Science Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum

Grade 3 Grade 4

Carnivores eat only animals. Animals can be classified as Classify animals in a food chain as Plants can detect sensory stimuli, Organisms sense and respond to Discuss how plants respond to
carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores carnivores, herbivores, or such as light, gravity, temperature, their environments to support growth sensory stimuli.
Herbivores eat only plants. based on what they eat. omnivores. and touch, which help them grow and survival.
and survive. Relate sensory organs of animals to
Omnivores eat both animals and their survival.
plants. Sensory organs of animals include
• ears Conduct an investigation to
• eyes determine if an organism senses
• nose and responds to changes in an
• tongue environment.
• skin

Sensory organs in animals help

them meet their needs in various
ways, such as by detecting
• food
• other animals
• danger
• temperature
Plants and animals use their senses Plants and animals sense and Investigate and discuss how plants
to respond to sensory stimuli, respond to stimuli in order to survive. and animals respond to stimuli in
including their environments in order to
• water survive.
• food
• temperature
• light

Animals can use senses to detect

the presence of food, predators, or
other plants and animals.
Plants and animals in local Awareness and consideration of the Reflect on and share actions that
environments can be protected by interactions of plants and animals in can be taken to protect plants and
actions such as local environments helps humans animals in local environments.
• respectfully interacting with protect them.
nature Demonstrate respectful and safe
• minimizing disturbance to plants practices during observations of
and animals plants and animals in local
• being aware of animal crossings environments.
• following fishing and hunting
regulations Explain interconnections in
• counting and tracking environments, including how plants
populations depend on animals and how animals
depend on plants to survive.
Plants and animals may depend on
each other and their environments Discuss First Nations, Métis, and
for survival, such as for food and Inuit connection with environments
habitat. and their knowledge of and
relationships with plants and
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit animals.
knowledge of plants and animals
within environments includes
• animal behaviour
• sources of food
• migration patterns
• seasonal patterns

©2024 Government of Alberta | Alberta Education Final Curriculum: Kindergarten to Grade 3 implemented September 2023. Grades 4 to 6 are available for optional implementation in the 2023–2024 school Page 28
Science | March 2023 year.
 Science Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum

Grade 3 Grade 4

Space: Understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and their
Organizing Idea
interactions.

Guiding Question How do objects in space impact daily life?

Learning Outcome Students investigate and describe objects in space in connection to daily life.

Knowledge Understanding Skills & Procedures

The universe includes all of space Observing objects in space helps us Record observations of objects in
and everything in it. connect Earth to its place in the space using appropriate safety
universe. equipment when necessary.
Objects in space include
• the Moon Compare observations of objects in
• the Sun (a star) space taken during the day and
• stars and their planets night.
• planets and their moons
Compare technologies for viewing
Most objects in space are more objects in space.
easily observed at night.

Technologies for viewing objects in

space include
• binoculars
• telescopes
• planetariums

Safe viewing of the Sun requires

appropriate safety equipment and
precautions to avoid damage to the
eyes.
Constellations are groups of stars Stars and constellations are Examine constellations in relation to
that appear to form a shape. recognizable from Earth and can be location in the sky.
used for navigation and tracking the
Constellations have names that passage of time. Explain ways in which stars can be
come from a variety of sources. used for navigation.

Stars in the same constellation may Explore the local traditional names
be millions of kilometres apart. of the North Star.

Earth’s daily rotation and yearly

revolution around the Sun causes
the constellations to appear in
different locations at different times.

Polaris, the North Star, shows the

approximate direction of the North
Pole.

The Orion constellation can be used

to find the South Pole.

©2024 Government of Alberta | Alberta Education Final Curriculum: Kindergarten to Grade 3 implemented September 2023. Grades 4 to 6 are available for optional implementation in the 2023–2024 school Page 29
Science | March 2023 year.
 Science Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum

Grade 3 Grade 4

The Moon has been used Many cultures connect observations Represent observations of objects in
throughout history to measure time. of objects in space to time, place, space as they connect to seasons,
and daily life in various ways. plants, and animals in a local area.
The international standard
(Gregorian) calendar is based on the Discuss similarities and differences
amount of time it takes Earth to between a lunar calendar and the
revolve around the Sun. international standard calendar.

Most people follow the international

standard calendar in daily life.

Some cultures may use a lunar

calendar in addition to the
international standard calendar.

Lunar calendars follow patterns of

the Moon for timekeeping.

©2024 Government of Alberta | Alberta Education Final Curriculum: Kindergarten to Grade 3 implemented September 2023. Grades 4 to 6 are available for optional implementation in the 2023–2024 school Page 30
Science | March 2023 year.