Ontario

This section comprises a curricular overview of the role of digital media literacy in the Ontario curriculum. 

Also included in the sidebar, are curriculum charts for Kindgergarten to grade 12 that feature media education outcomes in the Ontario curriculum, with links to supporting MediaSmarts resources and lessons. 

Last reviewed in August 2025 

Curricular Overview 

In 1987, Ontario was the first Canadian province to mandate media education. The new curriculum specified it was to constitute one-tenth of Grades 7-8 English and one-third of Grades 9-10 and 11-12 English courses. In 1995, media education was introduced into Ontario's Common Curriculum: Policies and Outcomes for Grades 1-8. In 2023, MediaSmarts was invited to consult on the updated Language and English curriculum, which began to incorporate Digital Media Literacy as a single discipline. The Glossary for the Language curriculum now defines “text” as “A means of communication that uses words, graphics, sounds, and/or images, in print, oral, visual, or digital form, to present information and ideas to an audience.” 

With funding from the Ministry of Education, MediaSmarts has developed four online multimedia textbooks to support the Ontario curriculum for Language 1-8 and English 9. These freely available textbooks are designed to give educators flexibility in meeting both the Overall Expectation relating to Digital Media Literacy (A2) but also related Overall and Specific Expectations in the A, C and D strands, including Critical Thinking in Texts; Creating Drafts; and Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting. While these are the primary focus, we also identify which lessons meet other sub-strands such as Transferable Skills, Knowledge About Texts, and Developing Ideas and Organizing Content.

The English curriculum for Grades 11 and 12 also includes an optional Media Studies course, which is built around the study of media texts, media audiences and media production.  

In addition to the Language/English curriculum, media education expectations are found in throughout the curriculum in Ontario, particularly Health and Physical Education and Technological Education.  

Ontario students are also assessed on Transferrable Skills such as critical thinking, global citizenship, communication and collaboration. Although these skills are not graded, they "can be seen as a framework encompassing the wide range of discrete transferable skills that students acquire over time... Students develop transferable skills not in isolation but as part of their learning in all subjects of the curriculum." (Transferable Skills, n.d.) 

Media and digital literacy are found throughout the seven transferable skills, most prominently in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship; Communication; and Digital Literacy. 

Curriculum outcome pages are included in the sidebar with links to supporting resources and lessons.