Whole School Plan for SESE- Geography January 203 Phoenix Park Dublin 8 Phone: 0-8386699 Fax: 0-838537 E-Mail: ppss.ias@eircom.net
. Introduction Our Whole School Geography Plan was first drafted by the Principal and then redrafted in collaboration with the teaching team. This plan outlines our whole school approach to teaching Geography. The plan will form the basis for teacher s long and short-term planning. It will also inform other members of the school community of the approaches and methodologies used in our school. 2. Vision. We hope that this Whole School Plan will ensure that we cater for students of all abilities and that each student is encouraged and challenged to achieve their best, with due regard to individual needs. 3. Aims and Objectives: We endorse the aims of the Primary School Curriculum for Geography as follows: 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, especially those concerned with the development of graphicacy 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, and involvement in the identification, discussion, resolution and avoidance of environmental problems To develop an understanding of appropriate geographical concepts 4. Current Practice We currently have three class teachers with six children in each class. Individual class teachers teach Geography formally in the classroom. 5. Strands and Strand Units All teachers are familiar with the strands, strand units and content objectives in the Geography Curriculum and refer to them regularly when planning for their pupils ensuring all strands and strand units are covered. Curriculum objectives are at the core of each Geography lesson, and teachers refer to the curriculum objectives in their own planning. The curriculum is divided in to four levels infant classes, first and second classes, third and fourth classes, and fifth and sixth classes and is divided into three strands: Human Environments, Natural Environments and Environmental Awareness and Care Each of these strands is further subdivided into a number of strand units or topic areas that contain particular objectives.
Junior and Senior Infants Human Environment Natural Environment Environmental Awareness and Care Living in the local community The local Natural Environment Caring for my locality Weather First and Second Classes Living in the local community Third and Fourth Classes People and Places in Other areas People living and working in the local area Planet Earth in Space The local Natural Environment Weather Planet Earth in Space The local Natural Environment Caring for my locality Environmental Awareness Caring for the Environment People living and working in a contrasting part of Ireland Land, rivers and seas of my county Rocks and Soils People and Other lands Weather, Climate and atmosphere Fifth and Sixth Classes People living and working in the local area Planet Earth in Space The local Natural Environment Environmental Awareness Caring for the Environment People living and working in a contrasting part of Ireland People and Other lands County, regional and national centres Trade and Development issues Land, rivers and seas of Ireland Physical features of Europe and the World Rocks and soil Weather, Climate and atmosphere Planet Earth in Space 6. Skills and Concepts In order to ensure that there is a balance between skills development and acquisition of knowledge throughout the programme, geographical topics are introduced and discussed with increasing levels of detail in each class.
The strategies used by each class teacher to develop the child s skills and concept development come under three headings:. A Sense of Place and Space 2. Maps, Globes, and Geographical Skills 3. Geographical Investigation Skills. A Sense of Place and Space 2. Maps, Globes, and Graphical Skills Using pictures, maps and models Maps and Globes 3. Geographical Investigation Skills Questioning Observing Predicting Investigating and Experimenting Estimating and Measuring Analysing Recording and Communicating Evaluating 7. Approaches and Methodologies The following approaches and methodologies are used to teach the Geography curriculum: Active learning Problem solving Developing skills through content Talk and discussion Co-operative learning Use of the environment Teachers follow the recommended sequence for geography starting at local level, then moving on to regional, national, European, and global, before finally reflecting back on their own location. Place is central to geography. When children are engaged in the exploration of the locality they should be encouraged to Discover where places and features are located Study distribution patterns and look for order and reason in them Identify links and lines of communication Search for causes, relationships, and changes that occur
Photographs, internet, e-mail, exploratory trails and interviews help greatly to stimulate the pupil s interest. The children should have the opportunity to visit and explore the local environment. Geographical fieldwork is vital for a number of reasons. It stimulates children s interest in the environment It enables the child to come to know the locality in which he lives, and to develop a sense of what is distinctive about his place. Fieldwork encourages a questioning, critical approach to geography. Children are stimulated to ask questions, to recognise and investigate patterns, and so develop critical thinking skills. It provides real situations in which geographical skills are seen to be necessary and relevant Geographical fieldwork fosters the critical foundation on which a sense of care of the environment is based It involves group work which encourages the development of many of the social skills outlined in the SPHE programme It provides children with a basis from which they can begin to compare and contrast the features of other environments in Ireland and other parts of the world Geographical fieldwork can be used to integrate many elements of the primary curriculum, including history, science, language, and mathematics with geography Learning in the environment is exciting and rewarding for both teacher and pupils. Successful fieldwork can add greatly to a pupil s knowledge and appreciation of his local area and further afield. Planning Fieldwork Good preparation is very important and teachers should note the following guidelines Explore and get to know the environment thoroughly Identify and note potential hazards Carry out a risk assessment following the Health & Safety Policy Prepare the pupils Inform parents, obtain parental consent Organise what the teacher and pupils should bring Ensure adequate supervision Complete follow-up work Evaluate the learning experience The approaches and methodologies used to investigate human environments are: Observing and sketching features in the environment Interviewing people e.g., How people travel The disposal of waste
Conservation of heat Conducting an environmental appraisal Note pleasant and unpleasant aspects of our immediate environment Plotting Routes Local routes for younger classes, more distant routes for senior classes Traffic Survey Counting and analysing the types of vehicles travelling through an area Planning, carrying out, and evaluating experiments in the external environment and in the classroom Noise levels Air pollution Water cleanliness Useful techniques for exploring the natural environment: Recognising and examining features in photos Using simulations and models Observing and sketching features in the environment Conducting experiments and investigations Keeping a wildlife garden 8. Linkage, Integration and Multi-grade teaching Most class groupings in our school are mixed grade. Teachers must take this in to account when planning units of work. Theme based activities are used to support multi-grade teaching and integration. Themes and topics are chosen at the beginning of the school year by class teachers and recorded in the school plan. Integration across all curricular subjects is recommended and adopted by teachers. 9. Using the Environment Our school is situated in the grounds of the Phoenix Park. School staff carried out a Geography Audit (Appendix A) and collected information on our local environment for use in planning the Geography Curriculum. 0. Assessment and Record Keeping Assessment is a central part of the everyday learning and teaching process in Geography. It can provide valuable information on the child s progress and on the effectiveness and suitability of the programme and the teaching methods being used. Assessment information is kept in each child s Learning Folder as evidence of achievement and progress. The following formal and informal assessment tools are used when assessing Geography: Teacher observation Teacher-designed task
Portfolios and projects. Timetable Geography is timetabled as an integral part of the SESE time allocation of three hours per week. 2. Individual Teachers Planning Teachers should base their yearly and short term plans on the approaches set out in this whole school plan for Geography. Work covered will be outlined in the Cuntas Míosúil, which will be submitted to the principal at the end of each month. 3. Staff Development Teachers are made aware of any opportunities for further professional development through participation in courses available in Education Centres or other venues. Skills and expertise within the school is shared and developed through input at staff meetings. 4. Resources and ICT Geography resources are stored in the Resource Room. There is an inventory of Geography resources stored on the common file. Teachers can request to purchase equipment for Geography as the need arises. Teachers and SNAs will begin to create a bank of resources that can be used by colleagues as themes are taught. There is a selection of technologies available in the school that can be used when teaching Geography. All classes have access to the internet and all classes have access to a laptop and PC. A range of useful website addresses will be collated and stored on the common file. Other technologies available in the school include: Video camera Digital camera ipads and apps CD - Roms 5. Health and Safety Teachers must refer to the school s health and safety policy with regard to activities connected to the Geography curriculum, such as: Geography fieldwork Handling artifacts 6. Community Links Members of the local community may be invited to assist the school s Geography programme. Proposed invitations must be discussed in advance with the Principal. Examples of appropriate visits include local Park Ranger, Geologists, Ordnance Survey Staff etc.
7. Policy Links The Geography plan has direct links with the following policies and plans: Whole School Plans for SESE Health and Safety Child Protection Policy (Visitors) 8. Roles and Responsibilities B.O.M. ratify plan & support implementation. Parents be aware of content of school plan & support Geography through homework Principal oversees implementation and support staff. Teachers follow school plan and implement Geography accordingly. Pupils Co-operate and participate in class lesson. Other staff be aware of contents of this plan and follow procedures. involvement in 9. Implementation, Review and Ratification This plan will be distributed to teachers in January 203. It will be revised and redrafted over the course of Term 3 as the school review of Geography progresses. The final draft will be presented to the Board of Management and parents. The Board will then ratify the plan. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date Created January 203 Date Ratified Date for Review January 205 Chairperson s Signature: