Every part of the day was fun - the LUAS trip, the picnic in the IFSC and the opportunity to debate in the committee room inside Leinster House.
We learned a lot about democracy, and specifically about democracy in Ireland.
Citywest ETNS Sixth Class |
On Monday, our class took a visit to Leinster House - the seat of Ireland's government. We had a tour of the building, including the lower house (the Dáil) and the upper house (the Seanad). Every part of the day was fun - the LUAS trip, the picnic in the IFSC and the opportunity to debate in the committee room inside Leinster House. We learned a lot about democracy, and specifically about democracy in Ireland.
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This month in Sixth Class History, we've been learning about Ancient Rome. We're working in groups on Google Classroom to research some of the main areas of interest in Roman culture. We've done some reading as well. And in art, we've been inspired by Roman pottery and sculpture. We worked hard to use good techniques with our clay, to give our finished pieces the best chance of staying in one piece! Did you know that the busts that have survived from the Roman Empire do not actually look as they did at the time? They would originally have been painted, but that detail has been lost to the sands of time!
If you were unable to attend the Parent Information Evening last week, you might like to check out the slides that I talked about. If you could add to our learning in relation to any of the topics mentioned on slides 6 and 7, please get in touch! Learn Together, our ethical education curriculum, is very clear on the importance of developing in our young people, the ability to critically evaluate ideas. Debate, apart from being an opportunity to practice our persuasive writing/speech, provides a wonderful opportunity for children to consider both sides of an argument. The mental gymnastics necessary to argue AGAINST something that they strongly believe, really allow the children to more fully engage in thinking about all aspects of something that they may not have fully considered before. Debate will be a big part of our life this year - we will aim to have one debate every week. As time progresses, we will develop our rhetorical skills and begin to include more concrete facts in our presentations. We will develop skills in chairing a debate and other leadership roles. But for now, we are focusing on the basics. Some of the children weren't excited about getting up to speak in front of the whole class. They've been really brave, and, I think, surprised themselves! And we've also worked on being a respectful, supportive audience, to give our speaking friends the best chance of success. |
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