Inquiry · Experiential learning · Mentorship
The Delta Program
Story-based science lessons connected classroom investigations with real researchers.
Science through a story, an investigation and a conversation
Delta combined hands-on investigations, inquiry questions and a story backbone with expert mentorship through videoconferencing. Its resources were designed for Grades 1–8 Science and Technology using the Ontario curriculum of the period.
PIR’s 2016 Executive Director Report records the completion of 85 lesson plans that summer. An initial pilot involved 14 teachers in September 2016, followed by a second pilot with 50 teachers. The annual report records a 2017 launch and more than 9,000 lesson downloads in the first nine months.
Activities explored plants, animals, habitats, the Arctic, water systems and systems thinking. The connection to a working researcher added a chance to ask questions and relate an investigation to research beyond the classroom.
Historical lesson archive
Browse 80 lesson downloads by their original grade and science strand, plus the companion story used by early-grade activities. Choose a grade to expand its list.
Historical resources: these original PDFs preserve the curriculum references, wording and links of the period. They are not presented as a complete or current Ontario curriculum. Coverage varies by grade, and the original lesson numbering is retained.
Companion story: Sam and Alex Help the Forest (PDF)
Grade 1 · Needs and characteristics of living things (6 lessons)
Grade 2 · Growth and changes in animals (8 lessons)
- 2.1 · What Animals Live in Our Local Environment? (PDF)
- 2.2 · How are Sam and Alex similar or different from animals of the forest? (PDF)
- 2.3 · How are Animals Represented in Myths and Legends? (PDF)
- 2.4 · How Do Different Animals Grow and Change? (PDF)
- 2.5 · How are Animals Adapted for Survival? (PDF)
- 2.6 · How Do Animals Help Us? What Harm Can They Do? (PDF)
- 2.7 · How Do We Impact Animals? (PDF)
- 2.8 · Summative: What's Wrong with Alex and Sam's Forest? (PDF)
Grade 3 · Growth and changes in plants (10 lessons)
- 3.1 · Growth and Change Mind Map (PDF)
- 3.2 · "Teosinte" How Corny Is That? (PDF)
- 3.3 · Community Ecology (PDF)
- 3.4 · Plant Menu Card (PDF)
- 3.5 · What's the Difference? (PDF)
- 3.6 · Energy Pyramid (PDF)
- 3.7 · The Rule of Three (PDF)
- 3.8 · Grow Your Own Bean (PDF)
- 3.9 · Bringing It All Together (PDF)
- 3.10 · What To Do? (PDF)
Grade 4 · Habitats and communities (12 lessons)
- 4.1 · What's a Community? (PDF)
- 4.2 · Ecology Treasure Hunt (PDF)
- 4.3 · DIY Ecosystem (PDF)
- 4.4 · The Domino Effect (PDF)
- 4.5 · Trading Cards (PDF)
- 4.6 · Survival Game (PDF)
- 4.7 · Biome Board Game (PDF)
- 4.8 · Lost in the Barrens (PDF)
- 4.9 · Trophic Cascade (PDF)
- 4.10 · Top 10 Ways (PDF)
- 4.11 · Wrapping It Up (PDF)
- 4.12 · Final Assessment (PDF)
Grade 5 · Human organ systems (8 lessons)
- 5.1 · What are the Major Systems of the Human Body? (PDF)
- 5.2 · How Do Human Organ Systems Work Together? (PDF)
- 5.3 · How did John Rae's diet compare to modern nutrition guidelines? (PDF)
- 5.4 · How do we meet our Energy Needs? (PDF)
- 5.5 · How do we make sure we are healthy for our journey? (PDF)
- 5.6 · Emergency: How do we Survive in the Harsh North? (PDF)
- 5.7 · Is Cold More Dangerous Than Heat? (PDF)
- 5.8 · Alex and Sam Write New Entries into John Rae's Lost Journal: How Did He Survive? (PDF)
Grade 6 · Biodiversity (9 lessons)
- 6.1 · There is No Place Like the Canadian Arctic (PDF)
- 6.2 · Leave No Trace (PDF)
- 6.3 · Have You Met My Cousin? (PDF)
- 6.4 · Ents in the Arctic? (PDF)
- 6.5 · Arctic Life in a Deck of Cards (PDF)
- 6.6 · The Secret Lives of Plants in the Arctic (PDF)
- 6.7 · The Circle of Life (PDF)
- 6.8 · Invasion Crustacean (PDF)
- 6.9 · Biodiversity in a Shoebox (PDF)
Grade 7 · Interactions in the environment (9 lessons)
- 7.1 · A Model Ecosystem (PDF)
- 7.2 · We Are All Connected (PDF)
- 7.3 · What's the Matter with the Water Cycle? (PDF)
- 7.4 · What's the Matter with the Carbon Cycle? (PDF)
- 7.5 · What's the Matter with the Decomposition Cycle? (PDF)
- 7.6 · Human Invasion (PDF)
- 7.7 · Who Will Save the River Valley? (PDF)
- 7.9 · The Right to Clean Water (PDF)
- 7.10 · This Land was Made for You and Me (PDF)
Grade 8 · Water systems and systems in action (18 lessons)
Water systems
- 8a.1 · The Water Series (PDF)
- 8a.2 · The Way of the Water (PDF)
- 8a.3 · What is Your Watershed? (PDF)
- 8a.5 · Pure Water (PDF)
- 8a.6 · Dirty Water (PDF)
- 8a.7 · Minecraft Water Sanitation Plant (PDF)
- 8a.8 · Access to Fresh Water – UN Article 31 (PDF)
- 8a.9 · Solution to Pollution (PDF)
- 8a.10 · Water in the Media (PDF)
- 8a.11 · We All Live Downstream (PDF)
Systems in action
- 8b.1 · What is a System? (PDF)
- 8b.2 · What is a Systems Thinker? (PDF)
- 8b.3 · The Great Lakes: Sewage and Fresh Water? (PDF)
- 8b.4 · What Systems Help Us Navigate the Great Lakes? (PDF)
- 8b.5 · What is a Closed-Loop System? (PDF)
- 8b.6 · Great Lakes as Power Source? (PDF)
- 8b.7 · Applying Systems Thinking: Wind Turbine (PDF)
- 8b.8 · Analyzing a System: Independent Project (PDF)
About this record
Sources: Brent Peltola, Partners In Research Canada Executive Director Report 2016, p. 7; 2017 Annual Report (also containing 2018 updates); the Delta program backgrounder; and the original lesson PDFs supplied by Kevin Cougler. The reports describe the development of 85 plans; this page indexes the 80 distinct numbered lessons preserved in the supplied collection.
The PDF contents are preserved as supplied. This page records a historical PIR program and does not offer current registration or expert bookings.