How to read this page
Alberta publishes its curriculum as long official documents written for teachers. This page is the same content, translated for the fridge door: each subject below shows this year's units and the skills inside them. If a skill sounds unfamiliar, that's the point — now you know what to ask about at dinner.
Mathematics this year
Numbers stop being abstract this year — they become things your child can count, compare, build, and explain. In Alberta, that's Mathematics 2 — 6 units, 16 skills.
Number
- Counting and grouping to 1000
- Adding with regrouping
- Splitting a whole into equal parts
See the full Mathematics 2 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
English Language Arts this year
Reading and writing grow fast at this age — this is the year the letters turn into stories. In Alberta, that's English Language Arts 2 — 9 units, 18 skills.
Sounds in Words
- Break apart and blend sounds
- Swap sounds to make new words
Letters and Sounds
- Sound out letter teams
- Read and spell word families
Building Word Meaning
- Use word parts to find meaning
- Connect new words to what they mean
Reading Smoothly
- Read smoothly with expression
- Notice and fix reading mistakes
Understanding What You Read
- Retell what happened in order
- Ask questions and make predictions
Speaking and Listening
- Listen carefully and respond
- Speak clearly in complete sentences
Writing Your Ideas
- Plan an idea, then write sentences
- Put sentences into a paragraph
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation
- Write complete sentences with end marks
- Spell using patterns, not just sounds
How Texts Are Put Together
- Notice how a text is organized
- Use titles, headings, and pictures
See the full English Language Arts 2 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Science this year
Science at this age is guided curiosity — observing, sorting, asking why, and testing ideas hands-on. In Alberta, that's Science 2 — 6 units, 22 skills.
Materials and Their Properties
- Observing and sorting by properties
- Matching a property to a purpose
- Predicting and testing what floats
Light and Sound
- Where light comes from
- Sound comes from things that shake
Growing Plants and Animals
- From seed to plant
- Animals change as they grow
Giving Clear Instructions
- Putting steps in order
- Writing clear, one-at-a-time directions
How We Investigate
- Observing with your senses
- Picking a way that fits the question
See the full Science 2 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Three ways parents use this list
Common questions
What does my child learn in Grade 2 in Alberta?
Alberta's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies for Grade 2 — 66 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers number and geometry; English Language Arts covers sounds in words and letters and sounds; Science covers materials and their properties and light and sound. The full list is on this page.
Is this the official Alberta curriculum?
It's built from Alberta's official program of studies, reorganized into plain language — and each subject links to a course page that quotes the ministry's own wording and links to the government source, so you can check our work. One honest caveat: we're not the ministry, curricula do change, and we can't guarantee this reflects the very latest revision, so confirm anything important against the live provincial curriculum data.
My child is finding one of these skills hard. What can I do?
That's normal — every skill on this page is one most kids wobble on at first. MapleMind teaches any of them one-on-one: a short lesson in plain words, a worked example, then solving together. It's free to start, on any device, in 14 languages.
Keep exploring
Knowing the list is half the job
The other half is the teaching — and that's what MapleMind does. Pick any skill on this page and see it taught properly, free, in under a minute.
MapleMind isn't affiliated with any ministry of education. We build these guides from each province's official program of studies and refresh them from time to time — but curricula change, and we can't guarantee this page reflects the very latest revision. Always confirm against the live provincial curriculum data. Last updated 2026-08-15.
Social Studies this year
Social studies starts close to home — family, community, and how people live together. In Alberta, that's Grade 2 Social Studies — 3 units, 10 skills.
Time and Place
- Canada's distinct physical regions
- First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Francophone heritage
+ 2 more skills in this unit →Systems
- Natural resources, goods, and trade
- Three levels of government and their leaders
+ 2 more skills in this unit →Citizenship
- Decision methods and perspectives
+ 1 more skill in this unit →See the full Grade 2 Social Studies curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →