Course Outline

Year 1:

Students introduced to:

Health & safety in the workshop. Hand tools and power tools

Trees - Native softwoods and hardwoods, cross section. Seasoning & conversion of timber.

Defects in timber

Year 2:

Woodturning, Veneering, adhesives,

Begin junior certificate section A short questions.

Year 3:

Emphasis on design/freehand sketching of projects/orthographic projection.

Junior certificate project design/manufacturing

Project Work

Year 1:

Emphasis on learning basic functions of individual hand tools and their correct use. Model making where students design and manufacture models such as a boat, aeroplane, car/truck, helicopter. Seasonal projects ie. Christmas crib or tree, St Patricks day logo. In the latter half of the year students are introduced to traditional woodwork joints such as T Halving, Dovetail Halving, Mortice & Tenon.

Year 2:

More emphasis on projects similar to what can be expected at Junior Cert, for example, a spice rack and mirror stand. Students again design their own projects. Students also are introduced to traditional joints.

Year 3:

Junior certificate projects issued late October and students work on this until end of April.

Assessment

Students must present their own unique project with accompanying folder, (student are issued with a choice of 3 projects at the end of October and must chose 1). Student must therefore have decided on what level they will be doing before selecting a project as choices for higher and ordinary level are different.

Project together with folder accounts for approximately 40% of overall exam.

Written paper in June consists of section A and section B. Section A contains 20 short questions and 16 must be answered and section B consists of 5 long questions of which 3 must be answered. This accounts for the other 60% of the marks.