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
Math builds in layers, and this year's layer matters — each unit below leans on the ones before it. In Alberta, that's Mathematics 4 — 7 units, 26 skills.
Number
- Reading and writing decimals
- Adding and subtracting whole numbers
- Factors and multiples
See the full Mathematics 4 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
English Language Arts this year
Reading, writing, and speaking skills deepen this year — less "can they read it," more "what do they make of it." In Alberta, that's English Language Arts 4 — 7 units, 23 skills.
Text Forms and Structures
- The shape of a story
- Matching form to purpose
Vocabulary
- New words in different subjects
- Prefixes, roots, and suffixes
Fluency
- Smooth, expressive reading
- Fluency that sharpens understanding
Comprehension
- Main idea and summarizing
- Connecting texts to your world
Conventions
- Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
- Punctuation that guides the reader
See the full English Language Arts 4 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Science this year
Science gets more structured this year — real investigations, real explanations, real vocabulary. In Alberta, that's Science 4 — 7 units, 17 skills.
Waste and Our World
- Tracking waste after the bin
- Handling dangerous materials safely
Forces That Act at a Distance
- Magnets pulling across a gap
- Gravity pulls without touching
See the full Science 4 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
French this year
French builds through listening, speaking, and simple reading — confidence first, grammar second. In Alberta, that's Core French 4 — 3 units, 20 skills.
La communication — Understanding and Using First French
- Understanding spoken key words
- Matching written key words
- Saying simple spoken messages
La langue — How French Works and First Words
- Letters and their French sounds
- Pointing things out: voici and voilà
- Greetings, introductions and leave-taking
La culture — Why French and Where It Lives
- Reasons to learn French and French around us
- French versions of English first names
See the full Core French 4 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Three ways parents use this list
Common questions
What does my child learn in Grade 4 in Alberta?
Alberta's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, French for Grade 4 — 97 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers number and algebra; English Language Arts covers text forms and structures and oral language; Science covers waste and our world and forces that act at a distance. 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 widens the lens this year — history, geography, and how communities and governments work. In Alberta, that's Grade 4 Social Studies — 3 units, 11 skills.
Time and Place
- Explorers and first relationships
- Loyalists and the War of 1812
- France's permanent settlements
+ 3 more skills in this unit →Systems
- The road to Confederation
- The fur trade system
+ 2 more skills in this unit →Citizenship
See the full Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →