Ireland · NCCA Curriculum Specifications
2nd Class Young Explorers: Investigating Our World
A hands-on science curriculum for 2nd Class students focusing on the interconnectedness of living things, the properties of materials, and the forces that shape our environment. Students engage in active inquiry to develop scientific skills through observation, prediction, and fair testing.
Living Wonders and Habitats
Students explore the diversity of plants and animals in their local environment and understand the basic requirements for life.
Identifying and naming a variety of plants and animals in the immediate school environment.
Observing the growth of plants from seeds and identifying the functions of different plant parts.
Understanding how our bodies move and the importance of nutrition and exercise for growth.
Materials and Their Magic
An investigation into the properties of everyday materials and how they can be changed by heating, cooling, or force.
Testing materials for characteristics such as flexibility, transparency, and waterproofness.
Exploring how heating and cooling can change materials from solids to liquids and back again.
Investigating what happens when different substances are mixed together.
Forces, Energy, and Motion
Exploring how things move and the role of light and sound in our daily lives.
Identifying forces in action and how they affect the speed and direction of objects.
Investigating light sources and how shadows are formed and changed.
Exploring how sounds are made and how they travel to our ears.
The Earth and Beyond
Studying the features of the Earth, the weather patterns, and our place in the solar system.
Examining different types of rocks and the composition of local soil.
Recording weather data and understanding the impact of weather on people and nature.
Observing the apparent movement of the sun and the changing shape of the moon.
Design and Engineering
Applying scientific knowledge to solve problems and build functional structures.
Exploring how the shape of a structure affects its strength.
Designing a simple filtration system to clean dirty water.
Investigating how levers and wheels make work easier.