Irish
Go BackGeneral Aims
The Irish department aims to support the whole curriculum, whilst still providing opportunities for Irish as a subject in its own right. We aim to teach in a meaningful context, providing students with experiences of using Irish creatively and with confidence.
Specific Aims
The Irish department aims to:
- foster a knowledge and appreciation of the Irish language as an indigenous language.
- provide an enjoyable environment which allows students to develop a suitable level of competence in spoken and written Irish.
- encourage students to develop personal qualities, such as self-confidence, independence and effective communication.
- develop students ability to comprehend and present information effectively through the medium of Irish.
- enable students to develop transferable communication skills that can be used in a series of situations and across various subjects.
Curriculum
KS3
Year 8:
Pupils are introduced to Irish with an emphasis on developing effective communication skills in a number of areas: description of self, the environment, shopping, counting, etc. Pupils also enjoy an Irish-medium tour of Belfast Zoo.
Year 9:
Pupils develop the various topics covered in Year 8, discussing family members, friends and heroes, their own pastimes, daily routine, school and home. Pupils also participate in a cultural visit of Croke Park, Dublin.
Year 10:
Pupils enhance their ability to describe their family, friends and home area, occupations, holidays, the Gaeltacht, shopping and health issues. Each pupil also has the opportunity to achieve their Fáinne and to attend the Gael Linn Junior Quiz. A large number of pupils attend Gaeltacht courses each summer.
KS4
At Key Stage 4, students have the opportunity to study Irish at GCSE level, completing four exams in the four key assessment areas: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing. Oral responses are prepared throughout Years 11 and 12 and material studied in each topic is transactional and facilitates everyday communication. Students study the six key areas: Self, Family and Friends; Home Life and Daily Routine; Hobbies and Interests; Town, Countryside and the Environment; Holidays; Education and Careers.
Year 11
Pupils visit the Donegal Gaeltacht and students are also encouraged to attend both Gaeltacht summer and Easter courses.
Year 12
Pupils participate in the Gael Linn Senior Quiz and in the Abair public-speaking competition.
The Irish department delivers Irish at both AS and A2 level. At this level the course is much more focused on developing advanced language skills in the key assessment areas. Many students attend Gaeltacht courses and achieve their gold Fáinne.
AS
Paper 1: Obtaining and Exchanging Information (Speaking)
Students prepare a 3 minute presentation, participate in two role play situations and engage in an 8 minute general conversation on prepared topics. They are expected to talk about themselves and personal issues at a general level - home, school life, hobbies, hopes and aspirations. The speaking test is carried out by an external visiting examiner.
Paper 2: Information Handling
Students listen, on an individual CD player, to extracts in Irish. The students have full control over the recording and may utilise the playback facility. Students answer a series of questions in Irish, based on each extract. The reading section comprises of a comprehension exercise, language manipulation and a word selection activity. A translation from Irish into English forms the writing component.
Paper 3: Introduction to Literature/ Responsive Writing
Pupils are asked to write one structured response in Irish to a set literary text in Irish (poetry).
A2
Paper 1: Exchanging Ideas and Opinions (Speaking)
Students prepare a 4 minute presentation, discuss a visual stimulus based on a theme taken from the contexts for learning and participate in a 10 minute general conversation on prepared topics. The speaking test is carried out by an external visiting examiner.
Paper 2: Extended Information Handling
Students listen, on an individual CD player, to extracts in Irish. The students have full control over the recording and may utilise the playback facility. Students answer a series of questions in Irish, based on each extract. This section also comprises of a reading comprehension exercise and a translation from English into Irish.
Paper 3: Literature/ Responsive Writing
Students write two open-ended responses in Irish to set literary texts (drama and poetry). There is a choice of questions based on the literary texts studied.
Resources
The Irish department has two classrooms, both of which are equipped with digital projectors, PC, television, video and CD player. One classroom has an Interactive Whiteboard and there is a class set of portable CD players for the A Level pupils. The Irish department utilises internet-based language games for each topic and each year group has their own interactive website.
