HELPING PRIMARY CHILDREN UNDERSTAND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Practical, Oral and Co-operative activities. Tina Jarvis and Leonie Rennie. SCIcentre. pound;10.
This pack explores views of science and technology and is mostly geared towards older primary pupils. Two sets of photographs and a booklet provide a range of activities challenging children’s perceptions of science and technology. They show stereotypical people working in scientific situaions and other professions. While pictures of typical scientists are plentiful, famous black scientists are more difficult to find. I particularly like the story of Charles Drew (the African-American inventor of blood banks), but there is no picture of Drew himself. This is a useful resource for relating school science to the real world of work.
Pam Wadsworth is a senior lecturer in education at the University of North London.