Students graduating from Ontario schools require the scientific and technological knowledge and skills that will enable them to be productive members of society. They also need to develop attitudes that will motivate them to use their knowledge and skills in a responsible manner. The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Science and Technology, 1998 outlines the knowledge and skills that students must develop in Grades 1 to 8, as well as the levels of achievement at which they are expected to master them. It is these levels that teachers will use to assess students’ achievement.

The science and technology curriculum described in this document differs from previous curricula in several important ways. These are outlined below.

• The knowledge and skills that students are expected to acquire are identified for each grade. Previous curricula focused on outcomes for the end of Grades 3, 6, and 9.
• The subject areas of science and technology are combined. Some of the expectations focus on science, some on technology, while others deal with relating science and technology to each other and to the world outside the school.
• Some concepts and skills are introduced earlier and are given more rigorous treatment. For example, the particle theory and the distinction between heat and temperature, formerly taught in Grade 10, are now introduced in Grade 7.
• A greater number of technology concepts and processes are included and they are introduced earlier. For example, the design process and control systems are introduced in Grade 1.
• There is greater emphasis on earth and space science, in keeping with expectations in other provinces. For example, the curriculum for Grade 6 includes an introduction to astronomy. (Astronomy has been an optional topic in Grade 10 in Ontario since 1987.)
• Greater emphasis is placed in the expectations on relating science and technology to each other and to the world outside the school and on the need for sustainable development. Students’ understanding of the concept of sustainability is stressed in a variety of contexts.
• Communication skills and the use of appropriate terminology are given greater emphasis – for example, students are expected to describe what they are doing by using the terminology associated with specific scientific and technological concepts.