Students more easily understand science when they understand key concepts. Define concepts in easily understood terms and be direct. Take time to go over individual aspects of each concept by giving everything context. Do this by relating each aspect to students' everyday lives. This gives them a more thorough understanding of the material. For example, when teaching about gravity, go into great detail about the earth's rotation and how gravity affects everything from the changing tides to hydroelectricity generation. Students will better remember the material when they can make a connection to their daily lives.
Some students are visual learners. Videos, slide shows, photos and replicas help these students better understand the various aspects of science. For example, when teaching about the cardiovascular system, a lecture in combination with using a replica of the human heart and a video will give students a visual connection to the lecture material. This helps many students to better absorb and recall the material.
Kinesthetic learning involves absorbing the material through touch or actions. Some examples of this are the dissection and examination of animals, exploring models of the human reproductive system or demonstrating gravity by dropping a pencil onto the floor. The idea behind kinesthetic learning is that the more senses students use when learning, the better they retain the information. In combination with lecture, kinesthetic teaching is an effective strategy.
Auditory teaching involves verbally relaying the information. Lecture is one example of auditory teaching, and is best when combined with other strategies. Showing a photo slide show while lecturing is a commonly used teaching strategy, and effectively combines auditory and visual learning. Auditory teaching can also involve the students speaking about the material. This assists the students in retaining the information. Many elementary school science teachers have students repeat material to increase their absorption of the information.