This page has been designed to give ideas to teachers on how to link the Joyce Country & Western Lakes geopark project region with the Irish curriculum.
We have also developed some resources which can be viewed in our dedicated resource section, so please check them out!
Using the JCWL geopark project region as a case study for the Geography Primary curriculum
Below are suggestions and ideas for teachers on how the Joyce Country & Western Lakes geopark region as a whole, or specific sites within it, can be used as a case study/ as case studies to teach specific strands from the Primary curriculum. We are primarily focussing on the Geography curriculum, but hope to expand this to other subjects soon.
This can either be done in the classroom, or by going on a fieldtrip to visit these places. We want to encourage using the geopark region as an outdoor classroom, as a case study area, and for the people living within it to realise what a special area it is and be proud of where they live.
We hope to design resources in conjunction with teachers, so if you are interested in working with us, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from and working with you.
Please note, the curriculum information is correct as of April 2020. Only the strand units that apply to the geopark project are mentioned here.
Strand unit: People and places in other areas
Students can make links between Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht schools in geopark area and using map to see where their school is and which area it is part of
Strand unit: The local natural environment
-Elicit aspects of natural environments in locality of school e.g. hill/bog/coast/lake etc
-Talk about different bodies of water in geopark area and how they may be related e.g. Lough Mask & Lough Corrib, streams/rivers running in to loughs
-Bring in rock samples from geopark area e.g. sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic and students try and group them together based on some characteristics
Strand unit: People and places in other areas
Seeing which rocks/stones from geopark area are being used in geopark area e.g. clasts from till in dry stone walls; Connemara marble; local limestone etc. Could do this with samples and photos. Could also use ‘building stones’ poster from Geological Survey Ireland.
Strand unit: The local natural environment
-Linking place names with geology. Use ‘Place Names and Geology’ booklet
-Elicit aspects of natural environments in locality of school when doing school talks e.g. hill/bog/coast/lake etc
-Talk about different bodies of water in geopark area and how they may be related e.g. Lough Mask & Lough Corrib, streams/rivers running in to loughs
-Bring in rock samples from geopark area e.g. sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic and students try and group them together based on some characteristics
-Can record and communicate experience and observations as drawings and sketches
Strand unit: Caring for my locality
-Discuss and observe the natural and human features in the local environment e.g. sites of interest, archaeological sites etc
-Geopark concept i.e. protecting and promoting the natural heritage of the area you live in
-Can brainstorm with class why having a geopark is good for protecting, conserving and enhancing the environment
Strand units: People living and working in the local area and in a contrasting part of Ireland
Natural environmental features and people
-Elicit what natural features are around school and in geopark area and how these affect jobs e.g. flat, fertile land = agriculture
-Linking place names with geology. Use ‘Place Names and Geology’ booklet
Settlement: homes and other buildings
Short fieldtrip around geopark area to look at rock types and buildings/roads/pavements etc that were built with them e.g. fossils in limestone and recognising fossils in buildings/pavements built using limestone
People at work
-Linking geopark to jobs that you can do in it e.g. farming, fishing, markets, supply of services, tourism, guides, quarrying etc
-Environmental factors and type of activity e.g. where farmland is, where tourist hot spots are, interdependence of people in locality etc
-Contrast jobs around that school to other places in geopark
Strand unit: People and other lands
-Cultural and geological heritage of geopark area incl. prominence of Irish language
-Students/teachers can share myths, legends and stories of geopark area – some of these may relate to the landscape/ geology. When contrasting to another location, see if the origins of those myths, legends and stories are also from the landscape
Strand unit: The local natural environment
-Visit these natural areas in geopark and observe the way they’ve affected plants, humans and animals
-Use map of geopark area to become familiar with cardinal directions and location of features relative to one another
-Visit these natural areas in geopark and observe the way they’ve affected plants, humans and animals
Strand unit: Land, rivers and seas of my county
-Familiarisation with the names of the major natural features in the geopark area e.g. mix and match exercise
-Going in to some detail of some relationships of nature and built environment e.g. why were the mines built there
Strand unit: Rocks and soils
-Students go and collect different rock or bring rock samples in and students try and group them together based on some characteristics
-Try and use geological map to establish relationship with rock and vegetation you find there through student observations
-Can record and communicate experience and observations as drawings and sketches
Strand unit: Environmental awareness
-Students become aware of the environments of the geopark e.g. bog, mountains, ice landscape etc
Strand units: People living and working in the local area and in a contrasting part of Ireland
Natural environmental features and people
-Elicit what natural features are around school and in geopark area and how these affect jobs e.g. flat, fertile land = agriculture
-Linking place names with geology. Use ‘Place Names and Geology’ booklet
Settlement: homes and other buildings
Short fieldtrip around geopark area to look at rock types and buildings/roads/pavements etc that were built with them e.g. fossils in limestone and recognising fossils in buildings/pavements built using limestone
People at work
-Linking geopark to jobs that you can do in it e.g. farming, fishing, markets, supply of services, tourism, guides, quarrying etc
-Environmental factors and type of activity e.g. where farmland is, where tourist hot spots are, interdependence of people in locality etc
-Contrast jobs around that school to other places in geopark
-Why JCWL geopark would appeal to tourists and what jobs/work could people living in geopark have because of this tourism. Can touch on some positives and negatives of tourism and reinforce sustainable development and tourism and initiatives like ‘leave no trace’ etc
Strand unit: People and other lands
-Cultural and geological heritage of geopark area incl. prominence of Irish language
-Students/teachers can share myths, legends and stories of geopark area – some of these may relate to the landscape/ geology. When contrasting to another location, see if the origins of those myths, legends and stories are also from the landscape
-Awareness of Gaeltacht region in geopark area and its location and cultural heritage
Strand unit: County, regional and national centres
-Linking place name with geology. Use ‘Place Names and Geology’ booklet.
Strand unit: The local natural environment
-Visit these natural areas in geopark and observe their shapes and any relationships, briefly going in to how they formed
-Think about humans, plants and animals use these features in the landscape
Strand unit: Land, rivers and seas of Ireland
-Familiarisation with the names of the major natural features in the geopark area e.g. mix and match exercise
-Going in to some detail of some relationships of nature and built environment e.g. why were the mines built there
-Get students to see relationships within geopark area e.g. towns built around the loughs etc
Strand unit: Physical features of Europe and the world
-Show similarities between formation of geopark area and some of the landscapes to other parts of the world e.g. Greenland, Newfoundland, Scotland etc and briefly explain why so many similarities
Strand unit: Rocks and soils
-Students go and collect different rock or bring rock samples in and students try and group them together based on some characteristics
-Try and use geological map to establish relationship with rock and vegetation you find there through student observations
-Can record and communicate experience and observations as drawings and sketches
-Briefly go into the different types of rock
-Can match rock samples to geological map of geopark area
Strand unit: Environmental awareness
-Students become aware of the environments of the geopark e.g. bog, mountains, ice landscape etc
-Go in to detail on how karst landscape of geopark formed and that some features are unique to area
-Look at ways people use Earth’s resources in geopark area e.g. mining, tourism, recreation etc
Strand unit: Caring for the environment
Explain how the geopark is an example of sustainable development i.e. bottoms-up approach and the momentum comes from the local communities
Download as pdf
This page is still a work in progress, so please bear with us! If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them.