Grade 1 Science
9 units matched to the Alberta Curriculum.
Organizing ideas
- Matter: objects have measurable properties, such as length, area and weight, and some physical changes can be made to them.
- Energy: objects, people and animals move in different directions, pathways and speeds.
- Earth and space: the seasons bring changes to environments, plants and animals, and affect our daily choices.
- Living systems: plants and animals need food, water, air and shelter, and people depend on them and can help care for them.
- Computer science: following instructions step by step, in order, helps us do tasks and stay safe.
- Scientific methods: scientists describe the steps of an investigation and make predictions, observations and conclusions.
Units
Unit 1
Think Like a Scientist
How scientists and engineers work: choosing tools, running fair tests, following safety rules, sharing findings, and giving clear step-by-step instructions (code).
Learning outcome: 1SM 1.1, 1SM 1.2 · tools and steps of an investigation, predictions and sharing what was found
Unit 2
Length, Area & Weight
Objects have properties we can measure: how long, how much flat space they cover (area) and how heavy they are. Children compare objects directly and see how bending, cutting, stretching and squishing change an object.
Learning outcome: 1M 1.1, 1M 1.2 · length, area and weight of objects, comparing them directly, and ways to change them
Unit 3
How Things Move
Children describe how objects and animals move: the direction, the pathway (straight, curved, zigzag, circle) and the speed. They see that a push, a surface or a ramp changes the movement.
Learning outcome: 1E 1.1, 1E 1.2 · direction, pathway and speed of moving things, and what changes how they move
Unit 4
Seasons in Alberta
The four seasons in Alberta, signs of change in the local environment, how plants and animals respond (migration and hibernation), and how seasons shape clothing and activities.
Learning outcome: 1ES 1.1, 1ES 1.3, 1ES 1.4 · the four seasons in Alberta, noticing changes with our senses, and how seasons affect what we wear and do
Unit 5
Animal Survival
Body features (thick fur, webbed feet, shells, camouflage) and behaviours (hibernating, migrating, storing food) that help animals survive.
Learning outcome: 1ES 1.2 · how animals respond to the seasons, including migration and hibernation
Unit 6
Living Things
Sorting living and non-living things, telling plants from animals, and what living things need to grow.
Learning outcome: 1LS 1.1 · plants and animals, what makes them alike and different, and living and non-living things
Unit 7
Alberta Plants & Animals
Plants and animals live in many places in Alberta, such as mountains, prairies, forests, and lakes and rivers. Each needs food, water, air and shelter, and people can help meet those needs.
Learning outcome: 1LS 1.2, 1LS 1.3 · plants and animals in Alberta environments, what they need, and how people help meet those needs
Unit 8
A Healthy Environment
Living and non-living things in a natural place, why clean air, water and food matter, and simple ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Learning outcome: 1ES 1.5, 1LS 1.3 · caring for nature and the plants and animals in it
Unit 9
Follow the Steps
Instructions have steps, and the order of the steps matters. Children follow and order simple steps, as a first look at the thinking behind coding.
Learning outcome: 1CS 1.1, 1CS 1.2, 1CS 1.3 · following instructions with one or more steps, and noticing that the order of the steps matters
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