, a major regions in each year (Burren / Golden Vale), transport
• Become familiar with the distinctive natural and human features of some places in Europe and other parts of the world

A sense of space

• Acquire an understanding of the relative location and size of major natural and human features –provincial and other boundaries in Ireland

Fifth Class

• Dublin City / North of Liffey

Sixth Class

• Dublin City / South of Liffey

• Begin to develop an understanding of the names and relative locations of some natural and human features of Europe and the world – a small number of major natural features, some countries, capitals and major cities, continental boundaries
• Estimate and measure distances and establish cardinal directions during exploration of the locality
• Develop some awareness of the directions in wider environments
• Use and record directions and routes on maps

Maps, globes and graphical skills

Using pictures, maps and models

• Develop familiarity with and engage in practical use of maps and photographs – maps of Swords, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, Europe and the world; bus, train and other route maps, aerial photographs, maps on CD-ROMs and other electronic sources
• Develop an understanding of and use common map features and conventions – symbols, key, index, simple grid-style references, align a map of the locality, scale
• Use maps to record routes and directions
• Construct some simple maps and models of natural and human features in the local environment

Maps and globes

• Compare maps, globes, aerial photographs and satellite photographs
• Recognise key lines of latitude and longitude on the globe – Equator, the Tropics, Arctic, Antarctic, latitude and longitude of Ireland
• Develop some awareness of problems of map construction – perspective and bias, effect of map projections on relative size of countries

Geographical investigation skills

Questioning

• Ask questions about natural and human features in the environment and their interrelationships – What makes this place different from other places ? How does the farmer use this land? How have humans changed this place? Why should a factory be located in this place?

Observing

• Observe, discuss and describe natural and human features and processes in the environment and their interrelationships – shapes and sizes of natural features, colours and textures of buildings and streetscapes, building styles and materials, varying farm and settlement patterns in rural landscapes

Predicting

• Offer suggestions based on observations about the likely results of an investigation
• Make inferences based on suggestions and observations
• Propose ideas which might be tested by experimentation

Investigating and experimenting

• Carry out simple investigations and collect information from a variety of sources – observations and experiments in the classroom and environment – photographs, books, maps, electronic media, ICT

Estimating and measuring

• Use appropriate instruments and equipment to collect data – improved rain gauge, trundle wheel, compass, record sheet
• Use appropriate standard units of measurement – mm of rainfall, distances in m and km, wind speed using Beaufort scale

Analysing

• Sort, group and classify data on people, features, events and natural phenomena using a range of appropriate criteria – types of plant in an environment, types of shops or buildings in Swords, group buildings according to their use, group fields according to crops grown

• Look for and recognise patterns and relationships in the environment –daily patterns in traffic flow on a road, link between wind direction, temperature and rainfall

• Interpret information and offer explanations

• Draw conclusions from aspects of evidence collected

Recording and communicating

• Record and present findings and conclusions using a variety of methods including oral, written, pictorial, photographic, diagrammatic and graphical forms and using ICT.

Evaluation

• Review the methods used in investigations and assess their usefulness

Human environments

People living in the local area and people living and working in a contrasting part of Ireland

People and communities

• Learn about the people who live and work in Swords and in a contrasting part of Ireland (the area to be contrasted is the choice of individual teachers) – members of the school and local community, how people help each other, the various people and groups in the community (see environmental studies notes), links with people in other parts of Ireland,  interdependence of local people and people in other parts  of the world

Natural environmental features and people

• Become aware of the natural features of Swords and in a contrasting part of Ireland and their relationship to the lives of the people – prominent features – hills, estuary, rivers (Ward, Broadmeadow), flora and fauna; place names and their origins in natural features (cf. Local History notes), changes to natural environments and their causes (M50 and Estuary)

Settlement: homes and other buildings

• Explore and investigate the major features of the built environment and in a contrasting part of Ireland – origin of settlement, place names, street names, homes and locations, the variety of homes in the area; other buildings (See Local History notes), instances of conservation (Teachers’ Residences on North Street and Seatown Road); materials used to construct buildings; colours, patterns and textures in buildings, streetscapes, path, street and road surfaces; services to home and another buildings (water supply, sewerage, heating system, electricity, cable television, telephone service; simple plans, maps and models of streets and buildings, effect of weathering and pollutions on appearances of buildings (See local history notes – differences in buildings over a twenty year period)

People at work

• Explore and investigate a small number of common economic activities in the locality and in a contrasting part of Ireland (one economic activity might be taken in 5th Class and one in 6th Class) – investigate location, buildings and layout of a local farm, influence of soils and other factors on farming, work of farmer throughout the year, changes in agriculture; forestry; fishing; industry; services (Fingal County Council, Dublin Airport, An Post, Eastern Health Board, Library); Tourism

Fifth Class

• Tipperary

Sixth Class

• Donegal

Transport and communication

• Learn about the methods of transport in the locality

• Become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of transport

• Learn about available methods of communication

• Become familiar with the work of people in these activities

People and other lands

• Study some aspects of the environments and lives of people in one location in Europe (a different EU country in 5th and 6th Classes ) and one location in another part of the world under the following headings: location, peoples and communities, myths and stories, play and pastimes, features of natural environment, settlements – homes and other buildings, settled and nomadic lifestyles, major cities, shanty towns, transport and communications,  food and farming, work and work places, similarities and contrasts to Ireland, trade, historic and other links these peoples have to Ireland

Fifth Class

• Italy and Australia

Sixth Class

• Greece and USA
• Develop an awareness of the interdependence of these people and the people of Ireland
• Become aware of various ethnic, religious and linguistic groups of peoples in Ireland, Europe and the wider world
• Learn to value and respect diversity
• Develop a sense of belonging to local, county, national, European and global communities

County, regional and national centres

• Become aware of the location of the counties of Ireland, towns and cities, the origin and significance of their place names
• Identify some of the important buildings, features, facilities, parks and work spaces
• Become familiar with the names, locations and some well-known features of the capital cities of the EU

Trade and development issues

Trade (5th Class)

• Explore, through the study of some major world commodities, trade issues such as – commodities used by people  in Ireland (sugar, tea, coffee, bananas, oil); where and how produced, environment  in which produced, work of people, trading of products, manufacturing, sale and distribution in Ireland, terms of trade

Famine (6th Class)

• Become aware of the causes and effects of famine – environmental factors, natural disasters, social and economic factors, effects on families and communities, on land and environment, on population movements
• Examine the work  of relief agencies
• Discuss possible short and long term solutions
• Compare the experience of famine in Ireland with that of other countries

Natural environments

The local natural environment

• Investigate and learn about the main features of County Dublin – aspects such as names and origins, location, size, shape and appearance, features such as streams, rivers, lakes, hills, valleys, mountains, lowlands, beaches, headlands, cliffs, bays
• Observe and develop simple understanding of the links between these features- marsh or bog between drumlins; erosion of coastline and resulting beaches; run-off and drainage patterns in the locality
• Investigate the influence of these features on plants and on the lives of animals and people – range of flora and fauna, homes, economic activities, transport and communications
• Become aware of the ways in which people, plants or animals have exploited and / or altered these features – water collection and supply; power generation, mining, removal of peat, farming. Tourism

Lands, rivers and seas of Ireland

• Become familiar with the names and locations of some major natural features in Ireland – mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, bays, headlands, islands
• Become familiar with the relationship of these features with each other, with elements of the built environment and with significant natural features of Ireland – towns built near rivers, harbours in bays, links between local stream and major river
• Understand some of the interrelationships between these natural features and the lives of plants, animals and humans

Physical features  of Europe and the World

• Learn about a small number of the major natural features of Europe – Alps Rhine, Mediterranean Sea
• Become familiar with the names and approximate location of a small number of major world physical features – major mountain ranges, major rivers, deserts, continents and oceans

Rocks and soils

Rocks

• Collect and identify some common rocks in the locality
• Identify and explore the use of stone in building and other human activities
• Develop simple understanding of the structure of the Earth using terms such as crust, lava flow, earthquake
• Learn about the characteristics of some common rock types

Soils

• Collect and examine some soil samples
• Compare soil samples from different parts of the locality
• Learn about the relationship of plants and farming to soil types
• Be familiar with some ways of changing and /or improving soil structure

Weather, climate and atmosphere

Weather observations

• Use simple equipment to make detailed weather observations
• Record and display simple weather observations in systematic way using graphs, charts and common meteorological symbols
• Use analysis of weather recordings to begin to associate simple descriptions of clouds, amount of cloud cover, wind direction and other conditions with particular types of weather; make and test weather predictions
• Compare temperatures indoors and outdoors in shade and sunlight, on different sides of the same building, and explore reasons for differences
• Collect weather lore from the locality

Weather and climate

• Study weather variations during the year and their influences on plants, animals and humans
• Begin to appreciate the difference between climate and weather
• Begin to appreciate the importance of solar energy for the Earth
• Develop some awareness of weather and climate patterns and their relationship with plant, animal and human life in some environments in other parts of the world
• Explore the relationship between climatic factors and aspects of building construction
• Become aware of the characteristics of some major climatic regions in different parts of the world
• Explore the relationship of climate to plant, animal and human life
• Collect and record weather lore from the locality

The atmosphere

• Develop simple understanding of some atmospheric features – nature  of atmosphere, properties of air, global wind movements, the water cycle, atmospheric pollution, storms and weather disasters

Planet Earth in space

The Earth and the sun

• Observe, describe and record the positions of the sun when rising and setting and the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons
• Investigate shadows, directions and sunlight
• Observe the changing lengths of day and night during the seasons
• Understand the importance of sunlight as a source of energy for plants and animals
• Become aware of influence of the sun on weather and atmospheric conditions
• Become aware of the dangers of sunlight for skin and eyesight

The Earth, moon and solar system

• Recognise that the Earth, the moon, the sun, other planets and their satellites are separate bodies and are parts of the solar  system
• Develop a simple understanding of the interrelationship of these bodies, including day, night and seasonal movements
• Recognise a  few of the major constellations – the Great Bear and Pole Star, Orion

Environmental awareness

• Identify, discuss and record aspects of the local and natural environment which are considered attractive or unattractive – Fingal County Council Offices, Swords Estuary, the Ward (at the back of the Castle Shopping Centre)
• Explore some examples of the interrelationship of climate, natural features, flora, fauna and human life in different environments in Ireland and in some of the main climatic regions of the world – in the locality (ecosystem of tree, hedgerow, stream); in Ireland (boglands, mountains, Burren, rivers;  in other areas (rainforest, grasslands, tundra, desert)
• Recognise how the actions of people may have an impact on environments – planting or felling trees, removing hedgerows, draining marshes, new buildings, roads (M50 across the Estuary), dumps, bridges, deforestation,  activities which produce biodegradable, and non-biodegradable waste; activities which affect the quality of air or water; activities which affect flora and fauna; role of recycling
• Become aware f the importance of the Earth’s renewable and non-renewable resources
• Foster an appreciation of the ways in which people use the Earth’s resources  - mining, fishing, forestry, agriculture, using wind, water, fossil fuels or nuclear energy to generate power; using the environment for leisure activities; processing raw materials for manufacturing
• Come to appreciate the need to conserve the Earth’s resources

Caring for the environment

Identify and discuss a local, national or global environmental issue (one per year) from the following list: litter in Swords, need for new roads or buildings, pollution of Swords Estuary; need for cycle way near school; need to conserve / protect Swords Estuary, global warming, ozone depletion, changes in farming practices

Realise that there is a personal and community responsibility for taking care of and conserving environments

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