The documents analysed were the N.Z. Infant to Standard 4 Science Syllabus and its accompanying unit books, the N.Z. Science Form One to Four Draft Syllabus and Guide and (P.176) accompanying Trial Guidelines, the N.Z. School Certificate Science Presciption and the N.Z. Form 5 Modular Science Trial Guidelines. It is noteworthy that the topic Energy is one of only four content areas in the primary syllabus (the others being Living Things, Matter and Time and Space). In this Energy section a number of conceptually difficult and abstract ideas are stated leading to the principle of conservation of energy. In considering this mammoth task expected of teachers and of pupils aged from 5 to i0 years old it is worth recalling the analysis in LISP (Primary) of teacher opinions about teaching science at all (Osborne and Biddulph 1985, p.14):-