Atom Concept Mechanical Model Photo

Elementary students generally like science. They are still involved in a love of magic and much of what their teachers do seems like magic, but it’s better — it’s real. Wise elementary science teachers keep science relevant and involve students in show-and-tell activities and give them lots of things to see.

Science Become more Abstract in Middle School

That standardized test scores drop in middle school has been observed for decades. Several reasons for the decline have been theorized. One of the most commonly discussed reasons for a drop in learning as measured by standardized tests in that middle school students are beginning to change physically and emotionally. Part of the problem is that science tends to begin to focus more on abstractions.

Teachers can’t do anything about student physiology, but they can remove some of the mystery from more complex concepts and give students examples that students can use to grasp the atomic realm. Science begins to emphasize things that students cannot see, and seeing is believing for many children and adults. Science teachers need to be armed with lessons and examples to get past abstractions and difficult concepts.