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In the summer of 2010 the authors spent two weeks helping teachers in a primary school near Kampala to develop their science curriculum. In common with many primary schools in Uganda science was taught as "facts to be learnt." This was partly because the teachers had had little or no first-hand experience of practical science or science enquiry during their own education. As a result they taught science as they had been taught, through chalk and talk. In addition to the teachers' lack of experience, the school was very poorly resourced. There was no electricity, no running water and very few books or practical resources in the school. Concern that limited resources and outmoded teaching methods limit children's science learning in many Ugandan primary schools is not new (Norman and Singh, 2007). This is exacerbated by limited opportunities for continuing professional development for many primary teachers. In this article, the authors share how they helped teachers in Uganda primary school develop scientific thinking with very limited resources. (Contains 4 figures and 2 online resources.)

In 1989, the progressive introduction of a National Curriculum of subjects to all maintained schools in England and Wales brought compulsory science education into the primary sectors of these two countries for the first time. Such was its considered importance, science was placed alongside English and mathematics in what became known simply as "the core". As a result of its elevated profile and an immense amount of hard work and effort by teachers and other professionals responding to requirements, science education provision appeared to benefit enormously. Successive revisions of the national primary science curriculum have brought about many changes, however, each impacting on the primary profession individually in different ways and as a whole. Findings from a recently completed "preparation to teach" survey across several geographically distinct regions of England are presented here which contribute to our ongoing understanding of the overall status of science teaching within primary schools. Twenty years on from when the national primary science curriculum was first introduced and independently evaluated, attention is drawn to the continued progress being made at the "chalk-face" and to those factors widely perceived as continuing to inhibit delivery. (Contains 3 tables.)

Momentary time samples (MTS) of 2, 4, and 6 minutes were compared to continuous recording samples of on-task behavior for three elementary-aged students with emotional/behavioral orders (EBD). Results indicated that the 2-minute, but not the 4- or 6-minute, interval MTS were consistent with the continuous measure. Implications for research and classroom use of MTS are drawn. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

In this article, the authors describe a cross-curricular project designed to enhance learning about micro-organisms. This project includes studies in art and poetry, not subjects that teachers would think of linking with science, however research notes that scientists and poets share the ability to pay close attention to things, a key skill also shared with artists. The stimulus for this work was images of yeast cells taken with a microscope, which provided a window into the "hidden world" of micro-organisms. The authors reference the work of Charlene Czerniak (2007), who described several different models for planning a cross-curricular study, one of which is what she called the "process approach," when similar skills and processes are taught across different subjects. The world of micro-organisms is just one of many "hidden worlds" waiting for students to observe. Poetry and art give children the opportunity to respond to the awe and wonder aspect of the science curriculum.