This lesson introduces the concept of old and older to the children, exploring the images children have of older people. The lesson sets the scene for the remainder of the lessons at this level and introduces a number of concepts that will be expanded in other lessons - for example, ageing and the passing of time, the signs of ageing, the contribution made by older people to the family and to the community and what older people work at.
The Online activities in the lesson introduce the children to the four main characters that they will meet throughout the Online activities.
The overall aim of the theme Cé atá aosta? is to enable the child to:
The objectives of this lesson are to enable the child to:
For Activity 1 in this lesson, you will need some photographs or pictures of older people - from a newspaper, magazine, or printed from this CD-ROM. Choose a range of pictures - healthy, independent older people and some frailer, more dependent older people. For Activity 3 in this lesson, the children will also need drawing materials.
The Online activities include the following words: Colm, Niamh, Úna, Mamó, Daideo, iontráil an focal ceart, cé acu is sine? imirt, caint, dath, t-léine
| Lesson plan | Discussion Look and respond Draw a picture Poem Scéal Scéal Scéal |
What
do older people look like? Older people in our school books Who is old? When? Pól, an fear poist An fear cúraim An seanmháistreas scoile |
| Online
activities (as Gaeilge) |
Pop-up
facts Pick one Pick one Cloze procedure |
Introducing
the main characters What is my name? Who is older? Young and old |
Ask the children who they consider to be old. As the children are likely to consider everyone older than themselves is old, move the discussion to older people over the age of 65 and allow the children to describe those older people. Then, display one or more of the photographs or pictures of an older person and discuss the pictures.
Ask the children to draw a picture of an older person whom they know. If they include any signs of ageing in their drawings, for example, grey hair, wrinkled faces, walking stick, etc. etc. discuss them with the class. Discuss what older people look like and what they do, based on the photographs and on the children's drawings. The following questions may be helpful:
It is worth making the point that age is relative and also to try to give a balanced response if the children have ageist attitudes. For example, they may say that older people cannot see properly. Some older people have problems with their eyesight, some do not. Some wear glasses and can see as well as anyone. Those who have problems with their eyesight can read large print books from the library. They can listen to the radio instead of reading the newspapers.
Focus on the books the children use in the classroom, examining the older people in the books. The following questions may be helpful:
Ask the children to draw a picture of themselves and then to colour it in.
On a small piece of card, ask the children to draw a picture of an older person whom they know well, for example, Grandad or Gran or an aunt or uncle. When they have finished the drawing, ask them to colour it and to give the picture to somebody old they know.
Following on from the drawing and colouring activity, you can talk to the children about their age and the age of people that they know, as follows:
Begin to explore where older people live:
Ask the children when they go home to ask their older brother or sister, Mam or Dad who they think is old. The objective of this activity is to begin to appreciate that age is relative.
When? is a poem by Christy Kenneally that explores the passing of time. You will find When? in the Alive O Teacher's Book, part of the Children of God series published by Veritas. Read the poem to your class.
Discuss the poem with the children, to explore the passing of time using events the children know well. The following questions may be helpful:
Age is related to the passing of time – as time moves on, we all get a little older. Try the old puzzle: "What goes up and never comes down" (answer: your age!)
As a follow-up to the poem, ask the children to bring in a photograph of an older person when the older person was a child and a photograph of the older person now - the older person can be any adult, a parent or a person over 65. Discuss these photographs briefly with the children. The objective of this activity is to help the children understand the passage of time.
Léigh an scéal seo don rang:
"Is mise Pól, an fear poist. Bhí mo lá breithe ann inné. Bhí mé 64 bliain d'aois. Bhí orm dul ag obair cé go raibh mo lá breithe ann. Bímse i mo shuí gach maidin nuair a bhíonn tusa fós i do chodladh i do leaba theolaí. Téim go dtí oifig an phoist chun na litreacha a bhailiú. Téim timpeall an bhaile ar mo rothar. Gach maidin téim chuig eastát beag ar imeall an bhaile. Tá go leor daoine aosta ina gcónaí san eastát seo. Tugann mo chara, Séamus, atá níos sine ná mise, cuireadh dom buaileadh isteach chun cupán tae a ól. Tá Séamus ina chónaí ina aonar. Ní fhanaim ró-fhada leis mar go bhfuil go leor oibre le déanamh agam. Tá aithne agam ar go leor daoine. Cuireann sé seo áthas ar mo chroí. Deir gach duine "Dia duit" liom.
Seo an bhliain dheireanach a mbeidh mé ag rothaíocht. Beidh mé ag éirí as an obair an bhliain seo chugainn. Tá athrú mór tagtha ar an saol ó thosaigh mise ag obair mar fhear poist na blianta ó shin. Tá na páistí go léir a bhí ann, nuair a thosaigh mé ag obair, fásta suas anois agus imithe ón áit. Tá níos mó gluaisteáin agus trucail ar an mbóthar freisin. Ní raibh ach cúpla fón ar an mbaile na blianta ó shin agus ní raibh fón láimhe ag éinne!"
Discuss the story with the class. The following questions may be useful:
Léigh an scéal seo don rang. Tá tábhacht ar leith ag baint leis an scéal má tá fear cúraim sa scoil agus go dtuigeann na leanaí go bhfuil sé i bhfad níos sine ná iad fein.
"Táimse I bhfad níos sine ná gach duine sa rang seo ach mar sin féin tagaimse ar scoil gach lá freisin. Tugann gach duine Seán mar ainm orm. Bím an-ghnóthach. Tá go leor oibre le déanamh agam gach lá. Ach ní bhím sa seomra ranga mar a bíonn sibhse - ag imirt, ag tarraingt pictiúir, ag léamh, ag scríobh agus ag canadh.
Mise a chuireann slacht ar an scoil. Scuabaim agus glanaim na seomraí ranga nuair a bhíonn sibhse imithe abhaile gach tráthnóna. Cuirim an bruscar go léir sna boscaí bruscair. Is mise a osclaíonn an geata agus doirse na scoile sula dtagann sibh ar scoil. Is mise a chuireann na geataí agus na doirse faoi ghlas nuair a théann sibh abhaile gach tráthnóna. Cén bhaill a bheadh ar an scoil muna dtiocfainn ar scoil gach lá - mar a dhéanann sibhse!"
Discuss the story with the children. The following questions may be useful:
The objective of this discussion is to emphasise that this older caretaker plays an important part in the school life, which is full of younger people. If the local school has a younger caretaker, emphasise that this story is evidence that older people like Seán in the story can do just as good a job as a younger person.
If you have a caretaker in your school, young or old, invite him or her into the classroom to talk to the children about the work they do.
Léigh an scéal seo don rang.
"Dia duit. Máire is ainm dom. Is múinteoir scoile mé. Táim ag múineadh scoile le breis is daichead bliain. Bhí mise ag múineadh nuair a bhí do Dhaidí agus do Mhamaí ina leanaí. Is maith liom a bheith ag múineadh. Is breá liom buaileadh le cailíní agus le buachaillí mar sibhse gach lá. Bíonn na daltaí ag foghlaim i rith an lae ach bíonn go leor spraoi againn le chéile sa seomra ranga freisin.
Is fearr liom glacaíocht a mhúineadh seachas aon ábhar eile. Cé go bhfuilim níos sine anois is breá liom na daltaí a thabhairt go dtí an halla. Múinim dóibh conas cispheil agus cluiche corr a imirt agus gluaiseachtaí a dhéanamh le ceol. Nuair a bhíonn cluiche peile á imirt againn bíonn ionadh ar na buachaillí nuair a scóráilim cúl ina gcoinne d'fhoireann na gcailíní!
Tá an saol athruithe go mór ón am a thosaigh mé ag múineadh. Ní aon teilifís, físeáin, nó ríomhairí ann an uair sin. Shiúil na páistí ar scoil agus tháinig cuid acu ar chapall agus cairt! Sa lá atá inniu ann tá teilifíseán agus físeáin i ngach teach agus tá ríomhairí ag go leor páistí anois. Tá teilifíseán ,físeán agus ríomhairí againn sa scoil seo agus bímse i gcónaí ag foghlaim conas na gléásann seo a úsáid."
Discuss this story with the children. The following questions may be useful:
The objective of this story is to help the children to appreciate the passage of time and the inevitable changes that occur and to realise that an older person, for example the school teacher, can still have a youthful approach to life.
This lesson provides opportunities for many cross-curricular activities and links directly to the curriculum for primary schools as follows:
| SPHE | Myself and the wider world | Developing citizenship |
| History | Myself and my family | My family |
| Drama | Explore feelings, knowledge and ideas | Exploring
and making drama |
The key questions for this lesson include: