The Young Scientist Investigates

The Young Scientist Investigates, written by Terry Jennings and published by Oxford University Press between 1981 and 1986, is a programme of information and activities in science for children aged 8 to 11. It consists of two course books and 20 topic books for children, a teachers' manual and a teachers' book of practical work. The two course books can be used on their own, with the aid of the teachers' manual or extended using some or all of the topic books.

Context
The series was begun in 1981, some time before the National Curriculum was proposed. The later course books make reference to the course being a resource for Key Stage Two of the National Curriculum but the material, whilst covering the same ground, is not directly related to the specific requirements of the statutory curriculum.

Approach
The two course books and the topic books are written for children to use directly. It is intended that children learn through reading as well as through investigation. The focus is mainly on developing knowledge and understanding, with the exception of a single two-page spread in Course Book 1 about what scientists do providing discussion of the process of investigation.

Each course book for children includes a number of topic-based units of work, presented in double-page spreads, which provide information and activities. Some activities can be completed through an understanding of the text and some require further, guided investigations. At the end of each unit there is a spread giving further activities, questions to answer and a list of ‘what every young scientist should know’ about the topic.

The 20 topic books for children provide information in colourfully illustrated text followed by questions on the text, things to do and simple experiments.

The Teacher's Manual contains a guide for the preparation of all the lessons, advice on how to develop the themes introduced in the course, further work and experiments, and helpful science material. The Teacher's Book of Practical Work is a collection of experiments, using simple materials, which extend the work in the course.

The collection is organised in two sub-collections: teacher’s guides and topic books for children.