Courses in Mathematics Grade 9 and 10

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/math910curr.pdf


 The strands in the Grade 9 courses are designed to build on those in Grade 8, while at the same time providing for growth in new directions in high school.

The strand Number Sense and Algebra
builds on the Grade 8 Number Sense and Numeration strand and parts of the Patterning and Algebra strand. It includes expectations describing numeric skills that students are expected to consolidate and apply, along with estimation and mental computation skills, as they solve problems and learn new material throughout the course. The strand includes the algebraic knowledge and skills necessary for the study and application of relations.

In the Principles course,
the strand covers the basic exponent rules, manipulation of polynomials with up to two variables, and the solving of first-degree equations.
In the Foundations course,
it covers operations with polynomials involving one variable and the solving of first-degree equations with non-fractional coefficients. The strand in the Foundations course also includes expectations that follow from the Grade 8 Proportional Reasoning strand, providing an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of proportional reasoning through investigation of a variety of topics, and providing them with skills that will help them meet the expectations in the Linear Relations strand.

The focus of study in the Grade 9 courses is linear relations,
 with some attention given to the study of non-linear relations. In the Linear Relations strand, students develop initial understandings of the properties of linear relations as they collect, organize, and interpret data drawn from a variety of real-life situations (applying knowledge gained in the Data Management strand of the elementary school program) and create models for the data. Students then develop, make connections among, and apply various representations of linear relations and solve related problems.

In the Analytic Geometry strand of the Principles course,
students will extend the initial experiences of linear relations into the abstract realm of equations in the form y = mx + b, formulas, and problems. The strand Measurement and Geometry extends students’ understandings from Grade 8 to include the measurement of composite two-dimensional shapes and the development of formulas for, and applications of, additional three-dimensional figures. Furthermore, in measurement, students investigate the effect of varying dimensions (length and width) on a measure such as area. Students in the Principles course conduct similar investigations in connection with volume and surface area. Examination of such relationships leads students to make conclusions about the optimal size of shapes (in the Foundations course) or of shapes and figures (in the Principles course). In geometry, the knowledge students acquired in Grade 8 about the properties of two-dimensional shapes is extended through investigations that broaden their understanding of the relationships among the properties.