Gr. 4 to Gr. 8

Exploring a variety of literacy themes such as ‘getting along’ and ‘myths and legends’ instills a love of reading by taking learners on mystical, exciting adventures through a range of fiction novels and non-fiction. Our Grade 4 English curriculum also supports students gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, and the world around them through creative writing and inquisitive thinking tasks.

Enriching stories and a variety of interactive activities see students gain persuasive writing skills, strengthen their voice, and master the subtleties of inference and explicit statements. Students gain valuable social skills and become well rounded, adept learners through debating, discussions and dealing with conflicting views.

The Giles School teaches French by providing young language learners with an alternative view of the world as they become multilingual. 

The goal in this grade is to guide students to build communicative competence in French. Oral expression forms the focus at Grade 4 to help students build skills in idea expression, argument construction, question and response, and poetry. Across each unit, students debate in French and complete the process with an essay, which promotes critical thinking and expressive writing. Classic poems and world famous literature are used as study materials to cultivate  French comprehension.

Grade 4 Math helps students master the fundamentals of the subject by focusing on five distinct strands, including number sense and numeration, measurement, geometry and spatial sense, patterning and algebra as well as data management and probability.

Students learn how mathematics  is relevant in their daily lives and acquire skills that help improve their neatness and organization skills, perseverance and precision, logical analysis, reasoning, and problem solving abilities.

The Giles School Grade 4 Science curriculum emphasizes a process of thought rather than an acquisition of facts. By learning about six fundamental concepts across matter, energy, systems and interactions, structure and function, sustainability and stewardship, change and continuity, our program brings out the inquisitive spirit in every student.

Learners are encouraged to question, take risks, analyze, interpret and develop skills that are transferable to any discipline of knowledge in order to solve real, human problems. Fun lesson discussions, guided activities, laboratory experiments, and interactive science applications bring learning to life and create an engaging environment for all.

Our Engineering Science curriculum makes sense of the forces making things move, stop, change direction, and fly all around us. Through various projects, students gain a meaningful understanding and develop appreciation for the energy demands of our life. Students use their creativity, problem-solving and communication skills to overcome design challenges during the creation of their very own wind-powered car.

Students also explore direct and indirect forces, practice their proficiency in 2D diagrams and develop 3D spatial sense to understand complex systems.

Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum at The Giles School explores geographical and historical topics, with the aim of widening students' understanding of human activities both now and in the past. Students explore the connection between human activities and the environment nationally, and learn important mapping skills.

Students also pop on their archeological hats and study social organization and daily life across different societies. Lessons show how fascinating prehistoric people formed a relationship with their environment from 3000 BCE to 1500 CE.

Grade 5 English jumps into a world of science fiction, suspense and auto/biographical wonder by exploring voice, points of view, inferences, genre conventions, and activating prior knowledge across a range of texts. Writing workshops ensure continued grammar, vocabulary, spelling, written and media literacy improvement. The subject matter focuses on ensuring learners become effective listeners and communicators in all they do.

We want our students to love reading and writing, and be passionate about the English language so classes are designed to instil this through the use of a variety of thought-provoking, adventurous and engaging age-appropriate resources.

Grade 5 French at The Giles School involves bilingual learners continuing to enjoy interactive French learning to improve their vocabulary, spelling, grammar, writing ability, and oral expression. Learners at this stage are gaining more communicative competence in French, both verbal and written, as well as harnessing creative thinking skills by writing reflective essays at the end of each themed unit of study. 

Themes, as well as age specific novels, are debated and explored in each class to aid ongoing language development. Chosen literature includes Le Petit Nicolas, Le Prince Heureux and Le Petit Prince.

Building on foundational knowledge, Grade 5 students explore and master multi-digit whole number ordering, comparison and rounding, integers and rational numbers, concepts of factorization, powers and exponents, alongside geometry and measurement skills about perimeter and surface area. Algebra, equations, percentage, ratios, and volume also form the heart of Math at this level with the aim always being to shape lifelong learners who enjoy the subject, and see its practical value within their everyday lives.

The Science curriculum in Grade 5 teaches learners about science as the study of the natural and physical worlds, and about technology as a way to utilize tools and processes to solve real life problems. From matter, energy, systems and interactions, structure and function to sustainability, stewardship, change and continuity, students explore broad concepts through interesting and innovative lab experiments, interactive applications and discussions. 

Bringing out the inquisitive spirit in all learners is the aim here, whether they are delving into the nervous system, vertebrates, biodiversity or the solar system. There is so much to learn about the human experience and our science curriculum places this at the fore. 

Students become real-life engineers, by building their own devices and robots which utilize energy conversion. They will learn to appreciate the way energy affects our modern lives and gain skills to effectively measure and recognize energy demands and common energy technology. This in-depth curriculum improves students fine motor skills and spatial sense through project assembly and complex system conception. Furthermore, learners are shown how to harness their creativity, problem solving, and communication skills to overcome challenges.

To fully understand ourselves it is important to understand those who came before us. Grade 5 students are able to do this through an exploration of heritage and early civilizations dating back to the ancient Greeks. Students also learn about First Nations’ culture in North America, and their connection with the natural environment. 

It is also necessary to understand how we operate in relation to others, and so at this stage of the Social Studies curriculum we explore Canada’s three levels of government and services provided, as well as the country's political, social, economic, and physical world connections.

Through this course, learners can explore the way human needs were met historically and currently, to gain a better understanding of their own communities within the world today.

Students in Grades 6 at The Giles School delve deeper into the worlds of science fiction, suspense, and auto/biographical marvels in their English class. They explore voice, points of view, inferences, genre conventions and prior knowledge across a range of texts. Writing workshops ensure continued grammar, vocabulary, spelling, written and media literacy improvement, and the subject matter focuses learners on becoming effective listeners and communicators. We want our students to love reading and writing, and be passionate about the English language so classes across each grade instill this through the use of thought-provoking, adventurous and engaging age-appropriate resources.

Grade 6 French at The Giles School focuses on our bilingual learners mastering their command of French vocabulary, spelling, grammar, writing ability and oral expression. Students at this level gain greater competence in communicating in verbal and written French. By composing reflective essays at the conclusion of each themed unit, students also engage their creative thinking skills. Themes, as well as age specific novels, are debated and explored in each class to aid ongoing language development. 

Building on foundational knowledge, students in Grade 6 explore and master multi-digit whole number ordering, comparison and rounding, integers and rational numbers, concepts of factorization, powers and exponents, alongside geometry and measurement skills about perimeter and surface area. Algebra, equations, percent, ratios, and volume also form the heart of Math at this level with our aim always being to shape lifelong learners who enjoy the subject and see its practical value within their everyday lives.

Science and technology curricula in Grade 6 teaches learners about science as the study of the natural and physical worlds, and about technology as a way to utilize tools and processes to solve real life problems. From matter, energy, systems and interactions, structure and function to sustainability, stewardship, change and continuity, students explore broad concepts through interesting and innovative lab experiments, interactive applications, and discussions. 

Bringing out the inquisitive spirit in all learners is the aim here, whether we are delving into the nervous system, vertebrates, biodiversity or the solar system. There is so much to learn about the human experience and our science curriculum places this at the fore. 

Students become real-life engineers, by building their own devices and robots which utilize energy conversion. They will learn to appreciate the way energy affects our modern lives and gain skills to effectively measure and recognize energy demands and common energy technology. This in depth curriculum improves students fine motor skills and spatial sense through project assembly and complex system conception. Furthermore, learners are shown how to harness their creativity, problem solving and communication skills to overcome challenges.

To fully understand ourselves it is important to understand those who came before us. Grade 6 students do this through an exploration of heritage and early civilizations dating back to the ancient Greeks. We also learn about First Nations’ culture in North America, and their connection with the natural environment. 

It is also necessary to understand how we operate in relation to others, and so at this stage of the Social Studies curriculum we explore Canada’s three levels of government and services provided, as well as the country's political, social, economic and physical world connections.

Through this, learners can explore the way human needs were met historically, and are currently, to gain a better knowledge about their own communities within the world today.

Technology, sustainability, and courage form the themes that Grade 7 focuses on in their English study program. Through novels, students understand how they can overcome fears and phobias. Novel studies allow learners to explore the role technology plays in improving the lives of those in communities around the world, and explore persistence and determination needed to stand up for your beliefs. Novel exploration is accompanied by writing exercises, media literacy activities, and language applications to aid vocabulary, grammar, and communication skill development. By the end of the course students will have a love of the English language, as well as a beautiful outlet to channel their creativity.

Our French learning curriculum in Grade 7 supports students to grow their imagination and taste, while acquiring further cultural elements. The French program at this level facilitates students to express themselves correctly and clearly, both orally and in writing. They are also able to read and analyze a variety of French texts and use these as resources for discussions to illustrate their reasoning, debating, and self expression capacities. Novels help individuals develop further communicative competence in the French language.

Building on foundational knowledge, Grade 7 students explore and master complex fractions and decimals, integers and rational numbers, exponents and scientific notions, pythagorean theorem, alongside angles, congruency, and theoretical and experimental probabilities. All concepts are explored with a focus on the relevance and usefulness of them in our daily lives, and are used to show students how to clearly communicate their ideas and accept others points of views.

Inquisitive learners are better equipped to question, take appropriate risks, analyze, and develop useful skills to aid them in their lives. Our Science curriculum at this level focuses on the development of these skills. Students will understand and explore a range of topics from cell theory, structural stability, water quality and supply, to fluids and microscopy. 

In the second term, our young scientists will participate in the school’s Science Fair. They choose a topic of interest, apply a scientific method to research their idea and then present it to the group in February.

In order to be a successful engineer, the calculations behind mechanical systems are critical to understand, especially for robot designers. Across our final two grades our students focus their efforts on mastering these determinations. Ideal and actual mechanical advantages, forces of actuators and geometrics of motion are just some of the fascinating concepts our budding engineers explore at this stage. All classes promote the skills needed to design the robots of the future, both practical and theoretical.

Exploring geographical and historical patterns in our ever-changing world forms the center of the Grade 7 Social Studies. Taught as part of the immersive multilingual curriculum, a range of textbooks are in French, therefore students explore the planet’s physical environment and North American history, whilst continuing their language development. Students examine historical changes within Canada between 1713 and 1850. By the end of the school year, the learner’s grasp concepts such as collaboration, cooperation, perspective, and stewardship.

Technology, sustainability, fear, and courage form the four themes that Grade 8 focuses on in their English study program. Through novels, students understand how to overcome their fears and phobias. The selected novels also educate learners about the role technology plays in improving the lives of those in communities around the world, and explore themes of courage and persistence.

Novel exploration is accompanied by writing exercises, media literacy activities, and language applications to aid vocabulary, grammar, and communication skill development. By the end of the course, students will have a love of the English language, as well as a beautiful outlet to channel their creativity.

Our French learning curriculum for students in Grade 8 supports students to grow their imagination and taste, whilst acquiring further cultural elements. French at this level facilitates our students to express themselves correctly and clearly when speaking and writing. They will also be able to read and analyze a variety of French texts and use these as resources for discussions, to illustrate their reasoning, debating, and self expression capacities. Novels help individuals develop further communicative competence in the French language. 

Building on foundational knowledge, Grade 8 students explore and master complex fractions and decimals, integers and rational numbers, exponents and scientific notions, pythagorean theorem, alongside angles, congruency, and theoretical and experimental probabilities. All concepts are explored with a focus on the relevance and usefulness of them in our daily lives, and show students how to clearly communicate their ideas and accept others points of views. 

Inquisitive learners are better equipped to question, take appropriate risks, analyze, and develop useful skills to aid them in their lives. Our Science curriculum at this level focuses on the facilitation of these skills. Learners will understand and explore a range of topics from cell theory, structural stability, water supply and quality, to fluids and microscopy. 

In the second term our young scientists will also participate in the school’s Science Fair -  choosing a topic of interest and applying a scientific method to research their idea before presenting it to the group in February.

In order to be a successful engineer, the calculations behind mechanical systems are critical to understand, especially for robot designers. Across our final two grades our students focus their efforts on mastering these determinations. Ideal and actual mechanical advantage, forces of actuators and geometrics of motion are just some of the fascinating concepts our engineers explore at this stage. All classes promote the skills needed to design the robots of the future, both practical and theoretical. 

Exploring geographical and historical patterns in our ever-changing world forms the centre of Grade 8 Social Studies. Taught as part of the immersive multilingual curriculum, a range of textbooks are in French; therefore students explore the planet’s physical environment and North American history, alongside continuing their language development. Students examine historical changes within Canada between 1713 and 1850. By the end of the course learners will have grasped concepts such as collaboration, cooperation, perspective, and stewardship.