Grade 1: Science

Here is the Science curriculum for Grade 1 in British Columbia, presented with the content first.

Grade 1 Science Content (BC Curriculum)

The learning standards for Grade 1 Science are organized into four content areas, known as the “Big Ideas.”

1. Living Things: Needs and Environments

• Core Question: What do living things need to stay alive?

• Key Content:

  • Basic Needs: All living things have basic needs (e.g., air, water, food, shelter).

  • Local Plants and Animals: Observing the familiar plants and animals in the local environment.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: Learning from First Peoples about the characteristics and needs of living things, and the importance of respecting them.

2. Matter: Objects and Materials

• Core Question: How can we use our senses to explore objects and materials?

• Key Content:

  • Physical Properties: Using the senses to observe and describe the physical properties of local plants, animals, and materials (e.g., colour, texture, size).

  • Object Composition: Recognizing that objects are made of one or more materials.

  • Natural and Human-Made: Distinguishing between objects that are found in nature and those that are human-made.

3. Energy: Light and Sound

• Core Question: How do light and sound help us in our daily lives?

• Key Content:

  • Sources of Light and Sound: Identifying a variety of natural and human-made sources of light and sound.

  • Properties of Light: Recognizing that light can be bright or dim, and that it allows us to see.

  • Properties of Sound: Recognizing that sounds can be loud or soft, and that they can travel through some materials.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: Learning from First Peoples about the importance of light and sound (e.g., in ceremonies, for communication).

4. Earth and Space: Daily and Seasonal Changes

• Core Question: How do daily and seasonal changes affect living things?

• Key Content:

  • Daily and Seasonal Cycles: Observing and describing changes in the local environment throughout the day and across seasons.

  • Effects on Living Things: Describing how daily and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and humans.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: Learning from First Peoples about seasonal rounds (the cycle of harvesting different foods throughout the year) and their relationship with the land.

Curricular Competencies (The “Doing” of Science)

These are the processes and skills students use to learn the science content.

• Questioning and Predicting: Demonstrate curiosity and ask questions about familiar objects and events.

• Planning and Conducting: Make and record observations about the natural and human-built world. Suggest ways to answer their own questions through simple investigations.

• Processing and Analyzing Data and Information: Sort and classify data and information using drawings, pictographs, or provided tables. Experience and interpret the local environment.

• Evaluating: Compare observations with predictions through discussion. Consider some environmental consequences of their actions.

• Applying and Innovating: Contribute to care for self, family, classroom, and school through personal or collaborative approaches. Transfer and apply learning to new situations.

• Communicating: Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play.

Big Ideas (The Core Concepts)

These are the overarching understandings students will develop.

• Living Things: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment.

• Matter: Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.

• Energy: Light and sound can be produced and their properties can be changed.

• Earth and Space: Daily and seasonal cycles affect all living things.

Key Changes & Focus for Grade 1

• A strong emphasis on direct, hands-on observation of the immediate world.

• Focusing on familiar, local environments (classroom, schoolyard, neighbourhood).

• Using the five senses as primary tools for investigation.

• Developing the ability to sort, classify, and describe objects and events.

• Integrating First Peoples knowledge through stories and principles of respect for nature.