wed1998 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 WTMA's biology course ends this week and I want to encourage anyone who is looking for a bio course to consider it for next year. I believe there are still seats in all the sections. The instructor is excellent, superbly well organized, incredibly responsive in a very timely fashion, and really wants the kids to succeed. That said, it's a course that requires organization and ownership on the part of the student and yes, it requires work. Students are given every tool to succeed and, in my humble opinion, this course could very well be an honors course. It has been an excellent class for my student and, I believe, an excellent introduction to the rigors of high school. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 WTMA's biology course ends this week and I want to encourage anyone who is looking for a bio course to consider it for next year. I believe there are still seats in all the sections. The instructor is excellent, superbly well organized, incredibly responsive in a very timely fashion, and really wants the kids to succeed. That said, it's a course that requires organization and ownership on the part of the student and yes, it requires work. Students are given every tool to succeed and, in my humble opinion, this course could very well be an honors course. It has been an excellent class for my student and, I believe, an excellent introduction to the rigors of high school. Can you share what was involved? Was there anything dry about it? That's been my kids problem with some of TWTM curriculum for high school. Alley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wed1998 Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 My student took one of the live sections (there is also a recorded, delayed section). The textbook used is Holt Biology and it is an in-depth textbook, as well as an in-depth course. There are some concepts I don't remember covering in MY introductory biology course and not in as much depth. I don't think the course is 'dry' but some concepts may be more interesting to some students than others. My student is not going into anything related to biology. The teacher does an excellent job of keeping the discussion open and the class as lively as possible. She provides real-life examples as often as possible and it is not just a lecture-at-you kind of class in the least. I feel that we've gotten a ton out of it, both in the area of biology as well as the areas of study skills, group work and personal responsibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 My student took one of the live sections (there is also a recorded, delayed section). The textbook used is Holt Biology and it is an in-depth textbook, as well as an in-depth course. There are some concepts I don't remember covering in MY introductory biology course and not in as much depth. I don't think the course is 'dry' but some concepts may be more interesting to some students than others. My student is not going into anything related to biology. The teacher does an excellent job of keeping the discussion open and the class as lively as possible. She provides real-life examples as often as possible and it is not just a lecture-at-you kind of class in the least. I feel that we've gotten a ton out of it, both in the area of biology as well as the areas of study skills, group work and personal responsibility.What equipment and supplies are required to complete the labs at home? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wed1998 Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 The teacher provides a complete list of labs for the entire year at the beginning of the course, so there is ample time to plan ahead. The vast majority of materials can be found in your home or at your grocery store. A few items need to be obtained from Carolina Biological or other specialized source, but only a few. A small scale, a measuring cylinder, test tubes, nothing exotic. She does a great job of keeping costs and ability to obtain items very reasonable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) I second the glowing opinion. Mrs. Upperman is fantastic, and my son had his last class today and loved the course! I also concur that it is an honors-level course. We will for sure take this course again for younger sibs and I would highly recommend Mrs Up in any of her courses!! Edited May 18, 2017 by mirabillis 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I think this question has already been asked on this board, and maybe not many kids from this class have taken the SAT II in biology yet, but does it prepare a kid to take it and score well without too much outside prep? We're in CA, so taking a science class that is not UC approved means we need to take the extra step of taking a subject test. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Thank you for this thread! I signed dd14 up last week. I have heard nothing but great reviews. DD is excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wed1998 Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 I am not familiar with the SAT II in biology so I can't answer the question regarding this course and taking that test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 we're taking the SAT II on 6/3. we're reading through some prep books, and since the class does not cover organ systems, reading those chapters. another on the boards will likely chime in, but her dd got an 800 after the course and then prepping with prep books and learning the organ systems' chapters. i'll keep you posted how we fare. but that's why we took this particular bio course as well (uc schools) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I think this question has already been asked on this board, and maybe not many kids from this class have taken the SAT II in biology yet, but does it prepare a kid to take it and score well without too much outside prep? We're in CA, so taking a science class that is not UC approved means we need to take the extra step of taking a subject test. Mirabilis is correct. You will need to learn the organ systems: neuro, GI, urinary, musculoskeletal, etc. Check the Princeton Review and Barron's review books for what you are missing, and read the corresponding chapters in Holt. @Mirabilis: Good luck to your student! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 Mirabilis, daijobu, thanks! But we shouldn't take the sat 2 bio until 9th grade summer, correct? It won't count until then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 Mirabilis, daijobu, thanks! But we shouldn't take the sat 2 bio until 9th grade summer, correct? It won't count until then? The score will count, but you can't give credit for the course to satisfy science requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 The score will count, but you can't give credit for the course to satisfy science requirement. Ok, right, the score counts. I misworded the question. Thanks! We're taking other subjects on 6/3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Just the same, if your student does take the SAT subject test before high school, if she receives a score she's happy with, I would go ahead and call the College Board to make sure they don't wipe your scores. I can't say for certain whether they will or won't, but it did happen to us when dd was in 7th grade. And just in case: don't freak out if they tell you the score is gone and is irretrievable. It isn't. You just need to keep pressing them and go up the chain of command. Ask me how I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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