Nova Scotia · Grade 1
Science, Grade 1
Nova Scotia’s Grade 1 science course, from Earth and Space Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes to Physical Science: Materials, objects, and devices.
- Units
- 3
- Lessons
- 6
- Skills
- 13
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 5 skills
Earth and Space Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes
Weather and the Seasons
How weather changes the world
I can tell how weather like rain, sun, wind, or snow changes things around me and the living things outside.
Skill 1.1
How the seasons change the world
I can tell how the four seasons - fall, winter, spring, and summer - change the plants, animals, and people around me.
Skill 1.2
Comparing weather across seasons
I can compare the weather in one season to another - like telling how winter weather is different from summer weather.
Skill 1.3
Getting Ready for the Seasons
Getting ready for weather and seasons
I can tell how people and animals get ready for changing weather and seasons, like dressing warm or storing food.
Skill 1.4
How living things and the seasons connect
I can show that living things and the seasons go together - the season changes what plants and animals do, all year round.
Skill 1.5
The official wording · 5 outcomes
- 1.1
- Investigate the effect of weather on the environment and on living things
- 1.2
- Investigate the effect of seasons on the environment and on living things
- 1.3
- Compare weather observed in seasons
- 1.4
- Investigate weather and seasonal preparedness
- 1.5
- Investigate the interconnectiveness of living things and seasonal cycles
Key ideas
Weather is what the sky and air are doing right now: sunny, rainy, windy, cloudy, or snowy.
Getting ready means doing something before the weather changes so you are safe and comfy.
Rain makes the ground wet and puddles; sun dries the ground and warms us.
People change clothes: mittens and boots in winter, a hat and sunscreen in summer.
Wind moves leaves, flags, and kites; snow covers the ground and is cold.
Watch out for
- Thinking the weather is the same everywhere and never changes - it changes day to day and even hour to hour.
- Thinking animals do nothing special for winter - many store food, migrate, or grow warmer coats.
- Thinking it only rains or snows because someone turns it on - weather comes from the sky and clouds, not a switch.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 4 skills
Life Science: Needs of living things
What Living Things Need
What living things need to live
I can name the things living things need to stay alive: food, water, air, and a place to live.
Skill 2.1
Sorting living things into groups
I can sort living things into groups, like plants and animals, or animals that fly and animals that swim.
Skill 2.2
Living Things in Their Home
Living things in their environment
I can show how living things fit into the environment around them, and that the Mi'kmaw people have long cared for the living things of this land.
Skill 2.3
Helping keep the environment healthy
I can name things I can do to help keep the environment healthy, like picking up litter, saving water, and being kind to living things.
Skill 2.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 2.1
- Investigate the needs of living things
- 2.2
- Classify living things
- 2.3
- Investigate living things within the environment, inclusive of a Mi’kmaw perspective
- 2.4
- Investigate personal actions that can contribute to a healthy environment
Key ideas
Living things (people, animals, plants) grow, need food and water, and need air.
The environment is everything around a living thing: the air, water, ground, plants, and other animals.
Animals need food, water, air, and shelter (a safe place to live).
Each living thing has a place where it lives and gets what it needs (a fish in water, a rabbit in a field).
Plants need water, air, sunlight, and space to grow.
Watch out for
- Thinking plants eat food from the soil like animals do - plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air.
- Thinking a living thing could live just as well anywhere - most need their own kind of home (a fish cannot live on dry land).
- Thinking only animals are alive and plants are not living - plants are living things too.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 4 skills
Physical Science: Materials, objects, and devices
Exploring Materials
Materials and what they are like
I can explore different materials and tell what they are like - hard or soft, rough or smooth, bendy or stiff.
Skill 3.1
How materials can change
I can show that materials can change - like paper getting soft when wet, or ice melting to water when it warms up.
Skill 3.2
Building Something Useful
Choosing good materials to build with
I can pick the best materials to build something, thinking about which material will work for the job.
Skill 3.3
Building with recycled materials
I can use recycled materials, like empty boxes or bottles, in a new way to build something useful.
Skill 3.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 3.1
- Investigate materials and their properties
- 3.2
- Investigate change in properties of materials
- 3.3
- Evaluate materials used in device construction
- 3.4
- Investigate how recycled materials can be used differently in the construction of devices
Key ideas
A material is what an object is made of: wood, plastic, metal, glass, paper, cloth.
Evaluate means to look at choices and pick the one that works best.
A property is what a material is like: hard, soft, smooth, rough, bendy, stiff, shiny, dull.
The right material depends on the job: something that must float should not soak up water.
We can test properties with our senses - feel it, look at it, try to bend it.
Watch out for
- Thinking the shape of an object is the same as its material - a plastic cup and a glass cup are the same shape but different materials.
- Thinking any material will work for any job - a boat made of paper will get wet and sink.
- Thinking all hard things are made of the same material - wood, metal, and glass can all be hard but are different.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Nova Scotia’s own curriculum for Science, Grade 1.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Science, Grade 1 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Science, Grade 1 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 23
- Fillable fields
- 1,103
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Science, Grade 1
What is Science, Grade 1?
Nova Scotia’s Grade 1 science course: 3 units and 13 skills, from Earth and Space Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes to Physical Science: Materials, objects, and devices.
What units are in Science, Grade 1?
1. Earth and Space Science: Daily and Seasonal Changes, 2. Life Science: Needs of living things and 3. Physical Science: Materials, objects, and devices.
Is there a provincial exam for Science, Grade 1?
No. Nova Scotia gives no provincial exam for Science, Grade 1.
What comes after Science, Grade 1?
Science, Grade 2.
Can MapleMind help with Science, Grade 1?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Science, Grade 1, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Science, Grade 1
Practise every skill of Science, Grade 1 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
