Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 4 is an easy-to-use resource for teaching the five strands of the Ontario science and technology (2022) curriculum:
- STEM Skills and Connections
- Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
- Matter and Energy: Light and Sound
- Structures and Mechanisms: Pulleys and Gears
- Earth and Space Systems: Rocks and Minerals
Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 4 encourages students' natural curiosity about science and the world around them as they participate in hands-on activities and explore their environment. Using the inquiry approach, this comprehensive resource
- fosters students' understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills
- makes coding and emerging technologies approachable for both teachers and students
- emphasizes personalized learning using a four-part instructional process: activate, action, consolidate and debrief, enhance
- relates science and technology to sustainability and our changing world, including society, the economy, and the environment
- focuses on practical applications of the engineering design process as students work on solutions to real-life problems
- builds understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives specific to Ontario
- explores contributions to science and technology by people with diverse lived experiences
Using proven Hands-On features, this book provides resources for both teachers and students including background information on the science topics; complete, easy-to-follow lesson plans; materials lists; and digital image banks and reproducibles (find download instructions in the Appendix of the book).
Innovative elements developed specifically for the Ontario curriculum include the following:
- plugged and unplugged coding activities in nearly every lesson
- land-based learning activities
- opportunities for students to use guided research, hands-on inquiry, and the engineering design process
- a fully developed assessment plan to guide assessment for, as, and of learning
- ideas and prompts for STEM Makerspace projects
