This study investigates pedagogical practice in the fi rst year of the nine-year Elementary Education, and the expectations of children with regard to school life during this period. These aspects are very important due to the need for changes in the school structure for the introduction of the new organization, which has presented challenges for all those concerned in the process. Authors like Kramer (2006), Barbosa (2006) and Gorni (2007) support a qualitative research that endeavors to analyze aspects involving teachers’ practices and children’s experiences during the fi rst year of the nine-year Elementary education, by means of observation, questionnaires and interviews. It is seen that in the school environment, there is a series of issues and debates surrounding this new organization of Elementary education, generating relative insecurity with regard to the methodology used by teachers and subjecting the children to a daily routine that lacks the element of play.