I'm in the "BJU Life Science is fabulous" camp. But I do have a copy of A Beka 7 Science Order & Reality (General Science) and I'd be happy to try to help with any info you'd like about it. Here's the TOC: Chapt 1 Invitation to Science (Scientific Method) Chapt 2 Plants Chapt 3 Your Wonderful Body Chapt 4 Physical Science (includes Periodic Table & Physics) Chapt 5 Atmosphere Chapt 6 Weather: Sun, Wind, Clouds Chapt 7 Weather: Climate, Storms and Forecasting Chapt 8 Science of Classification Chapt 9 Through the Microscope Chapt 10 Science and Creation Chapt 11 Insects The "Your Wonderful Body" chapter has AMAZING pictures of a baby from conception to fully developed. The text is 493 pages, well written and includes beautiful photos and illustrations. IMO, A Beka Science 7 is a good book, but I prefer BJU for a number of reasons (many mentioned in this thread).

Hi Capt Uhura, I pulled out my BTS book a few days ago after your thread about the Critical Thinking Teacher Guide. I'm glad you reposted about this... I have the Building Thinking Skills Book 3 - Verbal. I don't have the Figurative so I can't compare. I do like the Verbal book a lot. There is a large section in the middle of the book on Deductive Reasoning, True-False Tables, And/Or Rules, and If/Then Rules. These are EXCELLENT preparation for Logic. The Verbal book also includes Sequencing, Connotation (ie: aroma vs. odor vs. stench), Following Directions, Using Maps, Flow Charting, Scheduling, Classifying Data, Venn Diagrams, etc. It's all very well organized and completed in a logical sequence where each new concept builds on the previous one. My older DD used it in 6th grade alongside Critical Thinking Skills Book 1. We completed a couple worksheets from each section (not all of them) during our "logic" time. I'm planning this sequence for my younger DD (finishing 5th): 6th Building Thinking Skills 7th Critical Thinking Book 1 8th Intro/Intermediate Logic Hope this helps, Ann

I don't think OhElizabeth will mind me chiming in for her (since I'm up at this crazy hour). :) VPSA includes BJU US History for Christian Schools in their Omnibus III bundle. Their summer reading list for Omni III includes chapters 1-5 of the text. http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=003524 It's recommended as a history spine the same way Spievogel's Western Civ is recommended for Omni I & II. ETA: I just bought BJU World History (10th grade) for my older DD to complete over the summer. In the same breath she was complaining about doing schoolwork over the summer she was pulling the book out of my hands to look up Napoleon. It's a very visually appealing set of books and I've enjoyed browsing through them during the last few days. I'm already anticipating some good discussions over the short answer/essay questions included in the Student Activity pages.

:iagree: Me too! She's only going to be a teenager for two or three more years. What difference does it make if she can relate to teens or not? Isn't it more important that we can all relate to adults since that's the ultimate goal and it's how we'll spend the majority of our lives (as adults - God willing)?

Love the Investigations DVD! I bought most of the kit for BJU Life Science from Home Training tools, but with the labs on DVD we really didn't need it. I'd recommend getting the items to dissect (worm, frog) and the dissection tools, gloves, tray, etc... This is excellent experience to prepare for high school and the DVD and Lab Activity do an outstanding job of walking the student step-by-step through the dissection. I'm also glad we invested in a microscope and the slides. You can look up pictures of slides on the internet and they are also on the DVD, so if money is an issue this is not a must have. DD was just using the stethoscope for her lesson today - that's pretty fun to have and will probably be used again in high school. Acid/Base test strips are cheap - they come in a pack of 30 (or something like that) and are worth buying. I bought the equipment for the experiment on osmosis and diffusion and it was kind of pricey (special tubes, rack for holding them, etc.) and it's probably just as effective to watch the lab on the DVD. I made the investment because I figured we'd be using it again for high school and for my younger DD. I like having the Teacher's Guide. It includes the answers to the chapter review questions and activity pages. I don't use any of the teaching tips, but the answers are convenient.

We used Norton's Anthology (same publisher as WTM) when I was in high school. I vividly remember Metamorphosis by Kafka, but I wouldn't recommend it. I found it disturbing. But then I'm totally a romance gal - I enjoy Jane Austen, Out of Africa, Gone with the Wind type novels.

Definitely not! :D I'm not a fan of Apologia upper level science (elementary is ok - we're using Anatomy & Physiology though I'm not in love with how to schedule it). I just meant that BJU 6th grade science is a general science course. ETA: Great point! My older DD will finish BJU Life Science in two weeks (hurray!) and she will spend the rest of the spring studying Astronomy (her choice). If you move through these texts at a steady pace completing 1 chapter per week then you can complete 1 1/2 texts per year (3 text during 2 years).

Are you using the Rainbow Science quizzes? They are posted free on their website and will help with retention. I think Angela makes some very good points, but it doesn't sound like your DS has a rigorous science foundation. I went into a very rigorous, private (classical) high school with a weak science foundation and I was NOT prepared. I would have gotten so much more out of Chemistry and Physics if I had a better foundation. I'm also biased and think BJU Life Science is outstanding - it will build his confidence and fully prepare him for the rigors of BJU Biology. I personally wouldn't skip it. I've already been through these texts with my older DD, so I feel confident in deciding on the following sequence for my younger DD for middle school: 6th: BJU General Science 7th: BJU Life Science 8th: A Beka 9 Physical Creation (covers Earth, Chemistry & Physics) with Rainbow Labs for Physics & Chemistry I believe my DD will be very well prepared for high school level Biology, Chemistry & Physics and we will cover Earth Science in BJU 6th and A Beka 9th (during 8th). So I guess that's a long winded way of suggesting you consider A Beka 9 or another Physical Science text which covers all 3 - Earth, Chem & Physics. ETA: If you're doing all of Rainbow Year 2 your DS will get some Earth Science towards the end of the year.

I'm using Our Mother Tongue for myself as a reference and refresher. It covers much more than the 8 parts of speech, just in case you decide to cover more. But the 8 parts of speech are the first 8 chapters, so you won't have to flip around trying to find them buried somewhere.

:iagree:

I think it's needed, especially if you have a child who likes to argue with you and you need to point to the Answer Key for confirmation. (Speaking from my own experience, of course.) :) On a more serious (or helpful) note, the TE includes comments about common pitfalls where students may get off track in their thinking. I found that very helpful. And it's always easier to come up with the correct answer with the TE in your hand - it will help prevent you from getting bogged down in some of the discussions.

We used Critical Thinking Book 1 in 6th grade. We also skipped Chapt 2, but we could have easily come back to it at the end of the year if we'd had time. Great book! I'm looking forward to doing it with my 5th grader in a year or two. We have too many other things to cover next year, so it will probably have to wait until 7th grade.

I have all of these. We used BF History of Science and completed it in 1 semester. We loved it! There are experiments for each scientist - maybe about 1 per week. I also supplemented with Great Scientists in Action for more experiments. I'll be happy to sell you my Thames & Kosmos Classic Science Milestones in Science kit if you'd like it. :) It's not chronological, so it was too much work for me to coordinate it with BF. There is so much in the box it's also overwhelming. I shouldn't judge it, because I haven't used any of it, it might be perfect for a child (especially thinking of a boy) who likes to dig into this type of kit. Anyway, we'd give two thumbs up for Beautiful Feet History of Science.

I'm finishing up CHOW with my 5th grader this year. If you're looking for a light year of history, this might be perfect for middle school. We've really enjoyed the text and I also purchased the Workbook and Activity Guide from Calvert. It was a bit pricey, but it's been worth it for us. My DD likes doing fill-in-the-blank and crossword puzzles to reinforce her reading. In addition to the Workbook, Calvert also sells a CD for the computer to accompany CHOW. It's about $25, so it seems reasonably priced, but I have no idea what it includes.

I have a couple suggestions: 1) Since you're using VPSA, have you considered the "History Survey and Transition Course?" The course descriptions will be posted on Monday if you haven't seen it yet. It's designed to do exactly what you want - provide a history overview to transition into Omnibus. Here's a list of the books used in the class: http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=003519 2) We used Landmark World History. It's an 8th grade course we used in 6th grade to get a solid overview of World History. It's totally independent, gets the job done and I added in living books and Diana Waring's What in the World CDs (which are excellent!). 3) I love the looks of Tools for Young Historians by Brimwood Press, but I haven't used it. http://www.brimwoodpress.com/productlist.html Just a few thoughts.... Hope this helps a little.

Opps! Of course, you're right! I think I was confusing your post with another thread where they were going to abandon Apologia mid-year. I've been very curious about Science Shepherd Biology. Since you have a recommendation from HollyDay, maybe that would be a good compromise to keep your DDs using the same sequence? We're planning to use BJU Biology for high school, along with the DVD's. But I remember in high school, one of the toughest things about Biology was memorizing all of the vocabulary on top of the concepts.

The BJU 7th Life Science Investigations DVD is the same as the full course DVDs, but just for the labs. Mrs. Vick is the instructor and she summarizes the topics in each chapter and completely performs the experiments. As many have mentioned about outlining the text, my DD is also doing this. I gave DD her choice for science next year and she wants to do Physics, so here's our sequence: 9th: Conceptual Physics w/ Problem-Solving Exercises (to add more math), TTC Physics in your Life and LabPaq Physics Lab. The reason I'm using this text is that I am comfortable teaching it and BJU Physics is a 12th grade course which I believe requires more math than my DD has covered yet. 10th: BJU Biology w/ DVDs 11th: BJU Chemistry w/ DVDs 12th: DDs choice of Advanced Physics (at CC or online course), Advanced Chemistry or Anatomy & Physiology using this text: http://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Anatomy-Physiology-Valerie-Scanlon/dp/0803610076/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Recommended in this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235404

Why not use BJU's 9th grade text? It's Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC) and totally acceptable on a transcript for college. I haven't used it, but just wondering if there was a reason why you you weren't considering it? It seems like if your 9th grader doesn't have a strong science background, then doing an IPC course might be exactly what she needs to prepare her for Chemistry and Physics in high school. We have used A Beka's 9th Grade Physical Science during middle school. It's nicely laid out and covers Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science in one text, so it provides a basic foundation in all of those subjects.

How about Rainbow Science? Year one covers Physics and Chemistry and it's definitely focused on experiments.

:iagree: Positive Action Bible Studies are excellent! She might also consider BJU Bible Truths B (for 8th grade). These sample pages will give her a really good idea of the material covered and it's definitely relevant to today. http://www.bjupress.com/product/217687?path=1948&samplePage=

I'm not an Apologia fan. IMO, it's more wordy than it needs to be. I'm co-teaching Apologia Biology at a co-op and the lead teacher and I both agree that BJU Life Science has better explanations. My DD and I are loving BJU Life Science. I think there's a big difference between the 2nd and 3rd editions, so make sure you're evaluating the newest material. DD is able to read and teach herself and then we use the Investigations DVD for labs and reinforcement. This is a DVD set you can purchase (not rent) and use again. We purchased a microscope and some experiments (including the frog) from Home Training Tools. We have also used A Beka 7th (General Science) and A Beka 9th (Physical Science). I prefer BJU and appreciate that that they incorporate critical thinking into their material. This seems to be a consistent opinion as you can see from this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192310&highlight=bju+abeka+critical+thinking That said, I think it really depends on what your DC need(s) - do they have any gaps or specific interests? My DD13 used this sequence (which wasn't very well planned): 6th: A Beka 7 General Science & Rainbow 7th: A Beka 9 Physical Creation 8th: BJU 7 Life Science (we needed to back up and fill this Life Science gap) DD11 will probably do this sequence: 6th: BJU 6 General Science 7th: BJU 7 Life Science 8th: A Beka 9 Physical Creation + Rainbow Science for labs (since I own it) Why A Beka 9 Physical Creation instead of BJU 8 (Earth Science) or BJU 9 (IPC)? 1) Because I already own it. And 2) because A Beka 9 Physical Creation covers Earth Science, Chemistry & Physics, so we can cover all of those topics with one text in preparation for high school science. I like that A Beka is beautifully illustrated with clear explanations, but as I mentioned, it does tend to spoon feed information without incorporating critical thinking. But I think it will be worth using it for one year since it does a good job of covering the areas I think DD11 will need before starting high school. I'm not saying this is the best plan for everyone, just sharing what we've experienced so far. :) However, I highly recommend BJU Life Science with the Investigations DVD. I wish I had science like this before I started high school!

Here's a review of CLE Reading (aka Literature) from my DD13: I used CLE Reading curriculum last year and I fully enjoyed it. The stories are inspiring and full of moral lessons that fed my spirit. Some are about witty characters that trick immoral people, others about not taking revenge or doing so and learning a lesson because of it, but no matter the topic, CLE picked wonderful stories that people of all ages would enjoy. It teaches about key story elements (such as what a protagonist or an antagonist is), how to critically read in order to enhance the reading experience and about writing styles that helped me to develop my own writing voice. Overall, CLE Literature was a joy filled class that I looked forward to. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great literature class. Even if one isn't looking for a class, the short stories book is wonderful just to have on your bookshelf to read from.

Hi! I haven't read all the responses, and I'm sure you received some great advice, but thought I'd add my 2 cents since we also enjoyed and successfully used Rainbow and BF History of Science. I agree about the jumping around in Sonlight. I ended up pulling out all the sheets for one book and working completely through one book at a time. This worked great for us. It took a bit of prep time, but I would sit and pull out all the pages at once and do it again a few weeks later when we were ready for the next book. Do you SL Science 4? That's a very boy oriented level (inventions, physics, etc.). These Science in a Nutshell kits are similar to Rainbow Science in that everything you need is in the box. There are enough workbooks and supplies for 3 students. We completed the Chemical Reactions kit and thought it was pretty good. http://www.delta-education.com/siangallery.aspx?subjectID=8&subID=5&menuID=68 I also like BJU science (as mentioned by OhElizabeth), and A Beka's elementary science isn't too bad either - the books are beautifully illustrated.

I assume you're only half way through Algebra 1 and half way through Geometry? My DD just completed Algebra 1 and received a decent score on her SAT practice test, but she would not have done so well without a whole year of Algebra 1 under her belt. I imagine that by the end of this semester, once you've completed both Algebra 1 and Geometry, you'll be able to answer a lot more of the SAT questions. :)

That's great news! It's nice to know they're able to be flexible. That would work better for us too.