Looking forward to seeing you all at our open evening in the school on the 9th September. If you have any questions about AEN in St Mary's, please pop in and say hello!
Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Friday, 5 January 2024
Senior Cycle students are currently studying what many consider to be Shakespeare's finest play; Macbeth.
A stunning piece of drama that examines human psychology, it also looks at humanity's' deepest fears, ambitions and emotions.
Containing some brilliantly written characters the play asks to us to consider what drives human ambition and the role of fate in determining the future. Macbeth sees Shakespeare use his unique blend of language, symbolism and metaphor to create a gripping drama that cause us to reflect
Due to its huge world popularity, the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors on stage and screen.
An excellent study resource can be found here:
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/
A good study of the play can be accessed here:
https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/video-summary/
An excellent summary of the play can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDEyq48CwNw
You can enjoy watching some famous film interpretations of the play and can sample the trailers below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqHhKuCQmoY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp70jXJFX9M
Thursday, 6 October 2022
Frankenstein!!
With Halloween fast approaching it's very appropriate that Fifth Years have begun their study of the very famous novel 'Frankenstein'!!
The novel tells the story of how a brilliant young scientist manages to create a 'monster' or new human being. However this creation sets in place a train of events that ultimately leads to tragedy.
The book has proved hugely popular around the world as being an excellent example of the Gothic genre.
What is equally fascinating is the life of its talented author Mary Shelley, who was only a teenager when she wrote what was to eventually become a best selling novel.
Below are resources to help you understand and appreciate the book and its themes. There is also a link to look at the unconventional and fascinating author Mary Shelley, and the influences behind her work.
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/frankenstein/book-summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48w996th8pY
Saturday, 10 September 2022
Breaking News!!
Reading and analysing news through newspapers, magazines and social media is an invaluable and very useful way to improve literacy as well being more aware of what is going on around us in the modern world. Checking out different news sources also allows us to to avoid bias and lets us be more alert to what is accurately presented to us, especially when a medium such as social media generates so much content every day.
Why not check out the links below to improve your literacy, and your knowledge of topics discussed in CSPE and SPHE class.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
https://www.irishexaminer.com/
Remember, as we learn from History class, always look for more than one source to avoid bias or 'fake news'. Learn about 'fake news' here..
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/c1-reading/rise-fake-news
Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Money, Money Money!
Financial literacy is extremely important. Not just in school but also in daily life outside the school building.
When we go shopping, pay our bus fare, get some foreign currency to go on holidays, buy something online or open a bank account we need to be financially literate.
Being financially literate means to be able to understand money; whether it's notes or coins or in electronic or digital form.
Below are some great resources that can help us get to know money better. Enjoy!
https://ulsterbankroi.mymoneysense.com/home/
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Geography in the News!
Geography is constantly in the news. If we turn on the tv or look at the news on our phones, we will see that everyday there is a news story about Geography. Can you think of any news stories recently that have geography in them?
Here's an example.... the recent volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands, which many of us know as a popular holiday destination.
Keep an eye out in the news for other stories with Geography in them...here's a useful link to help you.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/topic/latest-stories
Tuesday, 5 May 2020
Soils
"The soil is not a mass of dead debris, merely resulting from the physical and chemical weathering of rocks; it is a ....system which has resulted from the decomposition of plant and animal remains. It is teeming with life"
Soil, like air and water, is one of the world's most important natural resources. Because it lies beneath our feet and is often hidden by buildings and roads we may not often think about how much it affects our lives and how much we depend on it.
Soils form very slowly, maybe as little as 1 cm of thickness in 500 years, so we can't just replace them in our own lifetime. Many of our soils are becoming damaged and are at risk.
It is important that we understand our soil and make sure it is there for future generations.
Soil is composed of a number of things. There are mineral particles from rocks that have been denuded by weathering over the years. There is also dead plant material. This is broken down into something called humus which we also find in soil. Micro-organisms break down the dead plant material or litter into humus. Humus holds soil particles together. There is also air in soil to allow the micro-organisms to breathe. Water is also present in soil. The mineral particles in soil are absorbed by water which in turn is absorbed by plants through their roots.
Brown soils are very fertile. Ireland is lucky to have a wide area of brown soils.
Soils form an almost complete skin over the earth, broken only by oceans and other water bodies and by mountains that have yet to develop a soil cover. When you walk through your garden or through fields and woods there is always this amazing carpet, called soil, beneath your feet. But how do soils form?
Firstly, the climate provides agents of weathering like frost, heat and temperature changes that break up rocks over time into mineral particles. Secondly, vegetation which dies is turned into humus by micro-organisms. Thirdly, people can have a major effect on soils. If we over cultivate soils they can loose all their water and minerals. This is what happens when desertification occurs. But people can help soil by allowing it to rest from crop growing or by replenishing it with fertilisers.
There are many different types of soil. some are very fertile and very good for growing crops. Other are not. Brown soils are the best. The other main soils in Ireland are Podzols, Gley and Peaty soils.
Peaty soils are found in bogs. They were made from decomposed plant remains over thousands of years. These soils are often dug out of the Earth as turf and are used as fuel such as peat briquettes or as garden compost.
A sample of peat from the west of Ireland
Soil, like air and water, is one of the world's most important natural resources. Because it lies beneath our feet and is often hidden by buildings and roads we may not often think about how much it affects our lives and how much we depend on it.
Soils form very slowly, maybe as little as 1 cm of thickness in 500 years, so we can't just replace them in our own lifetime. Many of our soils are becoming damaged and are at risk.
It is important that we understand our soil and make sure it is there for future generations.
Soil is composed of a number of things. There are mineral particles from rocks that have been denuded by weathering over the years. There is also dead plant material. This is broken down into something called humus which we also find in soil. Micro-organisms break down the dead plant material or litter into humus. Humus holds soil particles together. There is also air in soil to allow the micro-organisms to breathe. Water is also present in soil. The mineral particles in soil are absorbed by water which in turn is absorbed by plants through their roots.
Brown soils are very fertile. Ireland is lucky to have a wide area of brown soils.
Soils form an almost complete skin over the earth, broken only by oceans and other water bodies and by mountains that have yet to develop a soil cover. When you walk through your garden or through fields and woods there is always this amazing carpet, called soil, beneath your feet. But how do soils form?
Firstly, the climate provides agents of weathering like frost, heat and temperature changes that break up rocks over time into mineral particles. Secondly, vegetation which dies is turned into humus by micro-organisms. Thirdly, people can have a major effect on soils. If we over cultivate soils they can loose all their water and minerals. This is what happens when desertification occurs. But people can help soil by allowing it to rest from crop growing or by replenishing it with fertilisers.
There are many different types of soil. some are very fertile and very good for growing crops. Other are not. Brown soils are the best. The other main soils in Ireland are Podzols, Gley and Peaty soils.
While Brown soils are fertile because of the humus in them created by falling leaves, Podzols are different. They are not as fertile. They have less humus because they are in areas of coniferous trees where not as many leaves fall to create humus. Gley soils are in areas where drainage is poor and much of the nutrients or humus in the soil has been washed down to the bottom of the soil profile through a process called leaching.
Podzols are grey and not very fertile.
Peaty soils are found in bogs. They were made from decomposed plant remains over thousands of years. These soils are often dug out of the Earth as turf and are used as fuel such as peat briquettes or as garden compost.
A sample of peat from the west of Ireland
Check out to see how humus is formed here:
Below are some more resources to help study soils.
Wednesday, 18 March 2020
The Burren
"....where there is not water enough to drown a man,
wood enough to hang one nor earth enough to bury one …" Cromwellian soldier 1651
One of the
most scenic and unique landscapes in the world can be found in The Burren in
County Clare, in the west of Ireland.
The Burren
is a Karst Landscape. This means that the main rock to be found in the area is limestone.
In the
Burren the topsoil above the limestone was eroded or weathered away in the
past. This meant that the exposed limestone underwent chemical weathering.
Chemical
weathering is when rainwater mixes with an element in the air called carbon
dioxide. This mixture is now called carbonic acid. Limestone contains a mineral
called calcium carbonate. Carbonic acid dissolves the calcium carbonate which
means the limestone rock is slowly dissolved over time.
The worn
away limestone rock leaves grooves called grikes. The undissolved limestone
remains as clints.
The dissolved limestone disappears under the limestone
pavement where it can create stalactites (growing down from the roof of a cave)
or stalagmites (growing up from the floor of the cave). If stalactites and
stalagmites meet they form a pillar. Streams in the Burren disappear
underground through swallow holes.
The Burren
in Ireland is a protected area, and is a Global Geopark along with the Cliffs
of Moher.
Due to its
unusual landscape and lack of human activity, the Burren is home to some rare
plants and creatures such as orchids and green moths.
It is also
famous for being an area of Neolithic settlement, and contains the famous Poulnabrone
Dolmen.
The
following video gives a good description of how karst landscapes are formed:
This clip describe the Burren landscape, its geography,
history and archaeology
This is another very useful video on the features of the
Burren
Friday, 13 March 2020
Rivers
“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.”
― Laura Gilpin
A river is a natural channel of water that runs from high land to low land. Rivers drain rainwater from land and lakes and carry it off to the sea. The bottom of a river channel is called the river bed. The sides of a river channel are called banks. Here are some other important key words about rivers.
Source: The point where a river begins
Source: The point where a river begins
Drainage
Basin: The area of land that drained by a particular river and its tributaries.
Watershed:
The boundary or divider between two drainage basins, like the top of a house
rooftop
Course: The
route taken by a river as it flows down towards the sea or ocean
Tributary: A
smaller river that runs into a larger river
Confluence:
The point where two or more rivers meet
Mouth:
Where a river reaches the sea
Estuary: The
part of the river mouth that is tidal as it merges with the sea or ocean.
All rivers
have an upper, middle, and lower course.
In the Upper
Course the process at work is Erosion. The features you will see are Waterfalls, Rapids and a V shaped Valley
The upper
course begins in the hills or mountains. Here the river is smaller and usually
has a rapid,
tumbling
flow that cuts a narrow channel through rocky hills or mountains. It may roll
large boulders
along in
its swift current. The river can create waterfalls where it carves out layers
of soft rock and leaves a cliff of hard rock standing.
It forms
rapids along sloping rocky beds.
In the Middle
Course the process at work is both Erosion and Deposition
The features
you will see are Meanders, Oxbow Lakes
The middle
course of a river has more water than in the upper course. The slope is gentler
and flatter.
Erosion has
widened the channel. Deposition also occurs as some of the material eroded in
the
Upper
Course starts to settle. The river channel has also become deeper. Meanders are
typical
landforms
found in this stage of the river. Oxbow lakes can also occur when the river
cuts through the land in a straight line and cuts off the meander leaving it as
a lake.
In the
Lower Course the process at work is Deposition.
The volume
of water in a river is at its greatest in the lower course. This is due to the
contribution of water from tributaries. The river channel is deep and wide and
the land around the river is flat. Energy in the river is at its lowest and
deposition occurs.
A Delta is a feature often found at the mouth of a river. An example is the Nile Delta. Deltas are formed when a river deposits material faster than the sea can erode it. High banks called Levees can also be seen.
Upper Course of a river, featuring waterfalls and rapids caused by the process of erosion
Middle Course of a river, featuring meanders caused by the processes of erosion and deposition
Lower Course of a river featuring a Delta caused by the process of deposition.
River
Videos
A useful
video on what the ‘profile’ of a river looks like. The profile is what the
river would look like if we could see it from the side.
A nice song to remember the most important river features
and processes!
Monday, 1 October 2018
The Renaissance
About 500 years ago world history changed completely because
of something that happened in Italy.
It was called The Renaissance, which means ‘Rebirth’
What happened during the Renaissance completely changed the
way people thought about areas such as art, architecture, writing, science,
medicine and philosophy.
Just before the Renaissance Europe had been struck by a
horrible plague or disease called the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague which
historians believe killed 1 in 3 Europeans.
After the Black Death had subsided people started to rebuild
Europe. This was to be the start of a new era in which people decided to go
back to the great days of Rome and Greece to draw inspiration for a better way
of living.
The changes they came up with completely revolutionized the
world and effects the way we all live today. Just as Ancient Rome gave us
inventions we still use today, so did the Renaissance.
The Renaissance began in the North of Italy. It started there because there were a lot of rich people or 'Patrons' who could afford to pay people to be artists, sculptors or architects.
These patrons from rich families such as the De Medici family, encouraged people to develop new ways of thinking about art and science.
Patrons helped famous renaissance artists like Da Vinci and Michelangelo come up with some new magnificent works of art. They used new techniques such as perspective and oil paints to make their pictures seem lifelike and real. Some artists studied anatomy to help make their statues and painting more authentic. Their works led the way for art as we know it today.
Architects explored new ways of designing buildings, and drew up plans for some of the magnificent Renaissance style buildings we can still see today. Scientists became more adventurous in exploring the world, and came up with new ideas in medicine and astronomy. Some like Galileo, who challenged old ideas weren't often so popular!
In writing, people like William Shakespeare wrote in the language of ordinary people, the vernacular, so everyone could enjoy reading plays, drama and poetry. The invention of the Printing Press greatly helped with this, and it helped spread literacy to ordinary people.
So all in all, the Renaissance really was a rebirth in so many ways!
Have a look at some interesting video clips about the Renaissance here:
Sunday, 22 April 2018
Ireland's Celtic Christian Heritage
We know from our history that the Celts came to Ireland a few hundred years before Christ, from around Austria and Switzerland, the 'La Tene' area. At first these Celts would of course have been pagan, probably worshiping many different Gods.
However, thanks mainly to the efforts of St Patrick, Celtic Ireland became Christian in the Fifth Century AD. The conversion to Christianity sparked off new developments in art and architecture.
The Christian Celts built monasteries all round Ireland. these were famed for their High Crosses and Round Towers. They also produced magnificent works of art to celebrate their religion, including famous pieces like the Ardagh chalice and Book of Kells.
These photographs below show details from a magnificent High Cross in County Meath. The intricate art work shows passages from the Bible , which helped the monks to explain the passages to the many illiterate people of the time.
The Christian Celts produced beautiful works of art to glorify God, such as the Book of Kells (part of the Bible) and Chalices such as the Ardagh Chalice.
To keep these priceless artifacts safe from invaders such as the Vikings, they were stored in Round Towers in the Monasteries. Were a monastery to be attacked, the monks entered the Round Tower with their valuables by using a ladder to access the door. The ladder was then pulled up into the Tower.
You can read more about our famous Celtic Christian heritage here:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/celtic/celtic_art.htm
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/cultural-history-of-ireland/celtic-style-christian-art.htm
We know from our history that the Celts came to Ireland a few hundred years before Christ, from around Austria and Switzerland, the 'La Tene' area. At first these Celts would of course have been pagan, probably worshiping many different Gods.
However, thanks mainly to the efforts of St Patrick, Celtic Ireland became Christian in the Fifth Century AD. The conversion to Christianity sparked off new developments in art and architecture.
The Christian Celts built monasteries all round Ireland. these were famed for their High Crosses and Round Towers. They also produced magnificent works of art to celebrate their religion, including famous pieces like the Ardagh chalice and Book of Kells.
These photographs below show details from a magnificent High Cross in County Meath. The intricate art work shows passages from the Bible , which helped the monks to explain the passages to the many illiterate people of the time.
The Christian Celts produced beautiful works of art to glorify God, such as the Book of Kells (part of the Bible) and Chalices such as the Ardagh Chalice.
To keep these priceless artifacts safe from invaders such as the Vikings, they were stored in Round Towers in the Monasteries. Were a monastery to be attacked, the monks entered the Round Tower with their valuables by using a ladder to access the door. The ladder was then pulled up into the Tower.
You can read more about our famous Celtic Christian heritage here:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/celtic/celtic_art.htm
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/cultural-history-of-ireland/celtic-style-christian-art.htm
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Welcome to our Open Night!
We are very glad to welcome visitors to our Learning Support Department tonight.
At St Mary's we help all students to achieve success. To achieve this aim we offer support to students who may need help with mainstream subjects or require assistance in other ways to integrate fully into school life.
Follow us on on twitter to learn more. @stmarysls
We are very glad to welcome visitors to our Learning Support Department tonight.
At St Mary's we help all students to achieve success. To achieve this aim we offer support to students who may need help with mainstream subjects or require assistance in other ways to integrate fully into school life.
Follow us on on twitter to learn more. @stmarysls
Friday, 21 October 2016
KEYWORDS!!
When we start learning more about a new subject we find that certain words seem to crop up a lot. These are words that are often used by teachers or are found in our textbooks. We call these words 'KEYWORDS', because by understanding them we then have a 'key' to unlocking the new ideas and concepts that we need to know.
There are some common keywords that we see in nearly every subject. For example, do you know the difference between 'compare' and 'contrast' or between 'explain' and 'describe'?
This useful link below helps us to understand the difference between these key terms...
https://www.studyclix.ie/Blog/Show/Compare,-Contrast,-List,-Suggest-%E2%80%93-understand-the-question-words-used-in-exams
Every subject also has its own key terms. And remember, a word may have a completely different meaning depending on what subject it is being used in. A 'bank' in Geography is different from a 'bank' in business studies for example..
Below are useful links to help understand the different key words in various subjects. Handy to know and memorise!
http://geographyhelp.co.uk/keywords/keywords1.php
http://www.alperton.brent.sch.uk/assets/Forms-Documents/PDFs/Key-Words/History-Key-Words.pdf
http://thephysicsteacher.ie/Literacy%20and%20Numeracy/JC%20Keywords%20Posters.pdf
http://www.allinfo.org.uk/revision-gcse/glossarye.htm
http://studymaths.co.uk/glossary.php
http://www.elsp.ie/subjectsS/JC/examLanguage/Exam%20Language%20Topic%20-%20Science.pdf
When we start learning more about a new subject we find that certain words seem to crop up a lot. These are words that are often used by teachers or are found in our textbooks. We call these words 'KEYWORDS', because by understanding them we then have a 'key' to unlocking the new ideas and concepts that we need to know.
There are some common keywords that we see in nearly every subject. For example, do you know the difference between 'compare' and 'contrast' or between 'explain' and 'describe'?
This useful link below helps us to understand the difference between these key terms...
https://www.studyclix.ie/Blog/Show/Compare,-Contrast,-List,-Suggest-%E2%80%93-understand-the-question-words-used-in-exams
Every subject also has its own key terms. And remember, a word may have a completely different meaning depending on what subject it is being used in. A 'bank' in Geography is different from a 'bank' in business studies for example..
Below are useful links to help understand the different key words in various subjects. Handy to know and memorise!
http://geographyhelp.co.uk/keywords/keywords1.php
http://www.alperton.brent.sch.uk/assets/Forms-Documents/PDFs/Key-Words/History-Key-Words.pdf
http://thephysicsteacher.ie/Literacy%20and%20Numeracy/JC%20Keywords%20Posters.pdf
http://www.allinfo.org.uk/revision-gcse/glossarye.htm
http://studymaths.co.uk/glossary.php
http://www.elsp.ie/subjectsS/JC/examLanguage/Exam%20Language%20Topic%20-%20Science.pdf
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Always on the move…
What's under your feet? Well, depending upon where you are
now, it could be dirt, rock, or grass. But what's really under your feet? If
you were to dig straight down, what would you find? And how far could you dig?
Could you really dig a hole all the way down to Australia?
First Year Geography
students are often surprised when they learn just what exactly our planet is
composed of. Our planet is made up of a
number of layers .We live on the solid outer crust of the Earth, containing our
continents, seas and oceans, which is about 8-30 km deep.
Under the
crust lies the Mantle; this is mainly composed of a very hot substance called
magma. Below the mantle is the Core. This is our planet’s deepest, hottest
layer.
The Core is made
up of two parts; The ‘Outer Core’ and ‘Inner Core’.
The
Outer Core is about 25500 Km and is made up of liquid metals such as uranium
and platinum. Its temperature can be as hot as 5000 Degrees Celsius. Compare
that with today’s temperature!
The Inner
Core is about 100km thick and is like a solid ball of Iron.
The Earth’s
Crust is cracked in many places. At some of these cracks magma spills out.
Magma that comes out on the Earth’s surface is called lava. If a lot of lava
erupts at once a volcano can form. Sometimes a lot of lava spills out and cools
down to form new crust made out of igneous rocks.
The plate
crack or ‘Boundary’ between Europe and America is under the Atlantic Ocean. It
gets wider by about the width of a finger every year. You can see it on Google
Earth. This means we are actually moving away from America!
In other
parts of the world, plates sometimes collide or slip under each other, and melt
when they come into contact with the magma in the mantle.
All this
movement by plates happens very, very slowly over time but it does mean that
the continents and oceans of the Earth are constantly changing position because
the plates underneath then are shifting. We call this ‘Continental Drift’.
If you look
closely at a map of the Earth you will see it like a large jigsaw; in fact
Africa and South America were once stuck together many years ago! We know this because
many of the rocks in both continents are similar.
Finally, have
a look at this amazing video clip to see how the plates and continents have
caused our continents to drift over time. Ireland was actually once on the Equator;
imagine where we will be in millions of years’ time!
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
How Green does our Garden Grow!
St Mary's has always prided itself as a school committed to protecting our environment. Five Green Flags are proof of that!
This year some of our Sixth Years undertook a gardening project to continue to promote these objectives.
The project involved reconverting a piece of unused ground into a vibrant, living herb and flower garden. Our student gardeners like to be as organic as possible, so converting school rubbish into fertilizer was also very important.
Not only does gardening allow us help the environment, it also helps students develop skills in areas such as Biology,Mathematics and Geography. This is because when students garden they have to use mathematical skills for measuring, planting and weighing materials Geographical skills are used to analyse soil types and temperature, We use biology skills to appreciate and record the best conditions in which plants will thrive and grow.
Check out the photos below which show the progress of garden over the past weeks. More to follow in spring when our plants begin to bloom!
At first our gardeners had a lot of digging and clearing up to do!
But things progressed nicely!!
Soon we were able to purchase equipment for our garden such as tools, fertilizer, protection and recording equipment.
By mid October we planted Daffodils and Crocuses. We had also prepared our seed beds to plant herbs in spring. We put in compost heaps to recycle household rubbish and weeds. We also prepared our window boxes to display some of our plants around the school when they come up. Here's hoping our efforts will prove 'fruitful' in Spring!!
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
Welcome back everybody!
A warm welcome to all our returning students and to those new students joining us at St Mary's.
We'll sure you'll have as much enjoyment and success during your secondary education as last year's Sixth Years did!
The Learning Support Department provides the extra help and support students might require, delivered by our Resource and Learning Support Teachers, with SNA support when necessary.
Feel free to use the resources on our blog here and over on twitter at Mr Burke@stmarysls
We will also be available to answer any questions from prospective new students and their parents and guardians during our Open Night on Tuesday September 8th. Looking forward to seeing you then!
A warm welcome to all our returning students and to those new students joining us at St Mary's.
We'll sure you'll have as much enjoyment and success during your secondary education as last year's Sixth Years did!
The Learning Support Department provides the extra help and support students might require, delivered by our Resource and Learning Support Teachers, with SNA support when necessary.
Feel free to use the resources on our blog here and over on twitter at Mr Burke@stmarysls
We will also be available to answer any questions from prospective new students and their parents and guardians during our Open Night on Tuesday September 8th. Looking forward to seeing you then!
Friday, 6 February 2015
Why
did the chicken cross the road?
It
was the next step after coming down from the trees.
Evolution
Fifth Year biology students are currently studying one of
the most interesting-and indeed one of the most controversial topics in
Science- The Theory of Evolution.
The Theory of Evolution is most associated with the
famous English scientist Charles Darwin, who described it in his famous book of
1859: “On The Origin of Species”
You can read about Darwin’s life and discoveries here:
The theory states that there is a large genetic variation
within every population of organisms. Population size stays constant as the
organisms produce many offspring.
This then means that there is a lot of competition between the organisms for
resources within their environment. Only the organisms best equipped to get
these resources will survive in the long run...this is known famously as “Survival of the Fittest”
The better adapted organisms...e.g. the strongest and
fittest animals will survive longer then, as they will secure more and better
resources. The theory of Evolution states that these organisms or animals will
outbreed the weaker organisms in the population. Therefore, they will produce
more offspring who will share their parents’ stronger genetic makeup and
characteristics. This means then that each new generation of organisms will
become better adapted to their surrounding environment. This is also often
referred to as the principle of “Natural
Selection”
Darwin developed his ideas on Evolution after travelling
around different parts of the world. On a voyage to the continent of South
America, his observations led him to the hypothesis or theory that species
change slowly over time or Evolve-
to be better suited to their surroundings or Environment.
While travelling through the South American Grasslands or
‘Pampas’ he noticed a species of hare- (The Patagonian Hare) which was far
better suited to its environment than the rabbit. He concluded that over time
the Patagonian Hare had evolved differently to make better use of the resources
such as the plants it ate for nutrition in its environment. (Indeed, the native
Irish Hare is slightly different to Hares found elsewhere in Europe.)
Darwin believed further proof of his theory was to be
found on the Galapagos Islands of the coast of South America. He noticed that
tortoise species had long or short necks depending on how high the vegetation
was on each of the islands. On islands where the plants the tortoise ate had
high branches or stems, the tortoises had long necks, whereas the opposite applied
on islands where the plants were not as tall; here the tortoises had smaller
necks. An Adaption is a trait or
characteristic that helps organisms (plants and animals) become more suited to
their environments. Fitness is how
successful an organism can keep reproducing.
The Theory of Evolution argues that Variations can exist within a species’ population. Some individuals
within the species are better adapted so they can survive and reproduce. Extinctions occur when previous
adaptions are no longer suitable for the species to survive in their environment. Can you think of any
species or organisms that have become extinct?
Darwin examined other species, such as a bird called the
Finch. Check the link below to read an article on how scientists who
re-examined the Finch again recently explain why they can see new examples of evolution.
Darwin’s Theory was hugely controversial when he published
it. Many people took Bible accounts of creation very literally, and thought his
work was scandalous at the time.
When Darwin first told one of his friends about the idea
he was working on he said it was like ‘confessing a murder’!
This was because many people were extremely angry with
him because they believed that god had created all species of plants and
animals and that they always stayed the same.
Darwin’s ideas also meant that
human beings were not special creatures; they had evolved too just like every
other animal had. Darwin concluded in 1871 in another book “The Descent of Man”
that humans had evolved from the Ape; this really annoyed and upset many
people.
Read about reaction to his theories by clicking on the
links below:
Darwin went on to win many awards and prizes for his work.
His ideas are central to modern biology and science. Even though there are people
who still dislike his theories, it cannot be denied that he is still considered
to be one of the most important scientists of our times.
Play the Evolution game here and see if you can help a
species survive by adapting to their environment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)