Ireland · NCCA Curriculum Specifications
2nd Year The Power of Words: Exploring Literacy and Expression
This course develops Year 2 students as confident communicators through immersion in diverse texts and creative expression. Students refine their decoding skills while building deep comprehension and expressive writing abilities across multiple genres.
Storytellers and World Builders
Students explore the structure of narrative texts and develop their ability to create compelling characters and settings.
Analyzing how authors use descriptions and actions to reveal what a character is like and why they act.
Examining how sensory details help a reader visualize the time and place of a story.
Identifying the beginning, middle, and end of stories to understand narrative flow.
Information Seekers
Focusing on non-fiction texts to help students extract facts and understand how information is organized.
Learning to use headings, captions, and glossaries to find specific information quickly.
Distinguishing between statements that can be proven and statements that reflect a personal belief.
Organizing facts into logical categories to create an informative report on a chosen topic.
The Rhythm of Language
Exploring poetry and wordplay to develop phonological awareness and an appreciation for creative expression.
Identifying and creating patterns of sound to enhance the musicality of language.
Using comparative language to create vivid pictures in the reader's mind.
Developing oral fluency and expression by performing poems for an audience.
Persuasive Voices
Investigating how language is used to influence others and learning to construct logical arguments.
Identifying the techniques used in advertisements and speeches to convince an audience.
Learning to state a point of view and support it with relevant reasons.
Adapting speech style and vocabulary based on the situation and the listener.
The Mechanics of Writing
Refining grammar, punctuation, and spelling to ensure clarity and precision in written communication.
Using full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks to guide the reader's voice.
Moving beyond simple sentences to create more complex and interesting writing.
Applying phonetic knowledge and visual memory to spell unfamiliar words.
The Reading-Writing Connection
Synthesizing skills to respond to literature and create original works inspired by mentor texts.
Expressing personal opinions and making connections between texts and personal experiences.
Identifying specific techniques used by favorite authors and attempting to use them in original writing.
Reviewing and improving drafts to enhance clarity, detail, and correctness.