Since the 1980s, different programs have been developed around the world to support teaching science and technology at the elementary schools (Kim, Tan & Talaue, 2013; National Research Council, 2012; Martin & Hand, 2009). Quebec is not isolated from this reality. Since 2002, curriculum-based experiments have been conducted to investigate the development of pupils’ competencies in science and technology. Unfortunately, these experiments couldn’t determine their impact on pupils’ learning in all three levels of primary education, because no systematic evaluation has been conducted. Education in Quebec is staggered over three cycles, each lasting two years. The current program is a major shift with respect to the previous ones since now, the program mentions science and technology teaching instead of the natural sciences, which often was reduced to only teaching animal and plant kingdom. The main objective of the current program is to bring students to develop scientific explanations and technological explanations with respect to natural and constructed phenomena in their environment. To do this, it is proposed that pupils should be familiarised with the appropriate scientific and technological methods in order to acquire the languages appropriated in those fields. Nevertheless, research studies report that these languages are in discontinuity or even in rupture, on the epistemological plan, with the spoken language (Read, 2004; Tiberghien, 2003):

Prior to beginning school, children have a wealth of experiences, and these have led them to develop a common-sense understanding of their social and natural environment. This is both a desirable fact-as the construction of new knowledge will build on this pre-existing knowledgeand a problem. The problem arises from the fact that the knowledge taught in schools is frequently incompatible with common-sense understandings, and so can impede comprehension. As a result, a reorganisation of existing knowledge is necessary, and it is this process that is usually referred to as conceptual change.(Read, 2004, page 1).