P6/7 have been exploring what life was like for children during the Victorian Era. As we approach
Christmas, we decided to look at toys and games children would have played with during that time.
We learned that quite often poorer children would have made their own toys and peg dolls were
very popular at the time. P6/7 had a go at making some of their own.

In order to deepen our understanding of Victorian life, today we created timelines of key events which occurred during the Victorian era. We were surprised to find that exciting events such as the first FA Cup was held in 1872 as well as how the Victorians gave us some of the inventions we take for granted today such as the stamp and the telephone.

P6/7 have started to explore what life was like during the Victorian era as part of our World Around Us work. Today we had a discussion based on what we know about Victorian life and carried out some research using a variety of printed and digital resources. We remembered that our class story, A Christmas Carol, was based during the Victorian era and used that as the basis of what we know. After our discussion, we explored how to use Microsoft Word to create a table to make a K (know) W (want to know) H (how we will find our answers) and L (Learned) grid.

This week we had a go at building their own miniature thatched roof cottages, similar to those many people (including the O’Driscoll family from Under the Hawthorn Tree) would have had in 1800s Ireland. The boys and girls used clay to create their cottages before painting them and adding spaghetti which acted as the straw for our thatched roofs.

Throughout this week we have been looking at famous memorials dedicated to the memory of The Famine throughout the world. These included Dublin, Liverpool and New York. In particular we focused on a sculpture by John Behan in Murrisk. We discussed why Behan chose his design, what he made it from and the significance of where he decided to locate it. We then used iPads to design our own memorials dedicated to The Famine. These designs were based on what we have learned over the past few weeks and the images that come to mind when we think of The Famine.

Thursday (26th September) was European Languages Day. P6/7 celebrated by putting their Irish language skills to the test and having a go at using a cúpla focal. We learned how to greet each other, introduce ourselves and describe how we are feeling. Afterwards, P6/7 carried out some independent research on their family names to explore their origins. We were surprised to find some of our family names had links throughout mainland Europe.

This week we have been exploring what life was like in workhouses which were active during the era of The Famine. We had a look at some illustrations from that time as well as examples of workhouses which are still standing, including The Enniskillen Workhouse  which has been converted into an information centre. Afterwards we had a go at creating our own 3D interiors and exteriors of workhouses.

Today we discussed what we meant by cause and effect and after exploring some of the key events which occurred in 1845 - 1852 we used Venn diagrams to decide if these events were causes of the Great Famine, effects or both.

This week we carried out group research on some of the key events which occurred in Ireland from 1845 - 1852 which would have had significant impacts on the lives of those experiencing famine. After we agreed on the events which we thought were the most important we created timelines demonstrating the order the events occurred.

P6/7 have started to explore what life was like in Ireland during an Gorta Mór/The Great Famine as part of our World Around Us work. Today we had a discussion based on what life would have been like in Ireland during the mid 19th century and carried out some research using a variety of printed and digital resources to find out some facts about The Famine. We then explored how The Famine influenced Ireland today, particularly through literature, as we began to read Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna. After our discussion, we explored how to use Microsoft Word to create a table to make a K (Know) W (Want to know) H (How we will find our answers) a grid.