Canada · Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Grade 3 The Arts
An integrated arts curriculum that encourages Grade 3 students to explore visual arts, music, dance, and drama. Students develop technical skills while learning to interpret and critique various forms of artistic expression.
01Visual Worlds: Elements and Design
Students explore the building blocks of visual art including line, shape, color, and texture through hands-on creation.
Investigating how different types of lines create structure and convey emotion in a composition.
Understanding geometric and organic shapes, and how to create the illusion of 3D form on a 2D surface.
Exploring primary and secondary colors through mixing and identifying them in artworks.
Understanding how warm and cool colors affect the mood and feeling of an artwork.
Learning to use different shades of a color, from light to dark, to create depth and contrast.
Developing techniques to create the illusion of depth and the feel of surfaces on a flat plane.
Exploring how artists create the illusion of distance and depth using foreground, middle ground, and background.
Understanding how artists arrange elements to create visual balance, both symmetrical and asymmetrical.
02Rhythm and Sound: Musical Foundations
Students investigate musical notation, rhythm patterns, and the diverse sounds of instruments from around the world.
Understanding steady beats and how tempo changes the feel of music using percussion and body movements.
Exploring simple rhythmic patterns and learning to read and write basic musical notation for rhythm.
Exploring high and low sounds and how they combine to create memorable musical phrases.
Understanding how individual pitches create melodies and how multiple pitches can sound good together (harmony).
Exploring how varying the volume of music (dynamics) can change its expression and impact.
Identifying instruments from the string and woodwind families and exploring how they produce sound.
Identifying instruments from the brass and percussion families and exploring their unique sounds.
Exploring diverse musical traditions and instruments from various cultures.
03Stories in Motion: Dance and Movement
An exploration of how the body moves through space to communicate ideas and tell stories.
Developing physical coordination and understanding the range of motion of individual body parts.
Differentiating between movements that travel through space and those that stay in one place.
Navigating the performance area using high, medium, and low levels, and various directions.
Exploring different floor patterns and group formations to create visual interest in dance.
Understanding how to vary the force, speed, and flow of movements to express different qualities.
Connecting musical rhythms and beats to movement, creating dances that align with music.
Creating short movement sequences that represent a specific character or plot point.
Working as a group to create and refine a unified movement story or sequence.
04The Stage: Drama and Character
Students step into different roles to explore human experiences and theatrical storytelling.
Using facial expressions and posture to inhabit a fictional persona.
Combining voice, body, and imagination to create a believable character.
Practicing the art of spontaneous response and listening to fellow performers.
Working together to create a scene using non-verbal cues and shared imagination.
Identifying and creating basic plot elements: beginning, middle, end, conflict, and resolution.
Understanding how props and costumes create a theatrical world and define characters.
Exploring how basic set pieces and lighting can establish mood and location.
05Art Through Time: History and Criticism
Students look at art through a historical lens and learn to provide constructive feedback.
Exploring art from ancient Egypt and Greece, focusing on their purposes and styles.
Studying the diverse art forms, symbols, and cultural significance of Indigenous peoples.
Discovering the characteristics of medieval art, including illuminated manuscripts and stained glass.
Studying Vincent van Gogh's unique techniques and how his life influenced his work.
Exploring Frida Kahlo's self-portraits and how she used art to tell her personal story.
Investigating Georgia O'Keeffe's unique perspective on nature and her use of close-up compositions.
Learning how to describe what is seen in an artwork and analyze its elements.
Learning how to interpret the meaning of art and provide respectful, constructive feedback.
06Integrated Arts Project: Storytelling
Students apply their knowledge of visual arts, music, dance, and drama to create an integrated performance or exhibition.
Collaboratively generating ideas for a story that can be expressed through multiple art forms.
Creating a visual plan for the integrated project, outlining key scenes and artistic elements.
Creating visual art pieces (drawings, paintings, sculptures) that represent the story's setting and characters.
Composing simple musical phrases or soundscapes to enhance the story's mood and actions.
Choreographing movement sequences that portray character actions, emotions, and plot points.
Developing simple dialogue and character interactions to advance the story's plot.
Bringing together visual art, music, dance, and drama elements into a cohesive performance or exhibition.
Practicing the coordination of sound effects and lighting changes with the performance.