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
- 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
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 (England might be chosen in 3rd Class and
some other EU country in 4th ) 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
- 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 Earths 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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