Geography

In Geography you will study about places, people and what shapes the environment. You will learn how the environment influences people, and how they change the environment. You will develop your ability to draw and understand maps, graphs and diagrams, as well as studying photographs and collecting information outside the classroom through fieldwork.

What will I learn in Geography?

Some of the things you will learn include:

• Where people live (the human habitat) and why they live there (population and  settlement patterns)

• The natural world and what influences and shapes it

• The world of human activities and what influences and shapes it

• How to get and use information from different sources such as textbooks,  maps, photographs, graphs, diagrams, newspapers, DVDs and the Internet.

Is learning Geography anything like what I did in primary school?

In primary school, you have studied Geography as part of SESE. You have also learned about many geographical ideas through studying the local, national and global environment. Junior Cycle Geography builds on these geographical ideas.

Will Geography have anything to do with other subjects I will be studying?

In your studies of Geography, you will develop your communication skills as you would in English. You will study tables and draw graphs as in Mathematics. Geography, like Science, is concerned with the environment. Geography and CSPE both include themes such as care for the environment and issues concerned with the unequal division of the world’s wealth and resources.

How will Geography be useful to me?

Everybody uses geography in their daily lives. When you think of where to go on holiday or wonder what tomorrow’s weather will be like, you are thinking geography. When you look at an atlas map, or a town plan, or a weather map, you use what we learn in Geography. Geography prepares you for careers in town planning, outdoor pursuits education, weather forecasting, tourism and transport. Geography keeps you informed of topics which arise in conversation, current affairs, newspaper reports, and on TV, such as climate change, renewable energy and aid to poorer nations.