Junior Courses (Grades 4—6)
In our courses for grades 4 to 6, students wear many hats while they explore topics first-hand as scientists, mathematicians, and more within their home and community. Students will develop a positive mindset about learning and build confidence in their ability to overcome challenging situations.
The math courses continue to broaden students’ understanding of numbers, measurements, and data management, while also deepening their knowledge of financial literacy and coding. Students taking the language courses will explore both traditional and new media forms, such as graphic novels and podcasts. To continue their science and technology journeys, students will take a hands-on approach when learning about gears, pulleys, and structures and delve further into environmental topics. The social studies courses focus on Canadian history and geography by looking at the origin of Canada as a country and Canada’s involvement in the global community.
We’re also pleased to now offer French and physical education at the junior level! Students will learn how to speak about themselves, events, music, and other important aspects of francophone life in the French courses. Throughout the health and physical education courses, students will develop technical and physical skills for games and choreographed movements, as well as explore important concepts concerning development and mental health.
What is unique about our approach to teaching at the junior level?
Throughout the junior courses, students build upon the concepts that they have learned in earlier grades. By completing more complex interactives, activities, and assessments that require higher-order thinking, they are given the opportunity to apply their learning in new and challenging ways.
As students progress through the junior grades, they will start to take more steps to learn independently and apply self-reflection techniques to both the course content and their own learning styles.
What are the benefits of using online courses to teach junior students?
At this age, students begin to take more initiative and responsibility for their own learning. Online courses enhance their ability to do this by permitting them to focus on specific areas they are finding more challenging. Online courses also allow more time to review the teaching content at their own pace and remove the pressure of studying in the classroom.
Junior students increasingly begin to build their sense of self and develop broadening curiosities and interests. Our student-centred, open-ended questions, activities, and assessments allow them to guide their own learning in a way that aligns with those curiosities and interests.
What do we do to set up junior learners for success?
Every course is designed to cover each specific expectation of the Ontario curriculum. By offering step-by-step examples and explanations throughout the courses, VES builds the platform for students to clearly understand the content and then provides ample opportunities for the application of the knowledge they obtain.
In Grade 4 Science and Technology, our students explore the importance of science in world around them. They will discover how plants and animals combine to become habitats and communities, and how humans utilise rocks and minerals for their benefit and how those uses impact the environment. In addition, they will investigate mechanisms such as pulleys and gears, and delve into two very important forms of energy: light and sound.
In Grade 5 Science and Technology, our students further their understanding of scientific principles. They will investigate the marvel of the human body and its organs and how forces affect structures and mechanisms. In addition, they will discover how matter can change and be changed, and the effect these changes can have on the environment, especially in regards to the creation of energy.
In Grade 6 Science and Technology, our students will round off their junior science journey by studying biodiversity in individuals, species, and ecosystems. Through investigations and observations, they will learn about flight technologies and explore devices that convert electricity to other forms of energy. They will also discover the history of scientific approaches and possibilities of space observation and exploration extending this knowledge all the way up to present day.
In Grade 4 Mathematics, our students embark on their path to junior math mastery by building on their number, fraction, and decimal skills and applying the four operations with larger numbers in their local community, around the world, and around the solar system. They will also learn to measure and notice patterns and geometric attributes in the real world such as in crafts and at construction sites. Their financial literacy will also explore budgets and spending decisions. Through coding, they will discover loops within loops as they control a drawing program to create shapes.
In Grade 5 Mathematics, our students continue to develop their understanding of math by exploring numbers and operations found in technology and in the rainforest. They return to construction sites to learn more about geometry and shape, then travel around the planet solving problems with fractions, learning about patterns through music, and exploring measurements in the new wonders of the world. Our students will also continue to learn about budgets in their financial literacy, and how code is controlled in different ways.
In Grade 6 Mathematics, our students will round out their junior math journey by exploring very large numbers, operations, and measurement through sports and games, and discovering how fractions, decimal numbers, and percentages are applied in everyday settings. They will also connect algebra to science, learn about different payment methods in financial literacy, and continue exploring how code is controlled in different ways.
In Grade 4 Language, our students will embark on their path to junior Language expertise. By exploring more diverse forms of literature and media, such as podcasts and graphic novels, they will build upon their foundational knowledge and become confident and comfortable creating their own written and spoken texts.
In Grade 5 Language, our students will learn to value the power of language and use it responsibly. They will learn how to express feelings and opinions and support these opinions with research by using clear language in formal and informal situations. As they read and reflect on a rich variety of literary, informational, and media texts, they will develop a deeper understanding of themselves, others, and of the world around them. They will also develop the ability to understand and critically interpret a range of texts, and to recognize how a text is affected by the author’s perspective.
In Grade 6 Language, our students will use their life experiences and knowledge from the foundational skills acquired in their primary school years to complete creative, descriptive, and persuasive writing assignments and compelling presentations. They will engage in meaningful interactions with texts and will explore complex topics through personal reflection. Multiple perspectives will be identified by exploring regional cultures and through the study of media literacy.
In Grade 4 Health and Physical Education, our students will learn how make safe decisions online and while engaging in physical activity. Students will begin developing fundamental skills while playing a variety of games. They will investigate the overall importance of healthy behaviours. Students will engage in fitness activities, gymnastics, and creative movements, exploring the positive effects of physical activity on overall well-being. They will begin to learn about puberty and the importance of personal hygiene and managing stress.
In Grade 5 Health and Physical Education, our students will further develop skills and strategies in a variety of engaging games. Students will investigate the effects of alcohol use and strategies for decision making related to addictive substances. Expanding their fitness knowledge, they will explore jumping, dance, and locomotor movements, and incorporate all of these into a personal health plan. Regarding human development, students will learn about the male and female reproductive systems. They will also learn about mental illness and supporting mental health.
In Grade 6 Health and Physical Education, our students will learn about the benefits of inclusion and positive interactions, and about conflict management strategies. Students will develop intermediate skills and strategies in a variety of striking and field, territory, wall, net, and target games. Students will learn about different drugs and how they affect the human body. They will explore different elements of physical fitness, including strength, endurance, and flexibility, using them to create fitness goals. Students will deepen their understanding of changes that happen during puberty. They will also learn about healthy relationships, consent, and mental health.
In Grade 4 French, our students will learn the French alphabet and numbers, and how to say and write basic expressions. They will study vocabulary about the home, family, clothing, and food. Student’s will also read a variety of texts and write simple letters and advertisements as they explore topics such as holidays and the environment.
In Grade 5 French, our students will practice speaking about their family, physical attributes, hobbies, and future dreams. Students will refine their listening skills by exploring musical instruments and French music. Students will read texts about the weather, calendars, and the four seasons. Students will also read biographies, write their own biography, and use adjectives to describe people.
In Grade 6 French, our students will learn how to share opinions and talk about the past and future. Applying their learning to writing emails and invitations, they will further develop their ability to write texts for different purposes and audiences. Using fairy tales and legends, students develop their ability to listen to stories, retell stories, and write their own stories.
In Grade 4 Social Studies, our students will explore early societies up to 1500 CE. They will investigate social and political organizations and how scientific and technological developments impacted these early societies. Students will learn about the different political, landform, and climate regions of Canada. They will also analyze the different types of industry that occur in these regions and the environmental impact of such industries.
In Grade 5 Social Studies, our students will study Indigenous peoples and European settlers, their interactions, and the impacts of these interactions in the past and present. Students will then deepen their understanding of the role and structure of different levels of government. They will explore how both citizens and governments work together to address different social and environmental issues.
In Grade 6 Social Studies, our students will complete their junior social studies journey by investigating the contributions of different Canadian communities throughout the past and into to the present. This knowledge is then built upon by exploring how Canada interacts with the world in a variety of different ways.