1Togo uses Biblioplan and is good to answer questions about it. If you do a search for "Biblioplan" on the high school board, there are plenty of threads you can read... Here is one I saw that references using Biblioplan and MoH: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/463896-biblioplan-if-i-use-moh-is-the-companion-cool-history-etc-just-overkill/?view=findpost&p=4861983&hl=%2Bbiblioplan

You might research Biblioplan and History Odyssey (Pandia Press). My Father's World is very open and go; it is costly but wonderful.

Months ago when I was researching Last Best Hope, I found out that Roadmap was not available. The best substitute I could think of was Hippocampus for American history. They offer textbooks to go along with lessons/video. There are map and writing exercises too. You could probably use Last Best Hope if you could figure out how to incorporate the videos with the chapters- I imagine that would take a bit of work though. I'm not sure if this is any help at all, but you can see Hippocampus here: http://www.hippocampus.org/HippoCampus/History%20%26%20Government;jsessionid=3340D961711A2E27CA1A1A65920CDBFB We have not used hippocampus, so I can't give a recommendation. I'm shopping for an American history as well to use with my oldest when she is in 11th grade next year. I have considered both of these programs.

Just this past school year for 9th grade, my dd used Hewitt's Conceptual Physics high school text. My dh directed this course because he is a mechanical engineer whose favorite subject is physics! They used LabPaq PK 105 for labs. It only had 9 labs, and I think they did about 7. This LabPaq was manageable for 9th grade conceptual physics. The TOC lists Measurement, Data Collection, Friction, Simple Machine-Level, Pendulum and the calculation of g, Hooke's Law, Specific Heat Capacity of Metals, Static Electricity or Electrostatics, Reflection and Refraction. Dd and Dh worked through the text and labs... LOTS of discussion. Dd also completed a lab report for each of the labs. I think LabPaq has changed names? I have no idea if PK 105 is still available. I had a VERY difficult time trying to put this course together- I never had physics in school and had NO concept of how it was supposed to work. The labs from Hewitt's webpage didn't seem doable because the supplies were so expensive. Many have used TOPS successfully, but even they seemed like a shot in the dark: Reading reviews, some TOPS were more likely to work than others. I just didn't feel comfortable with that. The LabPaq came all in one box and completely organized. I felt a great deal of relief when it was ordered and arrived. Dd had a successful year with Conceptual Physics and LabPaq.

Jane, We're in a similar situation but with BJU's Earth Science. I chose the new 4th edition to use this coming year and wanted to know if I could use the 3rd edition Investigations DVD with it. I asked a rep at BJU and and found out that the 3rd edition DVD wouldn't match up at all with the 4th edition text. I don't know about Life Science; maybe get in touch with BJU and ask them. HTH I should have read your entire post before I answered. We used Life Science Distance Learning 3 years ago- a wonderful experience. I have not seen the Investigations DVD, but for a person who isn't science oriented (like me), any help is always valuable. Mrs. Vick is engaging and makes the science understandable. If the DVD would help you teach the course, it might be worth it. I would imagine it would take some of the pressure off of you to be able to rely on that extra hand-holding. Since the Life Science DVD isn't totally different from the new edition text, I would be more likely than not to buy it. For us, it sounded like BJU reworked everything with the Earth Science, so I'm going it on my own.

There is a recent thread about AP US history that mentions Paul Johnson's book scheduled out. This is the thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/471293-need-guidance-on-ap-us-history/ You'll want to look at #13. It gives this link: http://fundafunda.com/prodpage

I should have been more positive about DIVE. There are certainly aspects of it that I liked: computer based, somewhat independent, and integrated labs just to name a few. As for BJU, the 3rd edition of Earth Science was written at a level that some deem worthy of high school credit. BJU recently wrote the 4th edition on a more middle school level. This is the edition we are going to use. I don't know if that helps you or not. (The 4th edition does not have the distance learning option yet since it is too new. We'll be on our own.) I totally understand about opened ended assignments not getting done..... I LOVED that everything was open-and-go basically with DIVE. I wanted something that leaned toward independence. DIVE was going to give us that sort of independence. We'll have to be more disciplined with BJU. I forgot to mention that we're going to use The Great Courses Intro to Geology with Dr. John Renton. I already have it, and it will add to the compare/contrast of secular/Christian worldviews which is how the text is organized. My ds will have two classes next year (Algebra I and English Comp I) that will be outsourced. These will be challenging enough for him. Since he has a natural love for earth science topics, I'm envisioning that BJU will be somewhat interest led. I am not going to stress over the details. This is primarily why I'm not going to use their tests. If my ds and I discuss the material, do some labs, and he completes lab books to cement the information, I'll call the course a success. I'm more concerned that he engages with (enjoys) the subject matter for 8th grade science rather than stress over a test grade.

I've been watching to see if anyone would answer your thread, and thought I could at least share what I know. I have never used DIVE, and I have only used BJU for 7th grade Life Science 3 years ago. My second child will be in 8th grade this coming year, and together we chose BJU Earth Science 4th edition over DIVE. When we researched both, BJU was a better fit. One disadvantage of DIVE, it seemed, was that it would be hard to know what kinds of notes to take. The material seemed just a little bit out of reach- unfamiliar enough that taking notes would be too frustrating. OTOH, BJU looks interesting to ds. I think he will really enjoy the back-and-forth between the secular scientist and Christian scientist. Although I have not had time to detail my plans, I hope to take a sort of non-traditional approach to BJU's Earth Science. Very generally, I would like for ds to take about one week/chapter reading/answering questions/discussing with me. Then, at the end of each UNIT, he will have two weeks to create a lap book. The lap book's theme will be related to the UNIT's title, and my ds will be able to report on what he thinks is either interesting or important within that theme. I want him to treat the lap book kind of like he would an essay in that there should be a main theme, an opinion to prove, and supporting details. I want all of the information to be organized and clear. I don't plan to use the BJU tests. Instead, the lap book would serve as the evaluation tool. If the lab book is done as described, I *think* it would give him a chance to really grasp and retain the information. The sky is somewhat the limit as far as resource materials go, and he can also use the computer for helping him to organize information. I also bought the lab book.... hoping we can do at least some of the labs. As far as choosing between these two, I think it depends on the student and how he/she learns. For my ds, BJU with experiments and lap booking will use his strengths.... plus, he simply LOVES the material in the earth science book. He has a natural interest already built in. I'm looking forward to planning earth science soon after wrapping up this past year- record keeping, etc... HTH

We used CPO Foundations of Physical Science last year... 3rd edition, I think... Just a word of caution... there were mistakes/wrong answers in both the student and teacher's books. Dh went through the book with dd, and he is a mechanical engineer- he really disliked the book. If dh had not discussed the chapters with dd, she would not have understood some concepts because there were enough mistakes over time that that the content was not always credible. Some of the chapters were better than others. It's not that the entire book was just awful, but before the end of the year it was clear that we would not use Foundations again.... I won't pass it on to anyone either. This sounds so terrible after reading such glowing reports about the other CPO books. Believe me, we wanted to love CPO Physical Science. The book was beautiful, and dh was able to substitute for some of the lab supplies and use the lab book. It could have been great. It's like CPO didn't have a final edit of this curriculum. They could have/should have caught some of the errors. Anyway, I just wanted to offer a heads-up. This was our experience. Maybe others would be able to be more encouraging.

Thanks, Taryn! I did a search on Intellego, but it did not find these reviews. If I could find these on sale, I would be more inclined to use them. After reading the reviews, I think I would come closer to supplementing with them instead of using them as our primary science spine. Anyone else??? Thanks!!!

I had never seen this before now.... they look wonderful. Have you used them personally? Several years ago, we tried a couple of Amanda Bennett's online/CD unit studies. They functioned much like these from Intellego do. I thought they would be great, but they were not. Her unit studies became monotonous and boring. One difference I see is that Intellego has so many demonstration/experiment activities. Although I really hate having to find the experiment supplies, the science unit studies look like they would hold a student's attention. I would be interested in the grade 3-5 earth science courses...geology, weather, astronomy. The individual unit studies would also work for us. I'd love to hear any reviews from those who have tried Intellego.

I'm in the planning stages for Earth Science. I'll have an 8th grader and a 5th grader. My plans are not all worked out, but this is what I'm thinking... The 8th grader will use the new 4th edition BJU Earth Science text with the lab book (depending on how many lab supplies we already have- I need to watch how much we spend since BJU is expensive.) The text will be our spine. After reading a chapter in BJU, he'll watch the corresponding video from The Teaching Company: Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1700. The rest of the week, we'll discuss the chapter making sure to understand the chapter objectives and questions. Hopefully we'll work in labs. (I don't think we'll be able to do all of them.) I'm hoping to cover one chapter per week. After each UNIT, my 8th grader will complete a lap book based on the topic of the unit. He'll have 2 weeks to plan, organize, and complete the lap book. After that, we'll start the next UNIT. I'm hoping the lap books will be works of art with plenty of explanations, labels, charts, etc... He can decide what he wants to focus on within the confines of the unit title-(what he considers either important or interesting), but there will be parameters to maintain. For example, I want him to clearly communicate the concept/point of his lapbook to me. He will explain the secular side of his topic as well as the Christian viewpoint. (This is the perspective the 4th edition is written from.) He'll also need to include a simple paragraph of explanation, pictures, charts, and references used. He'll be able to research using the internet, library books, encyclopedias, etc... I don't plan to use the BJU tests. The lapbook will serve as the "test". I think my 5th grader will use this book for Earth Science: http://www.christianbook.com/the-earth-its-structure-changes/tom-derosa/9780890515914/pd/515914?event=CPOF and this book for energy: http://www.christianbook.com/investigate-the-possibilities-energy-3-volumes/tom-derosa/pd/51570X?item_code=WW&netp_id=684713&event=ESRCG&view=details With both boys, I want them to learn earth science through a physical science lens... for example, when we study earthquakes, they should learn how waves work. There is no way we can accomplish both earth science and physical science in the same year, but I want them to see that there are physical science concepts within earth science. I don't really have this worked out completely. I'm hoping that the BJU book will prompt me to include physical science topics. I'll just have to wait to see if this is possible. Finally, I want to link a study of geography to earth science. I'm thinking about using World Geography Challenge as a spine: http://www.christianbook.com/world-geography-challenging-level/richard-rayburn/9780743937993/pd/937996?product_redirect=1&Ntt=937996&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP along with Mapping the World by Art. Also the online geography "games" Seterra and Shepherd Software. We may invest in David Attenborough's Planet Earth as well. Oh, and I just looked at The Happy Scientist's web page. For $20/year, he has interesting science for kids. I'm wondering if his site might be a resource for us. I also have The Global Puzzle for them to put together: http://www.christianbook.com/the-global-puzzle/pd/228151?item_code=WW&netp_id=357829&event=ESRCG&view=details So... that's where I am at the moment. It sounds like a lot. My 8th grader will simply eat this information up. He LOVES earth science. I want him to be engaged and enjoy learning next year. The 5th grader wants EXPERIMENTS!!!! I'm hoping he'll be satisfied with the books I've chosen for him as well as participating in the 8th grader's labs. So much to plan!

I'm considering Harmony Fine Arts for a fine arts credit next year when dd will be in 10th grade. I would like to know how to plan for at least half of a credit which is the requirement for our cover school, but I would prefer that she complete enough work for a full credit. She loves art... she has sketched many, many Bible story illustrations based on her own imagination. She's quite good, I think, for her age/experience. If you were using Harmony Fine Arts for art (not music), what would equal a half credit? A whole credit? Would you supplement with anything else? Would you use Artistic Pursuits? I really like Harmony Fine Arts.... it uses well-known resources and is broken into daily assignments. I really appreciate the open-and-go organization of this program. Yet, if you've used anything for art that really worked for you, please share.

According to their website, the advanced version is for 7th-10th graders....see here: http://www.explorationeducation.com/CourseDescription/index.html#Advanced As a 6th grader, my ds worked through most of the experiments. He probably wrote a lab report or two. (Really, it's been too long to remember details...) I didn't make him write lab reports for all of the experiments. To use EE advanced to the fullest, I would agree with 7th-10th grades. On the younger end, the parent might need to be more involved. On the older end, the parent would need to be less involved. I would also encourage anyone interested in EE to contact the author. He was always very nice about answering any question I had. I just love it when a company's customer service is kind. That goes a long way with positive recommendations!

Bumping up..... Can anyone make suggestions?

I know about these three:Elemental Science, Mr. Q, and CPO. What else is there? I want a spine and then to pull in living books videos, and lapbooks. Can you all help me with suggestions? Thanks!

I just asked my boys these questions.... Their reply? "Yes! Yes! 30-60 minutes, and Yes!" For a little more explanation...EE held my boys' attention- they really enjoyed all of the equipments in the box. I think EE was kind of like a treasure box because with each new chapter, they had to go find new "stuff" to build with. So, it was fun. Depending on the daily plan, the time per day could run from 30-60 minutes. I absolutely LOVED that mostly everything they needed for EE was in the box!!! We did have to buy a low-melt glue gun and glue, but that was minor. I did little to no planning or tweaking. EE was very,very open and go. The boys followed the lesson plan, worked the assignments, and completed the labs. I went over answers with them and tested my older son. Truly, the younger son just listened and participated when he knew the answers; I didn't test him. As far as its independence... my boys were in 6th and 3rd grades when they used EE. EE was geared more to my 6th grader who was somewhat in charge, yet my 3rd grader really got into the experiments. On some projects, my dh was involved- the glider for one. Sometimes precision was important, and he oversaw that aspect. I would think an 8th grader could work mostly alone.... maybe he would need a hand here and there to hold projects steady. I've read many more positive reviews than negative ones for EE on this board. No curriculum is perfect, but EE held the interest of my boys, was fairly easy to carry out independently, and it shined far and above any other science we've done. My youngest keeps asking for more science like EE. We're doing earth/space science next year.... thinking of using Mr. Q, but am open to anyone's suggestion for an EE-type e/s science.

Thanks, ladies! We've been out of pocket today, and I have not had a chance to ponder your remarks like I want to. I think folding in magnetism, gravity, light waves, and astronomy is the kind of thing I was thinking of. I was trying to take a typical earth science topic.... earthquakes, volcanoes, continental drift, etc... and use physical science to help explain it. I might be trying to pack too much into earth science. :tongue_smilie: Yet, if I just stuck to the best examples where physical science explains earth science, I think it could be interesting.

I will have an 8th grader next year. He loves science. He wants to study earth science, yet I feel like physical science would be a better prep for high school sciences. I was hoping to use Derek Owens physical science. There is quite a bit of physics and chemistry wrapped up in earth science. I'm wondering how I can sneak in some physical science basics into earth science next year. At the moment, I'm planning to use TTC's Nature of Earth: Intro to Geology: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1700 and K12's earth science middle school flex book: http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Earth-Science-For-Middle-School/These two resources will be our main spines. He'll watch a video, take notes, and research the main topic making a mini-report and lap book. This will really work for this dc as he gets very engaged with this kind of material. What physics and chemistry topics would fit easily into an earth science course for 8th grade? How would you do this? (This dc completed Exploration Education's intermediate/advanced program in 6th grade, and is currently completing life science in 7th grade. Choosing earth science actually is a good fit for 8th grade since he studied physical science in 6th, yet the physics/chemistry concepts would be deeper with an 8th grade level curriculum.)

I had the same concerns last year when my ds and I were using WWS. Here is the thread where I asked about MLA in WWS: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/357830-a-question-about-mla-documentation-examples-in-wws/page__hl__mla?do=findComment&comment=3707517

My soon-to-be 8th grader (next year) wants to study earth science. I would like for this course to end up being a physical geography class so that he can study earth science plus geography. I know of Runkles curriculum, but I'm trying to find others. An on-line option would be fine. (I know that K12 has earth science, and ds likes this, yet we're having trouble with our computer when we try to watch the videos...not sure why. Going with just K12, I would have to add in geography too. I would like to have both all in one.) Please tell me what you would use for an engaging physical geography class.... any and all courses and supplementary material either online or text form. (And.... his brother who will be in 5th grade will study the same subject. Resources for this age as well would be great.) I would like for the 8th grader to be able to work some independently if that makes a difference. Oh almost forgot... I have The Teaching Company's Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology by John Renton that I'm likely to incorporate. I find this interesting, but ds may grow weary of it. If we use this, I would like something more "junior high-ish" to balance it out. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1700

Just thought I would mention.... Lab Rat and Investicus Questicus are small pieces of the whole BJU Life Science curriculum. If I remember correctly, Lab Rat and IQ present the information in each new chapter. My oldest was able to endure these little presentations with an eye roll. They only lasted a few minutes....15 mintues or so. Then everything else became "respectable" again- something she didn't despise. I say all of that just so BJU isn't dismissed completely because of these characters. Some students would enjoy this kind of silliness; others would not. Just depends on the student.

We've used both. My dd used BJU Life Science two years ago. It was her first real text-book type class. Two primary lessons evolved early in that year: first, learn how to read a text-book and sencond, learn about life science. As for the first point, we truly practiced finding the main idea in a paragraph. Dd practiced outlining. She had to learn how to get the information out of the book and into her mind. She had to learn how to study and pass "real" tests. This was challenging. We had to make BJU work for us; therefore, dd took open book tests until she got the hang of what kinds of questions would likely be on a test and how to study for the tests. Toward the end of the year, she could take the tests closed book. All of this was a huge learning process. If you use BJU, don't be afraid to make this program work for you. The science part was wonderful. Mrs. Vick was terrific. The lessons were engaging; the experiments were interesting; and the entire course was VERY organized! My dd's two younger brothers were in 5th and 2nd grades, and I made them watch the videos as well. The oldest son gained quite a bit of knowledge from the experience, and the youngest just loved Lab Rat! Oh, the 7th grader truly did NOT like Lab Rat and Investicus Questicus.(sp?) She simply thought these were childish. Sometimes having to watch a 30 minute lecture every day with homework/study on top of that became burdensome since dd was having to *learn* how to learn from that text. I think the worst part was that the course was expensive since it was a rent-only agreement for the DVDs. All-in-all, BJU Life Science was worth every penny. Oh... a major difference- BJU is heavy on seeing science through a Christian worldview. We are Christians, and that didn't bother us at all, but I can see where it could turn some off if that aspect wasn't desired. SS is written by a Christian author, but the text isn't preachy at all. You can read Dr. Hardin's perspective about this in his FAQ section. My middle child is now a 7th grader.... the one I mentioned was in 5th grade above... and we chose to try SS Life Science with him. SS has a completely different feel. There is a well-organized schedule, so ds knows exactly what to do each day. He reads a portion of text and we go over that portion together. I use the Teacher's Notes and read facts that correspond to information in his text, and he checks that information in his book. There are also Topic Questions from the Teacher's Notes that I ask him. As part of the discussion time, he finds the answers orally and writes them down in a notebook. This student also had to figure out how to get the information out of the text and into his mind. He figured out a way to study over the course of first semester, and he's making wonderful grades. The method the Dr. Hardin laid out is working. SS isn't nearly as expensive as BJU. The biggest con is the labs. Dr. Hardin has not written a lab for Life Science. Instead, he has you purchase a general lab book that he schedules to go with his text. It is all too easy to not have supplies or just to skip experiments. This is mostly my fault. Yet, with BJU, Mrs. Vick showed (at least some) experiments. (My memory is foggy as to how many experiments we viewed and how many we actually did.) Even if we didn't *do* the labs, we could still see them. In this way labs were incorporated much better with BJU than with SS. SS is written and illustrated clearly. There aren't a lot of distracting pictures. Some of the text is in a small size font.... I remember that being an issue with some when I was researching this program. It hasn't bothered my ds, but I can see why it would be a bother to some. The method of reading, reviewing material, answering chapter questions, reviewing chapters and testing works. More than one chapter is tested at a time. I thought this would be a problem with my ds, but it has not. As for choosing between these two, it will truly depend on your students learning style. The visual learner will enjoy BJU much better. The auditory learner will enjoy SS better. I have not compared the Scope and Sequence between the two, but they seem very close. I'm strongly considering SS Biology for dd when she is in 11th grade, yet I have not made any decisions.

Well, I'll try to get a conversation started, but I truly feel there are others who would be able to give a much better answer than I can. I've used both. IEW will teach traditional paragraphing starting with key word outlining. Each paragraph will have a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence. IEW teaches traditional 5-paragraph essays and has the student use a specific formula to ensure "style". Their reasoning is that if a student learns the formula, he will eventually wean himself from the formula and be able to find his own style. Their formulas are only there to learn the method for a period of time. After that, the student (hopefully) won't need the them. WWS is much different. we didn't practice any kind of formula writing similar to IEW. Instead, the student learns how to write different kinds of paragraphs such as description of a person, chronological narrative of a past event, scientific discovery, description of a place, scientific description, etc... The student learns these different kinds of writing and then eventually puts them together to make a composition. As far as deciding which one to use, consider how your child learns best. IEW is easier for me to "see". Although WWS was very good, and boy did it teach my ds how to read and follow directions, it was harder to understand where the teaching was going- what the end result was going to be. Another way to think of it- IEW may be easier to at first because it teaches in a parts to whole manner, but some might say that the end product doesn't produce mature writing (at least at first).... If their formulaic teaching works, however, and the student finds his own style, his writing will hopefully mature over time. On the other hand, some might say that WWS teaches in a deeper way so that once the different kinds of paragraphs are combined into one essay deeper, more mature writing is produced. WWS is more like whole to parts. Yet, whole to parts learning might be difficult to learn when you can't "see" where you are going. Try doing a search on IEW vs. WWS. Also, search on Lewelma's posts about writing. You should be able to find a better answer to your question if you'll read posts from these searches.

http://www.hippocampus.org/