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Leaving Cert History

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  • 15-05-2014 1:47pm
    #1
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    Just wondering if anyone could help me.

    Taking Leaving Cert History for the first time next September - it's exciting, but I am also a tiny bit anxious as it's unchartered territory for me.

    Just wondering, could any teacher recommend a text book to use?


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    #2
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭gaiscioch


    chases0102 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Just wondering if anyone could help me.

    Taking Leaving Cert History for the first time next September - it's exciting, but I am also a tiny bit anxious as it's unchartered territory for me.

    Just wondering, could any teacher recommend a text book to use?

    I'll resist naming names. The standard books are all pretty abysmal in terms of the number of historical inaccuracies to be honest. It's as if they rush the final version off in a weekend. That the same mistakes are reprinted year in year out is depressing. There's also a disturbing sense of them all being written in a revisionist mode - e.g. references by a certain historian to Irish "extremists" in the 19th century but no such description of supporters of the British Empire.

    I'd order copies of them all for free, just so you can see what they're doing. I'd keep them as references, or rather aids to framing the structure of lessons/fulfilling learning objectives throughout the year. I'd then make my own sources, using the enormous and truly breathtaking array of online news footage from the time. You can easily make far more engaging classes on 20th century anything with that material. Indeed, I have developed plenty of medieval lesson plans through sourcing primary sources from the middle ages on websites like archive.org. There are even websites which have actors reading out early modern depositions, such as the 1641 depositions. In a nutshell, your classes will be much more likely to be fantastic if you make the lessons yourself.

    There's an inspiring thread on this Forum - entitled "I Pads in the classroom" - about ditching the book and making your own lessons.


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    #3
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭chases0102


    Thanks gaisioch.

    I was talking to a colleague of mine from a previous school, and she was essentially saying the same. She said it's a lot of work, but only use the textbook as a reference point and for a guideline. Again, she couldn't recommend a particular textbook and said to have a browse around.

    Have you any other advice for a teacher taking Senior cycle History for the first time next September?!?! As I said, I'm both excited and nervous about it!

    Thanks again gaisioch


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    #4
    PinkCat86
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭PinkCat86


    movements for political & social reform, 1870-1914 (option 2)

    Movements For Political & Social Reform, 1870-1914 (Option 2)

    Folens

    Price: € 21.50

    Usually ships in 1-3 working days

    Add Movements For Political & Social Reform, 1870-1914 (Option 2) to basket




    european retreat from empire and the aftermath, 1945-1990 (option 5)

    European Retreat From Empire And The Aftermath, 1945-1990 (Option 5)

    Folens Publishers

    Price: € 15.50


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    #5
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭chases0102


    Thanks PinkCat86,

    That's great, much appreciated.

    So might seem like a very obvious question, but is the best approach to pick 2 'options' and study those for the two years?


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    #6
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭chases0102


    Also, just doing a bit of general research on the topic... so please correct me if I'm wrong in some of the assumptions I may make!

    Am I right in saying that what will come up in Section 1, the Documents question, changes each year? When will it be known what is coming up for 2016 exam?

    Also, is it regular practice to focus on two options for the duration of the course? For example, to look at Pursuit of Sovereignty (Topic 3 in Ireland), and Dictatorship and Democracy (Topic 3 in Europe and the wider world)?

    Sorry if these are very general questions, but just looking on getting a head start in planning for next year.


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    #7
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭gaiscioch


    chases0102 wrote: »
    Am I right in saying that what will come up in Section 1, the Documents question, changes each year? When will it be known what is coming up for 2016 exam?

    Also, is it regular practice to focus on two options for the duration of the course? For example, to look at Pursuit of Sovereignty (Topic 3 in Ireland), and Dictatorship and Democracy (Topic 3 in Europe and the wider world)?


    Every two years. For students sitting the LC in 2014 and 2015 the Topic is Sovereignty & Partition, within which you have three case studies: Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921; Eucharistic Congress 1932; The Belfast Blitz 1941. For students sitting the LC in the years 2016-2017 you will have to study the case studies in the Topic Dictatorship and Democracy 1920-1945.Two of the Topics must be from Ireland; two must be from Europe & the Wider World.(Have a gander at the exam paper from 2013 on Examinations.ie).


    You should be doing two Topics per year - you have to do four Topics over the duration of the two-year LC History course, each of which constitutes 20% of the course. So, the terminal exam will constitute 80% of the result (1 Document section; 3 other sections). The remaining 20% derives from the history Research Study Report (RSR) which each student must do (1200-1500 words at HL; 600-800 words at OL) and have completed by the April preceding the LC exam.


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    #8
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭chases0102


    Thanks Gaiscioch, that's very informative. It's much appreciated, and I have a better grasp of what is required now before I start to put together a rough plan for next year.

    Last question, I swear...

    I have looked online for some scheme's of work as a reference point but can't seem to find any...is there a reason for this? Do teachers generally approach LC History with a greater degree of autonomy?


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    #9
    literatefarmer
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭literatefarmer


    The degree of autonomy which a teacher of LC History has is huge - it's generally acknowledged that it simply isn't possible to teach every sub-section of the four sections for study (for my Leaving Cert we didn't cover Unionism 1870-1914, Sinn Féin 1905-14 or the Suffragettes in Ireland in the 1870-1914 section, France 1920-45 or WW2 in Dictatorship & Democracy, or the First Inter-Party government in the Pursuit of Sovereignty & Impact of Partition) , so it pays to cover the areas you intend to teach in minute detail, my handwriting is small and I came across 22 pages of notes on the Anglo-Irish treaty negotiations. To reiterate what everyone else has said, the textbooks on the market aren't worth a ****: it may be worth your while to find copies of two textbooks from the old course - Eileen O'Brien's Modern Europe and Modern Ireland, excellent from the point of view of information, but the shift in emphasis away from the political on the present course should also be noted. Am still a college student myself, but did a bit of subbing with a Sixth Year class this year because of a maternity leave in a school where a friend is principal.
    Doing your own leisure reading in areas relevant to the course will help as well e.g. if you're doing the Ireland 1870-1914 topic it may be worth your while to read Bew's updated biography of Parnell.


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    #10
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,130 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    There's also the option of the earlier course, which very few places do.


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    #11
    literatefarmer
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭literatefarmer


    I don't know of a single school that teaches Course A, there's never more than about 100 students doing it at any one time across the country, you'd have to be majorly organized. In my own alma mater a teacher I had taught it until his retirement, but he retired in 2006!!!


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    #12
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,130 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    There are no textbooks aimed at it I suppose and some teachers are terrified of subjects without a textbook.
    A pity. It's a nice course.


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    #13
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭gaiscioch


    LC History Project

    Can anybody clarify that for their Research Study Report (RSR) a student can choose to study an event/topic from outside their course topics - e.g. if they are doing Northern Ireland, Partition & Sovereignty, Dictatorship & Democracy & post-WW II Europe as their four LC History topics, they can still chose a subject in, say, South or North America for their RSR? (I'm searching for the relevant document online confirming this but to no avail so far)


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    #14
    Boober Fraggle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 238 ✭✭Boober Fraggle


    There's no problem with that. I don't know the relevant circular number, but I've had students doing it without any issues.


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    #15
    chases0102
    Registered Users Posts: 1,035 ✭✭✭chases0102


    Does anyone know of any publication or Internet link that has exam quality essays?

    Be good to use as exemplars, as some of my students struggle with the actual construction of an essay.


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