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 individuals. The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8 outlines the knowledge, skills, and high standards of learning required to meet these goals.

The language 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, development of paragraph writing is now introduced in Grade 3 and emphasis on independent proofreading for spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation in Grade 4. The requirements for each grade in the section on writing now include specific subsections focusing on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and visual presentation, and, in the section on reading, skills such as phonics are identified. Specific uses of technology are incorporated, such as the use of CD-ROM dictionaries. Oral communication skills are described in greater detail, and specific skills of analysis and critical thought related to the media have been added. Teachers are also required to develop a reading program that challenges students to read and respond thoughtfully to works of classic and contemporary literature that are recognized for their quality and literary merit.

>Where previous policy documents identified general outcomes for Grades 3, 6, and 9 only, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Language, 1997 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, will ensure consistency in curriculum across the province, and will facilitate province-wide testing. Province-wide 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.