Structure and presentation
The content of the visual arts curriculum for third and fourth classes is presented in two sections:
- a section entitled 'Concepts and skills development', which outlines the concepts and skills the child should develop as he/she engages in art activities
- a section comprising six s t rands, each of which is a medium for visual ex p ression. Two inter related strand units form the strands, the first of which sugges ts a range of art-making activities. The second sugges ts activities in looking at and responding to the visual environment and to art works. Activities in one strand unit inform activities in the other and together they provide the context for learning in art. Exemplars are shown in italic type throughout the content section. They are suggestions, and there f o re not prescriptive .
The strands for third and fourth classes
The child at third and fourth-class level will draw and paint with greater detail and with a more developed sense of context. He/she will enjoy drawing and painting, from direct observation, subjects that would include still life, views of the surroundings or a classmate. Devices such as overlapping will be used to suggest space in depth on a page.
The child will enjoy mixing more complex colours and tones and will recognise and experiment with warm and cool colours and with complementary colours for the effects they create. Print-making techniques will include monoprinting, and he/she will make prints for functional use as well as for their own sake, using a variety of techniques.
The child will enjoy making and decorating clay pots and figures as well as working in low relief. There would also be opportunities to make papier mâché masks. Construction activities include planning and making a building complex with spaces for multiple use. The child will also have opportunities to stitch a design in appliqué, weave a wallhanging or make a soft toy in fabric and fibre. Work will be enriched by opportunities to see how artists express ideas and solve problems that relate to the child's own work.
Selecting content
The programme should be broad and balanced and should be planned to ensure continuity and progression and to obviate significant gaps. During the two-year period the child should experience interrelated activities, as suggested by the strand units, in all the strands.
Linkage and integration
Opportunities for linkage (i.e. within the visual arts curriculum) and for integration (i.e. cross-curricular integration) are indicated at the end of each strand. Linkage can be achieved in the following ways:
- through concepts and skills development in the different media, for example developing awareness of colour through painting and printmaking and through work in fabric and fibre
- through activities that develop a theme in a number of media, for example developing the theme 'waiting at the bus stop' in drawings, paintings or clay and in a mixed-media piece to create a wall frieze.
Opportunities for integration (especially with music, drama and dance) should be identified when the visual arts programme is being planned. Careful planning will ensure that visual arts objectives are clearly defined within integrated activities.