Programme

First Year (7th Grade)

Ages 12 to 13. The first year of secondary school: faster, more accurate typing alongside the start of the Junior Cycle subjects.

Keyboard Fluency: Speed and AccuracyTouch typing without looking: home row reminders, rhythm, capitals, numbers and symbols at a steady secondary-school speed.10 lessons

English: Reading Fiction and NonfictionHow to read closely: plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, fact and opinion, and how writers persuade.10 lessons

English: Grammar and StyleParts of speech, clauses, sentence types, active and passive voice, and punctuation that makes meaning clear.10 lessons

English: Writing for PurposeWriting to narrate, describe, inform, argue and persuade, with planning, paragraphing and editing.10 lessons

English: Poetry and DramaPoetic devices, famous poems from the past and the language of the stage, from scripts to Shakespeare.10 lessons

Maths: Number and AlgebraIntegers, order of operations, powers, prime factors, patterns, expressions and solving simple equations.10 lessons

Maths: Geometry and MeasureAngles, triangles, quadrilaterals, perimeter, area, volume, the circle and the coordinate plane.10 lessons

Maths: Statistics and ProbabilityCollecting data, averages, range, charts and the probability of events.10 lessons

Science: Biology - Living Things and CellsCharacteristics of life, cells, microscopes, classification, food chains and the human digestive system.10 lessons

Science: Chemistry - Matter and MaterialsStates of matter, particles, mixtures, separating techniques, elements, compounds and acids and bases.10 lessons

Science: Physics - Forces and EnergyMeasurement, forces, friction, gravity, energy forms and conversions, heat, light and sound.10 lessons

History: How Historians Work and the Ancient WorldSources and evidence, archaeology, timelines, Ancient Rome, early Christian Ireland and medieval life.10 lessons

Geography: Our Restless EarthThe structure of the Earth, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, rocks, weathering, rivers and maps.10 lessons

Computing: Digital Skills and ProgrammingFiles and folders, safe passwords, searching well, algorithms, variables, loops and conditions.10 lessons

Civics: Rights and ResponsibilitiesHuman rights, citizenship, democracy, local communities, the law and making a difference.10 lessons

Social and Personal: WellbeingSettling into secondary school, friendships, managing stress, sleep, being active, staying safe online and asking for help.10 lessons

Business Studies: Money and EnterpriseNeeds and wants, budgets, saving, banking, being a wise consumer and starting a small enterprise.10 lessons

Arts and Music: Art History and Music TheoryElements of art, famous movements from the Renaissance to Pop Art, reading music, instruments and great composers.10 lessons