Skip to content

Publication of redeveloped Primary School Curriculum

Find out more

Strands of Study

In addition to the ability to understand and apply the concepts, laws and theories of science, students come to understand the purposes and principles underpinning the practice of science. Through studying Leaving Certificate chemistry, students gain an understanding of the ideas which underpin the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data so that they can handle scientific evidence effectively. In justifying their conclusions they consider the validity and reliability of their data and appreciate the limitations of scientific evidence. As they present their work they develop skills in scientific communication and argumentation. The scientific practices outlined in this unit are learning outcomes in themselves and apply to all learning outcomes throughout the four units in the specification.

Description here

Students learn about Students should be able to
Hypothesising
    •  use observations as the basis for formulating a hypothesis
    •  apply their knowledge and understanding of science to develop arguments or draw conclusions related to both familiar and unfamiliar situations
    • compile and interpret data or other information gathered from print, laboratory, and electronic sources (including web sites) to research a topic, solve a problem, or support an opinion
    • make predictions and generalisations based on available evidence

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Experimenting
    • identify variables and select appropriate controls
    • design, manage and conduct practical investigations and also investigations based on secondary data
    •  collect, organise, interpret, present and analyse primary and secondary data with and without ICT
    • describe relationships (qualitatively and/or quantitatively) between sets of data, recognising the difference between causation and correlation
    • distinguish between statistical and systematic uncertainty and identify appropriate methods to reduce these
    • recognise uncertainty as a limitation of the process of measurement and appreciate the difference between accuracy and precision
    • *conduct an open-ended investigation

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Evaluating evidence
    • critically examine the scientific process that was used to present a scientific claim
    • appreciate the limitations of scientific evidence
    • make judgments and draw informed conclusions arising from their own and others’ investigations and consider the reliability and validity of data
    • make predictions on the behaviours of systems based upon interpretation of numeric, graphic and symbolic representations
    •  evaluate the ethical issues embedded in scientific decision-making processes

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Communicating
    • communicate the procedures and results of investigations by displaying evidence and information in various forms, for example flow charts, tables, graphs, and laboratory reports
    • discuss, debate, reflect on and critically evaluate the outcomes of investigations ,their own and others
    •  read and evaluate scientific explanations of everyday phenomena in books, websites, promotional literature, popular science magazines, etc.

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

    • Context Examples

      www.action.ncca.ie

Students learn about Students should be able to
Reflection
    • *investigate experimentally the relationship between an object and its image in a plane mirror
    • *investigate experimentally the relationship between object distance, image distance and

    (i) focal length
    (ii) magnification, for a curved mirror

    • construct diagrams that illustrate reflection at plane and curved mirrors
    • use experimental and theoretical techniques to analyse and solve problems on reflection at plane and curved mirrors
    • discuss uses of plane and curved mirrors
    • explain how an echo is formed and discuss echo imaging using ultrasound as a diagnostic device in medicine

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Refraction
    • construct and interpret ray diagrams for refraction at plane and curved surfaces
    • *demonstrate refraction at plane and curved surfaces
    • discuss applications of refraction
    • *investigate the relationship between angles of incidence and refraction and determine experimentally the refractive index and critical angle of translucent materials
    • discuss applications of mirrors, lenses and optical fibres in optical appliances
    • describe the optical structure of the eye
    • *investigate the relationship between object distance, image distance and focal length for a converging lens
    • solve problems involving refractive index, critical angle, and lenses, including magnification and power
    • solve problems involving refractive index in term of the speed of light in different media

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Interference
    • apply the properties of waves and the principle of superposition to explain wave interference
    • *investigate and analyse interference patterns for electromagnetic, sound and water waves
    • examine the conditions necessary to produce a standing wave

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Electromagnetic spectrum
    • demonstrate dispersion
    • discuss the properties of electromagnetic radiation in terms of their wavelength and frequency
    • analyse colour combination and filtering
    • discuss the effects of different atmospheres on ultraviolet and infrared radiation
    • discuss applications of infrared radiation

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Diffraction
    • demonstrate diffraction
    • compare diffraction of sound waves with diffraction of light waves
    • demonstrate the wave nature of light using a double slit
    • *investigate interference patterns using a diffraction grating
    • solve problems using the grating equation

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment

Students learn about Students should be able to
Sound intensity level
    • discuss dB(A) levels of common sounds, the frequency response of the human ear and the threshold of hearing
    • relate sound intensity level to hearing impairment and the need for ear protection in industry and work situations

    • Key Concepts

      KeyConcepts

    • Teaching and Learning

      TeachingLearning

    • Assessment

      Assessment
Successfully added to the clipboard.