Big Picture Summary (of Changes in the Revised The Arts, Grades 1-8)

The Arts, Grades 1-8 revised Curriculum Policy Document

In 2007 the Ministry completed feedback consultations for the draft of proposed revisions to The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8, The Arts. Input from this process and other consultations was analysed and used to guide further revisions to the draft curriculum policy document.

To facilitate implementation, a copy of the revised curriculum document will be posted on the Ministry website in May 2009. Print copies of the document will be distributed to school boards and schools beginning in summer 2009. Mandatory implementation of this document begins in September 2009. Training sessions for implementation to support the delivery of the revised curriculum document in schools were held across the province during the fall of 2008. Boards of Education were invited to send a team of 8 representatives to these training sessions.

Summary of Changes in the Revised The Arts, Grades 1-8
• There is a reduction in the number of expectations.
• There are now 4 strands in the Arts document: dance, drama, music and visual arts (dance and drama have been separated).
• The overall expectations have been directly linked to specific expectations, using a numbering system. Closer links between overall and specific expectations prevents ‘orphan’ expectations and will promote greater clarity of instructional and assessment processes.
• The organization of the revised material is done by grades and not by strands, as was presented in 1998.
• The specific expectations begin with explorations of the arts with reference to personal experiences within the students’ own community at the Primary level, broader community at the Junior level, and global considerations and contemporary issues at the intermediate level.
• There are two artistic processes identified in the introduction of this document to support effective learning in the arts:
o the creative process;
o the critical analysis process.
These processes are interconnected, imbedded into the entire curriculum, and can be seen as the processes through which students acquire and apply artistic knowledge and skills.
• Inclusion of the cognitive and affective aspects of the art forms in the expectations. The affective and cognitive domains are both important; students must think and feel in the arts.
• Increased reference to promoting social justice, anti discrimination, global issues (e.g. the environment) and equity because of the strong connection between identity, culture, and the arts.
• Emphasis on many ways of knowing and communicating what we know and understand through the four (4) artistic expressions.
• A table detailing Fundamental Concepts for each strand at each grade level.
• Teacher prompts or suggestions for student work to support/extend teacher understanding of the arts expectations are presented in the English-language curriculum policy document. Teachers are asking for some more support with the “how” and by embedding some instructional ideas into the teacher suggestions associated with the expectations, the curriculum begins to address this need. In the French-language curriculum policy document, prompts are part of the examples.
Expansion of glossary including:
a. More terminology with definitions, examples, and symbols/diagrams where necessary for understanding (e.g. musical symbols).
b. Terminology organized by common or generic terms and concepts related to the arts and arts pedagogy, as well as by strand.
• Examples begin to reflect the greater diversity of our global society.
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis arts and artists, Canadian arts and artists and cross cultural references are evident in some examples or prompts.
• Enhanced description of the role of parents/guardians, students, teachers, administrators, and community partners.