Grace Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I own almost the whole series of these books but have been paralyzed by not knowing the "best" way to do it. Can you tell me more how you use these? Do you get the guided reading workbooks? Do you do all the experiments? Do you do the "skills lab" and the "try this" and the "real-world lab" and the "discover" and the "chapter projects".... Do you have your child take notes or outline? Do you use the teachers guide? I would love to hear more how you used these. I have a tendency to over-complicate things and then they never get done. Help Me!!!:eek: Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetreasurs Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 My daughter reads a 2-page spread per day. We also do the guided reading workbooks a few days behind the reading to review/reinforce learning. I hate to admit that we only occasionally do the experiments. If we fall behind (due too illness, etc) we will skip the guided reading for a few days - but daughter doesn't retain the info nearly as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I started the series with my middle dd when she was in 5th grade. That year we did just two books. My dd read two chapter subsections each day and did the Guided Reading workbook right after we finished reading. She did the selftest on the computer for each chapter when she was finished with the chapter. The selftests are on the companion site for the Science Explorer series. The Real World and Skills Labs were all that we did for science when we came to them in the book. We have never done all of the experiments. We do the discover activity at the start of a section if it looks like it's worthwhile to do - usually it isn't. We do some of the Sharpen Your Skills and Try This. We have never done any of the chapter projects. We do most of the Skills Labs and Real World Labs. That depends mostly on whether or not the materials are going to be easy to gather or not. I go through the book my dd chooses a few weeks before we'll start and list all the supplies that will be needed for the Real World and Skills Labs. Then I cross off the materials (and the labs that need those materials) that I can't get from Home Science Tools. I may cross off others that are more expensive than I'm willing to go for as well. Now that my dd is in 7th grade, she does a chapter section nearly every day. Most chapter sections are 4-5 pages. When a chapter section is longer than 5 pages, I spread it over two days. Some of the chapter sections in Environmental Science (the book my dd is working in now) are 10 pages. I let my dd choose the order in which to move through the series. The only ordering requirement I have is that she must do Chemical Building Blocks before Chemical Interactions. The other books can be done in whatever order she wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 My dd and I read through the chapter together. I usually only cover one section per sitting. My dd answers the checkpoints orally, and the section review in writing. If they don't involve lots of prep, we do cover the experiments. I have my dd keep a vocabulary section in her notebook for all the terms in bold throughout the chapter. She goes through the study guide at the end of the chapter, to make sure she understands all vocabulary and key ideas. Finally, she does the chapter review in writing and ends with the online test. This has been working very well for us. My dd is retaining the info., and most importantly, it gets done each week. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I usually have ds read a section a day. He does the corresponding Guided Reading pages, but I don't know if I'll continue with it because I don't have the answers and won't be getting them since they are only in the very expensive All-In-One Teacher's Resource. It takes too long for me to figure out the answers on my own. I do have the Teacher's Edition. I have him write out the answers to the question at the end of the summary and do the chapter test from the book and online. We've done a few of the experiments. Not as many as I think I *should* do. Probably won't change though. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 I was unaware of the online tests. How do I find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I was unaware of the online tests. How do I find these? In the student's book they have "Go Online" boxes for various online activites. For example, we watched a 3 stage rocket animation. On the test page, they have a "Go Online" box for Self-Assessment. You go to phschool.com and put in the code in the box. The tests are actually 10 fairly lame (imo) multiple choice questions. You can do a 2nd or 3rd or 4th test, but the questions start repeating themselves fairly quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Where do you all purchase the Science Explorer books? Also, is there a place to view these online? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I got mine on ebay. Somebody posts complete sets of the 2000 edition periodically for about $35. I don't mind using a slightly older edition at the middle school level. The books will be 12yo by the time my youngest finishes them, but they were only 5yo when I started them with my middle dd (oldest was in ps then). I should add that the 2003 edition of the guided reading workbooks have fit exactly with the 2000 edition of the texts so far. Even the page numbers have matched up, so they must not have made many changes at all. They reformatted the series in 2005 though, so that edition has chapter sections and subsections rearranged compared to 2000 and 2003. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I was unaware of the online tests. How do I find these? I ought to try to get them used. Maybe next one. Warning: The PH website is a mess. I called the 800 number and got the catalog. Every time I needed to check out the website, I would call the 800 number and act really dumb. They were very good at holding my hand to find exactly what I wanted. I think this is the best link: http://phcatalog.pearson.com/program_multiple.cfm?site_id=6&discipline_id=808&subarea_id=5383&program_id=21981 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txchick Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 hi, Im selling some on the swap board. Its the latest edition Earth science. If your interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 We've used these and we just read them and did experiments. My boys did keep their own lab books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I use the lab book and the student workbook- If you use the student workbook you are basically following along taking notes. Somedays I wish I had the teachers manual. I combine United Streaming with it. We love it- I assign a section a day for a 7th grader and incorporate the film in about 2-3 times a week. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokons Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I got mine on ebay. Somebody posts complete sets of the 2000 edition periodically for about $35. I don't mind using a slightly older edition at the middle school level. The books will be 12yo by the time my youngest finishes them, but they were only 5yo when I started them with my middle dd (oldest was in ps then). I should add that the 2003 edition of the guided reading workbooks have fit exactly with the 2000 edition of the texts so far. Even the page numbers have matched up, so they must not have made many changes at all. They reformatted the series in 2005 though, so that edition has chapter sections and subsections rearranged compared to 2000 and 2003. Angie, where do you get the 2003 editions of the workbooks? Are they on the Prentice hall website? Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herding Cats in NC Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I'm considering using these next year. Do we need to work through them in any specific order? I'm assuming that Chemical Building Blocks needs to be covered before Chemical Interactions, but can you do the others in any order? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 We are not doing them in any specific order. I'm letting her pick the subjects (all Earth science). She has finished Environmental Science and Earth's Changing Surface this year so far; she started over the summer after Botany. She reads about a chapter a week and we do the reviews as well as discuss over all her thoughts on the chapter. She is not a big lab person so I'm skipping labs till we go back to Bio and chemistry. I know when my younger daughter does these in a few years, we will do the labs. She has already asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 More questions about this here. I am leaning towards these for next year with ds going in to 5th. Do you follow a certain order at all? (Do you stick with WTM's biology for next year and select those from that area?) How many of these are needed for a year's worth of material? And, what things should be ordered for each one? (TM, etc.) Anything else that might be helpful, feel free to speak up! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I got the workbooks direct from the publisher. If you go to Science Explorer on their catalog website, there's a link you can click for older editions. I'll link you to the main part of the website below and then you just have to click on each individual book. I just realized that I have the 2002 workbooks. There wasn't a 2003 edition. http://phcatalog.pearson.com/program_multiple.cfm?site_id=6&discipline_id=808&subarea_id=5383&program_id=5690 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokons Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I got the workbooks direct from the publisher. If you go to Science Explorer on their catalog website, there's a link you can click for older editions. I'll link you to the main part of the website below and then you just have to click on each individual book. I just realized that I have the 2002 workbooks. There wasn't a 2003 edition. http://phcatalog.pearson.com/program_multiple.cfm?site_id=6&discipline_id=808&subarea_id=5383&program_id=5690 Thanks so much, Angie. Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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