How to read this page
Ontario 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 Ontario, that's Mathematics, Grade 1 — 5 units, 38 skills.
Number
- Reading and showing numbers to 50
- Building numbers from parts and breaking them apart
- Sharing fairly among 2 and 4 friends
Algebra
- Spotting what repeats in a pattern
- What changes and what always stays the same
- Writing and running step-by-step code
Data
- Sorting data by one feature
- Describing likelihood: impossible, possible, certain
Spatial Sense
- Sorting shapes and objects by one feature
- Describing where things are
- Noticing what can be measured
Financial Literacy
- Naming coins and bills and comparing their value
See the full Mathematics, Grade 1 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 Ontario, that's Language, Grade 1 — 4 units, 67 skills.
Literacy Connections and Applications
- My rights and choices online
- Seeing identity and belonging in stories
Foundations of Language
- Listening carefully and asking questions
- Blending sounds into a word
- Naming and writing letters quickly
Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts
- Reading and understanding short stories
- Using what I already know to understand
- Rhyme, alliteration, and fun sound tricks
Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
- Choosing a topic, purpose, and audience
- Writing a first try of my text
- Making a final copy of my text
See the full Language, Grade 1 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 Ontario, that's Science and Technology, Grade 1 — 5 units, 39 skills.
STEM Skills and Connections
- Writing simple step-by-step code
- Noticing how coding and new technology affect everyday life
- Finding science and technology at home and in the community
Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
- What happens when things are lost
- Living and non-living things are connected
Energy in Our Lives
- Using energy wisely at home and school
- Energy makes things move or change
Materials, Objects, and Everyday Structures
- Kinds of waste we make
- Objects are made of materials
Daily and Seasonal Changes
- Changes and outdoor activities
- Earth and the Sun make day and seasons
See the full Science and Technology, Grade 1 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →
Three ways parents use this list
Common questions
What does my child learn in Grade 1 in Ontario?
Ontario's official curriculum sets out Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies for Grade 1 — 165 specific skills in total. The big themes: Mathematics covers number and algebra; English Language Arts covers literacy connections and applications and foundations of language; Science covers stem skills and connections and needs and characteristics of living things. The full list is on this page.
Is this the official Ontario curriculum?
It's built from Ontario'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 Ontario, that's Social Studies, Grade 1 — 2 units, 21 skills.
Heritage and Identity: My Family and Me
- How and why roles and relationships change
- My own roles and responsibilities
+ 8 more skills in this unit →People and Environment: The Local Community
- Meeting needs in the community
- The territory our school is on
+ 9 more skills in this unit →See the full Social Studies, Grade 1 curriculum, with the ministry's own wording →