Science

Overview

Science aims to answer questions and make sense of the physical, living and digital world. Science calls on students to use their curiosity, creativity and perseverance to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the natural world. It includes the study of physics, chemistry, biology, Earth science, astronomy and computer science.

Through science, students develop critical thinking, problem solving, confidence and communication skills to make sense of complex information. They gain knowledge and skills by applying scientific methods. Exploring the environment through diverse perspectives and traditional knowledge allows students to connect with their surroundings and recognize the responsibility we share for our planet.

Studying science equips students to evaluate information they encounter every day and make evidence informed decisions. It can lead to careers in research, medicine, computer science, geology, engineering, astronomy, agriculture and more.

Find out what is next for K to 12 curriculum renewal

Learn more (updated June 2026)

Read the K to 6 curriculum and draft 7 to 9 curriculum on new New LearnAlberta
Download the K to 6 curriculum fact sheets
Download the draft 7 to 9 curriculum fact sheet

Draft curriculum content update summary

What we updated

Following engagement, we made the following content updates:

Scientific literacy: Revisions were made to add content related to critical thinking, data analysis, risk, bias and decision-making.
Content load: Content load was adjusted through the removal or consolidation of content in computer science.
Clarity: Revisions were made to language across the draft curriculum.
Key content: Revisions were made to add key content, including diverse science-related careers, forest management, solar power, agriculture, environmental and climate contexts and AI awareness.

Current and new curriculum comparison

The following table shows how elements in the current science 7 to 9 curriculum compare to elements in the draft science 7 to 9 curriculum. The comparison provides specific examples only and does not represent all the changes that were made related to the topic noted.

Topic/Concept	Current grades 7 to 9 science curriculum (2003, Updated 2014) Examples	Draft science 7 to 9 curriculum (2026) Examples
Scientific literacy	Students are not explicitly introduced to scientific literacy.	Students develop an understanding of scientific literacy. Students explore the scientific method in depth, developing critical-thinking skills and expanding their knowledge of how scientific processes lead to evidence-based conclusions. Students analyze data and information for bias, including survivorship bias. Students explore science-related careers.
Energy	Students investigate energy and energy transfer.	Students learn that energy is not a physical substance. Students explore energy through the model of stores and pathways. Students investigate waves as a form of energy transfer and explore sound and light waves. Students examine static electricity in the context of energy transfer. Students investigate nuclear and hydrogen as clean energy stores.
Geological resources, including minerals and soil	Students learn about minerals as part of the rock cycle. Students describe characteristics of soil in the context of plant health.	Students learn about fossil fuels. Students examine geological resources and extraction in Alberta. Students explore minerals as a resource, including the sustainable extraction of minerals. Students investigate critical minerals essential for modern technologies. Students learn how geological processes and human activity affect soil health. Students analyze how soil health is related to sustainability.
Agriculture	Students explore the impacts of agricultural practices on sustainability.	Students explore the interdependent relationship between agricultural practices and soil health. Students learn how artificial selection is used in agriculture. Students examine sustainable agriculture.
Stewardship and sustainability	Students assess the impacts of human activity on the environment. Students explore biological diversity.	Students analyze climate change in relation to sustainability. Students explore how healthy soil supports climate resilience. Students learn about climate-smart agriculture, including benefits and supporting innovations.
Computer science, including artificial intelligence, coding and programming	Students use computers to compile data.	Students explore computer systems, programming and coding. Students learn about artificial intelligence, including bias, to understand machine learning and associated ethical implications. Students explore ways in which artificial intelligence is reshaping the workforce. Students examine functions, variables and events and are introduced to text-based programming languages.
Design and innovation	Students examine and design structures and devices.	Students explore the design process and universal design in the context of computational thinking. Students examine the role of design criteria and testing in design processes. Students evaluate how design processes can result in innovative solutions.
Space	Students study space science only in Grade 9.	Students investigate natural phenomena in relation to interactions of celestial bodies. Students analyze the origin and evolution of the universe. Students examine space exploration.

Snapshot by grade

In the new K to 6 science curriculum, students will learn about matter, energy, Earth systems, living systems, space, computer science and scientific methods.

Kindergarten
- Explore properties using the 5 senses.
- Examine movement of objects, humans and other animals.
- Examine components of environments.
- Protect the environment by reducing waste, recycling and reusing.
- Explore the purpose of instructions.
Grade 1
- Analyze measurable properties of objects and physical changes.
- Investigate characteristics of movement.
- Analyze seasonal changes and their effects on plants and animals.
- Investigate plants and animals and the relationships among them.
- Order and follow instructions.
- Describe the steps of an investigation and make predictions, observations and conclusions.
Grade 2
- Examine properties, types, and selection of materials based on suitability, availability and sustainability.
- Investigate the sources and behaviours of light and sound.
- Examine Earth’s landforms, bodies of water and relationship to the Sun.
- Investigate the growth and development of plants and animals and explore their relationships to humans.
- Apply creativity to design precise, reliable and efficient instructions.
- Describe purposes and procedures of investigations in science.
Grade 3
- Investigate how substances can change, including water and the water cycle.
- Conduct investigations to determine the effects of contact forces on objects, including simple machines.
- Analyze changes to Earth’s surface caused by natural events and the activities of plants, humans and other animals, including growing crops and farming.
- Examine how layers of Earth’s surface, including the discovery and location of dinosaur fossils, hold information about the past.
- Discuss First Nations, Métis and Inuit relationships with and intergenerational knowledge of land and Earth’s surface.
- Analyze interactions between plants, humans, other animals and the environment.
- Investigate creativity and its relationship to computational and divergent thinking.
- Relate sources, accuracy and analysis of data to building scientific knowledge.
Grade 4
- Investigate the management of waste materials and describe environmental impacts.
- Investigate the non-contact forces of gravity and magnetism.
- Analyze the interconnections between Earth’s systems (land, air, water and organisms) and explore conservation activities.
- Relate the external structures and sensory organs of organisms to their functions.
- Investigate how objects in space are connected to daily life.
- Examine design processes and their application in solving problems.
- Investigate the role of data and evidence in science.
Grade 5
- Relate the particle model of matter to the states of matter.
- Investigate forces in water and air, including buoyant force, lift and drag.
- Examine renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
- Analyze the relationships among climate, weather and agricultural practices.
- Investigate the functions of internal biological systems of organisms.
- Interpret observable processes among stars, planets, the Sun and the Moon in relation to daily living.
- Apply the design process in creating computational artifacts, including code.
- Examine controlled experiments, including consideration of evidence, bias and ethics.
Grade 6
- Relate the heating and cooling of particles to the behaviour of matter, including expansion and contraction.
- Analyze internal and external forces and their effects on objects.
- Examine scientific, environmental and economic considerations relating to energy management.
- Investigate factors affecting climate and climate change, including personal actions.
- Investigate the characteristics, components and biodiversity of ecosystems.
- Investigate celestial bodies and technologies used for exploration in the solar system.
- Examine abstractions, coding structures and the impact of computers and technology.
- Describe the role of explanation and hypothesis in science.
Grade 7
- Classify and analyze pure substances and mixtures.
- Investigate the interactions of forces in structures and simple machines.
- Explore energy systems and energy transfer as heat and the ability to do work.
- Examine geological processes, rocks, minerals and soil.
- Analyze biodiversity, cycling of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems.
- Investigate the solar system and astronomical phenomena.
- Learn how computers process information, how artificial intelligence works, and how programming and design can be used to solve problems.
- Relate interpretation of data to scientific explanation.
- Examine environmental stewardship in the context of resource management and ecosystems.
Grade 8
- Explore atomic structure and the periodic table.
- Analyze motion resulting from forces, fluids and pressure.
- Examine energy stores and transfers through static electricity and waves.
- Investigate Earth’s geological history and resource extraction.
- Analyze cells and organ systems.
- Examine the origin and evolution of the universe.
- Investigate efficiency in programming and artificial intelligence and examine design criteria.
- Describe scientific laws and theories and bias in data.
- Examine sustainability in a modern context.
Grade 9
- Investigate compounds and chemical reactions.
- Explore energy in the context of electric current, circuits, power, conservation of energy, light waves and sound waves.
- Analyze geological processes associated with tectonic plate dynamics.
- Examine DNA, genetic traits and variation.
- Investigate space exploration.
- Examine text-based programming languages.
- Understand scientific theory development, unscientific claims and bias, including survivorship bias.
- Evaluate sustainable actions that address complex environmental issues.