1. Teaching Science
Science teaching requires much time - time with the class, and time for preparation. All teachers are aware of the limited time with a class - for explanation, guided experimentation, revision, testing, and routine administrative matters. Time for preparation is a variable matter, depending to what extent the teacher wishes to live a normal life involving non-school activities. This Book of Science Notes is an attempt to save a teacher's time, where such time can be saved - class time to record information to be known, and teacher's time in preparing the normal condensations of such information. It will also save class time for the student - the time for recording the information.

2. My Experience.
I first commenced teaching in 1941, and Science teaching in 1950, and I retired from that happy task in 1985. In that period, there were many changes in School Science studies - changes in syllabus and curriculum, changes in teaching sequences, changes in methods of approach, and changes in Science teaching philosophy in general. However, what remained constant, and will continue to be constant, is the fact that a student is required to acquire a certain amount of Science knowledge, limited only by the extent of his/her capabilities. This Book of Notes relates directly to that constant factor.

3. Text Books
Suitable text books have always been extremely useful. However, they can be costly. Moreover, for most junior students, they contain too much information, and are expressed in too many words. Much time must be spent in summarising the text book - by the student (with a very variable degree of success), or by the Science teacher, or by both. This Book of Notes is itself, a summary - a summary of all information I have taught to junior students over those 36 years, with, I consider, a reasonable degree of success.

4. Teacher Substitute
To a certain extent, I have always felt that text books seem to attempt (unsuccessfully, of course) to do away with the role of the classroom/laboratory Science teacher. This Book of Notes cannot replace such a teacher. It is aimed solely at saving time for the teacher - classroom time and preparation time, i.e. the time involved in ensuring that the student has a record of the information which his/her teacher requires to be known. The saving of time for the student is a by-product.

5. The Compilation of this Book of Notes
The contents of this Book of Notes, have been compiled over many years, but consolidated only since I retired. It is therefore based on the 36 years of teaching Junior School Science. I hope that my experience will, prove to be of value to all Science teachers, and consequently to all junior Science students. It may also help the teacher to decide on depth of treatment, of any particular topic, appropriate to the class - a matter which occupied an appreciable part of my time, in my teaching career.

6. Sketches and Diagrams
This Book of Notes contains no sketches and few diagrams - to keep the cost of the Book as low as possible. Appropriate sketches and diagrams are essential in any junior school Science course, so they must be provided by the teacher, or obtained from some reference source. I leave it to the teacher to decide what sketches and diagrams are suitable for a particular class.

7. Excessive Notes
The matter of what Notes (and in what detail) should be recorded in a student's Science Note Book, has always been, and will remain, open to dispute amongst Science teachers. There will never be 100% agreement on this amongst any considerable group of Science teachers - any independent thought will lead to minor differences of opinion. This is perfectly normal. Because of this, I have made this Book of Notes reasonably full, with the point in mind, that it is easier to delete of ignore information, than it is to compile and add information. At the same time, the Science teacher who wants more, is not restricted in any way. Teachers will find that for some topics, these Notes are more elaborate than for other topics. I have intentionally made the Notes more elaborate on basic concepts, which I have found, in my experience, to be difficult for most students. I add the obvious fact, that the sequence of information in this Book of Notes, is most definitely NOT A TEACHING SEQUENCE.

8. From this Book of Notes into the Student's Science Note Book
The pages of this Book of Notes are printed on one side only. This enables the pages, or parts of pages, to be cut out and secured in the student's Note Book, as the teacher directs, interspersed with sketches, diagrams, and anything else which the teacher required to be in that Book. If the teacher does not wish to include any particular Notes (and there will be some), then so be it. There is no harm in any student being exposed to excess information.

9. The Use of this Book of Notes
It is unlikely that a school will purchase this Book of Notes, to serve as a text book, reissued to many students over many years. That is not its purpose. I suggest that the Book of Notes be purchased by each individual student, the bulk purchase being organised by the teacher-in-charge, for the students. Alternatively, the school could finance the necessary purchases - enough for each single student. Either method will involve administrative effort by the teacher, but will keep the cost to a minimum - one of my basic wishes. It is to be realised that the cost to a student will be noticeable at first, but insignificant when it extends over four years of study.

10. School Printing Facilities
I realise that, with the duplicating and printing facilities in many schools, the detail of this Book of Notes is liable to be merely copied, using those facilities. I am sure that the low cost of this Book of Notes, spread over four years, will be less than the total cost in machine use, paper and labour for four years, of the relevant duplicating and printing within the school.

11. Use of Text Books
Perhaps this book of Notes will render the issue of individual text books to every student unnecessary - so reducing the cost to the school. However, this Book of Notes will never replace a suitable text book - I consider that text books must be available to students, although far fewer than one per student and that other reference-type books are also needed. Might I suggest that every Science classroom/laboratory should have a small supply of suitable text books and some suitable reference-type books, as an essential part of the equipment and furnishings of the classroom/laboratory. Old no-longer-used text books, lying idle in the text book store, could form part of such reference material readily available to students.

12. Index
I have given a lot of thought about whether this Book of Notes should have an index. If it is used as I hope it will be used, an index would not be required. I would appreciate feedback on this point, or on any other point which a practising teacher may wish to raise. Sufficient such feedback following worthwhile sales, will lead to a re-writing of appropriate parts of this Book of Notes.

13. Price
It is not my wish to make much money from the production of this book. At the same time, I do not wish to lose money on the enterprise. The initial $28 price per book, is higher than I would have liked to charge, being raised to some extent, by the uncertainty of sales. Once the initial costs (Pilot Edition, postage, minor printings, typesetting and first major printing) have been covered by sales, then the price will be governed by the major printing alone, plus any changes in typesetting and cost of dispatch. This will make the price distinctly lower.

14. An Aims-Centred Syllabus
It has been claimed that a Science Note Book such as this, does not have relevance amongst present philosophies of an Aims-oriented Syllabus. I point out to all teachers that these various Aims have always been an integral part of a Science Syllabus, although not as emphasised and specifically stated, as much as in recent years. There still remains the basic fact that students are required to know Science information. Knowledge of fact forms the foundation upon which the various Aims are achieved. It is this foundation, which is the purpose of this Science Book of Notes.


R.H. Smith E.D.,C.F.M.,B.Sc.
1 Beaconsfield Road
Moss Vale 2577