Ireland · NCCA Curriculum Specifications
2nd Year Creative Explorations: Discovering the Visual World
This course encourages Year 2 students to explore their environment through diverse artistic media and techniques. Students develop visual literacy and expressive skills by engaging with drawing, paint, clay, and construction while responding to the work of established artists.
Lines, Marks, and Making
Students explore the fundamental elements of drawing by experimenting with different tools and surfaces to express movement and texture.
Investigating how different types of lines can represent feelings and physical objects in the world around us.
Using graphite and crayons to capture the physical feel of surfaces through the technique of frottage.
Observing facial features and using line to convey personality and emotion in self-portraits.
Color Worlds and Paint
An introduction to color theory where students learn to mix secondary colors and explore the emotional impact of different palettes.
Hands on experimentation with primary colors to discover how to create a full spectrum of hues.
Using color and brushwork to express moods and atmospheric conditions in landscape painting.
Studying the work of famous painters to understand their unique use of color and light.
Form and Space in Clay
Students develop tactile skills by manipulating clay to create three dimensional forms and relief sculptures.
Learning the fundamental technique of the pinch pot to create functional and decorative containers.
Using joining techniques like slip and score to build imaginative animals or figures.
Creating flat clay slabs and pressing objects into them to explore depth and pattern.
Printmaking and Patterns
Exploring the world of multiples by creating stamps and prints using found objects and simple blocks.
Discovering the printing potential of everyday items like sponges, corks, and leaves.
Using a single motif to create a rhythmic design across a large surface.
Creating unique, one off prints by drawing directly into ink on a smooth surface.
Construction and Architecture
Students use recycled materials to build structures, focusing on balance, stability, and spatial awareness.
Using cardboard and tape to explore how to make tall structures that stay standing.
Working in groups to design and build a miniature city with different types of buildings.
Creating 3D masks that transform the wearer into a character or creature.
Fabric, Fibre, and Weaving
An exploration of textiles where students learn basic weaving, collage with fabric, and the history of cloth.
Learning the over and under pattern of weaving using colorful strips of paper.
Creating pictures by layering and gluing different types of cloth and thread.
Looking at textiles from different cultures and times to understand how they are made.