Courses

Prince Edward Island · Grade 4

Science, Grade 4

Prince Edward Island’s Grade 4 science course, from Habitats and Communities to Experimentation.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
5
Lessons
7
Skills
21
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
princeedwardisland.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 7 skills

Habitats and Communities

Habitats and Adaptations

Food Webs and Protecting Habitats

The official wording · 7 outcomes
1.1
identify local and regional habitats and the plants and animals that live there
1.2
compare adaptations of plants and animals (physical and behavioural adaptions) that enable them to survive and thrive within their habitats
1.3
trace energy flow in a food web between producers, consumers, and decomposers
1.4
predict what might happen to an ecosystem if a plant or animal population is removed or added
1.5
analyse human impact on local habitats
1.6
evaluate actionable steps individuals and communities can take to protect or restore local habitats
1.7
describe Indigenous knowledge and practices related to the sustainability of habitats

Key ideas

  1. A habitat is where a plant or animal lives.

  2. Energy flows through a habitat from one living thing to another.

  3. Habitats can be large (a forest) or small (a log).

  4. Producers (plants) make their own food using sunlight.

  5. Local habitats include forests, wetlands, and grasslands.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a habitat must be very large.
  • Thinking energy flows backwards in a food web.
  • Thinking any animal can live in any habitat.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 5 skills

Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion

Rocks and Minerals

The Changing Landscape

The official wording · 5 outcomes
2.1
classify rocks and minerals based on their physical properties such as colour, texture, and crystal shape (minerals)
2.2
relate the characteristics of rocks and minerals to their uses (e.g., granite for countertops, limestone for cement, diamonds for jewellery and as a cutting tool)
2.3
analyse how erosion (movement of rocks and minerals), weathering (wearing down and breaking up of rocks), and water movement changed and continues to change the landscape of regions
2.4
explain the significance of rock formation (e.g., fossils, sedimentary layers) in better understanding Earth’s history
2.5
explain how natural phenomena cause rapid and significant changes to the landscape (e.g., flooding, storm surges, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions)

Key ideas

  1. A physical property is something we can observe.

  2. Weathering wears down and breaks up rocks.

  3. Colour and texture help us describe rocks.

  4. Erosion is the movement of rocks and minerals.

  5. Minerals can have a crystal shape.

Watch out for

  • Thinking colour alone identifies a rock.
  • Mixing up weathering (breaking) and erosion (moving).
  • Thinking rocks and minerals are the same thing.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 3 skills

Light

Light and Optical Devices

The official wording · 3 outcomes
3.1
investigate the properties of light
3.2
describe how human-made optical devices (e.g., telescopes, glasses, periscopes, kaleidoscopes, microscopes) extend our ability to observe and interact with the world
3.3
create an optical device that solves a practical problem using an engineering design process (e.g., redirecting light, magnifying objects)

Key ideas

  1. Light travels in straight lines.

  2. Light reflects (bounces) off surfaces.

  3. Light refracts (bends) passing through water or glass.

  4. White light can split into a spectrum of colours.

  5. Optical devices use light to help us see.

Watch out for

  • Thinking light bends around corners on its own.
  • Thinking light is white and has no colours in it.
  • Thinking optical devices create light rather than use it.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 3 skills

Sound

Sound and Sound Devices

The official wording · 3 outcomes
4.1
describe examples of sounds and sound technologies and their intended purpose
4.2
investigate the properties of sound
4.3
create a sound device using an engineering design process

Key ideas

  1. Sounds are all around us, made by vibrations.

  2. Sound technologies send or receive sound.

  3. A radio, telephone, and hearing aid are sound technologies.

  4. Each technology has a purpose.

  5. Sound is made by vibrations that travel as waves.

Watch out for

  • Thinking sound technologies make sound from nothing.
  • Thinking all sound technologies do the same job.
  • Thinking sound is not caused by vibration.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 5 · 3 skills

Experimentation

Doing an Experiment

The official wording · 3 outcomes
5.1
perform an experiment and record observations
5.2
analyse and interpret data
5.3
communicate the results of an experiment

Key ideas

  1. An experiment is a fair test to answer a question.

  2. We follow steps carefully and safely.

  3. We control what we change so the test is fair.

  4. We record observations as we go.

  5. Data is the information we collected.

Watch out for

  • Thinking we can change many things at once and still be fair.
  • Thinking we can remember results without recording.
  • Drawing a conclusion not supported by the data.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

The official curriculum

This page follows Prince Edward Island’s own curriculum for Science, Grade 4.

PEI Department of Education and Early Childhood Development - Grade 4 Integrated Curricula, Science sectionprinceedwardisland.ca · Read August 7, 2026

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Science, Grade 4 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.

Biology 11 (BIO521A) in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsBiology 11 (BIO521A) in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Biology 11 (BIO521A), another Prince Edward Island course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep Science, Grade 4 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
30
Fillable fields
1,319
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Science, Grade 4

What is Science, Grade 4?

Prince Edward Island’s Grade 4 science course: 5 units and 21 skills, from Habitats and Communities to Experimentation.

What units are in Science, Grade 4?

1. Habitats and Communities, 2. Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion, 3. Light, 4. Sound and 5. Experimentation.

Is there a provincial exam for Science, Grade 4?

No. Prince Edward Island gives no provincial exam for Science, Grade 4.

What comes after Science, Grade 4?

Science, Grade 5.

Can MapleMind help with Science, Grade 4?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Science, Grade 4, 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.

Before this course

After this course

Get ready for Science, Grade 4

Practise every skill of Science, Grade 4 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.