TAS1O – Technology and Skilled Trades – Grade 9
This hands-on course enables students to further explore the engineering design process and develop other technological knowledge and skills introduced in earlier grades. Students will design and safely create prototypes, products, and/or services, working with tools and technologies from various industries. As students develop their projects to address real-life problems, they will apply technological concepts such as precision measurement, as well as health and safety standards. Students will begin to explore job skills programs and education and training pathways, including skilled trades, that can lead to a variety of careers.
$450.00
*Course outline is subject to change
Overall Curriculum Expectations
Throughout the course, students will be provided with numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate the full extent of their achievement of the curriculum expectations, across all four categories of knowledge and skills. Evaluations will reflect each student’s most consistent level of achievement. The overall learning expectations for this course are encompassed in the following strands:
A. DESIGN PROCESSES AND RELATED SKILLS
A1. Initiating and Planning: demonstrate an understanding of fundamental technological concepts and related skills by initiating and planning projects
A2. Designing and Performing: develop projects that involve creating products and/or services, using a variety of resources and techniques, and record the development of their projects
A3. Analyzing and Refining: evaluate and refine processes, products, and/or services
A4. Following Health and Safety Practices: apply an understanding of health and safety practices and procedures when using materials, tools, and equipment
B. TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, IMPACTS, AND CAREERS
B1. Fundamentals of Technological Development: demonstrate an understanding of how various needs and underlying social, economic, and environmental factors drive the evolution of technology
B2. Impacts of Technology: analyze impacts of various technologies on individuals, society, the economy, and the environment
B3. Careers and Pathways in Technology and the Skilled Trades: explore and describe careers in technological fields and the skilled trades, and pathways for entering them
Outline of Course Content
Students are introduced to technological education, the engineering design process, and the fundamental technological concepts (e.g., structure, systems, safety, materials). Through short, low-risk online design challenges and safety-focused activities, they learn how user needs, accessibility, and context shape technological solutions. This unit also establishes essential health and safety expectations for both physical and digital workspaces, preparing students to work safely and responsibly in later, more complex projects.
Students apply the engineering design process to develop a small-scale product or service prototype (e.g., a simple mechanical device, a digital artifact, or a service workflow). Working through planning, material selection, measurement, tool use, and documentation, they practise project management and technical skills. They also test and refine their prototypes using feedback and performance data, learning to view design as iterative and evidence-informed. This unit is rich in hands-on/experiential learning, even in an online context, using home-available materials where possible.
Students investigate how technologies emerge, evolve, and impact people, communities, economies, and ecosystems—locally and globally. They explore case studies of innovations and emerging technologies, including contributions from diverse communities and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit innovators in Canada. They analyze short- and long-term impacts (positive and negative) and consider ethical, legal, social, economic, and environmental dimensions of technological change. Inquiry tasks and discussions help them see themselves as informed, critical participants in a technological society.
In a culminating, project-based unit, students connect their learning to real- world pathways in technological fields and the skilled trades. They investigate roles, training routes, and programs (e.g., SHSM, OYAP, dual credits, co-op) and reflect on their own strengths and transferable skills. As a capstone, they either extend a previous prototype or design a new product/service concept linked to a real industry or community need, documenting their process and presenting it to an audience (e.g., peers, teacher, community partners online). This unit consolidates both strands while helping students envision future STEM and skilled trades opportunities.
Culminating Activity “This Course and My Future” Research Project + Video Presentation