Miller/Levine or Campbell?

[cseitter]

My DS is going into 9th and wants to go into the medical field. We did Rainbow science last year which I would consider a general science course.

 

Which would you choose the Miller/Levine or Campbell text and why?

[ScubaDo]

I don't know the books you are recommending, but since your ds is interested in medicine, there is an on-line professor you really need to look into. His name is Greg Landry, he is professor at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and he teaches all sorts of online science courses for homeschoolers as well. He does anatomy/physiology camps (with cadavers) and other really cool stuff.

 

homeschoolscienceacademy.com/OnlineClasses.htm

[cseitter]

The classes look great but can't afford the $1100 price tag. Besides I am not a creationist. I am Christian but want evolution taught as well. Thank you for the link. I like the anatomy classes so I will bookmark it for future reference! :001_smile:

[kangato3]

My 9th grade dd and I just compared Campbell Exploring Life to Miller/Levine, side-by-side. The Miller/Levine that we compared to was not the brand new one that just came out. The content covered in both is comparable; the Miller/Levine just orders the topics a little differently (ecology much earlier in the book). My dd chose Campbell for the following reasons:

1. The Campbell explanations seemed clearer to her, often directly referring back to prior topics learned.

2. Because the Campbell was designed to have many of the sidebar type topics be part of the internet resources, the book pages seem less cluttered.

3. The Campbell has one specific internet interactive activity for each section. It seems less overwhelming than the Miller/Levine website with a choice of options.

 

Both books are an excellent choice, and for us, it just came down to presentation style for dd, who can get overwhelmed easily with these huge textbooks. The Campbell and older Miller/Levine are easy to find used. I don't have any information on the brand new Miller/Levine as we weren't considering that as an option.

 

Louise

[Corraleno]

I have both Exploring Life and the new (Scarlet Macaw cover) Miller & Levine. My impressions, based on comparing them side-by-side, are that M&L is more "chatty," and more likely to explain concepts in plain English, with less depth, than EL. For comparison, here are paragraphs on lysosomes, from each text:

 

Miller & Levine, Biology p. 198:

Even the neatest, cleanest factory needs a cleanup crew, and that's where lysosomes come in. Lysosomes are small organelles filled with enzymes. Lysosomes break down lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins into small molecules that can be used by the rest of the cell. They are also involved in breaking down organelles that have outlived their usefulness. Lysosomes perform the vital function of removing "junk" that might otherwise accumulate and clutter up the cell. A number of serious human diseases can be traced to lysosomes that fail to function properly. Biologists once thought that lysosomes were only found in animals cells, but it is now clear that lysosomes are also found in a few specialized types of plant cells.

Campbell, Exploring Life p. 127:

Membrane-bound sacs called lysosomes contain digestive enzymes that can break down such macromolecules as proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides (figure 6-23). Lysosomes have several functions. They fuse with incoming food vacuoles and expose the nutrients to enzymes that digest them, thereby nourishing the cell. Lysosomes also function like safety officers when they help destroy harmful bacteria. In certain cells ~ for example, your white blood cells ~ lysosomes release enzymes into vacuoles that contain trapped bacteria and break down the bacterial cell walls. Similarly, lysosomes serve as recycling centers for damaged organelles. Without harming the cell, a lysosome can engulf and digest another organelle. This makes molecules available for the construction of new organelles.

For a student planning a career in the medical field, I would go with Campbell's Exploring Life.

 

Jackie

[Mrs Mungo]

The classes look great but can't afford the $1100 price tag. Besides I am not a creationist. I am Christian but want evolution taught as well. Thank you for the link. I like the anatomy classes so I will bookmark it for future reference! :001_smile:

 

I'm having my dd do Biology through OU High School. They use Holt Biology, just to throw in another possibility. ;) It's $270/semester, which is a bit more reasonable.

[cseitter]

I'm having my dd do Biology through OU High School. They use Holt Biology, just to throw in another possibility. ;) It's $270/semester, which is a bit more reasonable.

 

 

Ohh, I like those! They aren't TO expensive either. :) I bought Campbell Biology today along with the study guide so we will stick with that but THANKS for the link. :)

[Capt_Uhura]

Correlano,

 

Thanks for your write up! That's exactly what I needed to see. I understand the difference now.

 

Capt_Uhura