Canada · Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Grade 4 The Arts
This course introduces students to the diverse world of visual arts, music, dance, and drama. Students develop technical skills while learning to analyze cultural contexts and express complex emotions through various artistic mediums.
Visual Storytelling and Composition
Students explore the elements of design and how artists use space, color, and line to tell stories.
Exploring how different types of lines and tactile textures can change the mood of a drawing.
Introducing basic techniques for creating the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Investigating the relationship between color choices and the emotional impact of a piece of art.
Rhythm, Melody, and Soundscapes
An exploration of musical notation, instrument families, and the creation of original sound compositions.
Understanding time signatures and rhythmic patterns through percussion and movement.
Learning how pitch and scales form the foundation of memorable tunes.
Examining how different cultures use unique instruments and scales to express their identity.
The Language of Movement
Students use their bodies to communicate ideas and emotions through structured and improvisational dance.
Developing physical coordination and understanding how different body parts move in isolation.
Creating short dance sequences that tell a specific story without using words.
Exploring folk dances and social dances from various historical periods and regions.
Characters and Conflict
Students build performance skills by exploring character development, voice, and dramatic tension.
Using physical traits and vocal changes to create believable and distinct stage personas.
Practicing spontaneous reaction and collaboration through theater games and unscripted scenes.
Understanding the behind the scenes elements like props, lighting, and set design.
Art in the World Around Us
Connecting artistic practice to history, community, and the global landscape.
Investigating art created for public spaces and its impact on local communities.
Examining how artists broke traditional rules to create new styles like abstract expressionism.
Learning how art is selected, organized, and presented to tell a specific narrative in a museum.