| aerial perspective | the device of using fading colour and tone to create an illusion of space in a painting |
| aesthetic awareness | the ability to look with unders tanding at art works and make a personal response to them |
| appliqué | a picture or pattern created by stitching pieces of fabric to a fabric background |
| batik | a colour design or composition created by waxing sections of a piece of cloth before dyeing, so that the waxed sections remain uncoloured |
| coil and pellet design | small coiled and rolled or carved clay motifs that have been attached to a clay surface in a decorative design |
| coil pot | a pot made by laying rolls of clay on top of one another and building them up to create a hollow form |
| collage | an image or design created by sticking materials such as paper, card, fabric, printed material and string to a base |
| complementary colours | colours that intensify each other and are opposite each other on the colour wheel, for example red and green |
| cool colours | the blues, blue-greys and blue-greens, which appear to recede in a painting |
| crayon transfer | achieved by covering a sheet of paper in wax crayon of various colours and drawing on a second sheet placed on top so that some of the crayon prints out as a coloured drawing on the underside of the upper sheet |
| found objects | everyday objects that can be used, for example in a collage or to create stamps for print- making |
| harmonious colours | colours that blend well together and are close to each other on the colour wheel |
| hue | the basic characteristic of a pure colour, for example red, green |
| imagery | the marks, lines, shapes, figures and objects that make up a composition |
| linear perspective | the illusion that parallel lines meet at a point on the horizon, for example railway lines, used in drawings and paintings to give the illusion of depth |
| lithography | a method of printing that depends on the mutually repellent actions of grease and water |
| low relief | a type of sculpture in which the forms are not free - standing but are attached to a background (as on a coin) |
| mask-out | a technique in printing for pro tecting an area of the design from colour when inking up |
| media | materials and tools used by artists |
| monoprint | a once-off print taken when, for example, a clean page is pressed down on a surface that has been covered with printing ink or paint and then drawn on |
| mosaic | a design or tonal effect created by arranging ver y small pieces of coloured marble, stone or glass on a background; in school, pieces of coloured fabric on paper may be used |
| non-representational art | art that makes no reference to actual things seen |
| outline drawing | an image created in line only, without solid areas of tone or colour |
| overlapping | placing one shape in front of another to give a three - dimensional effect in a composition |
| pattern | created by the repetition of discernible shapes, colours and/or textures in a composition |
| photogram | a type of print achieved when objects that have been arranged on light-sensitive paper are exposed to light in a dark room |
| pinch-pot | a pot made by hollowing out a kneaded ball of clay with the fingers and building it up by pinching out the sides |
| primary colours | the three basic colours (red, yellow and blue) that cannot be mixed from other colours but can be used to mix all the other hues |
| relief printing | printing from a block whose design or image stands out in relief |
| rhythm | the flow, with variation, of lines, shapes, colours and/or textures in a composition |
| schema | the marks, lines and shapes (i.e. set of symbols) that are the child's interpretation of familiar figures and objects, for example using a circle for a body with stick-like limbs or a circle and two parallel lines for a tree |
| screen-printing | a technique for printing a flat image through a fine mesh that has been stretched over a frame |
| silhouette | an image presented as flat shape in a drawing or painting |
| slab building | working with slabs of clay that have been rolled out or cut from a large lump with cutting wire |
| soft sculpture | three-dimensional forms made from flexible materials such as fabric |
| stabile | a sculptural construction in space that is fixed to a base (in contrast to a mobile, which hangs) |
| stencil | a cut-out shape or motif in paper or card that is placed on a surface and sponged, sprayed or brushed with paint to reproduce the shape or motif |
| symbol | a simplified drawing that stands for a figure or object (see schema) |
| texture | how a surface feels to touch, or its representation in a medium such as paint |
| tone | the lightness or darkness of a colour |
| vernacular architecture | the building style that is typical of an area or region, and of a particular time |
| warm colours | the reds, oranges and yellows, which appear to advance in a composition |
| wax-resist | drawing with wax crayon or candle on a page so that the drawn are as will resist a subsequent colour wash |
| whirler | a small circular rotating stand |
This curriculum has been prepared by the Curriculum Committee for Arts Education established by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
| Chairpersons | Kieran Griffin | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Michael O'Reilly | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| Committee members | Eibhlín de Ceannt
(from 1995) | Department of Education and Science |
| | Evelyn Dunne-Lynch
(to 1995) | National Parents Council -- Primary |
| | Emer Egan
(to 1995) | Department of Education and Science |
| | Pauline Egan | Catholic Primary School Managers' Association |
| | Sarah Gormley
(from 1995) | National Parents Council -- Primary |
| | Michelle Griffin
(to 1996) | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Sr Maria Hyland | Association of Primary Teaching Sisters / Teaching Brothers' Association |
| | Noel Kelly | Irish Federation of University Teachers |
| | Maureen Lally-O'Donoghue | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Pádraig Mac Sitric | Department of Education and Science |
| | Dympna Mulkerrins | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Goretti Newell | Catholic Primary School Managers' Association |
| | Kay O'Brien | Management of Colleges of Education |
| | Ruairí Ó Cillín | Department of Education and Science |
| | Colum Ó Cléirigh | Irish Federation of University Teachers |
| | Gillian Perdue
(to 1993) | Church of Ireland General Synod Board of Education |
| | Br Patrick Ryan
(to 1995) | Teaching Brothers' Association /Association of Primary Teaching Sisters |
| | Mary Ryng | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Joy Shepherd | Church of Ireland General Synod Board of Education |
| Education officers | Regina Murphy | |
| | Catherine Walsh | |
To co-ordinate the work of the Curriculum Committees, the Primary Co-ordinating Committee was established by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
| Chairperson | Tom Gilmore | |
| Committee members | Sydney Blain
(from 1995) | Church of Ireland General Synod Board of Education |
| | Liam Ó hÉigearta
(from 1996) | Department of Education and Science |
| | Dympna Glendenning
(to 1995) | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Fionnuala Kilfeather
(from 1995) | National Parents Council -- Primary |
| | Éamonn MacAonghusa
(to 1996) | Department of Education and Science |
| | Fr Gerard McNamara
(from 1995) | Catholic Primary School Managers' Association |
| | Peter Mullan | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Sheila Nunan
(from 1995) | Irish National Teachers' Organisation |
| | Eugene Wall | Irish Federation of University Teachers |
| Co-ordinator | Caoimhe Máirtín (to 1995) | |
Assistant Chief
Executive Primary | Lucy Fallon-Byrne (from 1995) | |
| Chief Executive | Albert Ó Ceallaigh | |