Programme

Second Year (8th Grade)

Ages 13 to 14. Junior Cycle subjects in more depth, with longer passages typed at a steady speed.

Keyboard Fluency: Building SpeedLonger passages, difficult letter combinations, numbers in text and keeping accuracy while speed rises.10 lessons

English: The NovelHow novels work: narrators, structure, characterisation, setting, symbols and key extracts from classic novels.10 lessons

English: Media and AdvertisingNewspapers, broadcast and online media, advertising techniques, images, headlines and fake news.10 lessons

English: Persuasive and Discursive WritingSpeeches, debates, opinion pieces, balanced discussion, rhetorical devices and structuring an argument.10 lessons

English: Poetry Through TimeSonnets, ballads, war poetry and the Romantics, with short extracts and the techniques poets use.10 lessons

Maths: Algebra and FunctionsExpanding brackets, factorising, linear equations, inequalities, simultaneous equations and linear graphs.10 lessons

Maths: Geometry and TrigonometryTheorems, congruent and similar triangles, Pythagoras, sine, cosine and tangent, and constructions.10 lessons

Maths: Ratio, Percentages and Financial MathsRatio and proportion, percentage change, VAT, interest, currency, best buys and income tax basics.10 lessons

Science: Biology - The Human BodyBreathing, circulation, the heart, blood, the skeleton, muscles, the nervous system and keeping healthy.10 lessons

Science: Chemistry - Atoms and ReactionsAtomic structure, the periodic table, chemical bonds, chemical reactions, equations and the reactivity of metals.10 lessons

Science: Physics - Electricity and MagnetismStatic electricity, circuits, current, voltage, resistance, Ohm's law, magnets, electromagnets and electricity at home.10 lessons

History: From the Renaissance to the RevolutionsThe Renaissance, voyages of exploration, the Reformation, plantations in Ireland, the Industrial Revolution and the American and French Revolutions.10 lessons

Geography: Population, Settlement and CitiesWorld population, migration, settlement patterns, urban growth, cities in Ireland and around the world.10 lessons

Computing: Web Pages and DataHow the internet works, HTML and CSS basics, spreadsheets, formulas, charts and protecting personal data.10 lessons

Civics: Democracy and Government in IrelandThe Constitution, the President, the parliament, elections, how laws are made, the courts and the European Union.10 lessons

Social and Personal: Relationships and Healthy ChoicesCommunication, respect, peer pressure, conflict, emotions, nutrition, substances and media influence.10 lessons

Business Studies: Work and the EconomyTypes of work, employment, rights at work, taxation, the economy, trade and the role of government.10 lessons

Arts and Music: Styles, Movements and ComposersBaroque to Romantic music, the elements of music, art movements, design, architecture and film.10 lessons