When children begin secondary school they already have knowledge and ideas about many aspects of the natural world from their experiences both in primary classes and outside school. These ideas, right or wrong, form the basis of all they subsequently learn. Research has shown that teaching is unlikely to be effective unless it takes into account the position from which the learner starts. Making Sense of Secondary Science provides a concise and accessible summary of the research that has been done internationally in this area. The research findings are arranged in three main sections: * life and living processes * materials and their properties * physical processes. Full bibliographies in each section allow interested readers to pursue the themes further. Much of this material has hitherto been available only in limited circulation specialist journals or in unpublished research. Its publication in this convenient form will be welcomed by all researchers in science education and by practicing science teachers continuing their professional development, who want to deepen their understanding of how their children think and learn.

When children begin secondary school, they already have knowledge and ideas about many aspects of the natural world from their experiences both in primary classes and outside school. This collection of support materials is designed especially for teachers of the early years in secondary school to give guidance both on the ideas which children are likely to bring with them and also on using these ideas to help pupils to make sense of their experiences in science lessons. The materials are in 24 sections, structured around three themes - life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. Included in each section is a science map identifying key science ideas and also a set of learning guides which give detailed advice on helping children to develop these ideas. Written in collaboration with teachers, field-tested in schools and suitable for use with any published science scheme, these materials will be an essential resource for all science teachers who are planning teaching schemes and developing science lessons within the National Curriculum. A separate paperback, Making Sense of Secondary Science: Research into Children's Ideas comes with the file and is also available separately. This provides a summary of research in the area and a detailed bibliography for those who want to pursue certain aspects further.

What ideas do children hold about the natural world? How do these ideas affect their learning of science? Young learners bring to the classroom knowledge and ideas about many aspects of the natural world constructed from their experiences of education and from outside school. These ideas contribute to subsequent learning, and research has shown that teaching of science is unlikely to be effective unless it takes learners’ perspectives into account. Making Sense of Secondary Science provides a concise, accessible summary of international research into learners’ ideas about science, presenting evidence-based insight into the conceptions that learners hold, before and even despite teaching. With expert summaries from across the science domains, it covers research findings from life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes This classic text is essential reading for all trainee secondary, elementary and primary school science teachers, as well as those researching the science curriculum and science methods, who want to deepen their understanding of how learners think and to use these insights to inform teaching strategies. It also provides a baseline for researchers wishing to investigate contemporary influences on children’s ideas and to study the persistence of these conceptions. Both components of Making Sense of Secondary Science – this book and the accompanying teacher’s resource file, Making Sense of Secondary Science: Support materials for teachers - were developed as a result of a collaborative project between Leeds City Council Department of Education and the Children’s Learning in Science Research Group at the University of Leeds, UK.