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
Assessment
of the geography curriculum should
facilitate teachers in evaluating the suitability of the geography programme.
Assessment techniques will focus on knowledge objectives, understanding of
geographical concepts, competence in
the application of experimental and investigative skills and the cultivation of
important attitudes. The following assessment methods
will be used to obtain a broad and balanced picture of the child’s progress in
geography:
- 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
Children
are more likely to gain from a curriculum when there is consistency in the
approach taken by all teachers in the school.
- 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
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
Fourth Class
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
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
Fifth Class
Sixth Class
- 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
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
Sixth Class
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
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
Examine
a number of ways in which local and other environments could be improved or
enhanced
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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