Students in schools across Ontario require consistent, challenging programs that will capture their interest and prepare them for a lifetime of learning. They require knowledge and skills that will help them compete in a global economy, and allow them to lead lives of integrity and satisfaction, both as citizens and as individuals. The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8 outlines the knowledge, skills, and high standards of learning required to meet these goals.

The arts curriculum set out in this document is significantly more rigorous and demanding than previous curricula. This curriculum includes a broader range of knowledge and skills and introduces many skills in earlier grades. For example, students in Grade 1 are expected to use the elements of design (e.g., line, colour, texture, shape) in the visual arts, and students in Grade 4 must begin to read standard musical notation (e.g., whole notes, half-notes, quarter-notes).

Where previous policy documents identified general outcomes for Grades 3, 6, and 9 only, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: The Arts, 1998 gives precise and detailed descriptions of the knowledge and skills required for each grade. The provision of detail will eliminate the need for school boards to write their own expectations, and will ensure consistency in curriculum across the province. This consistency will be helpful to students who change schools, and will help parents in all regions to have a clear understanding of their child’s progress.