You are very welcome to Miss McCarroll’s P6 class page.

Check back here for regular updates on our activities, events and achievements throughout the year. We hope you find our page informative and fun!

We look forward to another exciting and busy year and to making new special memories together. 

Term 1A topic - The Irish Famine 

What will we be learning about?

In this topic, we will explore a very important and sad time in Irish history called The Great Irish Famine, which happened between 1845 and 1852. During this time, a disease called potato blight destroyed the potato crops that many families depended on for food. This led to hunger, illness, and the loss of many lives. Many people also had to leave their homes and move to other countries to survive.

We will learn about:

• What caused the famine and how it affected people’s lives.
• What life was like for children and families during this time.
• How people tried to survive and what help was (or wasn’t) given.

The journeys people made to escape hunger, including emigration to other countries.

To help us understand what it was like, we will be reading the novel Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna. This story follows three brave children—Eily, Michael, and Peggy—as they travel across Ireland during the famine in search of their family and safety.

Through this topic, we will use:

• Stories and historical sources to learn about real events.
• Art, drama, and writing to express what we’ve learned.
• Maps and timelines to understand when and where things happened.
• This topic will help us think about how people show courage and kindness in difficult times, and why it’s important to remember the past.