Geography
AIMS OF SUBJECT:
-
To develop a knowledge and understanding of a selection of contrasting physical and human (social, economic, and cultural) environments and of the relationships that exist between them.
-
To promote an awareness of the spatial, structural, and temporal patterns of environmental phenomena, both physical and human, at a variety of scales, and to realise that these patterns can change with time.
-
To understand the opportunities for, and challenges of, global interdependence.
-
To promote the conservation and sustained management of the earth’s resources for the welfare and happiness of its inhabitants and for future generations.
-
To recognise, and be sensitive to other people and their culture, here in Ireland and elsewhere.
-
To develop a variety of geographical skills which can be applied to the world of work and to many other aspects of life.
-
To develop and promote active citizenship and to encourage informed participation, through lifelong learning, in society at local, national, European and global level.
-
To encourage the use of information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning of geography.
-
To assist students to become well-informed and responsible citizens and to enable them to progress to further studies or to enter the world of work.
-
To provide students, through their study of geography, with an interesting and enjoyable experience and imbue in them a lifelong love of their natural and cultural environment.
RATIONALE FOR SUBJECT:
Geography is concerned with the study of people and their environment. A study of geography will help students develop an understanding of their physical and human surroundings. It examines the changing interrelationships between the physical and human worlds. Through their study of geography, students will develop geographical skills that will help them make informed judgements about issues at local, national, and international levels.
SUBJECT TOPICS/ SYLLABUS CONTENT:
There are three core compulsory units.
1. Patterns and Processes in the Physical Environment
This unit aims to provide a useful tool by which students can understand and interpret the physical landscape. This unit focuses on plate tectonics, landform development The unit also places a significant emphasis on human interaction with the physical processes at work in the environment. Human interaction with the rock cycle and the impact of human activity on surface processes are also given considerable attention.
2. Regional Geography
Regional geography provides students with the opportunity to relate the patterns and processes of both the physical and human environments to particular regions. The student can see the actual expression of the patterns studied in an actual place. This will allow the student to understand the complex interrelationships that exist between physical, human, economic, and cultural environments across a variety of regions. The unit examines regions at a range of scales rather than being based on the study of a list of countries. Having studied the concept of a region, students will study five regions. Students will choose two contrasting Irish regions for study. This will be followed by a study of two contrasting European regions. These regions must be chosen from either Scandinavia, Western/Central Europe including the United Kingdom or the Mediterranean. Students must then study one continental or sub-continental region of their own choice. Students will also examine the complexity of regions.
3. Geographical Investigation and Skills
The Geographical Investigation is compulsory for all students. Conducting investigations and other fieldwork activities is central to the experience of all geography students. The Geographical Investigation provides the opportunity for students to apply the appropriate geographical skills that are central to all areas of the syllabus. It also encourages active citizenship and informed participation in the community. The topics for the Geographical Investigation will be selected from a list of topics sent to the school by the State Examinations Commission in the first year of the Leaving Certificate cycle. This will allow some research and preparation time before beginning the investigation. It is expected that the main work of the investigation will take place in the first term of Leaving Certificate Year 2.
In sixth year students choose under one of the following electives:
Elective Unit 4: Patterns and Processes in Economic Activities. This unit examines patterns in economic development and the growth of a single interdependent global economy.
Elective Unit 5: Patterns and Processes in the Human Environment. This unit examines the dynamic nature of population and the pattern and distribution of settlement.
Also in sixth year Higher Level students undertake one of the following options:
Optional Unit 6: Global interdependence. This unit examines the interdependent nature of global economic, social, and political processes and to challenge the differing views of development.
Optional Unit 7: Geo-ecology. This unit examines the inter-relationships, at a global scale, between soils, climates, plants and animals. It will examine the factors controlling the spatial variations in the resultant biomes of the earth.
Optional Unit 8: Culture and identity. This unit examines the classification of population by physical and cultural indicators, and relationships between culture and identity.
Optional Unit 9: The atmosphere-ocean environment. This unit examines the dynamic relationship between the oceans and atmosphere in influencing global climatic patterns.
ASSESSMENT:
The Leaving Certificate Assessment will take the form of a terminal written examination and a report on the geographical investigation. There will be a separate written examination for Higher level and for Ordinary level students. The terminal written examination will have an assessment weighting of 80%. The report on the geographical investigation will have an assessment weighting of 20%. The terminal written examination will consist of questions requiring short answers and multi-part questions requiring more developed answers. Longer essay-style discursive answers will be required only in the assessment of the optional units. All questions will contain stimulus material and a geographical skills element, where appropriate. The report on the geographical investigation will be assessed outside of the terminal written examination.
POSSIBLE CAREER OPTIONS:
Town Planner
Cartographer
Geographical information systems officer
Environmental Consultant
Teacher /Lecturer
Conservationist
Landscape architect
Recycling officer
Sea fisheries protection officer
Tourism officer
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Notes available on Edmodo
Geography Field trip 2018
Geography Field trip 2018
Geography Field trip 2018
AIMS OF SUBJECT:
- To develop a knowledge and understanding of a selection of contrasting physical and human (social, economic, and cultural) environments and of the relationships that exist between them.
- To promote an awareness of the spatial, structural, and temporal patterns of environmental phenomena, both physical and human, at a variety of scales, and to realise that these patterns can change with time.
- To understand the opportunities for, and challenges of, global interdependence.
- To promote the conservation and sustained management of the earth’s resources for the welfare and happiness of its inhabitants and for future generations.
- To recognise, and be sensitive to other people and their culture, here in Ireland and elsewhere.
- To develop a variety of geographical skills which can be applied to the world of work and to many other aspects of life.
- To develop and promote active citizenship and to encourage informed participation, through lifelong learning, in society at local, national, European and global level.
- To encourage the use of information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning of geography.
- To assist students to become well-informed and responsible citizens and to enable them to progress to further studies or to enter the world of work.
- To provide students, through their study of geography, with an interesting and enjoyable experience and imbue in them a lifelong love of their natural and cultural environment.
RATIONALE FOR SUBJECT:
Geography is concerned with the study of people and their environment. A study of geography will help students develop an understanding of their physical and human surroundings. It examines the changing interrelationships between the physical and human worlds. Through their study of geography, students will develop geographical skills that will help them make informed judgements about issues at local, national, and international levels.
SUBJECT TOPICS/ SYLLABUS CONTENT:
There are three core compulsory units.
1. Patterns and Processes in the Physical Environment
This unit aims to provide a useful tool by which students can understand and interpret the physical landscape. This unit focuses on plate tectonics, landform development The unit also places a significant emphasis on human interaction with the physical processes at work in the environment. Human interaction with the rock cycle and the impact of human activity on surface processes are also given considerable attention.
2. Regional Geography
Regional geography provides students with the opportunity to relate the patterns and processes of both the physical and human environments to particular regions. The student can see the actual expression of the patterns studied in an actual place. This will allow the student to understand the complex interrelationships that exist between physical, human, economic, and cultural environments across a variety of regions. The unit examines regions at a range of scales rather than being based on the study of a list of countries. Having studied the concept of a region, students will study five regions. Students will choose two contrasting Irish regions for study. This will be followed by a study of two contrasting European regions. These regions must be chosen from either Scandinavia, Western/Central Europe including the United Kingdom or the Mediterranean. Students must then study one continental or sub-continental region of their own choice. Students will also examine the complexity of regions.
3. Geographical Investigation and Skills
The Geographical Investigation is compulsory for all students. Conducting investigations and other fieldwork activities is central to the experience of all geography students. The Geographical Investigation provides the opportunity for students to apply the appropriate geographical skills that are central to all areas of the syllabus. It also encourages active citizenship and informed participation in the community. The topics for the Geographical Investigation will be selected from a list of topics sent to the school by the State Examinations Commission in the first year of the Leaving Certificate cycle. This will allow some research and preparation time before beginning the investigation. It is expected that the main work of the investigation will take place in the first term of Leaving Certificate Year 2.
In sixth year students choose under one of the following electives:
Elective Unit 4: Patterns and Processes in Economic Activities. This unit examines patterns in economic development and the growth of a single interdependent global economy.
Elective Unit 5: Patterns and Processes in the Human Environment. This unit examines the dynamic nature of population and the pattern and distribution of settlement.
Also in sixth year Higher Level students undertake one of the following options:
Optional Unit 6: Global interdependence. This unit examines the interdependent nature of global economic, social, and political processes and to challenge the differing views of development.
Optional Unit 7: Geo-ecology. This unit examines the inter-relationships, at a global scale, between soils, climates, plants and animals. It will examine the factors controlling the spatial variations in the resultant biomes of the earth.
Optional Unit 8: Culture and identity. This unit examines the classification of population by physical and cultural indicators, and relationships between culture and identity.
Optional Unit 9: The atmosphere-ocean environment. This unit examines the dynamic relationship between the oceans and atmosphere in influencing global climatic patterns.
ASSESSMENT:
The Leaving Certificate Assessment will take the form of a terminal written examination and a report on the geographical investigation. There will be a separate written examination for Higher level and for Ordinary level students. The terminal written examination will have an assessment weighting of 80%. The report on the geographical investigation will have an assessment weighting of 20%. The terminal written examination will consist of questions requiring short answers and multi-part questions requiring more developed answers. Longer essay-style discursive answers will be required only in the assessment of the optional units. All questions will contain stimulus material and a geographical skills element, where appropriate. The report on the geographical investigation will be assessed outside of the terminal written examination.
POSSIBLE CAREER OPTIONS:
Town Planner
Cartographer
Geographical information systems officer
Environmental Consultant
Teacher /Lecturer
Conservationist
Landscape architect
Recycling officer
Sea fisheries protection officer
Tourism officer
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Notes available on Edmodo
Geography Field trip 2018
Geography Field trip 2018
Geography Field trip 2018