How to read this page
Nova Scotia 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 Nova Scotia, that's Mathematics 10 — 4 units, 38 skills.
Measurement
- Referents and estimation for linear measure
- Converting units with proportional reasoning
- Surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders
Algebra and Number
- Identifying and ordering irrational numbers
- Applying exponent laws with rational exponents
- Multiplying binomials with an area model
Relations and Functions
- Interpreting graphs and situations
- Distinguishing relations and functions
- Slope as rise over run and rate of change
Financial Mathematics
- Best buys with unit pricing
- Calculating gross pay
- Building a personal budget
See the full Mathematics 10 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Mathematics this year
Math builds in layers, and this year's layer matters — each unit below leans on the ones before it. In Nova Scotia, that's Mathematics at Work 10 — 4 units, 24 skills.
Measurement
- Relationships among SI units
- Relationships among imperial units
- Referents and estimation for length
Geometry
- Strategies for spatial puzzles and games
- Verifying and identifying right triangles
- Determining similarity of polygons
Algebra
- Manipulating and applying formulas
See the full Mathematics at Work 10 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 Nova Scotia, that's English 10 — 3 units, 37 skills.
Speaking and Listening
- Constructing ideas through questions and responses
- Adapting to formal and informal speaking situations
Reading and Viewing
- Viewing a wide variety of media and visual texts
- Researching information systematically
- Articulating and supporting a personal response
Writing and Other Ways of Representing
- Writing to extend ideas and reflect on learning
- Creating an organizing structure for a text
- Awareness of what writing processes work for you
See the full English 10 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Science this year
Science gets more structured this year — real investigations, real explanations, real vocabulary. In Nova Scotia, that's Science 10 — 4 units, 31 skills.
Earth and Space Science: Weather Dynamics
- Using weather instruments and integrating data
- Explaining seasonal and weather variation
Physical Science: Chemical Reactions
- Investigating reactions safely with WHMIS
- Naming and writing chemical formulas
Physical Science: Motion
- Accurate measurement in experiments
- Design and function of motion technology
Life Science: Sustainability of Ecosystems
- Shifting views of sustainability
- Ecosystem responses to stress and change
See the full Science 10 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
French this year
French builds through listening, speaking, and simple reading — confidence first, grammar second. In Nova Scotia, that's Core French 10 — 2 units, 19 skills.
Communication
- Negotiating for understanding
- Developing descriptions and comparisons
- Choosing pertinent information
Linguistic Elements
- Using expressions that support interaction
- Refuting, rejecting, and contradicting to express an opinion
See the full Core French 10 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Three ways parents use this list
Common questions
What does my child learn in Grade 10 in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, French for Grade 10 — 175 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers measurement and algebra and number; Mathematics covers measurement and geometry; English Language Arts covers speaking and listening and reading and viewing. The full list is on this page.
Is this the official Nova Scotia curriculum?
It's built from Nova Scotia'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 Nova Scotia, that's Geography 10 — 7 units, 26 skills.
Part A · Unit 1 — Data Collection
- Remote sensing — the view from above
+ 1 more skill in this unit →Part A · Unit 2 — Data Processing and Representation
- Reading aerial and satellite images
+ 3 more skills in this unit →Part B · Unit 1 — Geographic Perspective
- The five themes of geography
+ 2 more skills in this unit →Part B · Unit 2 — Land Environment
- Earth's structure and plate tectonics
- Weathering, mass wasting, and soil erosion
+ 6 more skills in this unit →Part B · Unit 3 — Ocean Environment
- Sea floor processes and submarine features
+ 1 more skill in this unit →Part B · Unit 4 — Atmospheric Environment
- The atmosphere's composition and zones
- Air masses and weather systems
+ 3 more skills in this unit →Part B · Unit 5 — Spaceship Earth
- Earth's interconnected systems
+ 1 more skill in this unit →See the full Geography 10 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →