HomeCurriculumAlberta › Grade 1

What Grade 1 covers in Alberta — and how to practise it at home

Grade 1 is where school routines begin for real: counting with confidence, first reading habits, and learning how to be a learner. Here is the year as Alberta schools teach it under the new curriculum — unit by unit, in order — so you can see what your child is working on right now, and what's coming next.

7 unitsMath
5 unitsScience
5 unitsSocial Studies
43 weeksEnglish & French

Math — the new Alberta curriculum (program of studies), in teaching order

Alberta math runs as a sequence: each unit builds on the one before it. The week ranges below follow the school year from September; teachers vary pacing.

1

Numbers to 100

Weeks 1–6 · September–October

Counting, reading, representing and comparing quantities to 100; skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.

Worth watching: counting on from a number ("start at 8, count up 5") instead of restarting from 1 — that small habit is the year's biggest lever.

2

Addition & Subtraction within 20

Weeks 7–12 · October–November

Examining addition and subtraction within 20 using counting strategies, part-part-whole thinking and simple story problems.

3

2D and 3D Shapes

Weeks 13–18 · November–December

Interpreting shape in two and three dimensions; sorting and describing familiar shapes and objects by their attributes.

4

Length & Size

Weeks 19–24 · January–February

Relating length to size; directly comparing and ordering objects by length, height and width using informal language.

5

Patterns in Cycles

Weeks 25–30 · February–March

Examining repeating patterns and patterns in daily cycles; identifying, extending and creating simple patterns.

6

Time & Daily Cycles

Weeks 31–36 · March–May

Explaining time in relation to cycles — days of the week, seasons, first/next/last ordering of daily events; no clock reading yet.

7

One-Half & Simple Data

Weeks 37–43 · May–June

Examining one-half as one of two equal parts of a whole; collecting and representing simple data with concrete graphs and pictographs.

Try one — a real Grade 1 question

Math · Number Sense

Ella has 8 stickers. She gets 5 more. How many stickers does she have now?

A typical first answer
12
Homework Hub's feedback
So close — let's count it out. Start at 8 and count up 5 more: 9, 10, 11, 12… one more to go!
Next try
13
That's it — 8 and 5 more is 13. Counting on from 8 beats starting over from 1. ⭐

Science across the year

1

Needs of Plants & Animals

Weeks 1–9 · September–October

Investigating and examining what plants and animals need to live and grow — food, water, air, space and shelter.

2

Properties of Objects

Weeks 10–18 · November–December

Analyzing properties of objects using the five senses and investigating how properties can be changed by actions like bending, stretching and mixing.

3

How Things Move

Weeks 19–27 · January–March

Investigating direction, pathway and speed of moving objects, humans and other animals.

4

Environments Around Us

Weeks 28–35 · March–April

Analyzing local environments and investigating the interactions and changes that happen within them across seasons.

5

Investigating & Instructions

Weeks 36–43 · May–June

Engaging in and describing simple investigations; following step-by-step instructions and relating them to outcomes.

Science · Living Things

Is a rock a living thing? How do you know?

A typical first answer
Yes, because it can roll and move.
Homework Hub's feedback
Interesting thinking! But moving isn't enough — a soccer ball moves too. Living things GROW, need food and water, and can make new living things. Does a rock do any of those?
Next try
No — it doesn't grow or need food or water.
Exactly — no growing, no eating, no drinking means not living. That's how scientists check. 🪨

Social Studies

1

Our World: Features & Landmarks

Weeks 1–9 · September–October

Examining major physical features and key landmarks of our world — continents, oceans, mountains and famous places.

2

Cultures & Communities

Weeks 10–18 · November–December

Exploring the cultures of diverse communities in Canada and the world — languages, foods, celebrations and traditions, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

3

Goods & Services

Weeks 19–27 · January–March

Examining the exchange of goods and services — what people make, grow, sell and do for one another in a community.

4

Roles in Our Community

Weeks 28–35 · March–April

Investigating roles and responsibilities in community groups and organizations — helpers, leaders and members.

5

Belonging Together

Weeks 36–43 · May–June

Examining how belonging is supported within groups and communities — kindness, cooperation and making everyone welcome.

English & French — skills that build weekly, not units

How language works in Grade 1

Unlike math and science, the language curriculum isn't taught as a sequence of units — it's a set of skills that deepen all year: reading comprehension and inference, writing structure and conventions, vocabulary, and oral communication. French works the same way. Homework Hub practises these as grade-matched weekly skills — a reading passage with real comprehension questions, a sentence to fix, a short prompt to write to — rather than pretending there's a unit list.

Practice that follows this exact sequence

Homework Hub generates fresh questions matched to these very units — in season, at your child's level, marked with hints that teach. You set the days; it does the rest.

Start your free trial →
Free trial · No card needed · Cancel anytime

This page is generated from the same curriculum map that powers Homework Hub's practice questions (the new Alberta curriculum (program of studies) and current science and social studies expectations, described in our own words). School boards and teachers vary pacing — week ranges are a typical rhythm, not a rule.