7th grade science

[OlgaLA]

I am trying to figure out science for my daughter. I am bringing her home in two weeks. I mostly have my curriculum planned, or at least have some ideas, but I need help nailing down science. Ideally, I want something on the level of AOPS. I don't want it to be accelerated too much, but I do want it to be deep. She has finished 4.5 chapters of AOPS pre-algebra, so I suppose, it has to be something that is not too heavy on math, but at the same time between books and documentaries, she covered lots of topics usually covered in middle grade science. So, any ideas for this Goldilocks?

[Momling]

Ellen McHenry's science materials have been awesome for us.

[lewelma]

What does she want to learn about? 

[OlgaLA]

She said she would like to start with biology, but if there is a great curriculum for chemistry or physics, it would be great, too. Right now the fit is more important.

 

I looked at the Elements by Ellen McHenry with my daughter, and she said it is below her level. The cell might be something she still doesn't know, but I am not sure how long one course would take, They don't look like a year-long courses to me. Am I underestimating them?

 

Thank you!

[foxbridgeacademy]

You didn't mention worldview.... secular or not?

 

RSO Bio 2 http://www.pandiapress.com/?page_id=50 that's the only one they have for M.S. I think

Elemental Science- http://www.elementalscience.com/classic-series/ they've got Bio, Chem, and Earth Science.  They also sell the experiment/activity kit to go with it.

 

[lewelma]

There are 3 options:

1) A curriculum: typically contains reading, experiments, activities, worksheets, tests, and syllabus which lays it all out for you

2) A textbook. Typically big, broad, and deep. You would add your own experiments or use kits.

3) Trade books. Readable, beautiful books on individual subjects.  You would choose a number of them to create a course.  You would add your own experiments or use kits.

 

A balance between your dd's needs and your needs would dictate which one is the best option.

 

To give you a feel for trade books, here are a couple in biology suitable for an advanced 7th grader with a strong background in biology who wants to go deep:

Cartoon Guide to Genetics

The Way Life Works

 

HTH,

 

Ruth in NZ

[....]

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but here's my 7th grader's science this year:

 

Exploring the History of Medicine (Tiner)

The Way We Work (MacCaulay)

 

Einstein and the History of Relativity (it doesn't go with the biology theme)

 

Ocean: The World's Last Wilderness Revealed

The Sea Around Us

Marine and Freshwater Fish of the World: A Boxed Set of Two Encylcopedias

101 Questions About the Seashore (I just bought this for fun)

 

Science kits:

Sea Shell Life Pack from Home Science Tools

Clam Dissection Kit (following dissection videos on YouTube)

Starfish Dissection Kit

Shark Dissection Kit

 

Edited to add: we have already dissected the crayfish and perch, so I didn't list those, but they are also possibilities.

 

[Momling]

She said she would like to start with biology, but if there is a great curriculum for chemistry or physics, it would be great, too. Right now the fit is more important.

 

I looked at the Elements by Ellen McHenry with my daughter, and she said it is below her level. The cell might be something she still doesn't know, but I am not sure how long one course would take, They don't look like a year-long courses to me. Am I underestimating them?

 

Thank you!

No, not year long courses. We used Elements and carbon chemistry and added in work on balancing equations and the you tube series Crash Course chemistry. It was a fun year - plenty challenging and they memorized the periodic table. The year before we used Cells, botany and the brain in a biology class with other stuff too.

[OlgaLA]

Thank you! These are all very good recommendations. I am not sure yet what I will use, but at least it started to coalesce.

 

I really like the look of RSO Biology 2. I read about it before, but couldn't find any samples. Yesterday I did, and I really like it. I'll probably add some extra books as well.

 

I checked my shelves, and I actually have The Way Life Works, and some other science books at that level. I knew I had enough books to teach ancient and medieval history probably till college, but I underestimated my science library. Not that I won't find a need to buy some more :)

 

So, all in all, I feel much more comfortable now. Thank you all very much!

[AimeeM]

I always recommend Ellen McHenry for pre-high school science. They are very deep, readable, enjoyable, and flexible. If she feels Elements is below her level, you could do Carbon Chem (but I'll tell you now - even my science accelerated girl could not do CC without Elements; Elements is much deeper, and more difficult than it looks). For a biology year you could do Cells and The Brain (if you do every single activity in each, this will cover about 25-30 weeks), and then add in The Way Life Works, and some additional projects. 

[Staceyshoe]

We also love Ellen McHenry.  The depth is incredible.  The Cells is a short course, but the depth goes beyond what I learned in high school biology.  They are short and are not traditional general courses, but they are fabulous for kids who need to go deeper into the material.  The other pre-high school science that ds really liked was Derek Owens' Physical Science.  There is a deep discount (80%??) for buying the course materials and not using him to teach the class.  You can find it on Lucid Education.

[Halcyon]

My son is ADORING Lucid Education's Physical Science. It is absolutely great---he gets it done, he's learning a lot, and it's independent.

[OlgaLA]

Thanks! I checked the sample of The Cell, and it does look good. I may need to reevaluate The Elements. Or maybe I'll get Carbon Chemistry and see if her existing knowledge is enough. I will have to figure out our schedule to see how much I can comfortably fit into our day and also what we need to cover by high school.