Description: The labels "objects lessons", "handwork", "observation lessons", "arts and crafts", "scientific and technological activities", "science and technology" indicate the evolution of science and technology education during the last century. The paper focuses on a didactic and curricular point of view in order to analyze four main questions: Which evolution of contents during this period (1880-2000)? Which choice of knowledge for this basic education? Which organisation of contents for a progressive curriculum from nursery school to junior high schools? Which selection of knowledge for this formal education (Vincent, 1998)? The research focuses on the prescribed curriculum and it distinguishes the foundation principles and the organization principles for this education. Methodology: The historical inquiry distinguishes three periods separated by an organizational change of school system: 1880-1923 (the foundation of primary school), 1923-1960 (the mixed organisation of primary and secondary schools), 1960-2000 (the school system development and compulsory school until age 16). This inquiry is founded upon the analysis of three sources: the official texts and the programs, the pedagogical papers and the school books. The official discourses reveal the stakes and the socio-political arguments for this curriculum and for the selection of the school contents. The pedagogical papers propose methods and examples of lessons or activities according to the psychological and pedagogical options (for example active methods, apprenticeship theories, learning by doing). The school books generally are specialized propositions for each level or course and propose a progressive organisation of knowledge. The three sets of documents for the each period are analysed in order to identify the selection of contents and the principles of this progressive curriculum. Conclusions: The research reveals that the choice of contents first is defined from the end of primary school with practical and intellectual purposes (1880-1923). Then contents are defined in order to organize a progressive education from nursery schools to the first courses of secondary school with a major intellectual purpose (1923-1960), at last in order to develop scientific thinking within a constructiviste perspective (1960-2000). The second findings concerns the old organization of school in three levels, with specific contents for each level: 1) sensorial approach (4-7 age) mixed with the language apprenticeship, 2) active and experimental approach (8-10 age) jointed with the reading apprenticeship, 3) specialized approach with a distinction between the different scientific points of view (nature sciences, physics phenomena, artefacts and devices) with a relationship with mathematics (11-13 age). For each of these courses, contents change with the social and technical changes: electricity, computers, evolution… are introduced in the curriculum. The progression always is designed "from known to unknown" but with an important change at the beginning of 1970's in reason of the generalization of the new apprenticeship theory. The conceptualization becomes more important than contents. But this curriculum organization and its social and pedagogical foundations imply a selection of knowledge: technical knowledge is not integrated in the set of school matters and is limited at applied sciences. Realisation approach only is accepted in this organization if it is in relationship with geometry or arts. This didactic research with an historical point of view reveals the selection of school contents in their specific curricular organization and the transforming knowledge process.