ABSTRACT
There are many ways of organising science in the primary classroom. The age of the children influences the management of the lesson. The very young children need to have a wide range of practical activities within one teaching session and the teacher’s role is quite different from that of a teacher of 11 year olds. The content of the lesson and the learning objectives will also influence the way in which the lesson is organised. If you were teaching 4 year olds how to observe living things carefully and sensitively, you would probably make sure that each small group of children was with a knowledgeable adult or you would organise the teaching session so that you worked with one group at a time, while other children concentrated on activities which were less teacher intensive. Yet, if you were investigating how shadows were formed, you would probably make use of a sunny period and take all the children out onto the playground at the same time. Some teachers make use of support staff and parent helpers so that they can help the younger children to stay on task and, if this is the case, then it is the teacher’s responsibility to plan for and manage the work of the helpers.
