Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 1 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: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
• Matter and Energy: Energy in Our Lives
• Structures and Mechanisms: Everyday Materials, Objects, and Structures
• Earth and Space Systems: Daily and Seasonal Changes

Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 1 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