Ireland · NCCA Curriculum Specifications
3rd Year Exploring Our World: Landscapes and Livelihoods
This course introduces Year 3 students to the dynamic relationship between people and their environments. Students develop spatial awareness through map work while investigating physical processes and human settlements across Ireland and the wider world.
The Local Environment and Map Skills
Students explore their immediate surroundings and learn to represent the physical and human features of their locality through symbols and scales.
Developing foundational skills in plan views, symbols, and cardinal directions using the school grounds as a primary laboratory.
Comparing ground-level perspectives with bird's-eye views to identify patterns in land use and settlement.
Physical Systems: Rocks and Soil
An investigation into the Earth's crust, focusing on the formation of rocks and the vital role of soil in supporting life.
Identifying different types of rocks and understanding how they are formed through heat, pressure, and erosion.
Examining what soil is made of and why it is a non-renewable resource essential for food production.
Weather, Climate, and the Water Cycle
Exploring atmospheric patterns and the continuous movement of water between the land, oceans, and sky.
Tracing the stages of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation within the global water cycle.
Using instruments to collect weather data and identifying the difference between daily weather and long-term climate.
Settlement and People
Analyzing why people choose to live in specific locations and how they organize their communities.
Investigating the historical and geographical reasons for the location of towns and cities, such as rivers and resources.
Comparing the services, transport, and lifestyles found in busy cities versus quiet countryside areas.
Contrasting Parts of the World
A comparative study of life in Ireland versus a contrasting environment, focusing on climate, culture, and daily life.
Examining how people adapt to life in desert regions through architecture, clothing, and water management.
Exploring how goods travel around the world and how we are linked to people in other countries through the things we buy.
Environmental Care and Sustainability
Focusing on the impact of human activity on the planet and how students can contribute to a more sustainable future.
Identifying local biodiversity and understanding the threats posed by pollution and habitat loss.
Learning about the difference between finite resources and renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.