ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the tricks of the trade that the author has learned through twenty-odd years of teaching primary science. Most primary school teachers have a degree in humanities or arts. Very few have a science degree or even science A levels so it is very common for primary teachers to feel daunted by the thought of teaching science. For younger children, schools are unlikely to require vast amounts of written reporting on science work. Children understand the science most clearly, when they see the practical application of the science: floating and sinking is clearly understood when teachers start building rafts to get off the desert island. Talking to child can also help raise differences in their understanding, which can then be debated and misconceptions can be tackled. Science talk needs to leave room for lots of ideas, even if the ideas are not correct.
