Primary Years
These years represent a turning point as the child begins formal schooling. The relationship between the child and the class teacher will also be a formative influence over the next seven years. The narrative themes of the curriculum meet each developing phase of childhood and are woven through each year in such a way as to create an integrated whole between all the subjects.
In
class one the children
learn to read out of their own writing. Letters are
discovered through the illustrations of the fairy tales they hear,
deepening their pictorial imagination and laying the foundation for a
vivid approach to learning. The four elementary mathematical processes
are introduced and reinforced through concrete activity,
including movements such as skipping, jumping and rhythmic clapping,
thus supporting and strengthening different ways of learning. Song and
music punctuate the morning and the first musical instrument of these
years, the pentatonic flute, is begun. Heart, hands and head are all
engaged, as the child finds their own increasingly expressive and
creative voice.
The class play takes place each year and is often written by the teacher for the class. In co-ordinating expressive activity, in learning to work as a team, the themes of the year can be consolidated in a celebration of the learning that has taken place over the course of the year.
Class 3 play: the Old Testament story of Ruth
Each year the child will experience different stories and legends as a journey. In class two, animal fables and saints' stories meet the growing awareness of the contrasts that belong to our nature and the truth that authentic intelligence includes an ethical dimension. Ungoverned appetites and self-gratifying impulses contrast with the qualities that distinguish those acting out of the highest of human qualities. By class six, children will have experienced the worlds of Irish legends, Old Testament stories, Native American and Norse tales, Indian myths, Hinduism and Buddhism, Sumeria, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Islam and medieval times as they are drawn through contrasting worlds towards the actual events of history and characters who have played a formative role in shaping events.
Science
is developed, meeting the
wonder and curiosity of the young child. Observation and a profound
appreciation for the natural world and its rhythms are encouraged in
myriad ways throughout the cycle of the year. Natural history and
biology are begun in class four and five through the study
of the
animal and plant kingdoms. Physics and chemistry are introduced at
class six in recognition of a significant cognitive shift in the child
and the readiness for understanding how science draws on ways of
thinking about and discovering the world.
High adventure! Class 6/7 on a caving trip in The Burren.
From kindergarten onwards, a huge emphasis is placed on handwork. Knitting, sewing, crocheting, painting, drawing, modelling, woodwork and gardening are among the practical activities. The integrating effects of these breathe soul and colour into the contrast of a day, choreographed for a sense of balance and enjoyment.
