Homemade History of Science Course--No Library

[julikins]

So I'm thinking about making a History of Science course for my 6th grade son. This year is going to be science-focused (we're doing chemistry one semester and physics another) and so I thought, why not make history fit in, too?

So I've never made up a course on my own before, so I'm thinking of including the following:

Guide:
Homemade Master List of Scientists to Research
or
100 Scientists that Changed the World by Tiner

Extra Reading:
Archimedes and the Door of Science
Biographies on a few of the Artists
or Isaac Newton, Galileo, Da Vinci and Einstein for Kids series

Output:
Timeline and perhaps a map of where the scientist lived (put a pin in the map with their name attached to the pin).
Research chosen scientists and present in Oral Report
Unit Study-long graph of major contributions and field of study
Notebook of definitions, explanations, drawings and famous quotes


I'm not much of a scientist, so this is a leap in the dark for me.  I'm reading Archimedes and the Door of Science and see so much potential in that book for it to be a stepping stone, or door, (ha!) into the study of other scientists.  Another thought is that we have no library--except for what we've collected here at home.  We live overseas.  I love downloadable resources, but we can have a few things shipped.  And I don't want to do too many experiments with this just because our science studies this year are going to be so hands-on.

So here are some of my questions:

1. Do you have a favorite book or link that you love for deciding who are the most important scientists to include in this study? (It will last a year) Just looking it up on Amazon I found Tiner's 100 Scientists Who Changed the World and Vancleave's Scientists book. Is one better than another? Is there another I should look for? I know there is The Story of Science series but from what I understand they would last longer than the year I want to dedicate to this (am I right?).

2. Would it be just as good to use Beautiful Feet's History of Science series?

3. Am I missing an aspect of designing this course that is necessary to make it complete?

 

4.  How long should a 6th grader do science for?  Is this largely up to the parents or is there a standard? 

 

Thank you if you've read thus far and have something to direct with, no matter how little.

Edited January 14, 2016 by julikins

[Farrar]

Is there a reason you wouldn't just use the Joy Hakim series?

[julikins]

Am I wrong that the Joy Hakim series would last longer than a year? 

 

[EKS]

The Hakim series need not take more than a year. Just so you know, the Hakim books leave out biology.

Edited January 15, 2016 by EKS

[EKS]

Just a heads up though. In order to get much out of the study of the history of science, it helps to have a solid understanding of current scientific thought as well as an ability to understand the often times difficult to understand scientific ideas of earlier eras. If you undertake a history of science course without this base, it will really only be studying the biographies of scientists rather than the evolution of scientific thought.

Edited January 14, 2016 by EKS

[Alte Veste Academy]

1. Science: The Definitive Visual Guide is fantastic for taking you through the history of science. Great for timeline building, and more space is naturally given to the more important ideas/scientists. What I love about this book though, aside from the awesome visual nature of this book for my visual DS, is that it also does include a wide gamut of people and discoveries, and you never know what is going to strike a kid's interest. I own Hakim and love it but I'm annoyed that it's not ALL of science, LOL, so I wouldn't use it for a history of science spine. And, bizarrely for me, I would prefer (and I know my visual/"fact-book" loving DS prefers an encyclopedic spine for a study like this. 

 

2. I think your idea is great as is! What I like most is that it would allow your son to run with what particularly interests him! 

 

3. There are lots of good general scientist/experiment books at the library so if he wants to do labs or experiments, he could supplement that way. My oldest DS thinks science means fizzing and booming. 

 

4. I think it's up to you, but I required an hour a day starting in 6th.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by Alte Veste Academy

[foxbridgeacademy]

So I'm thinking about making a History of Science course for my 6th grade son. This year is going to be science-focused (we're doing chemistry one semester and physics another) and so I thought, why not make history fit in, too?

 

So I've never made up a course on my own before, so I'm thinking of including the following:

 

Guide:

Homemade Master List of Scientists to Research

or

100 Scientists that Changed the World by Tiner

 

Extra Reading:

Archimedes and the Door of Science

Biographies on a few of the Artists

or Isaac Newton, Galileo, Da Vinci and Einstein for Kids series

 

Output:

Timeline and perhaps a map of where the scientist lived (put a pin in the map with their name attached to the pin).

Research chosen scientists and present in Oral Report

Unit Study-long graph of major contributions and field of study

Notebook of definitions, explanations, drawings and famous quotes

 

 

I'm not much of a scientist, so this is a leap in the dark for me.  I'm reading Archimedes and the Door of Science and see so much potential in that book for it to be a stepping stone, or door, (ha!) into the study of other scientists.  Another thought is that we have no library--except for what we've collected here at home.  We live overseas.  I love downloadable resources, but we can have a few things shipped.  And I don't want to do too many experiments with this just because our science studies this year are going to be so hands-on.

 

So here are some of my questions:

 

1. Do you have a favorite book or link that you love for deciding who are the most important scientists to include in this study? (It will last a year) Just looking it up on Amazon I found Tiner's 100 Scientists Who Changed the World and Vancleave's Scientists book. Is one better than another? Is there another I should look for? I know there is The Story of Science series but from what I understand they would last longer than the year I want to dedicate to this (am I right?).

 

2. Would it be just as good to use Beautiful Feet's History of Science series?

 

3. Am I missing an aspect of designing this course that is necessary to make it complete?

 

4.  How long should a 6th grader do science for?  Is this largely up to the parents or is there a standard? 

 

Thank you if you've read thus far and have something to direct with, no matter how little.

I like your idea and had a similar idea a few years ago but never quite got it off the ground.  I assume you're going chronologically? I planned to focus on time periods not scientists but the they would have made up a big portion of our study.  The only thing I would add to your plan is experiments and activities.  Like PP said there are a lot of general experiment books available for Jr High aged science.

 

I'd also like to remind you that he is only in Jr High and that Science and learning can still be fun and light (I've gotten ripped up for suggesting this in the past).  So you don't have to over think it.  If you spend an hour a day on it great but if you end up only spend a couple a week that's good too. 

[lisabees]

I would include A Short History of Nearly Everything (audiobook is fabulous), and documentaries.  Story of Science is a great one.  Science and Islam is another favorite.  Oh.  Recently saw A Poisoner's Handbook and loved it.  Will you be including math?  Many times, they go hand in hand. 

 

My seventh grader probably spends two hours a day on science.  She loves it.

 

ETA:  Some Great Courses links that may work.  I recently sent these to my high schooler.  They may be over a sixth grader's head.

 

Great Scientific Ideas that Changed the world

 

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Scientific-Ideas-Changed-World/dp/B00DTNY2UE/ref=sr_1_cc_7?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1452612746&sr=1-7-catcorr&keywords=great+courses+history+of+science

 

Science in the Twentieth Century  http://www.amazon.com/Science-Twentieth-Century-Social-Intellectual-Survey/dp/B00DTO615W/ref=pd_sim_129_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51ciBLWIeCL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1CVDNGCEF5RHR3NQ2B68

 

History of Science 1700-1900  http://www.amazon.com/The-History-of-Science-1700-1900/dp/B00DTO6CO2/ref=pd_sim_129_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41qkDMS247L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1CVDNGCEF5RHR3NQ2B68

 

Science Wars  http://www.amazon.com/Science-Wars-What-Scientists-Know/dp/B00DTO4HIK/ref=pd_sim_129_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=515rsWAcosL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1YMVRS25V16VK4EFPVJP

 

Redefining Reality http://www.amazon.com/Genetic-Engineering/dp/B018YW1G94/ref=sr_1_4?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1452612746&sr=1-4&keywords=great+courses+history+of+science

Edited January 15, 2016 by lisabees

[Guest prudence]

This might be helpful:  http://buildyourlibrary.com/purchase-grade-8-curriculum/

 

 

[julikins]

Thank you all for those suggestions.  The Great courses look great, but I think a little over this one's head.  I might use some for my 9th grader though, so thanks!  I am not planning on incorporating all of his math work into this unit study style but will mention the mathematics (and demonstrate/explain it) when necessary to explaining the concepts the scientists discovered. 

 

I just had a thought and now am not sure what/how I would do this.  When I looked at the build your library site, I saw that they incorporated the History of Science as a one year world history program.  I was already planning on doing World History next year.  The plan is to do lots of hands on in the different science field (this year will be chemistry and physics, and maybe some astronomy too). 

 

The problem I am having is that this is a boy who gets math if he doesn't have to think about it.  I'm not sure if that makes sense.  If I make him memorize his math facts or write down the problem and figure it out long-hand, he doesn't get it about half of the time.  But if I don't mess with him, he gets all the answers right.  We're taking this next semester to cement math facts before he advances to higher math.  I've been reading lots about it and see how necessary it is for those facts to be automatic so he can concentrated on the higher math.  But I don't want him to be bored so that's why we're going to concentrate on a very hands-on/experiment-heavy, conceptual science year with a unit-study feel so that lots of things get incorporated in it. 

 

I agree with a PP who said that this does not need to be a heavy science year, in that there isn't pressure.  I want him to love school and get lots of my attention (we have four, he's second with two very little siblings who have taken most of my time the last three years).  So we are going to have a table time each morning, just him and I to work on these areas he's struggling with. 

 

All that to say, this is a very special situation.  He has been tested and didn't qualify for services, but does have some needs that I didn't know how to address until now.  So that is what we're going to concentrate on. 

 

As much as I like the looks of the Joy Hakim series, I'm scared it's going to be too advanced for him.  But maybe I could do two years with it, and combine it with our Notgrass Adam to Us that we will be using next year for 7th.  Just a thought.  I'm willing to put forth effort to see him love science and school. 

 

Anyway, I believe I am now rambling, but thank you all for your suggestions.  Please let me know if you have any other suggestions. :)