Is TY too early to begin studying for the LC

gg820

Hi! I'm currently in school abroad for TY to improve my French for the LC. I don't have to do all classes here so I end up having quite a lot of time free. So, I was thinking of starting to study 2, maybe 3 LC subjects, or starting to work through the course so I have a good foundation for 5th year. The to subjects I would start with are Irish and French, both for written skills as I know I will have no problem with the orals. Is this too early to start? If not, how would you suggest starting? any advice would be appreciated

jeonahr

If you have the spare time, then go ahead with it. As long as it's not something you're stressing over or will be stressing over I think that it's a good idea.

Seeing as you're abroad, I wouldn't know what to recommend for work experience and other programmes as such considering you must be under someone's supervision or a programme of some sort.

I think that studying for the languages is a good idea because it's more skill based subjects rather than memorisation so over time you'll be able to build up your Irish and French.

gg820

Thanks. I don't have a programme as such, I just go to scghool and do as I please on weekends and holidays, so I'm not sure what the best use of all my free times is besides starting the LC course.

spurious

Never too early. You have a great opportunity in France to improve your oral skills and general cultural awareness of the French world.

Read some French novels to help with your writing. Enjoy!

gg820

That’s a good idea, I’ll give it a try!

Noveight

Will you be hoping to do HL English? It's a fairly big workload and TY would be a great opportunity to become familiar with some of the poets and texts you may be starting in 5th year.

gg820

Noveight wrote: »

Will you be hoping to do HL English? It's a fairly big workload and TY would be a great opportunity to become familiar with some of the poets and texts you may be starting in 5th year.

Yeah I would hope to do all higher expect Maths which I’ll take OL in

Noveight

gg820 wrote: »

Yeah I would hope to do all higher expect Maths which I’ll take OL in

Excellent, best of luck!

wheresmahbombs

Speaking of HL English, I might do it. I failed JC HL English with a 'Partially Achieved' grade as my critical thinking skills weren't (and still aren't) up to snuff, which is highly tested in the Junior Cycle English exam, but not so much in the LC exam, with rote recall playing a bigger part, which I'm definitely not bad at. Though I respect the bigger emphasis on critical thinking in the new JC exam, as it has been a major problem in the Irish education system for quite some time now.

Celtron

I would highly recommend you study french in ty, i wish I did, you’ll thank yourself when you get to 6th year. I’d do a lot of oral work and practice as this is trickiest for leaving cert students, expand your vocabulary as much as you can the same you a person would learn so called “fancy words” in English as this will set you apart from the rest in the written section. Duolingo is a good resource to use , and use reverso.net rather than google translate as it’s more accurate. I’m in leaving cert this year and I can tell you even small things will help you improve your french like changing the language on your phone to french and if you have an iPhone practice little oral pieces with siri, and listen to french music (Stromae is a good artist even if you’re completely knew to french)

wheresmahbombs

I have Memrise on my phone, which features more intricate lessons. I really should start using it more often.

Celtron

Memrise is a good one too, Learn french with Jen on YouTube is good so is LogicLearning french on YouTube, since I had to make a new account I’m not allowed post the URL as I’m a “new user”
Try get some grammar workbooks. One of our textbooks this year is Triomphe au Bac I’d recommend you get it , has its own sample listening papers, grammar revision and hard comprehensions which will make the leaving cert ones a lot easier

wheresmahbombs

Thanks. I'll look into those YouTube channels.

X6.430macman

Did I seriously read the title of this thread right??

sryanbruen

X6.430macman wrote: »

Did I seriously read the title of this thread right??

Why, what's wrong with the title?

wirelessdude01

More than enough time to be studying. TY is essentially a gap year away from the stress of study. Just enjoy it.

sryanbruen

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

More than enough time to be studying. TY is essentially a gap year away from the stress of study. Just enjoy it.

TY is a load of ****e (it was the most boring year of my life), better to be productive and getting some study done now than stress about it entirely in 5th and 6th year. Depending on your perspective, you'll be lazy coming into 5th year after doing little to nothing in TY. And if you're me, you'll have little motivation to do things. Thanks a lot TY :mad:.

mirrorwall14

I know your school may not be doing it but look up the genius project. I ran it in our school last year. Students said it was the hardest thing they had done because they had never been challenged to explore their own interests with the only restriction being time. However it was also the project they most enjoyed and they all talked about it in their interview at the end of the year

http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/

wheresmahbombs

I think this is absolutely essential and should be compulsory.

sryanbruen

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

I know your school may not be doing it but look up the genius project. I ran it in our school last year. Students said it was the hardest thing they had done because they had never been challenged to explore their own interests with the only restriction being time. However it was also the project they most enjoyed and they all talked about it in their interview at the end of the year

http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/

Ha me and wheresmabombs’ school would never have anything like that. It is a sad state of affairs that is the case. I would love that genius hour thing.

wheresmahbombs

I hope my TY's end-of-year interviews go well. I don't think last year's TY had good interviews from what I heard from my year head in the first day of TY, they said that they did nothing in TY.

mirrorwall14

wheresmahbombs wrote: »

I think this is absolutely essential and should be compulsory.

To be fair, we’ve only had it two years and students do complain a lot initially! We do it so that students have work to do during show rehearsals where they may not be on stage or involved in every scene or dance.

We put no restriction on type of presentation or work done (with the exception of one refusal on a student who wanted to make weapons)

Some ideas: researching careers or topics that interest you, writing music, stop motion camera work, creating sport videos or training manuals, physical project work such as learning to embroider, redecorating furniture, learning an instrument.

Students get more or less free reign, hence why it is a challenge and students find the lack of scaffolding (college style) difficult at first but by and large most embrace it.

There are no drafts, help is only given when requested and the deadline is absolute. Extensions may only be granted if requested a week in advance.

The goal is more than the project it is to equip students with some of the skills they need to longer projects in college

sryanbruen

wheresmahbombs wrote: »

I hope my TY's end-of-year interviews go well. I don't think last year's TY had good interviews from what I heard from my year head in the first day of TY, they said that they did nothing in TY.

I wonder why they did nothing in TY :rolleyes:, 'cause it was absolutely **** and boring.

spurious

sryanbruen wrote: »

I wonder why they did nothing in TY :rolleyes:, 'cause it was absolutely **** and boring.

...in some schools.

As has been pointed out many times, it depends on the TY class. It is supposed to be student driven. if you have a group that want to sit around and moan and not initiate anything, that's what you get.

sryanbruen

spurious wrote: »

...in some schools.

I am talking about me and wheresmabombs' school obviously. You'd have to be very stupid to think it's the exact same in all schools.

wheresmahbombs

So back to choosing levels for English. My mam said I should do OL English so I can focus on the sciences etc. However, I am less likely to achieve 600 points if I do OL English.

twiz

Just on the main topic of this thread -

Tbh I would put all effort into getting the most out of TY - getting experience outside school. Some aspects of the LC you could - and maybe should focus on - are languages and music if you do it, as these are subjects you really build on over time and are better not crammed into two years. But honestly, I would be doing my best to get the most out of TY, doing work experience, programmes etc. Whatever you do, don't stress about the LC yet. That would just be a huge waste of your year. Enjoy it!:)

wheresmahbombs

Speakimg of languages, I'm already using Memrise for French.

randylonghorn

sryanbruen wrote: »

You'd have to be very stupid to think it's the exact same in all schools.

Agreed, but the way you post (and you post about this a lot) tends to be about TY in general, not about "TY in my school"; e.g.

sryanbruen wrote: »

TY is a load of ****e (it was the most boring year of my life), better to be productive and getting some study done now than stress about it entirely in 5th and 6th year. Depending on your perspective, you'll be lazy coming into 5th year after doing little to nothing in TY. And if you're me, you'll have little motivation to do things. Thanks a lot TY :mad:.

sryanbruen

randylonghorn wrote: »

Agreed, but the way you post (and you post about this a lot) tends to be about TY in general, not about "TY in my school"; e.g.

Well, I mean, I can't comment on other schools' TY curriculum or other students' TY experiences. I can only comment on my own.

The part about me being lazy/poorly motivated coming into 5th year is a common complaint I find with students who had attended TY and teachers whom teach the students in the 5th year. As a result, I thought I'd say for others to be productive now than then. That's not to say to do your own hobbies and learn some practical or life skills at all but to not be doing them all the time and then coming into 5th year feeling very lazy and not able to do anything because it's all very academic. I don't want others to be like that or feel that way. You can enjoy your "break year from exams" as much as you can be a bit productive in preparing for the future so you won't have everything come at you just so suddenly and be lost. I care a lot for the wellbeing and mental health of students. Other students' stress (never mind myself) terrifies me.

Yes I should have stated TY in my school or from my own experience is ****e but even then, I think it'd be common sense that I would mean that? No?

randylonghorn

sryanbruen wrote: »

Yes I should have stated TY in my school or from my own experience is ****e but even then, I think it'd be common sense that I would mean that? No?

Perhaps, but as you get older you'll probably come to realise that "common sense" is an oxymoron, in that it isn't especially common at all!

sryanbruen

randylonghorn wrote: »

Perhaps, but as you get older you'll probably come to realise that "common sense" is an oxymoron, in that it isn't especially common at all!

Interesting, haven't seen anybody describe "common sense" as an oxymoron. I see it so often used - including by myself - that it becomes a cliché.

wheresmahbombs

TY in me and sryanbruen's school lacks focus.
I know self-motivation is important, but we are given too many subjects, which may be an advantage for the unmotivated, but make things egregious for the motivated students (like me) who already know their future career. There are pointless (from a personal future career standpoint) subjects that I am forced to do, including Food Safety (2 hours of my wasted time every Wednesday) and History (which I already did, on to Music now). I just want to work on my Mini-Company business and do the subjects I enjoy like Maths and the 3 core sciences, but I can still cope with school's problems, which shows my high attendance. I have been absent for just 1 day this year, on 27 September, while I have had a 100% attendance record last year (minus dentist/orthodontist appointments involving my retainer, which I will hopefully stop using next Wednesday).

Lack of focus isn't just a TY problem, it's a problem with Irish schools in general.

randylonghorn

wheresmahbombs wrote: »

... including Food Safety (2 hours of my wasted time every Wednesday)

Being slightly facetious here, I'll admit, but when you're in self-catering accom in college years those Food Safety hours might stand to you!

twiz

Yeah I found classes a waste of time in TY - try spend as much time out of class, especially if you're good at self-motivation!

gg820

twiz wrote: »

Just on the main topic of this thread -

Tbh I would put all effort into getting the most out of TY - getting experience outside school. Some aspects of the LC you could - and maybe should focus on - are languages and music if you do it, as these are subjects you really build on over time and are better not crammed into two years. But honestly, I would be doing my best to get the most out of TY, doing work experience, programmes etc. Whatever you do, don't stress about the LC yet. That would just be a huge waste of your year. Enjoy it!:)

Thanks for the advice! I do do music and I have been practicing the piano more and more every day !

wheresmahbombs

I already own an LC Biology leaflet which I have scratched the surface of.

Celtron

Im in 6th year, not being cocky but always been naturally bright enough but trust me when I say I wish I put my time in ty to better use, you'll save yourself a lot of stress when it comes to 6th year trying to balance finishing your courses and revising 5th year material, not saying that its not doable because it is but it will be beneficial to you if that makes sense?

wheresmahbombs

That's what I'm talking about. Get started with it ASAP.

naxmax9

This is what I'm doing. In TY too. I already have 3 applied Maths Questions tackled. I've done a good bit of Physics, Chem, and Bio. Improving my French and Irish. Studying 2020 LC Poems for English. Learning the LC HL Maths topics. Have a LOT of Economics done.

I plan on doing Computer Science or Engineering in Uni.

AP Maths is pretty hard but I'm managing. I love Relative Velocity.

Physics is my all time favorite subject. So interesting

Chemistry is my least favorite Science but I still enjoy learning it. I like Science in general

Biology is great subject and a nice one to study

Mathematics HL is incredibly hard. THIS is the one subject you should at least look over a bit in TY

Irish is fine

English is my second favorite subject

And I like French too.

To be honest I didn't really do TY for TY. I did it to study for the LC. I'm not lying. I don't care about any of the TY activities. I did it to get 1 extra year to study for the LC. I HAVE to make sure I get enough points to do the course I want because I don't want to repeat

sryanbruen

naxmax9 wrote: »

This is what I'm doing. In TY too. I already have 3 applied Maths Questions tackled. I've done a good bit of Physics, Chem, and Bio. Improving my French and Irish. Studying 2020 LC Poems for English. Learning the LC HL Maths topics. Have a LOT of Economics done.

I plan on doing Computer Science or Engineering in Uni.

AP Maths is pretty hard but I'm managing. I love Relative Velocity.

Physics is my all time favorite subject. So interesting

Chemistry is my least favorite Science but I still enjoy learning it. I like Science in general

Biology is great subject and a nice one to study

Mathematics HL is incredibly hard. THIS is the one subject you should at least look over a bit in TY

Irish is fine

English is my second favorite subject

And I like French too.

To be honest I didn't really do TY for TY. I did it to study for the LC. I'm not lying. I don't care about any of the TY activities. I did it to get 1 extra year to study for the LC. I HAVE to make sure I get enough points to do the course I want because I don't want to repeat

I did TY..... because I was forced to do it in my school. I wanted to move to another school just to skip TY.