Grade 4
Topics, expectations, and related curriculum
Social Studies: People and Environments: Political and Physical Regions of CanadaWhat makes up habitats and communities and how do they remain sustainable?
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Example of cross-curricular connections:
Skills and connections
Expectations and related curriculum
Students complete a range of introductory activities to learn about fundamental concepts related to habitats, communities, food chains, food webs, and how animals are categorized according to their diets.
B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4, B2.5
Students apply a scientific research process to investigate why all habitats have limits to the number of plants and animals that can be supported, the positive and negative impacts of human activities on habitats and communities, and the impact of the depletion or extinction of a species. They connect this learning to Social Studies as they assess aspects of the environmental impact of different industries on habitats and communities, and on physical and political regions in Canada.
A1.1, A3.2, B1.1, B1.2, B2.7
Students demonstrate their understanding of food chains and food webs by creating an artifact that helps communicate these concepts to classmates. They apply coding skills to develop, alter, or use a computational model that explores and communicates the relationship between different animals and plants in a habitat or community. They analyse contributions to science and technology from a variety of groups and organizations, including local and global initiatives that promote sustainable practices and development.
A1.5, A2.1, A3.3, B2.3, B2.4, B2.5
Mathematics: Spatial Sense Language: Oral Communication, Writing The Arts: Drama, Music, Visual Arts Mathematics: AlgebraHow do light and sound work?
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Skills and connections
Expectations and related curriculum
Students identify light and sound technology in their homes, schools, and communities and investigate the impacts of light and sound energy on society and the environment, considering the positive and negative aspects. They also consider how light- and sound-related technologies are used in occupations, including the skilled trades, to solve real-world problems. They connect this learning to Social Studies as they assess aspects of the environmental impact of different industries on habitats and communities.
A2.2, A3.1, A3.2, C1.1, C1.2
Students complete a range of introductory activities to learn about fundamental concepts related to the properties of light, natural and artificial light sources, sources of light and heat, and the differences between objects that emit light and those that reflect light from other sources. The connect their learning to Mathematics as they consider reflections and lines of symmetry using miras.
C2.1, C2.2, C2.4, C2.7
Students complete a range of introductory activities to learn about fundamental concepts related to the properties of sound, how vibrations cause sounds waves, and sensory organs that make use of the properties of light and sound.
C2.4, C2.5, C2.8
Students apply a scientific experimentation process to investigate how light can be absorbed, reflected, and refracted. They describe how different objects and materials interact with light using subject-specific vocabulary and oral and written text forms. Students apply a scientific experimentation process to investigate how sound can be absorbed, reflected, or modified and how different objects and materials interact with sound.
A1.2, A1.4, A1.5, C2.3, C2.4, C2.6
Students apply coding skills as they control light and sound output from a program to create various computational artifacts, including artistic patterns with lines, shapes, lights, and music that are developed on screen or with physical computing components. They make connection to The Arts as they communicate using audio, visual, and technological aids.
A1.4, A2.1, A3.2, C2.1, C2.6, C2.7
Mathematics: AlgebraWhat are the components of machines and how are machines changing our world?
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Example of cross-curricular connections:
Skills and connections
Expectations and related curriculum
Students complete a range of introductory activities to learn about fundamental concepts related to the parts of various mechanisms, how different mechanisms transmit and transform motion, and how forces are changed in a variety of machines.
D2.2, D2.3, D2.4, D2.5
Students identify machines that are used in their homes and communities, as well as in the skilled trades and other occupations. Various parts, and the purposes of those parts, are explored including the parts and components of emerging technologies that will play an important role in the future.
A2.2, A3.1, D2.1, D2.2
Students apply an engineering design process to design and build a machine that transmits and transforms motion to accomplish a task. They can apply coding skills to automate the system and can control motors and other output devices as they integrate coding concepts and skills, such as reading code and using control structures, from Mathematics.
A1.3, A1.4, A2.1, A3.2, D2.3, D2.4, D2.5
Students apply a scientific research process to assess the impact of machines and their mechanisms on the daily lives of people and compare the environmental impacts of different machines designed for the same purposes. They look closely at various occupations impacted by machines, including the skilled trades, and how people and machines solve real-world problems within these occupations. They also analyse contributions to science and technology, such as those from Elijah McCoy, related to engineering and machine efficiency.
A1.1, A1.5, A3.1, A3.2, A3.3, D1.1, D1.2, D2.1
Language: Oral Communication, Writing Mathematics: Data Social Studies: People and Environments: Political and Physical Regions of CanadaHow are rocks and minerals formed and how are they used by humans?
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Other strand:
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Skills and connections
Expectations and related curriculum
Students complete a range of introductory activities to learn about fundamental concepts related to geological processes, as well as the properties, composition, and uses of rocks. They explore how fossils are formed and how fossils can provide information related to Earth’s history.
A3.1, E2.1, E2.2, E2.3, E2.5
Students apply a scientific experimentation process to classify rocks and minerals according to their composition and physical properties, using appropriate data collection and organization techniques from Mathematics. They communicate their findings using subject-specific vocabulary and oral and written text forms that are appropriate for specific audiences and purposes.
A1.2, A1.4, A1.5, E2.2, E2.3
Students apply a scientific research process to learn about the ways in which geological processes impact society and the environment, including how these processes impact the habitats and communities of plants and animals.
A1.1, A1.5, B1.2, B2.6, E1.1, E2.1
Students apply a scientific research process to explore the issues surrounding the use of rocks and minerals by humans. They demonstrate an understanding of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit geological knowledges that are used in the selection of different rocks and minerals for specific purposes, and they consider everyday uses of rocks and minerals in their homes, schools, and communities. They also assess the social and environmental impacts of extracting and refining rocks and minerals, and connect this to their learning in Social Studies as they consider the impact of different industries in physical or political regions of Canada.
A1.1, A1.5, A3.1, E1.1 E1.2, E2.4, E2.6
Students design and complete larger activities and projects that connect learning from a variety of Science and Technology strands and other subject areas in the grade to explore real-world problems and the practical applications of science and technology in their home and community. They further develop their own STEM skills as they take a greater role in applying scientific research, scientific experimentation, and engineering design processes to find answers and design solutions to problems that interest them and that affect their lives and communities. Students apply a scientific research process to identify sensory organs that make use of the properties of light and sound, and they connect this learning to life systems as they describe structural adaptions, related to light and sound, of plants and animals that allow them to survive in specific habitats. They further explore the properties of light and sound by coding artifacts that use light and sound as output, or that replicate a simplified model of a related organ system or adaptation of a plant or animal. They apply a scientific experimentation process as they extend or build upon previous experiments. They use light or machines and mechanisms, such as a rock tumbler, to investigate the composition and physical properties of rocks and minerals. Students investigate machines used for extracting and refining rocks and minerals, and they apply an engineering design process to design and build a simplified, working version of a similar machine, potentially using coding to control motors or other components of the system as output. As students learn about real-world problems and the practical applications of Science and Technology concepts in these projects, they connect learning from Social Studies to investigate the impact of humans on natural habitats in terms of the use of machines, the use of technologies that produce light and sound, and the extraction and refining of rocks and minerals.Connections and consolidation
Science and Technology:
Examples of cross-curricular connections:
