“Learn your language well and command it well, and you will have the first component to life.” — Edward Roscoe Murrow
“The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.” ~Derek Walcott
Our English Department aims to give priority to the study and acquisition of the language skills, both oral and written, needed for adult life.
For senior cycle English, we endeavor to develop our students’ higher level thinking skills (analysis, inference, evaluation etc.) and improve on the more formal aspects of written English.
Furthermore, developing students’ knowledge and appreciation of literature is of paramount importance.
Assessment
Throughout fifth and sixth year, students prepare for a terminal exam, divided into two papers.
PAPER 1
There are TWO sections.1. Comprehending (100 marks) 2. Composing (100 marks)
1. Comprehending includes three texts. These texts are centred on a single theme e.g. Freedom
After reading each text, students chose one, answering questions on it’s content. (PART A – Worth 50 marks) These texts might be an article, review, speech, extract from a novel etc.
From a different text, students must answer Part B. This could be a series of diary entries, a letter or an informal speech. (PART B – Worth 50 marks)
2. Compositions are also based around this central theme.
The Composition (or essay in informal terminology!) is worth 100 marks.
Register and the LANGUAGE AREAS (i.e. information, argument, persuasion etc.) having being practiced and honed throughout 5th and 6th year are vital. For instance, your writing for a “popular magazine” will be a bit different to that used in a “serious newspaper or journal”
PAPER 2
Link to prescribed English curricula for 2012, 2013, 2014.
http://www.education.ie
There are THREE sections which students prepare to write on.
1. The Single Text (60 marks) e.g. Hamlet, Shakespeare, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte.
Students read, study, analyse and respond to the plot, characters, relationships, central themes and imagery throughout the English Leaving Certificate Programme.
2. The Comparative Study (70 marks)
Students develop the skills to find links between three comparative texts, under prescribed modes of study (For Higher Level – Vision and Viewpoint, Theme or Issue, Literary Genre and Cultural Context.)
e.g. Accessing the similar and different treatments of the theme of love in the novel Purple Hibiscus, the play Sive, John B. Keane and the film Inside I’m Dancing, dir. Damien O’ Donnell. Similar to the single text, in depth knowledge and appreciation of texts are important. However, the aim of the comparative study is for students to find similarities and differences between each work, in relation the modes of study.
3. Poetry (70 marks)
“A poem begins with a lump in the throat.” ~Robert FrostPrescribed Poetry (50 marks)
Students study six poets from a prescribed eight on the syllabus. Students study six to eight poems for each poet. Knowledge of each poem’s content is important (themes, quotations, language, style etc.) However, students should also concentrate on personal response i.e. how or why a poem affected them.
Unseen Poem (20 marks)
Students read a poem which wasn’t prescribed on the syllabus and answer a question on its content – e.g. responding to a theme or the imagery evoked.
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Occupations associated with English
Teaching – Schools, Colleges, Universities, Teaching English Abroad.
The Arts – Author, Songwriter, Playwright, Poet. Artistic Direction, Theatre.
Media – Journalism, publishing, TV and Radio, Copywriting, Events Management.
Influencing – Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing, Retail Management, Sales.
Helping – Social Work, Youth Work, Probation Work, Nursing.
Professions – Law, HR, Banking, Accountancy, Insurance.
Information – Librarianship, Archives, Information Officer, Bookseller.
Public Sector – Administration, Civil Service, Heath Service, Local Government, Police/Armed Forces.
Post Graduate Study: MA, PhD, Journalism, Business, Film, Computing Courses.
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