Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'singapore science'.
-
I should preface this by saying that I usually only buy curricula that essentially includes daily lesson plans and a teacher script (a la Shurley English, etc.).... ...but this is ridiculous! I'm using MPH 3/4 and we're over half through the Diversity unit and I STILL can't figure this thing out. I have everything....HOTS, homework, test, extra notes, teacher's guide, activity books and textbooks. Nothing seems to line up! I don't understand what to do from the teacher's manual. Maybe I just can't get a grasp on the 5E thing, or whatever it is. But unlike singapore math, there are no indicators when to stop in the textbook and do the activity book. The teacher's guide is numbered like 1,1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. (are these supposed to be daily lessons?) but the textbook isn't, and at times, the section headlines don't even match up, so it's very difficult to figure out where to stop/begin. Today takes the cake. We are on Diversity - Animals. In the textbook, it describes four of the animal groups: fish, insects, mammals and birds. In the HOTS/homework book, it asks for five animal groups and shows pictures of amphibians/reptiles, but no insects! I finally find one little blurb on a page in the textbook that says (paraphrased) "These are only 4 of the animal groups. Use your library and the internet to discover more." REALLY?! OK, I get that they can't cover every animal group in one chapter/section, but to then cover topics in the homework that weren't specifically covered in the textbook....this is too much. I give! Am I missing something? I can't spend an hour every day preparing JUST for science. I really wanted to like this curriculum. We are Christians, but want a secular science and I was SOOO hoping this would be for us. I also have a nanny who usually ends up doing some of their subjects with them, and almost exclusively does science with them, so I really can't ask her to spend an hour prepping. Is it impossible to find what I'm looking for? A strong, secular science with a daily lesson plan that can be completed with my multi-level children (4, 2, and K) in about 20 minutes a day with minimal teacher prep. HELP!? -
I recently read in another thread that the TG isn't really necessary. Is that true even if you get the HOTS? They aren't so difficult that a reasonably intelligent parent couldn't figure out the answers without the TG, right? lol Is there a lot of enrichment in the TGs? What, exactly, is in there that is worth $70ish bucks?
-
I've done a search for this and found info here and there, but I'd like to get a review of this curriculum all in one spot. I'm looking at using this next year for my son who will be 8yo/3rd grade (and maybe bring my daughter in - 6yo) and have a few questions: 1. Does each level last for two years? Will this take me through 4th grade, or is it more like Saxon where 3/4 means average 3rd/advanced 4th? Does the TG have a daily schedule? 2. What materials are necessary? If I buy everything (All 5 text/activity, Homework, Higher Order Thinking, teacher's guide, tests, and more notes) I'm looking at $221 on the SM website. I can swallow that if it means I get two years out of it. But, I've found with Singapore Math that there are certain books I could do without. 3. Where's the cheapest place to buy? I think it's fairly new, and a lot of it looks consumable, so I'm not holding out much hope of finding it used. (Anyone??) 4. I saw someone review this curriculum as boring. Do others feel that way? Do they give hands-on experiments to do in the book, or is it mostly a textbook approach? We haven't really done science up to this point. I'm not sure at what age I really NEED a formal science curriculum. If I don't use something like MPH, I may just get a book of experiments and do an experiment once a week or so. I'm just not sure if that's enough. 6. We are Christians, but we want to find secular sources for science and history. Any other suggestions?
-
I'm thinking about using Singapore's "My Pals are Here" Level 5/6 Cycles and Systems science program next year to homeschool my 2 daughters. I am trying to find out what equipment I will need to do the experiments, for example petri dishes, beakers, and any other supplies aside from the MPH books. Does anyone know of a list online or has anyone compiled their own list? Thank you in advance.
-
Does anyone know what level of math is necessary for this course? Would it be appropriate for a 9th grader? It looks interesting.
-
I'm trying to figure out next year's science for The Sponge. She'll be 7. She's the science hound. We pretty much wrapped up BFSU I. We are using RSO Life as summer fluff (aaaaaah, so dang light, it's driving me crazy but it's fun for summer). I want to do half interest-led and half formal science next year. It worked well last year with BFSU. But what to use with it? I have RSO Chem but I want to wait a year. She has essentially zero interest in chemistry right now. It's all about biology and physics for her. I don't think she's quite ready for BFSU II. I plan to fly through RSO Chem and then dive into BFSU for 3rd grade, but not now. NOEO, ScienceFusion, Nancy Larson, all too light for her. I've heard good things about MPH, esp with the HOTS books, correct? I was thinking about using that for next year. However. I looked it up on Singapore's site. The ToC and the samples for 3/4 look really light (compared to what dd already knows). The HOTS are the only pages that look like they will require dd to think for a minute, and even then I'm pretty sure she could do them right now if I gave them to her. She'd enjoy it--she loves all science stuff. She could do it herself, which would be nice. But it wouldn't stretch her or teach her much at all. So I looked at 5/6. That ToC looks more promising, the text/activity pages look right at her level, and the HOTS would definitely stretch her. Will probably need handholding in the HOTS, honestly. But... it's 5/6! That can't be right for a 7-year-old. Can it? :confused: Is MPH actually harder than the samples indicate? -
I have two boys at home (grades 5 and 8). I have been using Singapore Science (Ineractive for the older) and MPH 5,6 for the younger. I like the information provided and the various subjects covered by the Singapore texts. My problems are in the lack of experiments/hand-on models to add interest. My younger son has been working through Food Webs, Adaptations, etc and most of the work has involved reading the text and then answering questions in the workbook. He is bored....I believe my oldest would feel the same as the majority of his ime is also spent reading and writing. We are about to start a study on cells with McHenry which I hope will add more interesting hands-on activities. If this is successful, we may incorporate some of her other books (Elements). I have been looking at the models (blood/body) people have posted with longing. History Odyssey looks like it would provide the kind of hands-on material that I like but I have read from other threads that it is too easy for the age of my boys. Has anyone used Singapore as a spine and incorporated the experiment/model building from another curriculum?
-
I have a new set of Singapore Science My Pals are Here for 5th grade. I got the textbook, activity book, homework, HOTS, and test books. Is there a recommended schedule to go by? I see that there are 4 main topics and two years to cover them in, so one per semester. However, should I just divide up the pages and cover that many per week per semester? We'll be starting with Systems.
-
I need a very simple, easy to use, inexpensive, secular science curriculum. I'm ok with a few experiments here and there, but I'd prefer a text and discussion based approach. I will have a 1st grader and a 4th grader. I would like a program that covers both levels, but separate programs are fine, too.
-
My dd has an opportunity to do a co-op that will be using the Science Matters series. We have not used it before. Looks pretty good from the website. Anyone have any insight? Thanks! -
I'm really liking Singapore Science. It's looking good for what I want for my girls. I also like McRuffy but, as of this moment, it ends at 3rd and I need 5th grade science as well as 1st grade. Plus, I want the thoroughness of Singapore. I think what appeals to me about McRuffy is that it comes with a kit of all the supplies you need for the experiments. That's gonna get er done. Is there anywhere to buy the kits for Singapore science levels? Anyoone? Please say yes...... TIA
-
I'm looking for a complete science program, secular in nature for my middle schooler that loves science. I'm hoping for something that isn't dry but that can continue to keep his interests going. He tends to do a lot of reading and watching of the discovery channel but is hesitant to do actual, science work, anything structured. He's getting to the age where I feel he needs more structure. I'm probably asking for a lot, but I'm hoping too that such program can be adapted to my second grader too--also a science fanatic. Does such a program exist? Any suggestions?
-
There seem to be a lot of books. Do you need the TM? The Homework book? The Higher Order Thinking Skills? And I see that level 3/4 is broken down into 5 different topics. How many of those are you supposed to cover in a year? Thanks.
-
Dear Mammas (and Pappas) I don't have any IRL friends who can help me figure out this little pickle, and I've seen how great y'all are in doing this, so I am BEGGING you to help me. First of all, I don't want to do a disservice to my kids by not giving them a thorough enough education, and that is making me worry about Science right now. We used Real Science Odyssey Life this year for my 3rd and 4th grader. Boring. I didn't realize it was geared for 1st grade. Next year my son will be in Logic Stage and will not be interested to start in the Biology level again after doing it this year. My daughter will be in 4th grade, so they are both off the 4 year cycle, but I suppose that is OK. So, what's the problem? I want Science that is not just doing experiments each day or once a week. I want something at their level because sadly this year's Science was waaaay too easy. The next obvious question is what level do I go with!!! Earth, Chemistry, or Physics? The sites frequently recommended on this forum (Nancy Larsen, MrQ., and Elemental Scienc) look good but don't have a level for the 5th grader. My 4th grader could handle 5th grade work I think. Any ideas? I want to keep them on the same level just to make my life easier, but if you give me a good reason to split them up I'll take it into consideration. Thank you .... looking forward to your replies.
-
I tried more than a few times. When I type in MPH it says no results, and My Pals Are Here doesn't yield any better results :headscratch:, Singapore Science I get a few but I KNOW there were more threads on this a few months ago that I don't see. Can someone help? I'm looking to start organizing my Science for next year and I'm going to be using MPH Science (Singapore's My Pals Are Here) 3/4 with my rising 3rd Year student. I'm looking to finish BFSU Volume 1 this Summer, and I will look through BFSU Volume 2 to see if ds (by then 8) will be ready for the more advanced topics. Thanks to anyone who can help! If you can give me insight on how you use Singapore Science MPH 3/4, that would be great too! :) -
I have all I need for MPH for my 3rd grader for next year: the 5 books and activity guides, teacher guide, homework book, more notes, and higher order thinking skills book. Um...can I just say I am overwhelmed? I know this is supposed to last for two years. So do I just pick out 2 units to use for 3rd grade and leave the other 3 units for 4th grade? Also how exactly do I plan the lessons out? I am not good at putting my own schedule together. Can you tell? LOL! I would really appreciate your help!!! -
Do the topics build on each other? Or can you rearrange topics without much confusion?
-
I'm looking for a formal science program to use as a spine for the next few years. Background: DS was in a play-based preschool then PS where he did... essentially no formal science, though there was lots of, "Look! the chickens are hatching!" Now that he is home, I am scrambling to catch up. This year we are doing chemistry along with a friend who uses REAL Science Odyssey. It seems nice and broad, but not as deep as DS would like. We are also working through the text of RS4K Chem (skipping the labs b/c we do similar things in science club), which, also, is not as deep as DS seems to need. (For instance, he wanted to understand the math reasons behind the number of electrons in a shell, which has gotten into a more complicated discussion of orbitals than I was expecting at this point. And he's begging to go back to the science museum to play more with their organic chemistry kit.) Anyway, I need something as a spine for a bright but science-inexperienced kid (meaning that he needs the basics, but will advance quickly). Ideally something that will take me through 6th grade science. For math, we are doing Singapore as our spine, only the text, and I am supplementing with many other mathy ideas (when he was doing 3A multiplication, we played around with lattice multiplication, Russian peasant multiplication, threw in some decimals to make it interesting, that kind of thing), and it's perfect for us. I need the spine to make sure we hit everything, and to give us some structure, but I don't need very much of it. I'm hoping I can use MPH the same way. Can I get by with just the text and HOTS? (I know it's cheap, but am hoping to buy all of 3-6 now so we can skip around a little if we hit something interesting that we want to work on formally.) IF there's something else I need, please write in and tell me WHY I need it! Thanks very much! Heather
-
Thinking of next year already....does anyone have suggestions as to which Science program to use for a grade 8 student who has completed the Singapore Interactive Science curriculum? (Secular suggestions would be appreciated). Has anyone went on to use the secondary level Singapore Science books? If so, how did you/your children find them?
-
We've been using Singapore Math and it has worked quite well for my son. One of the things that attracted me to it in the first place was that it was similar to the curriculum approved by the Singapore Ministry of Education (according to Rainbow, anyway.) I'm now looking at science programs and am wondering if the science materials are also based on actual programs in Singapore, or if they are a similar style to Singapore Math but not linked to the country of Singapore's science standards. (IOW, is it just branding?) It's funny because Rainbow doesn't say anything about any actual connection to Singapore. Anyone know? -
I'll admit it: I used this WITH the Practical Workbook with my dd, and I plan to do it again with ds. As far as I could tell at the time, there are NO LISTS out there for supplies needed, so I'm going to share my list with y'all. I first had to buy the books, then read through them and collect on my own all the supplies needed to do some of the experiments. They cost a lot, so I didn't get all of them, and I bought them a little at a time. (I have more this time around than I did the first time) I didn't buy *anything* related to their technology experiments (eg digital probes of any sort or data loggers or any computer stuff of any kind) except a digital multi-meter which my husband already owned. So here's the list. I hope it helps someone. Singapore Interactive Science A (7th Grade General Science) Apparatus: Retort stand with rings and arms, bunsen burner. Yeah, right! Instead, buy this one kit from HST which includes an alcohol burner with stand: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/chemistry-equipment-kit/p/CE-KIT01/ You will have to buy alcohol at the home improvement store. It can be found in the paint section as it is used with other chemicals there as a stripper. Glassware Here's the supplies you may want to have for this course (only listing those not included in above kit): Beakers (get at least 6 150 ml beakers for experiments calling for several same-sized containers), displacement can (overflow can), petri dishes, additional test tubes, multimeter (my husband bought one for house tinkering project), sculpey clay (“plasticine†in book), magnets, evaporating dish, extra droppers, and small supplies & chemicals listed below. Microscope (Sonlight Ultra is best deal for quality I’ve found hands down) http://www.sonlight.com/250-40.html Microscope supplies: slides, coverslips, iodine, Methylene Blue & Red, Forceps (tweezers), lense paper and filter paper. You don’t need prepared slides until high school biology. You can buy a basic kit from either Sonlight or HST: All you *really* need until high school biology: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/microscope-slide-making-kit/p/MS-KIT04/ Measuring Equipment: Scale: (choose the one right for you and your family) q http://www.hometrainingtools.com/platform-scale-450-g-capacity/p/BS-SCALEDT/ (cheap, similar to what’s used for Apol Chem) q http://www.hometrainingtools.com/digital-scale-200-g-x-001-g/p/BS-DB0200/ (reasonable, digital, accurate, compact, nice cover built in) q http://www.hometrainingtools.com/triple-beam-balance--2610-g/p/BS-2610/ (a little pricier, space hog, but high quality, good to know how to use) Vernier Calipers: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/vernier-caliper/p/ME-CALIPER/ Plus: a measuring tape, ruler, and meter stick (find one at home improvement store) Household items: chalk, sugar cubes, toothpics (round), rubber bands, masking tape, batteries, barley grains (may be able to substitute other whole grains), thread etc. Chemicals: (all of these are available individually from HST) Hydrochloric acid Benedict’s solution Cupric chloride (Copper II) Sodium hydroxide Copper sulfate Sulfur Iron filings (included in SL NSK) Methyl Orange Eosin Y (included in most microscope supply kits) Methylene Blue (included in most microscope supply kits) Universal Indicator Calcium hydroxide Potassium Nitrate Zinc (small ribbon) Sulfuric acid Nitric acid Ethanoic acid Magnesium ribbon Copper carbonate Sodium carbonate Potassium hydroxide Other small supplies: Filter paper Litmus paper Universal indicator papers Splints Styrofoam balls Copper wire & aligator clips Safety equipment: Safety goggles Apron Since most of us will NOT be installing a vent hood, remember that some experiments may need to be done (or demonstrated) out of doors on a good weather day (no wind, no rain, moderate temps, bright light) Obviously you could substitute household items for SOME of the supplies here (such as drinking glasses for beakers if not using heat, salad plates for petri dishes, etc.). -
:confused: I have to order our science curric soon and really LOVE Singapore math so I have been checking out their science books and they look nice, with lots of at-home experiments & such that my ds9 will LOVE. Plus, it's about $100 cheaper than the EE Science I had planned on getting until now... What are your experiences with Singapore Science? TIA! :D
-
Singapore Interactive Science. What do I NEED?
Guest posted a topic in High School and Self-Education Board
What do I really need for Singapore Interactive Science. I am planning on getting A for my junior high child and the Biology for my high schooler. Do I need the teacher guides for each book? The price is starting to add up! Thanks! Also, please feel free to share your experience with it. I have never seen it in person but I like what I see online and I like their elementary math. Becky -
I ahve the 3-4 grade science from Singapore; Diversity, Energy, Cycles, Systems and Interactions. Do these work best in any specific order? Do they feed off of each other? TIA!
-
I'm looking to buy the 3/4 set but wondering if I really need both the homework book and the HOTS book. I'm going to be using this with a younger student who is sometimes hard to motivate to do his work. He has looked at the MPH textbooks and activity books and thinks it looks like a lot of fun and has asked to do it this year. But I'm afraid if I try to get him to do both workbooks he will start to dread science. Anyone have any thoughts on whether I will be missing a major component of the program if I only get one of the books? Also, if I only get one, which would you recommend? Thanks!
