Portmarnock Community School

Parents/Guardians of In-coming 1st year Students: Information Evening

2013 on subject options presented by Frank Farrell – Guidance Counsellor

Core Subject Range

• The following list of subjects applies to all incoming 1st year pupils.

Irish Science English CSPE Maths *Modern Language History RE/PE/SPHE Geography

Optional subjects

• Block one Home Economics or Materials Technology (woodwork) or Technology.

• Block Two Business studies or Technical Graphics

• Block Three Art or music

• Block Four French or German or Spanish

Modern language-Block 4

French, German or Spanish* Focus on the aural, spoken and written

comprehension skills. Both HL and OL offered in respect of the above

at PCS. Oral exam mandatory for LC. Many courses in the NUI’s, outside of the

engineering and science faculties, require students to have a modern language to access their various courses.

Modern language JC exam

The modern language exam comprises the following elements:

Reading comprehensions, letter writing and aural comprehension.

The HL paper attributes approx. 44% of the marks towards the listening skills element whereas the OL attributes 30% to this section.

Modern language

• SomeSome Institutes require candidates to have a foreign language to access their third level courses.

• Students may only choose one foreign language in PCS.

• Notwithstanding the advantage of being able to communicate in another tongue other than English, a student is also culturally enriched and enlightened by taking a foreign language.

Modern language – French French is spoken by over 129 million people as a native language

worldwide and by a further 190 million people as a second language.

It is the official language of 29 countries and overseas territories outside of France including Belgium, Canada (Québec, nouveau Brunswick) Switzerland, Luxembourg, Martinique, Guadeloupe, La Réunion, Nouvelle Calédonie (New Caledonia), French Polynesia, Mauritius, French Guyana, Corsica, etc.

Approx: 120 million African people spread across 31 francophone African countries speak French as a 1st or 2nd language eg, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, DRC, Togo etc.

French is widely spoken as a 2nd language but also as a 1st language in the heavily populated countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. It is the major business language in North, West and Central Africa and a major international language. Together with English it is the only other language spoken on the five continents.

France has the fastest growing population of the EU. Its current population stands at 67, 073 million and is rising rapidly.

French Cont’d – Some countries in which French is spoken as a first or

second languageFrance Belgium Switzerland

Canada (30% of population approx.)

D R Congo Gabon

Mauritius Senegal Cameroon

Ivory Coast Luxembourg Algeria

Morocco Martinique New Caledonia

Guadeloupe French Polynesia

Benin

Morocco Tunisia Togo

Modern language – Facts-Spanish

Spanish is spoken by over 450 million people as a native language and is the world’s second or third most spoken language after Chinese (depending on the various sources available).

Spanish is spoken by more than 120 million people alone in Mexico and by over 45 million in Spain.

It is an official language in 21 countries and is spoken by approximately 50 million people in the US as both a first and second language.

It is therefore a major European, international and business language.

The current population of Spain stands at over 45 million with a steady growth rate.

Spanish – Cont’dSpoken as an official language in

Ecuador Paraguay Peru

Venezuela Argentina Chile

Colombia Uruguay Bolivia

Modern language - German

German is spoken by approximately 95 million people and is a major European language.

German is spoken as a 1st language in Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

German is currently the most spoken language in Western Europe (+ 95 Million native speakers), followed by French (73 million) and English (65 million).

The current population of Germany stands at 81.7 million.

CSPE Civic, Social and Political Education is taught to all JC

students. 1 class per week and approx 70 hours through JC Cycle.

Common exam for all. The course is broken into 4 units focussing on 1.

Children’s rights, equality and poverty in Ireland 2. The wider Community. 3. Equality, the law and you 4. Ethnic minority groups, racism, asylum seeking and refugees.

Students will be assessed based on a written examination worth 40% of their final grade and a report on their participation in an action project or presentation of a course work assessment booklet worth 60 % of total marks.

RE – Religious Education

This is a non-examinable subject which aims to awaken the sense of inquiry in the faith and spiritual lives of the students of Portmarnock Community School and to support their search for meaning through learning, exploration and spiritual experience.

SPHE SPHE (Social Personal and Health Education) also comprises RSE

(Relations and Sexual Education) and is taught to all students of the Junior Cert once a week.

SPHE supports the personal development, health and well-being of young people and helps them create and maintain supportive relationships.

The aims of SPHE are as follows: To promote self-esteem and self-confidence To enable the students to develop a framework for

responsible decision-making To promote opportunities for reflection and discussion. To enable the students to develop skills for self-fulfilment

and living in communities.

RSE

• Relationships and Sexuality Education is delivered as part of the SPHE programme in PCS.

• Aims: to help young people understand and develop friendships and relationships

• To promote an understanding of sexuality. • To promote an acceptance of difference.• To promote a positive attitude to one’s own sexuality and one’s

relationship with others• To enable young people to develop positive attitudes and values

towards their sexuality in a moral, spiritual and social framework.

• The areas of RSE will be supported by the SPHE programme, science, RE, Home Economics and Pastoral care.

Home Economics – Block 1

This course covers the five following areas: Food industry and Culinary skills Consumer studies Resource management and Home studies Social and health studies Textile studies The examination is examined in three distinct

areas as follows:

Home Economics - Continued

Project work worth 15% of the final gradeA practical cookery examination worth

either 35% (HL) or 45% (OL).A written terminal examination worth either

50% (HL) or 40% (OL) depending once again on the level of the examination.

Home Economics- careers

Home economics teacher/teacher

Food science Nursing

Beautician

Designer

Dietician Chef

Consumer advisor

Occupational therapist

Childcare

Materials Wood (– Block 1)

• The Material Technology Wood examination for the Junior Cert is composed of two parts:

The design and manufacture of a project and presenting a corresponding Project Portfolio, currently worth 60% for both H and O level.

A written examination in June comprising 2 papers.

Materials Technology or Woodwork becomes Construction Studies for the LC.

Technology – Block 1

• Students will study the following modules of Technology for the Junior Cert:

• Electronics

• Mechanisms

• Structures

• Graphic Communication

• Materials and processes, design and ICT.

Junior Cert Technology exam

• The Junior Cert Technology exam is broken down into two parts as follows:

Project work accounting for 25% of overall marks and a written brief accounting for a further 25%.

A written terminal examination in June which accounts for an additional 50%.

Technology become Engineering for the LC.

Business-Block 2

The syllabus consists of four main sections which are all interrelated:

The Business of living which focuses on the management of personal finances.

Economic awareness: gives students an introduction to economics thus helping them make economic decisions and participate in the democratic process.

Enterprise introduces the student to the world of business and the setting up and running f a business

IT introduces the student to the uses of information and communication technology both in the home and elsewhere

Business - careers

Accountancy Teaching Banking

Taxation Law Stockbroker

Auditing Management Economist/journalist

Technical Graphics – Block 2

Technical graphics is a wholly practical subject with no theory content.

Involves problem solving through spatial reasoning and communicating information graphically.

Students sit a three hour exam at the end of the JC cycle. TG leads to Design and Communication Graphics for the LC.

Subject ideal for those considering studying any type of engineering, architecture or trade after the LC. Technical graphics become DCG for the Leaving Cert

Art, craft and design – Block 3

The disciplines of the Art curriculum are acquired through a practical project throughout the year and holds 80% of the overall marks for the Junior Cert.

Areas covered include painting, graphics, sculpture, printing and object drawing.

Remaining 20% of marks are attributed by way of a written exam.

Art and Music - Careers

Art teacher Architect Gallery and Museum

Antiques

Advertising Fashion design

Publishing Florist

Speech therapy

Music teacher

Librarian Orchestra

Radio Announcer

Instrument maker

Composer Freelance

Music – Block 3

This course is divided into listening, composing and performance.

All students will learn to play and sight read music on the recorder and or their own instrument.

The Junior certificate exam consists of a practical exam in Spring of third year worth 25% of the marks and a terminal written exam worth 50% and a listening section representing an additional 25%. (75% for both listening and theory)

End of 1st year options

• At the end of 1st year Blocks 2 and 3 will be amalgamated and students will choose one subject only from Business studies, Technical Graphics, Art or Music. Students will have studied two subjects from these Blocks in 1st year but will only carry one of them through to 2nd year.

Questions?