Exploring Tramore Beach

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ST Name: Kym Fox

ST Number: 40036679

Class Level: 2nd & 3rd Class

Date: 19/05/25

Subject: History

Time: 13:20

Duration: 40 Minutes

No of Pupils: 27

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Curriculum Strand(s)

Local Studies

Strand Unit(s)/Element(s)

My locality through the ages

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Learning Outcomes / Content Objectives

Students will:

• Study a period or periods in the history of Tramore Beach, a local summer destination, focusing on the 1930s-1950s compared to the present day.

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Learning Objectives

1. The child should be enabled to explore and interpret historical evidence (pictures and stories) relating to Tramore Beach from the 1930s-1950s to understand how life and the environment have changed over time.
2. The child should be enabled to work collaboratively in groups to analyse historical data and communicate findings, developing critical thinking and comparison skills by identifying similarities and differences between past and present-day Tramore.

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Assessment

1. Method: Group discussions and completion of a structured question sheet based on the evidence pack, including visual and written sources.
2. Assessment of: Pupils' ability to observe, interpret, compare and communicate historical information collaboratively.
3. To be recorded: Teacher observations during group work and final group answers to questions demonstrating comprehension of local history.

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Teacher Questioning

Lower order questions (Closed Questions):

1. When were these photos of Tramore Beach taken? (I)
2. What activities can you see people doing in the past photos? (D)
3. Is Tramore Beach crowds bigger or smaller now compared to the past photos? (I)

Higher order questions (Open Questions):

1. Why do you think Tramore Beach was popular during the 1930s-1950s? (C)
2. How do you think the experiences of visitors to Tramore Beach have changed over time? (C)
3. What might cause these changes between past and present Tramore? (C)

I = Introduce / D = Develop / C = Consolidate

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Language Development Opportunities

• Vocabulary related to history (e.g., historian, evidence, past, present, local lore)
• Oral language development through group discussion and reporting back
• Use of descriptive language for observations about pictures and stories

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Literacy Development Opportunities

• Reading historical texts adapted from Dúchais stories on Tramore
• Writing clear responses to question prompts
• Developing sequencing skills by placing events/photos in chronological order

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Teaching Methodologies

Primary methodologies are underlined

• Talk and Discussion
• Collaborative/Co-operative Learning
• Active Learning
• Skills Through Content
• Using Local Environment
• Problem Solving

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Lesson Breakdown

Introduction (8 minutes)

• Stimulus: Show a picture of present-day Tramore Beach and ask, “What do you know about this place?”
• Elicit Prior Knowledge: Ask children to share if they or their families have visited Tramore before and what they remember.
• Share Learning Intention:
  • Today, we will be historians and explore how Tramore Beach looked and felt a long time ago using photos and stories.
  • We will work in groups with evidence packs to discover what life was like, then compare the past to the present.

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Development (25 minutes)

• Group Work Setup: Pupils split into 6 groups (4 or 5 pupils each).
• Evidence Packs: Each group receives:
  • Photographs of Tramore Beach from the 1930s-1950s showing beach scenes, families, games, and landmarks
  • Selected stories from the Dúchais website focusing on local lore, popular activities, and notable events at Tramore during this time
  • A structured question sheet guiding them to examine evidence and answer:
    1. What can you see in the photos?
    2. What kinds of activities did people do at the beach?
    3. What do the stories tell us about life at Tramore in earlier times?
    4. How is Tramore Beach today different or similar compared to the past?
• Teacher Role: Circulate to support group discussions and facilitate deeper thinking with probing questions.
• Comparison Activity: Groups will then look at a small set of present-day Tramore photos and short current stories supplied by the teacher to compare with the historical evidence.

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Conclusion (7 minutes)

• Cognitive: Groups share one interesting difference or similarity they found between Tramore past and present.
• Social: Celebrate how everyone worked together as 'historians' to learn about our locality’s history.
• Transition: Summarise the importance of history in helping us understand how places change over time and how we can learn from stories and pictures from the past.

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Universal Design for Learning

Pupil(s)	Reason(s)	Method(s)	Additional Comments
Pupils with reading difficulties	Literacy support needed	Provide simplified stories and visual aids	Use oral explanations and peer support
Pupils with attention difficulties	Engagement challenge	Frequent movement during group work	Small, focused tasks in groups aid concentration
EAL Learners	Language support	Use of pictures and vocabulary scaffolds	Visual supports reduce language barriers

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The Learning Environment

Resources:

• Evidence packs (printed photos, printed stories from Dúchais)
• Structured question sheets for each group
• Present-day photos and current short stories of Tramore Beach
• Whiteboard and markers for group report-back
• Historical timeline displayed (optional, for context)

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Notes for Teachers:

• Encourage creative thinking by asking children to imagine life without modern conveniences.
• Emphasise respect for local heritage and how small communities grow and change.
• Link with Geography by discussing coastal features and environment if time permits.
• This lesson fosters skills highlighted in the IE Curriculum Framework: questioning, critical thinking, communicating ideas, working collaboratively, and developing a sense of place.

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Kym Fox – 19/05/25