Grade 4 Fine Arts Ontario Curriculum Standards

Visual Arts

Music

Drama

Dance

Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to the composition of movement sequences and short dance pieces, using the elements of dance to communicate feelings and ideas

translate into dance a variety of movement sequences observed in nature (e.g., wind developing into a tornado; water freezing and melting on a landscape; rain transforming into a storm; a caterpillar evolving into a butterfly)

use dance as a language to explore and communicate ideas derived from a variety of literature sources (e.g., develop dance movements based on actions or emotions depicted in myths, short stories, legends from different cultures, picture books, or poetry)

use narrative form to create short dance pieces on a variety of themes (e.g., a dance based on the theme of a quest or other type of journey; movements arranged [choreographed] to create a relationship [linking, parting] between some of the dancers)

use the elements of energy (e.g., collapse, explode, float) and time (e.g., duration, suddenness) in a dance piece to communicate an idea (e.g., show the journey of a balloon as it floats, explodes suddenly, and then collapses back to the floor)

Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of dance pieces and experiences

demonstrate an understanding of how the language of dance can clarify and highlight ideas, images, and characters from familiar stories (e.g., explain how gestures and actions reveal and express the mood or personality or social position of a character)

identify, using dance vocabulary, the elements of dance used in their own and others' dance pieces and explain how each helps communicate ideas and feelings (e.g., symmetry/asymmetry [body] can reflect themes of unity and separation; sudden and sustained movements used sequentially can communicate the idea of a thunderstorm)

identify and give examples of their strengths and areas for growth as dance creators and audience members (e.g., share with a small group what they did well, using dance terminology; explain what they need to practise to improve their ability to communicate through gesture and action)

Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of dance forms, traditions, and styles from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts

describe, with teacher guidance, how forms and styles of dance reflect people's different social and political roles in various communities, times, and places (e.g., court dances in different countries in the 1500s and 1600s reflect the customs of the upper class [kings, queens, and people of the court] while country dances reflect the customs of the common people; carnival dances in Toronto, Brazil, New Orleans, and Cuba reflect various cultural traditions; martial arts disguised as capoeira dance reflects a response to oppression)

identify and describe the different roles of dance in their lives and in communities around the world (e.g., to socialize; for entertainment; to communicate and tell stories; to enrich the school experience [through a dance club]; to celebrate a good harvest year; as part of religious ceremonies)

Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to dramatic play and process drama, using the elements and conventions of drama to communicate feelings, ideas, and stories

engage actively in drama exploration and role play, with a focus on exploring drama structures, key ideas, and pivotal moments in their own stories and stories from diverse communities, times, and places (e.g., use role play to explore the hierarchical structure of medieval society; use "inner and outer circle" to examine moments of conflict and power imbalance in group improvisations on a common theme)

demonstrate an understanding of the element of role by selectively using a few other elements of drama (e.g., time and place; relationship; focus and emphasis) to build belief in a role and establish its dramatic context

plan and shape the direction of the drama or role play by posing questions and working with others to find solutions, both in and out of role (e.g., In role: improvise possible solutions to a problem; Out of role: help select a drama form to represent the group's idea)

communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas to a specific audience, using audio, visual, and/or technological aids to enhance their drama work (e.g., use dimmed lights, black lights, and music to suggest a mood; project images with an overhead/data projector; use a microphone to enhance or create sound effects or amplify narration [such as a spirit communication in an Aboriginal story])

Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of drama works and experiences

express personal responses and make connections to characters, themes, and issues presented in their own and others' drama works (e.g., make a mural or map to explore the setting of the drama; interview a partner in and out of role to discover physical and personality traits of a character; write a diary entry describing the relationship between two fictitious characters)

explain, using drama terminology, how elements and drama conventions are used to produce specific effects and/or audience responses in their own and others' drama works (e.g., characters' differing points of view can be used to create tension; comic characters and scenes can help relieve tension; thought tracking can give insight into a character)

identify and give examples of their strengths, interests, and areas for growth as drama participants and audience members (e.g., strength: using expressive gestures to communicate; interest: creative use of props and costumes; area for growth: maintaining focus in role)

Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of drama and theatre forms, traditions, and styles from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts

identify and describe some similarities in the purposes of process drama and more formal, traditional theatre productions (e.g., both forms use the elements of drama to tell stories, to allow the audience to imagine the possible outcomes and implications of human actions, and to engage the emotions of actors and audience)

demonstrate an awareness of different kinds of drama and theatre from different times and places and of how they reflect their contexts (e.g., popular contemporary forms such as films or television shows and public processions and spectacles; historical forms such as medieval tournaments; oral storytelling by troubadours in earlier times and in contemporary contexts; travelling plays or pageants)

Creating and Performing: apply the creative process to create and perform music for a variety of purposes, using the elements and techniques of music

sing and/or play, in tune, from musical notation, unison and two-part music with simple accompaniments from a wide variety of cultures, styles, and historical periods (e.g., perform folk songs with syncopation and traditional songs with a simple harmony part)

apply the elements of music when singing and/or playing, composing, and arranging music to create a specific effect (e.g., compose pieces using different expressive controls, such as staccato/legato or crescendo/decrescendo, to create contrasts and changes in mood; compose a pentatonic melody for recorder or voice with a bordun for an accompaniment)

create musical compositions for specific purposes and audiences (e.g., write a composition for recorder using musical notation on the five-line staff; compose a piece using non-traditional notation, such as a melody map or icons; compose a soundscape to represent the physical landscape of Canada; create a composition to accompany a dance piece)

use the tools and techniques of musicianship in musical performances (e.g., sing "O Canada" using controlled breathing technique and relaxed and straight posture while producing a clear and open head tone in their vocal range; play the xylophone using proper mallet technique)

demonstrate an understanding of musical signs and standard notation on the five-line staff, and use devised notation to record the sequence of sounds in a composition of their own (e.g., create a soundscape with other students or a melody map using their own symbols; include fermata and sudden changes in dynamics in their compositions; use a system of syllables, numbers, or letters to represent simple pitch notation in a composition)

Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of music and musical experiences

express detailed personal responses to musical performances in a variety of ways (e.g., respond by drawing, moving, using visual organizers, telling a story, making a collage; compare recordings of singers they think have a "good voice", and defend their preference)

identify the elements used in the music they perform, listen to, and create, and describe how they are used (e.g., identify the mood of a piece and describe how the elements of music are used to create the mood)

identify and give examples of their strengths and areas for growth as musical performers, creators, interpreters, and audience members (e.g., identify two musical qualities that were effective in their group's performance and one area for improvement)

Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of musical genres and styles from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts

identify the role of music in a community today and compare it to its role in a community of the past (e.g., music for gatherings now and in the Middle Ages; songs sung now and by the voyageurs)

demonstrate an awareness, through listening, of the characteristics of musical forms and traditions of diverse times, places, and communities (e.g., medieval musical genres performed by troubadours or minstrels, Indian classical music, music in Islamic cultures, music performed by female musical artists in North American culture, Aboriginal powwow music)

Creating and Presenting: apply the creative process to produce a variety of two- and three-dimensional art works, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings

create two- and three-dimensional works of art that express feelings and ideas inspired by their interests and experiences (e.g., a comic strip or a storyboard featuring a space voyage; an oil pastel drawing of peers in sports or dance poses; a painted still life of objects related to a hobby)

demonstrate an understanding of composition, using selected principles of design to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic (e.g., a collaborative mural depicting a historical or an imaginary landscape in which objects and figures placed in the foreground create areas of emphasis, and objects placed in the background show diminishing size; a relief print of a seascape in which shapes that are similar, but are different in size or colour, give the work both unity and variety)

use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings (e.g., create a poster using colour and cropping of space to propose a solution to climate change; use contour lines of various weights in a charcoal gesture drawing of a person to capture the impression of movement; create a paper sculpture portrait of a favourite comic character that explores positive and negative space, using techniques of folding, scoring, fringing, and crimping)

use a variety of materials, tools, and techniques to determine solutions to design challenges (e.g.,<ul><li>drawing: make contour drawings of overlapping objects that are easily recognizable [e.g., a piece of fruit, a shoe, a glove, a pitcher], using soft graphite drawing pencils [e.g., primary printers] and depicting the objects from different points of view [e.g., from the front, the back, the side]</li><li>mixed media: make a collage to depict a dream, using cut and torn paper, tissue paper, and found objects in contrasting shapes with a focus on positive and negative space</li><li>painting: use tempera paint and a range of monochromatic colour values to represent the emotional state of a character at a critical moment in a story that they have written or read</li><li>printmaking: use low-relief found objects [e.g., lace, textured leaves, and tin foil] to make a collograph in which texture and shape are used to create the composition, and embellish the final inked print with oil-pastel drawing</li><li>sculpture: make a clay or papier mâché mask featuring exaggeration for dramatic effect and textures made by embossing, piercing, pinching, pressing, and/or scraping)</li></ul>

Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate feelings, ideas, and understandings in response to a variety of art works and art experiences

interpret a variety of art works, and identify the feelings, issues, themes, and social concerns that they convey (e.g., express their response to student drawings on a classroom gallery walk; identify artistic techniques that are used to influence the viewer; in role as a famous artist, write a journal entry or letter identifying the artist's compositional choices and intentions)

analyse the use of elements and principles of design in a variety of art works, and explain how they are used to communicate meaning or understanding (e.g., the use of texture and negative space in Henry Moore's abstract forms to suggest natural objects or figures; the use of tints and shades to explore vivid colour in Alma Thomas's aerial view paintings; the use of bright colours and rounded shapes in children's advertising to get their attention and convey a friendly feeling)

demonstrate awareness of the meaning of signs, symbols, and styles in works of art (e.g., symbols representing luck; fonts typically used in marketing; heraldic symbols; aboriginal totems around the world; Egyptian hieroglyphics)

identify and document their strengths, their interests, and areas for improvement as creators and viewers of art (e.g., review notes and sketches they have made during a visit to a public gallery, and summarize what tends to interest them when they look at art; after a classroom gallery walk, identify what they think are the most useful of the comments and suggestions that their classmates had written on sticky notes and placed on their art work)

Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts: demonstrate an understanding of a variety of art forms, styles, and techniques from the past and present, and their sociocultural and historical contexts

describe how visual art forms and styles represent various messages and contexts in the past and present (e.g., images that promote businesses, events, or festivals; paintings in art galleries that enrich, challenge, and engage viewers; picture books and graphic novels that inform and entertain; traditional and contemporary purposes of Aboriginal sculpture)

demonstrate an awareness of a variety of art forms, styles, and traditions, and describe how they reflect the diverse cultures, times, and places in which they were made (e.g., wax-resist batik as a national art form in Indonesia; masks used in the celebrations of various cultures; symbols, motifs, and designs on totem poles; radial symmetry in patterns in Islamic art; contemporary and historical oil paintings in an art gallery)