Lewelma - Critique my science plans! (Please?)

[sagira]

Like many on this board, I read Lewelma's threads and posts with great interest. Thanks to her, I'm dedicating the last 6 weeks of school (could be 8) to a science investigation/inquiry of their choice - for both ds10 and dd6.

 

I'm happy that I've always stressed reading from nonfiction. In fact, I believe if ds had a choice, he would prefer nonfiction. Last year he read a lot and this year I'm going to add in biographies as well.

 

Basically this is what we do for science: we use BFSU, read a living book to accompany the topic, and this year I bought a middle school science text titled Behold and See 5 to enhance what we do. In history we're also reading scientist bios (doing SOTW 4). We also do Nature Study once a week.

 

Next year, for 6th, I plan on going through an actual textbook (The Way Life Works).

 

Believe it or not, I already have science pretty much planned for 7 and 8 too ;)

 

I just read Lewelma's post on Middle School Science about tailoring the science to the kid. Ruth, if you're willing to even just critique my future plans for ds, please let me know. I'd be very glad to hear! Let me know if you need any more information.

 

Thanks for any insight you can give me.

[lewelma]

Hi Sagira,

 

I'm so pleased that my posts have been helpful to you.  I really learn a lot by writing, so the more I write the clearer things become to me.

 

I like the book you have choosen and so did my son.  I once saw him drawing cartoons of DNA and protein synthesis, it was very cute.

 

I have a few questions so I can understand what you have planned already.

 

1) So I assume you are doing Biology this year. Are you focusing in Cell/Molecular Biology, or do you have a broader focus?

2) Are you using any other resources? My son only took about 3 months to read the book.

3) Is your son going to read the book independently, or are you team reading it, or are you teaching the material?

4) Given that you are doing an investigation, will you be doing any other hands-on work throughout the year?

5) Are you planning any output like presentations, drawings, research papers (on related questions like cloning or hemophelia in the royal family)?

6) What kind of time are you giving science this year?  (as in how many times per week, or how many hours, or just when we get around to it)

7) How do you see your involvement?

8) Are you going to use science to improve any other skills?

 

Well, that is all I can think of now, but I am sure your answers will give me more questions. :001_smile:

 

Ruth in NZ

 

 

[sagira]

Hi Sagira,

 

I'm so pleased that my posts have been helpful to you.  I really learn a lot by writing, so the more I write the clearer things become to me.

 

I like the book you have choosen and so did my son.  I once saw him drawing cartoons of DNA and protein synthesis, it was very cute.

 

That's awesome! I hope he will do something like that too. He likes comics.

 

Just to clarify, we are currently working on fifth grade right now. Ds is a brand new 10 - his birthday was last week. Next year, 2014-2015, we're tackling 6th.  We just started school last week.

 

I have a few questions so I can understand what you have planned already.

 

1) So I assume you are doing Biology this year. Are you focusing in Cell/Molecular Biology, or do you have a broader focus?

 

I am actually touching upon all levels of science. With Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU), you go from thread to thread. This is the way I broke it down for this year:

 

Weeks 1-10

Life Science

B-22 The Life of Plants II: How A Plant Grows Its Parts

 

(growing vegetables organically - ds10 orange peppers and dd6 cucumbers - container gardening)

Physical Science

C-9  Center of Gravity, Balance, and Wobbling Wheels

C-11 Mechanics I: Levers and Discovery of the Underlying Principle

C-10 Movement, Energy, and Momentum

C-12 Mechanics II: Inclined Planes, Pulleys, Gears, Hydraulic Lifts

 

(we're using the Thames and Kosmos Physics Discovery Kit with the Physical Science unit)

 

Weeks 11-29

 

Nature of Matter

 

A-12 Atomic/Molecular Motion II: Relationship to Temperature

A-17 Heat, Volume, and Density

A-13 Atomic/Molecular Motion III: Heat and Pressure

 

Life Science

B-15 Cells III: Integrating Cells and Whole-Body Functions

B-17 Fungi and Bacteria II: Decomposers vs. Food Storage and Preservation

B-18 Fungi and Bacteria III: Decomposers vs. Disease and Health

B-19 Microscopic Organisms I: Their Multitude and Diversity

B-20 Microscopic Organisms II: Single-celled Organisms; Kingdom Protista

 

 

Earth and Space Science

 

D-11 Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Movements of Tectonic Plates

 

Nature of Matter and Earth and Space Science together:

 

A-18 Convection Currents: Observation and Interpretation

D-13 Climate and Weather I: Wet Tropics and Dry Deserts

 

Weeks 30-36

Topical study on whatever ds is interested in that he came across in during the year, or what interests him: Use Science Inquiry notebook to organize and record findings. Create a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation based on this using scientific thinking and reasoning.

 

Summer (with Dangerous Book for Boys Electricity kit)

C-13  Electricity I: Electric Circuits, Switches, Conductors, and Non-Conductors

C-13A.Electricity IA: Static Electricity, Sparks, and Lightning

C-14  Electricity II: Parallel and Series Circuits, Short Circuits, Fuses,

Ground Wires

 

The way BFSU works is that Dr. Nebel usually has you do an activity first. Not a demonstration, but using guided inquiry I guess would be the best way to describe it, with Socratic discussion. Others who use BFSU can correct me if I used the wrong term.Then you proceed to discuss different levels of the same theme, interrelating concepts and reviewing past concepts as you go. Obviously not all concepts relate, but you keep building one upon the other.

 

2) Are you using any other resources? My son only took about 3 months to read the book.

 

We're not reading The Way Life Works this year, but it's slated as the first real textbook ds will be reading. This year we're doing BFSU with parts of a middle school textbook Behold and See 5 - those that correlate with our studies.

 

I get correlating (living) books at his level from the library. Right now as we're in Plant Science he is reading Spilsbury's Plant Growth to accompany the lesson in BFSU and last Thursday we learned that plants grow not from the ground up, but they grow from the apical meristem and plants can grow from the axil as well.

 

After we complete the lesson, which usually consists of 2, 3, or 4 parts, I have ds draw diagrams, write charts, and record information in his science notebook. This year we're using, per Dr. Nebel's recommendation, a simple 80-page composition book in which ds will create a table of contents and number the pages to create his own science notebook. In fact, BFSU has a section on what to record in your notebook, which I find very handy.

 

3) Is your son going to read the book independently, or are you team reading it, or are you teaching the material?

 

I teach and we discuss the lesson together in BFSU one part at a time while ds reads Plant Growth on his own and record his narrations in a tape recorder. One BFSU lesson can take a few weeks to complete. I'm not in a hurry. I rather he understand the concepts.

 

After Plant Growth, ds is going to read Forces and Motion by Alvin Silverstein and pertinent chapters in The Way Things Work to correlate with the Physics study. And so on, each topic with its correlating book. Sometimes there are two books. Each book is about 60-120 pages long and pictures of just the right amount of material and level for him. He enjoys reading these interesting books too. He has said just recently that science is now his favorite subject. This kid likes building things, animals, and technology. I know he's going to be thrilled when we're doing the Physics unit. His grandparents got his the Physics Pro kit as well, to be done after our unit on simple machines, but I consider that just fun for him to do on his own time, and not school. For fun he also has K'Nex Education, Legos, Snap Circuits, and an Erector set.

 

4) Given that you are doing an investigation, will you be doing any other hands-on work throughout the year?

 

BFSU has built in little activities that the student does to initiate the questions and start those thinking gears going. We are also working on our edible garden project throughout the year, ds will be constructing and playing with the simple machines, levers and pulleys in the aforementioned Physics Discovery Kit. In the summer he'll be playing with his electricity kit. We are also arranging for him to take apart old radios and such.

 

5) Are you planning any output like presentations, drawings, research papers (on related questions like cloning or hemophelia in the royal family)?

 

He's going to be making notes, drawings, diagrams, and/or charts in his science notebook on each science "thread" (the BFSU term for each branch of science). I bought him a science journal to be used solely for the annual science inquiry projects we'll be having at the end of the year. This child does not like to write (yet), and I feel the structure of this journal will help him see what he needs to include.

 

6) What kind of time are you giving science this year?  (as in how many times per week, or how many hours, or just when we get around to it)

 

We're doing science 4 times a week, for about 35 min. each. Mondays-Wednesdays we work through BFSU while in reading time during those days he reads both his current fiction and science nonfiction. On Thursdays I have him read some more during science class, or read any supporting books. For example, in our Plant Science thread, ds is also going to read a book titled "A Florida Water Story" that explains where our water comes from and how it serves all manner of wildlife. The idea is that this will jive with one of the primary needs a plant has. We live in the Florida Keys, which is very unique when it comes to gardening - basically, throw out every conventional gardening manual out the window and buy a light-colored container ;)

 

We also do Nature Study on Saturdays. We live in a semi-rural area of natural beauty - a collection of islands, coral reefs, and a state park a few miles from our house, and have a membership to the local city zoo and botanical garden.

 

7) How do you see your involvement?

 

We are talking just for fifth grade now. I provide the materials for his activities when necessary (if I don't get to that we simply watch how someone else does it online, imagine, or I draw on the whiteboard), ask questions, discuss the lessons with him, write on the whiteboard if I have to, show him relevant video clips from NeoK12. I request and provide him with relevant books on the topic and listen to his narrations to evaluate comprehension. I have also selected the threads ahead of time and planned how we are going to this this year. I have plans for 6th that build on this. 

 

8) Are you going to use science to improve any other skills?

 

I forgot to mention in my post here that since we are covering the Modern Age with SOTW 4 ds is also reading biographies on scientists and a book called "How to Think Like a Scientist". Reading about inventions and biographies of such notable people like Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, and Mr. Rontgen  will dovetail nicely with the kind of science topics he likes, mainly creating and building inventions. With this, I hope to inspire him to pursue his dreams in becoming an engineer/toy designer.

 

I also look to improve his observational skills and appreciation for nature (Nature Study), and I want him to begin using his number skills and practice his math and recording skills through keeping tables and charts. 

 

Naturally, my goal is also to improve his reading comprehension skills of nonfiction throughout the year so he'll be prepared to tackle The Way Life Works as a side project next year while we continue with BFSU 6-8. Even if he takes all of his sixth grade year to finish this textbook, at least I know he'll be more prepared to handle a more complex textbook in 7th. I'm a big picture kind of person, I can't just stop at planning for one year :p

 

Well, that is all I can think of now, but I am sure your answers will give me more questions. :001_smile:

 

Ruth in NZ

 

Thanks so much for taking this on!

 

 

My answers are in blue.

[lewelma]

Sagira,

 

You sound very organized.  Have you used BFSU before?  If so, what did you like and what did you not like.   What did your kids like and what did they not like?  Basically, how will you tweak this program to make it work for your family?

 

Ruth in NZ

 

[lewelma]

I've read over your post a few more time today, and I am trying to see where you need help.  It appears to me that you are using an excellent program in a way that works for you and your kids.  You have matched the material to kits and to extra reading.  Your time is well organized and your goals are clear.  What exactly to you think you are missing? 

 

Ruth in NZ

[sagira]

I was just about to answer your first question :) I guess I just wanted reassurance that I am doing the right thing - from a scientist. The overarching feeling is that I want to do right by my dc.

 

I just wanted to make sure that I was on the right track and that I could continue the plan into sixth through eighth.

 

I am pleasantly surprised and frankly relieved. I was ready to change if necessary. This is my first time teaching logic stage. Thanks for critiquing my science plans!

[lewelma]

This is what I like:

 

Your goals are clear- you are studying multiple fields of science at every increasing levels of difficulty every year using BFSU

You are integrating the different threads so that your student's studies are not siloed.

Your student will be doing independent reading with the goal of increasing skill over time

You are keeping a curriculum alive by supplementing in areas of interest for your student

You are doing some nice hands-on work.  You are not doing a lot of demos but rather focusing on guided inquiry

You are getting outside for nature study and gardening

You have integrating language arts at an appropirate level for your student: keeping notebooks, and setting a goal of increased output over time

You have supplemented with biographies of real scientists

You are planning a longer term investigation

You are not in a hurry to keep to a plan but rather want to work at the pace that is appropriate at the time to your child

You are using kits that will get done

You have a good schedule that is not overachieving

Your student is really enjoying it! So the fit is right!

 

Oh, I am sure that I could come up with more.  My only concern is that your plan looks like a lot, but given that you are not in a hurry to meet deadlines, you can definitely do a full curriculum with additional nonfiction/biographies/hands-on kits tacked on.

 

But I sense that you have some worry.  What are you concerned about? 

 

Ruth in NZ

 

 

 

 

[sagira]

Thanks!  I needed to see it like that. I planned everything carefully, and we are the second week in and it's going fantastically. Ds tells me without hesitation now that his favorite subject is science :)

 

Dd6's cucumber plant is growing so fast! We were amazed to see shoots after two days! She's diligent about watering it. Ds' pepper haven't emerged yet, but he's being patient.

 

What worries me? Hmm.. I guess follow-through. That now it matters even more, the stakes are higher, because he's at the logic stage. The fact that he turned ten weighed heavily on me for a whole week. I'm feeling the pressure already. It may be all in my head, but no less daunting I guess. I am solely responsible for his education. Whew. 

 

I'm planning on adding more textbooks to read after he reads The Way Life Works, in 7th and 8th. If I remember correctly, you had said to include a more difficult text in a topic he would be interested in first, then one that is challenging and in a topic he is not interested in (isn't that a math textbook in these grades?).

[lewelma]

Given that your plan is ambitious, I would decide now on your priorities, basically what you will drop first if required.  Then, if it ends up being too much, you don't panic but rather use the lighter Plan B without any feelings of guilt. 

 

As for 'logic' stage, what you have planned is more than enough, even if you only did half of it.  So don't worry!

[sagira]

Given that your plan is ambitious, I would decide now on your priorities, basically what you will drop first if required.  Then, if it ends up being too much, you don't panic but rather use the lighter Plan B without any feelings of guilt. 

 

That's a great idea! I am planning on dropping Electricity for the summer if need be. We can always finish up the six-week investigation then, and leave Electricity for 6th. No harm done. I'm learning to let go while still being on top of everything, if that makes sense.

 

As for 'logic' stage, what you have planned is more than enough, even if you only did half of it.  So don't worry!

 

Breathing a HUGE sigh of relief - THANK you, Ruth  :grouphug: