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 9 — 4 units, 69 skills.
Patterns and Relations
- Spotting linear patterns
- Graphing a linear relation
- One-step equations
Shape and Space
- Central and inscribed angles
- The perpendicular-to-a-chord property
- Tangents and radii
Statistics and Probability
- Bias, language and ethics
- Population vs. sample
- Planning the investigation
See the full Mathematics 9 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 9 — 5 units, 20 skills.
Reading and Comprehension
- Explicit and implicit meaning
- Weighing multiple points of view
Responding to and Analyzing Texts
- Character choices and motives
- Forms and genres
- How texts reflect culture
Research and Information
- Focusing a research question
- Organizing information
Writing Craft and Conventions
- Revising for structure and flow
- Parallel structure
See the full English Language Arts 9 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 9 — 5 units, 42 skills.
Biological Diversity
- Variation within and among species
- Sexual vs. asexual reproduction
- Chromosomes, genes and DNA
Matter and Chemical Change
- Physical and chemical properties
- Evidence of chemical change
- Origins of the periodic table
Environmental Chemistry
- Helpful and harmful substances
- Measuring quantities of substances
- Transport and bioaccumulation
Electrical Principles and Technologies
- Energy conversions
- Circuits and components
- Energy inputs and outputs
Space Exploration
- Changing ideas about Earth and space
- Challenges of space travel
- Optical and radio telescopes
See the full Science 9 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 French as a Second Language 9 (Nine-Year Program) — 6 units, 20 skills.
La boîte à outils — Grade 9 Grammar Core
- Conjugating –er, –ir and –re verbs
- Reflexive verbs in the present
- The immediate future: aller + infinitive
Sports et exercice
- Listening for main ideas and details
- Explaining a sport orally
French this year
French builds through listening, speaking, and simple reading — confidence first, grammar second. In Alberta, that's French Language Arts (immersion) 9 — 5 units, 21 skills.
Valorisation du français
- Valoriser son apprentissage du français
Production écrite
- Rédiger des textes pour transmettre de l'information
See the full French Language Arts (immersion) 9 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Grade 9 is a PAT year
Alberta students write Provincial Achievement Tests in Grade 9, based on the same curriculum below. Steady work through the year is the preparation; MapleMind's exam mode can simulate the format.
Three ways parents use this list
Common questions
What does my child learn in Grade 9 in Alberta?
Alberta's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, French for Grade 9 — 194 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers number and patterns and relations; English Language Arts covers reading and comprehension and responding to and analyzing texts; Science covers biological diversity and matter and chemical change. 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.
Does Grade 9 have a provincial test in Alberta?
Alberta students write Provincial Achievement Tests in Grade 9, based on the same curriculum below. Steady work through the year is the preparation; MapleMind's exam mode can simulate the format.
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 Social Studies 9 — 2 units, 22 skills.
Issues for Canadians: Governance and Rights
- How laws are passed and the three branches
- How citizens take part in justice
- How the Charter protects individual rights
+ 10 more skills in this unit →Issues for Canadians: Economic Systems
- Market economy principles and the consumer
- Quality of life and consumer behaviour
- Party platforms and philosophy
+ 6 more skills in this unit →See the full Social Studies 9 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →