Download the Grade One Curriculum

The Language expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into three strands that specify the detail that is to be taught at each grade level. Our school curriculum follows this general pattern with additional emphasis on spelling, grammar, creative writing and oral communications.

Strand #1: Writing – students will be expected to communicate ideas (thoughts, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes (e.g., write a letter to a friend describing a new pet); organize information so that the writing conveys a clear message (e.g. describe events in the proper sequence: We went to see the dog. I liked him very much. We took him home on the bus); write simple sentences using proper punctuation (i.e., periods); produce short pieces of writing using simple forms (e.g., stories, descriptions, lists of information); use some materials from other media (e.g., computer clip-art) to enhance their writing; begin to revise written work, with the assistance of the teacher; use and spell correctly the vocabulary appropriate for this grade level; use correctly the conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) specified for this grade level.

Strand #2: Reading – students will be expected to read a variety of simple written materials (e.g., signs, pattern books, rhymes, children’s reference books) for different purposes (e.g., for practice, information, vocabulary building, enjoyment); read aloud in a way that communicates the meaning; read independently, using reading strategies appropriate for this grade level; express clear responses to written materials, relating the ideas in them (thoughts, feelings, experiences) to their own knowledge and experience; independently select stories and other reading materials by a variety of authors; understand the vocabulary and language structures appropriate for this grade level; use some conventions of written materials (e.g., punctuation, title) to help them understand what they read.

Strand #3: Oral and Visual Communication – students will be expected to communicate messages, and follow basic instructions and directions; ask questions about their immediate environment and offer personal opinions; listen and react to stories and recount personal experiences; respond to familiar or predictable language patterns by joining in or using choral response; apply some of the basic rules of participating in a conversation and working with others; view, read, and listen to media works with simple messages or factual information and describe what they have learned; create some simple media works; use the conventions (e.g., sentence structure) of oral language, and of the various media, that are appropriate to the grade.

Since we feel that spelling and grammar are important, our program will also emphasize phonic skills, word analysis and word building opportunities through our own Wordbuilder program.

The mathematics expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into five strands that detail specific expectations of students within each of the five major areas of knowledge and skills required of students. Our school curriculum is structured around these five strands with additional review of fundamental arithmetic and problem solving challenges provided by our own Mathbuilder supplementary program.

Strand #1: Number Sense and Numeration – students will be expected to understand whole numbers by exploring number relationships using concrete materials (e.g., demonstrate with blocks that 7 is one less than 8 or two more than 5); understand numerals, ordinals, and the corresponding words, and demonstrate the ability to print them; understand the concept of order by sequencing events (e.g., the steps in washing a dog); compare and order whole numbers using concrete materials and drawings to develop number meanings (e.g., to show place value, arrange 32 counters in groups of 3 tens and 2 ones); represent fractions (halves as part of a whole) using concrete materials; understand and explain basic operations (addition and subtraction) of whole numbers by modelling and discussing a variety of problem situations (e.g., show that addition involves joining); develop proficiency in adding one-digit whole numbers; solve simple problems involving counting, joining, and taking one group away from another (e.g., how many buttons are on the table?), and describe and explain the strategies used; estimate quantity in everyday life (e.g., guess, then count how many beans are in the jar); use a calculator to explore counting and to solve problems beyond the required pencil-and-paper skills.

Strand #2: Measurement – students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply measurement terms: height, length, width, time (hour, half-hour), money (pennies, nickels, dimes), temperature; identify relationships between and among measurement concepts (e.g., winter time – colder temperatures); solve problems related to their day-to-day environment using concrete experiences of measurement and estimation; compare the areas of shapes using non-standard units; estimate, measure, and record the capacity of containers and the mass of familiar objects using non-standard units, and compare the measures.

Strand #3: Geometry and Spatial Sense – students will be expected to describe and classify three-dimensional figures and two-dimensional shapes using concrete materials and drawings; build three-dimensional objects and models; understand basic concepts in transformational geometry using concrete materials and drawings.

Strand #4: Patterning and Algebra – students will be expected to explore patterns and pattern rules; identify relationships between and among patterns.

Strand #5: Data Management and Probability – students will be expected to collect, organize, and describe data using concrete materials and drawings; interpret displays of data using concrete materials, and discuss the data; demonstrate an understanding of probability and demonstrate the ability to apply probability in familiar day-to-day situations.

The science and technology expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into five strands that specify in detail the program to be taught at each grade level.

Strand #1: Life Systems – Characteristics and Needs of Living Things. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs of animals and plants (e.g., the need for food, air, and water); investigate the characteristics and needs of animals and plants; demonstrate awareness that animals and plants depend on their environment to meet their basic needs, and describe the requirements for good health for humans.

Strand #2: Matter and Materials – Characteristics of Objects and Properties of Materials. Students will be expected to distinguish between objects and materials (e.g., scissors are objects and they can be made of metal and/or plastic), and identify and describe the properties of some materials (e.g., flexibility of plastic, hardness of wood); investigate the properties of materials and make appropriate use of materials when designing and making objects; describe the function of specific materials in manufactured objects that they and others use in daily life.

Strand #3: Energy and Control – Energy in our Lives. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of ways in which energy is used in daily life; investigate some common devices and systems that use energy and ways in which these can be controlled manually; describe different uses of energy at home, at school, and in the community, and suggest ways in which energy can be conserved.

Strand #4: Structures and Mechanisms – Everyday Structures. Students will be expected to demonstrate awareness that structures have distinctive characteristics; design and make structures that meet a specific need; demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of different structures and of ways in which they are made, and recognize and use some systems in the home or at school.

Strand #5: Earth and Space Systems – Daily and Seasonal Cycles. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of changes that occur in daily and seasonal cycles and of how these changes affect the characteristics, behaviour, and location of living things; investigate changes that occur in a daily cycle and in a seasonal cycle; describe how living things, including humans, adapt to and prepare for daily and seasonal changes.

Physical Education

The physical education expectations of the new curriculum are divided into three strands.

Strand #1: Healthy Living - students will learn to identify healthy eating habits; identify the stages in development of humans (e.g., comparing physical changes from birth to childhood) and of other living things; recognize safety risks and safe practices; recognize commonly used medicines and household products.

Strand #2: Fundamental Movement Skills - students will learn to perform the basic movement skills required to participate in physical activities: locomotion/travelling (e.g., galloping, running), manipulation (e.g., throwing, catching), and stability (e.g., jumping, landing); demonstrate the principles of movement (e.g., in various directions, alone, with others, at various speeds) using locomotion/travelling, manipulation, and stability skills.

Strand #3: Active Participation - students will learn to participate on a regular basis in physical activities that maintain or improve physical fitness (e.g., games, gymnastics, dance, fitness activities, outdoor pursuits); recognize the importance of being physically active; acquire living skills (e.g., basic problem-solving, decision-making, goal-setting, and interpersonal skills) through physical activities (e.g., games, gymnastics, dance, outdoor pursuits); follow safety procedures related to physical activity, equipment, and facilities.

The expectations of the new Ontario social studies curriculum are organized into two strands.

Strand #1: Heritage and Citizenship - Relationships, Rules and Responsibilities. Students will be expected to identify significant people, places, and events in their lives, and some significant people in Canada in the past and present; create simple timelines to describe changes over time; describe the roles and responsibilities of various family members, as well as of other people in their school and neighbourhood.

Strand #2: Canada and World Connections – The Local Community. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding that a local community is made up of groups of people; locate the distinguishing physical features of their community (e.g., buildings, parks, roads); describe how people in the community interact to meet basic needs.

This section of the new Ontario curriculum is divided into Visual Art and Music components.

Visual Art – In this component, students will produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate ideas (thoughts, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes; use the elements of design (colour, line, shape, form, space, texture), in ways appropriate for this grade, when producing and responding to works of art; describe how the ideas in a variety of art works relate to their own knowledge and experience; use correctly vocabulary and art terminology associated with the specific expectations for this grade.

Music – In this component, students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of music specified for this grade through listening to, performing, and creating music; use correctly the vocabulary and musical terminology associated with the specific expectations for this grade; listen to and identify music from different cultures and historical periods; communicate their response to music in ways appropriate for this grade (e.g., through visual arts, drama, creative movement, language).

This course seeks to establish the authority of God’s Word as the final guide and source for the answers to life’s questions, and to learn to relate this to everyday life experiences and decisions. Also included is a Bible memory program.

The above is a summary of the general overall objectives of the new Ontario curriculum. The complete details of each aspect of curriculum for grades 1 – 8 may be found on the web site of the Ministry of Education and Training at www.edu.gov.on.ca/