TY Geography/European Studies

Continuing our profile of TY subjects, Head of Geography Mr Sherwood writes:

To date we have adhered to the schedule as indicated in the European Studies Programme. In the Michaelmas Term we studied contemporary Europe from the end of the second W.W. We looked at the institutions that govern the E.U. and learnt the locations of countries, capitals. major rivers, seas, mountain ranges and climates.

We established Contact Sheets, drew up Personal Profiles and forwarded our European Celebrities as role models to our affiliated schools in Denmark, Norway, Northern Ireland, France and Romania.

Computing skills have been tested by each pupil presenting a PowerPoint presentation on a European country of their choice. A minimum of 7 slides was required to achieve this. The Michaelmas examinations tested the work to date.

Hilary Term has seen us embark on a researched, hand-written and portfolio-bound study of the European Treaties since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, outlining the significant changes that the five subsequent treaties have brought about. Each pupil also undertakes to present a PowerPoint presentation on an aspect of a European primary industry. The pupil must stand in front of the class and teach the subject they have researched to their peer group. This is a most beneficial undertaking employing many skills they will need in later life.

The second half of this term will see a similar research topic based on a European Manufactured Product, e.g. Ferrari, Chanel, etc. which the pupils present and grade each other in terms of computer proficiency and knowledge gained.

In early November we visited the European Public Information Center in Molesworth Street where we watched a DVD on today's Europe, enjoyed a quiz, and collected important resource materials for our coursework.

This stand alone course provides valuable material for a modern citizen of Europe. It tests and encourages independent thinking and enhances their computer skills while at the same time demanding they can present an accomplished piece of research to a known audience.                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                         

TY Subject Profile: English

In the first of a series of TY subject mini-profiles Mr Julian Girdham discusses English.

The English TY programme has been running for almost 18 years. While it is tweaked from year to year, the basic successful structure remains the same. 

Last term the main focus was on the Extended Essay, a major project comparing at least three books, which makes pupils examine literary texts in the sort of detail they have never done before, and often develops their writing and critical skills dramatically. The best of these essays are currently being posted on the SCC English site, www.sccenglish.ie, such as Siobhán Brady's analysis of racism in 20th century America, Lilian Glennon's piece on relationships in books by Arthur Golden, Adeline Yen Mah and Jennifer Donnelly, and Sadhbh Sheeran's essay on three books with 'room' in their titles, which received a Commendation. Pupils in Transition Years in the future will benefit from these impressive exemplars.

While those essays were being written, pupils studied Shakespeare's great comedy Twelfth Night in class (all forms from II on look at Shakespeare's work in one form or another), and have now after Christmas moved on to Harper Lee's evergreen novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Also this term at least half of the Work Portfolio must be done: this provides practice and development in short essay and story writing. In the spirit of the idea of more independent learning in TY, and academic self-organisation, pupils hand this work in when they wish (as long as they bear in mind the final deadline).

They have also completed three of four modules in a rota, going to different teachers for these: some creative writing, the poetry of W.B. Yeats, Old/Middle English and Geoffrey Chaucer, and Images in Poetry. Excellent poetry often comes from the last of these, under Ms Smith's tutelage, and some poems have already been posted on SCC English.

The relatively short summer term sees the completion of the Work Portfolio, as well as a study of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire. The course ends with the annual (18th!) English Evening, on May 29th, when some of the best work of the year is heard in the presence of a distinguished guest. 

At the end of the whole process, all pupils will fill in an online questionnaire giving feedback on the course. This enables us to plan next year's course, but also is designed to make pupils reflect on the progress they have made. We hope they have made considerable strides in their critical skills and their writing abilities.