Luanne Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 This is for around 4th through 6th grade level with very little science experience. How can I go about doing this? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 I am looking for all types of science ... meaning Earth Science, Astronomy, Chemistry, and Physics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Well, it's not fancy but what I do is have the kids pick out books of their choice. They read about their topic, write a summary and draw a picture or a diagram. If you wanted to go deeper you could buy or get a spine on one topic and then get library books on each sub-topic that comes up in the spine book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I would get a spine like the Reader's Digest series 'How ... Works' and then get books related to each chapter as you go along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 There are some Bill Nye books written for that level that could work as spines. The videos are also good overviews of science topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I agree with Lorna that you should get a spine. I like the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, because it is interesting, it covers all branches of science in one text, it is only about $20, and it is appropriate for the grade levels mentioned, it is internet-linked (if you want to find more info quickly without waiting to go to the library). There 8 sections, so you could cover one topic (materials; mixtures and compounds; energy, forces and motion; earth and space; light, sound, and electricity; plants and fungi; animal world; human body) each month. The back contains 30 review questions for each of the 8 sections that you could use as a test (oral, open-book, or whatever) at the end of each month. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testimony Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I do the exact same thing. I go to the library. I ask the children what topics they want to learn. They read it. They narrate it. We do some experiments because my husband bought some Janice Van Cleave books for Christmas. The library is such a wealth of information when it comes to science. Blessings, Karen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy in ME Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 We are very relaxed about science but here's what we do: I decided that this year would be life sciences to sort of follow WTM suggestions to go with Ancients. I then went to HOAC web site with dss 9 + 11 yo and let them each choose a couple of age appropriate project packs that had anything to do with life science. We use these to guide our other reading. For a spine, we are using primarily the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, DK Nature Encylopedia, and Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia. These books give us a quick overview before we do additional reading from the library or our own collection of books. We are also adding in Discovery Education videos. The HOAC packs are providing mini writing assignments for the boys. Most of the ones we have done are much more than just cut and paste. My older ds, especially, takes the booklets very seriously and writes wonderful paragraphs in them. I require complete sentences at a minimum. Science has been a lot of fun this year since I decided to be more casual about it. We plan to ramp it up a bit with a "real" curriculum in 8th grade. For now, the boy love choosing their own books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tami Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I like using an experiment book, such as _______ for Every Kid by Vancleave as a spine. Her books are broken down by topic. Simply schedule experiments every week and fill in with library books related to the VanCleave topics. Really easy to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetest Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I have done "Science from the Library" since I started homeschooling last year. My dd is only in 2nd grade currently...I started just letting her pick topics or randomly picking books I thought would interest her. This worked fine but I decided I wanted more structure to finish out our year. I have Books to Build On by E.D. Hirsch which lists suggestions for what to teach in every year with book suggestions. I compiled a list of of topics to cover and made up a book list. I request the books 1 or 2 weeks early so I am sure they will all be in. We pretty much just read the books (sometimes together, sometimes independently) and I have dd narrate once during the week. We are very laid back about science this year (obviously)...next year I plan to use something a bit more structured, but I will continue to use library books to supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.