Ninth Grade Biology

[Imprimis]

Hello,

I am new to posting, but have been gleaning SO much valuable information from these forums for quite some time.

 

I am exploring the biology choices for my rising ninth grader, and am currently looking at Campbell's Biology: Exploring Life, as well as SWB's recommended Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide by Garber (along with the suggested primary sources).

 

I would appreciate input from anyone using either of the above texts with a child for whom science is NOT a strong subject.

 

Also, is it possible to purchase a teacher's edition for Campbell's text? Do I need one?

 

Thank you!

[~FireFly~]

nm

[Kathy in MD]

The Self-Teaching guide does not include any discussion on the Theory of Evolution or Mendel's genetic work. I will probably not use this book because of this.

 

I'm waiting for another book to be delivered before deciding what to use. I'm trying find something to use as a spine and will add extra readings and research in areas. The standard hs text is too dense for that.

[Matryoshka]

I am exploring the biology choices for my rising ninth grader, and am currently looking at Campbell's Biology: Exploring Life

 

My brother's a science teacher and this is what they use for 9th grade biology. He highly recommends it. My dd (rising 6th grader) looked at it and likes it so much she's appalled that we're not using it for next year (using CPO Life Science, saving the Campbell's for 9th). I told her I'd "let her" read the corresponding chapters in the Campbell's if she wanted to. ;)

 

The Way Life Works is also a great supplementary book. Or if you're talented at teaching science, maybe more - my brother said he had a homeschooler who'd used that for science in middle school come in and take AP Biology in 9th grade.

[Imprimis]

The Self-Teaching guide does not include any discussion on the Theory of Evolution or Mendel's genetic work. I will probably not use this book because of this.

 

I'm waiting for another book to be delivered before deciding what to use. I'm trying find something to use as a spine and will add extra readings and research in areas. The standard hs text is too dense for that.

 

Thanks so much for this information, Kathy. Would you mind updating when you make your decision?

[Imprimis]

My brother's a science teacher and this is what they use for 9th grade biology. He highly recommends it. My dd (rising 6th grader) looked at it and likes it so much she's appalled that we're not using it for next year (using CPO Life Science, saving the Campbell's for 9th). I told her I'd "let her" read the corresponding chapters in the Campbell's if she wanted to. ;)

 

The Way Life Works is also a great supplementary book. Or if you're talented at teaching science, maybe more - my brother said he had a homeschooler who'd used that for science in middle school come in and take AP Biology in 9th grade.

 

Thank you! I have read such good things about the Campbell book. Do most homeschoolers use it without a teacher edition? While I enjoy science, it is not my strongest subject.

 

Thanks, also, for the mention of The Way Life Works. I will look into this also.

 

 

 

[TravelingChris]

I have the Campbell book and it definitely does not seem to be a book for a non-science kid. It is a college biology textbook. It is very heavy on microbiology and biological processses and hardly any coverage of animals or plants. I am currently debating what I will use next year with my 11th grader who did chemistry first and with whom I would normally use a more appropriate high school text. Since she has suddenly decided that she may want to be a psychiatrist or neurologist, I have to now consider this. I know I wouldn't with a child not contemplating something scientific or health related in nature.

[Matryoshka]

I have the Campbell book and it definitely does not seem to be a book for a non-science kid. It is a college biology textbook. It is very heavy on microbiology and biological processses and hardly any coverage of animals or plants.

 

Campbell has written more than one book. The college text that's also used for AP courses (I'm guessing that's the one you have) is referred to as "Daddy Campbell". The OP is referreing to Biology: Exploring Life aka "Baby Campbell". It is a high school text, not a college text. (my edition has a lizard eye on the cover).

[Mama Lynx]

Campbell has written more than one book. The college text that's also used for AP courses (I'm guessing that's the one you have) is referred to as "Daddy Campbell". The OP is referreing to Biology: Exploring Life aka "Baby Campbell". It is a high school text, not a college text. (my edition has a lizard eye on the cover).

 

So, for AP biology we'd use the Daddy Campbell, and for regular high school biology we'd use the Baby Campbell, yes?

[8filltheheart]

So, for AP biology we'd use the Daddy Campbell, and for regular high school biology we'd use the Baby Campbell, yes?

 

To make it even more confusing, there is also a non-biology major college level Campbell text. It is what my dd used last yr. Hers had a picture of a lion on the front. :)

[Matryoshka]

So, for AP biology we'd use the Daddy Campbell, and for regular high school biology we'd use the Baby Campbell, yes?

 

Yes. :)

 

Although as someone else pointed out, there is yet another Campbell out there. I have a Baby Campbell on hand, but not the Daddy - I can ask my brother what's on the cover of that one. That's the college/AP one.

[Greensa]

ok, can I ask something only slightly off topic? Because someone recommended the dragonfly Biology book by Prentice Hall for my rising 9th grader and now I'm confused about the Biology text having a lizard eye one it. I assume Prentice Hall is big enough to have more than one Biology text, but the recommendation said the same things I'm hearing here - multiple levels of the same text, really interesting to read, very easy to use - so... can anyone tell me if these are the same texts, or if not what the differences between the two are?

Sara

[Mama Lynx]

Oh, no, lol.

 

I have no idea which to use, now. Background: DS has never done biology. He is, in general, good at science. He is interested in evolution specifically. He is not planning to be a bio major (or even a science major) at all, but he does enjoy science and I tend toward more rigorous courses/texts in general. He's likely to take chem and/or physics at the CC.

 

Which Campbell should we do? Is it just dumb and pointless for a child who will not major in science to try the Daddy Campbell? Is that 3rd Campbell, the one with the lion, inbetwetween the Daddy and the Baby in terms of difficulty? Is the Baby one still a good text?

[FloridaLisa]

Oh, no, lol.

 

I have no idea which to use, now. Background: DS has never done biology. He is, in general, good at science. He is interested in evolution specifically. He is not planning to be a bio major (or even a science major) at all, but he does enjoy science and I tend toward more rigorous courses/texts in general. He's likely to take chem and/or physics at the CC.

 

I wouldn't have my dc do AP bio without first having both high school level biology and chemistry courses. Ds1 loves science; loves biology. A naturalist at heart. I was amazed at the amount of bio and biochem needed to work through the AP Campbell text (and do well on the exam). Keep in mind that some schools will exempt 8 hours of college level biology for a 5 on the AP exam. That's bio 1 and 2 at those colleges.

 

Is it just dumb and pointless for a child who will not major in science to try the Daddy Campbell?

 

Definitely not dumb and pointless, but AP bio is a considerable investment of time. I'm pondering this same question for dd1 and ds3. My oldest spent 2 - 3 hours per day, including Saturdays, on AP bio. I thought it was just him, but found that's fairly standard. I haven't decided whether the time investment is worth it given their interests.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[Mama Lynx]

Yes, I think this child will want the bulk of his time scheduled in history, more than science. I guess my question is, how good is the baby Campbell? Still a good, solid bio course?

[harmonyartmom]

We did Apologia Biology and I made it more friendly by using some of Charlotte Mason's ideas for including nature study and some other meaningful extras.

 

I put all my ideas together on a page:

Biology

 

Hope you find something that interests you. :)

[TravelingChris]

You are right. I must have Daddy Campbell because it is very complex and difficult. I don't want to read it and I had both high school bio and a year of non bio major biology (focusing on genetics, physical anthropology and evolution, and photosynthesis- U of C had quarter system). I am still very undecided as to what to do with my dd who will be 11th and have done chemistry but no biology except some with marine science - basically the ecosystem part.

[8filltheheart]

Yes, I think this child will want the bulk of his time scheduled in history, more than science. I guess my question is, how good is the baby Campbell? Still a good, solid bio course?

 

I think that the one my dd used was too difficult for her and I wish I had chosen a different route last yr.

[Mama Lynx]

I think that the one my dd used was too difficult for her and I wish I had chosen a different route last yr.

 

And you used the college non-science major text, right?

 

Maybe we'll try the high school text. Or just run away and stick my head in the sand.

 

Barb, unfortunately Apologia is not a good choice for our family. I do hope I manage to make time for us to do some solid nature study, though.

[Matryoshka]

Yes, I think this child will want the bulk of his time scheduled in history, more than science. I guess my question is, how good is the baby Campbell? Still a good, solid bio course?

 

My guess would be yes, it's a good solid course. It's what they use to teach the kids who will later go on to take the AP class a couple of years later. But it can't be that intimidating because my rising 6th grader is dying to read it!

[April in CA]

Hello to any who may be interested in the Biology: Exploring Life text, co-authored by Campbell, published by Prentice Hall, with an iguana eye on the cover (wow - that is a lot of info to id one book!)

 

My then 9th grade son used this text last year and enjoyed it very much. If you use this text, make sure you get the CD (approx $20) of learning activities that accompany the text and are actually an integral part of the course. I would also recommend the lab manual. We were able to get by with only the student version of the lab manual, and we were able to adjust many of the labs so we could do them at home. I supplemented with labs from Apologia and other sources when I couldn't make the suggested albs work.

 

I found the Teacher's Edition to be very necessary. The test bank software from PH looked marvelous, but at $200 or so, I couldn't justify the expense. Instead, my son used the chapter reviews as tests, and I graded those from the answers found in the teacher's edition. The TE also had lots of interesting extension ideas that you could use with a group if you are teaching a co-op class. (or a group of guys for labs, like I did) Be aware that there are a few discrepancies between a few of the chapter reviews in the student text and the chapter reviews in the TE. This was easy enough to work around, but something to be aware of so you don't mark your student wrong when he really is just answering a different question.

 

This text is full of evolutionary content - it pervades most chapters, not only those that deal specifically with the topic. As Christians who hold to a creationist view, we did not want our son to be confronted by an evolutionary worldview for the first time in college. No worries there! However, using this text gave us opportunities to evaluate authorial bias. We added in some videos about intelligent design to get another point of view, as well as some old Moody science videos because I love them (Red River of Life is wonderful both in content and spiritual application as well as being lots of fun).

 

I like the text very much and am glad we used it. My son found it to be easy to read and follow, and he especially enjoyed the computer-based learning activities. Creationists using this text would want to add extra materials presenting that point of view, and I would suggest adding some good ID videos to anyone using this or any other bio text from a secular publisher, if only to remind students that there is more than one side to the evolution debate. Finally, I think my son could now spend his summer reviewing with a SAT II bio guide and do fine on the exam in Sept or Oct. I don't know that he will, but I do think he could.

 

Hope this helps!

Blessings,

April

[Imprimis]

We did Apologia Biology and I made it more friendly by using some of Charlotte Mason's ideas for including nature study and some other meaningful extras.

 

I put all my ideas together on a page:

Biology

 

Hope you find something that interests you. :)

 

Thanks so much for the link to your page, Barb! I especially like how you incorporated the Handbook of Nature Study into your program. I have a copy, but have never put it to use. I think I might try to fit it in with whatever biology program I go with next year.

[Imprimis]

 

I found the Teacher's Edition to be very necessary. The test bank software from PH looked marvelous, but at $200 or so, I couldn't justify the expense. Instead, my son used the chapter reviews as tests, and I graded those from the answers found in the teacher's edition.

 

Hope this helps!

Blessings,

April

 

Thank you, April. Yep, I'm thinking the TE would be necessary for me also. Did you purchase the text and TE from Prentice Hall?

[April in CA]

Hi Tina!

I bought the student text and CD from Prentice Hall, but I was able to find a copy of the TE very gently used on either Amazon Marketplace of Half.com (can't remember which one, now). In order to purchase teacher's editions from Prentice Hall, homeschoolers have to sign a form of some kind stating that they are indeed homeschool educators and won't let teacher's materials fall into the wrong hands - loosely paraphrased (grin). I would have don that if I hadn't found the used copy for a substantial savings. Good luck finding what you need!

Blessings,

April

[jibaker103]

Campbell has written more than one book. The college text that's also used for AP courses (I'm guessing that's the one you have) is referred to as "Daddy Campbell". The OP is referreing to Biology: Exploring Life aka "Baby Campbell". It is a high school text, not a college text. (my edition has a lizard eye on the cover).

 

Ok I have the one that says Biology 6th edition is green and has a flower on the front from Campbell and Reese. Is this the college one or something else???:001_huh:

[Kathy in MD]

Thanks so much for this information, Kathy. Would you mind updating when you make your decision?

 

I'll be happy to, if I have a brain left by then. :lol:

[Kathy in MD]

Campbell has written more than one book. The college text that's also used for AP courses (I'm guessing that's the one you have) is referred to as "Daddy Campbell". The OP is referreing to Biology: Exploring Life aka "Baby Campbell". It is a high school text, not a college text. (my edition has a lizard eye on the cover).

 

Ooops, I thought the op was referring to a different text book. I did get the teacher's edition to the "Baby Campbell" I decided it was still tried to cover too much for my non-scientific ds. It was also weighted way to much into micro- biology and not enough into macro for his tastes.

 

I do plan on using selected readings and experiments from Baby Campbell to help flesh out a spine. And yes I know that microbio is important for decisions today, but if ds hates it, more will just add to the confusion and hate. Plus ecology is the only science he really enjoys, and macro bio is a plus for the layman in that field.

 

BTW, since others have mentioned The Way Life Works, I'm waiting for Experencing (Exploring?) the Way Life Works by the same authors for a spine.

[Kathy in MD]

My guess would be yes, it's a good solid course. It's what they use to teach the kids who will later go on to take the AP class a couple of years later. But it can't be that intimidating because my rising 6th grader is dying to read it!

 

That often depends on the student! Mine chose the Wiley Self Study guide over Baby Campbell (because there was less reading?). Unfortunately the Wiley has some major holes in it, so I went shopping for alternatives.

[Mama Lynx]

We have The Way Life Works. What is this other book the authors are coming out with/have come out with?

 

My son is more interested in macrobiology, too. Now that I'm clarifying my goals, we really just want a solid overview of bio, labs, and the credit ;-)

[Kathy in MD]

We have The Way Life Works. What is this other book the authors are coming out with/have come out with?

 

My son is more interested in macrobiology, too. Now that I'm clarifying my goals, we really just want a solid overview of bio, labs, and the credit ;-)

 

It's Exploring the Way Life Works and is available used.http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Way-Life-Works-Science/dp/076371688X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246362894&sr=1-1

[Corraleno]

We have The Way Life Works. What is this other book the authors are coming out with/have come out with?

 

Exploring the Way Life Works: The Science of Biology is an expanded version of The Way Life Works. It was developed for use in "Biology for Non-Science Majors" type CC & college courses.

 

I mistakenly bought both thinking they were at different levels, so that my younger child could use TWLW while my older one used ETWLW, but I'd say the two books are about 75% identical (same chapter structure, exact same text and illustrations) and about 25% is new material slotted into the earlier text to make it more appropriate for a college course.

 

Jackie

[bclerkin]

I used Apologia's Biology, loved it.

[Kathy in MD]

Thanks so much for this information, Kathy. Would you mind updating when you make your decision?

 

I'm still not real happy, but I've decided. I'm going with Exploring the Way Life Works, by Hoagland. It doesn't get bogged down in detail, so my ds can focus on the essentials. Yet it's short enough (350+ pages) that ds can select many areas to do additional research and I can beef up the areas I think need help. It also uses many analogies and tons of pictures to illustrate things. The book selects a variety of web sites to supplement the text. I like how the web sites include instructions on what to look for and often has questions to be answered.

 

 

Each chapter mixes macro with micro biology. I'm not sure how that will work for ds. Will he become confused by constatly jumping in scale, or will it hold his interest because he's not interested in microbiology? The book is light on macro biology, but we can add that on easily. Another problem is that I think that some basic things are glossed over.

 

Only a teacher's manual is available and it sounds like it's an expanded student text. It includes supplementary info, discussion questions and suggested lecture outlines. I haven't seen any samples. It costs about $77, and I'm not sure I want to spend the money.

 

My favorite text is CPO's Focus on Life. Ds and I love the basic explanations, the graphic layout, and how everything is integrated. Unfortunately it's a middle school book and I think is too light for high school. So CPO will be used to supplement the basic text.

 

End result, I have a lot of work to coordinate the texts and supplemental work. :tongue_smilie:

[dragon_horse_0002]

I try to find the Exploring Life Teacher Edition. Is it ISBN ISBN: 0130625930 ISBN-13: 9780130625939? From the information from Amazon, it looks like it is a much smaller book for it is only 1.7 pounds, in compare to the textbook that is almost 5 pounds.

Besides, Campbell is not in the names of the authors of TE book. Is it the same TE book that you find helpful.

 

Thanks,

 

dragon_horse.

 

Hello to any who may be interested in the Biology: Exploring Life text, co-authored by Campbell, published by Prentice Hall, with an iguana eye on the cover (wow - that is a lot of info to id one book!)

 

My then 9th grade son used this text last year and enjoyed it very much. If you use this text, make sure you get the CD (approx $20) of learning activities that accompany the text and are actually an integral part of the course. I would also recommend the lab manual. We were able to get by with only the student version of the lab manual, and we were able to adjust many of the labs so we could do them at home. I supplemented with labs from Apologia and other sources when I couldn't make the suggested albs work.

 

I found the Teacher's Edition to be very necessary. The test bank software from PH looked marvelous, but at $200 or so, I couldn't justify the expense. Instead, my son used the chapter reviews as tests, and I graded those from the answers found in the teacher's edition. The TE also had lots of interesting extension ideas that you could use with a group if you are teaching a co-op class. (or a group of guys for labs, like I did) Be aware that there are a few discrepancies between a few of the chapter reviews in the student text and the chapter reviews in the TE. This was easy enough to work around, but something to be aware of so you don't mark your student wrong when he really is just answering a different question.

 

This text is full of evolutionary content - it pervades most chapters, not only those that deal specifically with the topic. As Christians who hold to a creationist view, we did not want our son to be confronted by an evolutionary worldview for the first time in college. No worries there! However, using this text gave us opportunities to evaluate authorial bias. We added in some videos about intelligent design to get another point of view, as well as some old Moody science videos because I love them (Red River of Life is wonderful both in content and spiritual application as well as being lots of fun).

 

I like the text very much and am glad we used it. My son found it to be easy to read and follow, and he especially enjoyed the computer-based learning activities. Creationists using this text would want to add extra materials presenting that point of view, and I would suggest adding some good ID videos to anyone using this or any other bio text from a secular publisher, if only to remind students that there is more than one side to the evolution debate. Finally, I think my son could now spend his summer reviewing with a SAT II bio guide and do fine on the exam in Sept or Oct. I don't know that he will, but I do think he could.

 

Hope this helps!

Blessings,

April

[AngieW in Texas]

I used Miller and Levine's Biology text from Prentice Hall for my oldest dd. That book was a lot more advanced than what I was looking for. Afterward I found out that many schools use it as their Honors Biology text. My oldest has never been sciencey. I am sciencey, but on the math side. The only part of biology that I ever did well in was genetics. The labs in the book turned out to be a mix of experiments too expensive to do at home and art projects. One of the most ridiculous labs was to get a bunch of notecards and yarn and then cut up the yarn and glue it onto the notecards to illustrate the stages of meiosis and mitosis.

 

I sold that program as soon as my dd was done with it. I doubt that she got anything at all out of using the program. She did the minimum necessary to get by and that was it.

 

This year I'm using Holt Biology. Oak Meadow has a syllabus, teacher manual, and lab kit for it. The syllabus schedules out the entire book and usually has you do 1-2 labs/week. Many of the labs are paper labs, but some involve actual experimentation.

 

OM schedules the entire book. I actually have Holt's teacher edition (bought before I decided to use OM). The TE shows 7 different plans for using the book, based on focus. Not one of the plans covers the entire book. The basic course (covers least) uses only 23 of the 43 chapters. The zoology with human biology plan (covers the most) uses 37 of the 43 chapters.

[Imprimis]

I try to find the Exploring Life Teacher Edition. Is it ISBN ISBN: 0130625930 ISBN-13: 9780130625939? From the information from Amazon, it looks like it is a much smaller book for it is only 1.7 pounds, in compare to the textbook that is almost 5 pounds.

Besides, Campbell is not in the names of the authors of TE book. Is it the same TE book that you find helpful.

 

Thanks,

 

dragon_horse.

 

My TE for Campbell's Exploring life is ISBN 0-13-062593-0. It has a copyright of 2004. The authors are the same as the student edition: Campbell, Williamson, Heyden.

 

It's definitely a larger book than the student edition.

 

HTH

[Vida Winter]

I know I'm coming into this discussion late but some of this info can apply to your studies no matter what biology program you are using.

 

We are using Biology from Miller & Levine http://www.biology.com

 

I purchased the student book (it is regular high school bio, not AP and has a big parrot on the cover). Under a new program they are making available (to homeschoolers) the TM, Lab Book, Test bank, worksheets, all available free online. They have been slow to get it all implemented but every day more things are appearing on the website. Note: there is a great deal of evolutionary content.

 

I am augmenting this study with free videos at Hippocampus.org. You can select Biology, then AP Biology, then click on the textbook tab and correlate the hippocampus videos with the particular book you are using. Most major bio texts are listed - I think there are about 15 - including the Campbell book. They line up the page numbers in your book you are covering with the videos to watch.

 

For labs, we can print out some of the labs online that go with our book. We got the home microscope from Home Science Tools in addition to some prepared slides, slide prep kit, and an advanced dissection kit.

 

For what it's worth the Miller & Levine is way too colorful and "busy" for me but my daughter likes it very much.

[Mrs Mungo]

Ok I have the one that says Biology 6th edition is green and has a flower on the front from Campbell and Reese. Is this the college one or something else???:001_huh:

 

It is this one? If so, that's an AP high school text.

 

Mainly posting to subscribe to the thread. Trying to make this decision for next year.

 

And thank you to Dana, that is great information!

Edited September 5, 2009 by Mrs Mungo

[Corraleno]

Campbell & Reese Biology is a standard college text for biology for science majors. Pearson/PH also publishes an "AP" version of it which includes tips for studying for the AP. The content is otherwise the same as the college text.

 

Also, to clarify something that was mentioned by a previous poster, it's the Campbell Concepts & Connections book that is considered "Baby Campbell," not Exploring Life. I was told this by the science rep at Pearson/PH.

 

Sadly, she also told me that they will not be updating Exploring Life any more, as they are choosing to focus on the Miller & Levine text instead. :sad:

 

Also, regarding the TE: it's actually much bigger and heavier than the student edition, because it's a "wraparound" text. In other words, it's identical to the student text except the book is 2-3 inches wider, and the outside margins of the page include teaching suggestions, answers to the chapter reviews, etc. There is also some additional material in the front of the book with correlations to standards, teachers notes, etc.

 

Jackie

[jibaker103]

It is this one? If so, that's an AP high school text.

 

Mainly posting to subscribe to the thread. Trying to make this decision for next year.

 

And thank you to Dana, that is great information!

This is it!!! I just have the 6th edition instead of the new 8th edition your link is to. Thanks so much for your help!!

[dragon_horse_0002]

Thank you very much for everybody's help about Exploring Life TE.

BTW, Has anyone compared the following.

-Exploring Life by Campbell and Miller and Levine's Biology text from Prentice Hall. I found the latter is used at 9th grade in some top AP program in our school district.

-Biology by Campbell or Concepts & Connection by Campbell with Life: The Science of Biology by David Sadava. Some of my friends say that latter one (Life) is better written and easier to understand than the Big Daddy Campbell. I wonder Life is for non-biology major (but university level) as Concepts & Connections. Life is used by MIT?

 

Thanks,

 

dragon_horse

 

Campbell & Reese Biology is a standard college text for biology for science majors. Pearson/PH also publishes an "AP" version of it which includes tips for studying for the AP. The content is otherwise the same as the college text.

 

Also, to clarify something that was mentioned by a previous poster, it's the Campbell Concepts & Connections book that is considered "Baby Campbell," not Exploring Life. I was told this by the science rep at Pearson/PH.

 

Sadly, she also told me that they will not be updating Exploring Life any more, as they are choosing to focus on the Miller & Levine text instead. :sad:

 

Also, regarding the TE: it's actually much bigger and heavier than the student edition, because it's a "wraparound" text. In other words, it's identical to the student text except the book is 2-3 inches wider, and the outside margins of the page include teaching suggestions, answers to the chapter reviews, etc. There is also some additional material in the front of the book with correlations to standards, teachers notes, etc.

 

Jackie

[Vida Winter]

Thank you very much for everybody's help about Exploring Life TE.

BTW, Has anyone compared the following.

-Exploring Life by Campbell and Miller and Levine's Biology text from Prentice Hall. I found the latter is used at 9th grade in some top AP program in our school district.

-Biology by Campbell or Concepts & Connection by Campbell with Life: The Science of Biology by David Sadava. Some of my friends say that latter one (Life) is better written and easier to understand than the Big Daddy Campbell. I wonder Life is for non-biology major (but university level) as Concepts & Connections. Life is used by MIT?

 

Thanks,

 

dragon_horse

 

We chose Miller and Levine for 9th grade but if we are going to do AP we'd use a more in-depth text during senior year. The Miller & Levine book looks very easy. Maybe a lot to memorize but easy.

 

I actually have a college text by Campbell with a workbook that I got for about two dollars at a university book sale a couple of years ago. No idea if we would use that but I'm not in a big hurry at this point.

[Mama Lynx]

I'm going to resurrect this in hopes that someone can help me in my confusion.

 

One of the posters on this thread says that the Baby Campbell is *not* Exploring Life - it's Concepts and Connections.

 

I was just looking at Concepts and Connections on Amazon - it has a cheetah or leopard on the cover. One reviewer states that it is for advanced HS or community college courses. So .... that doesn't sound like a "standard" HS text to me, but a more challenging one. It doesn't sound like how I've heard the "Baby Campbell" described.

 

So .... is it really the "Baby Campbell?"

[jlovebaker]

is Campbell's Exp Life (which we ended up with). Concepts and Connections was too advanced for my 7th grader - so sold that one - I believe that was more of an AP level. And I also bought the Miller and Levine Bio book and thought that was more basic for my "sciencey" kid. I believe there is a third Campbell's book for College level. I did research all this but it was before this school year ... so forgive my forgetfulness.

 

We also got the CD which was not that helpful because it did not include the tests for homeschoolers (I don't have the TE). I bought it directly from the publisher and I have to spend an hour or two on the phone in order to get web access which allowed us to use the assessments. Now we've finally got it down ...

 

I bought a microscope and dissection kits too. Now I wish I just had a schedule that was already made more us instead of putting one together on my own.:tongue_smilie:I was exhausted by figuring out this one course. Not too mention broke after three textbooks, study guide, CD, lab equipment, etc.!

Edited January 20, 2010 by jlovebaker

[Mama Lynx]

Now I'm :willy_nilly:

[Corraleno]

I ordered my Exploring Life set (text, lab book, workbook, Teacher's Edition, CD-rom) directly from Pearson/Prentice Hall, and I spoke with the customer service rep there who handles science texts. I asked if they would be updating the CD-rom, which doesn't work on Vista or Macs, and she said no, that they would no longer be updating any of the materials for Exploring Life. I asked why they would stop supporting such a popular textbook as "Baby Campbell" and she corrected me and said it is the Concepts & Connections book that is nicknamed "Baby Campbell," not Exploring Life. She said the Concepts & Connections text is used in honors-level HS courses or for non-major Intro Bio college courses. "Daddy Campbell" (Campbell & Reese's Biology) is an AP-level HS course or a college level course for science majors.

 

I think the nickname "Baby Campbell" refers to the fact that it is a "lite" college text compared to "Daddy Campbell," not that it is a lower-level HS text. Exploring Life is an intro-level HS text, sort of a "Conceptual Biology" text comparable to Hewitt's Conceptual Physics or Suchocki's Conceptual Chemistry.

 

HTH,

Jackie

[Charles Wallace]

AAAAAAAH.

 

Me too!!!:confused::confused:

[Matryoshka]

My brother teaches AP and Honors bio at one of the better high schools in our state. They use many of the Prentice-Hall texts mentioned here - I can only share what they use them for; other schools may well do it differently.

 

Miller-Levine : "regular" 9th grade bio

Campbell Exploring Life (which they do call "Baby Campbell"): Honors 9th grade bio

Campbell Reese Biology (college text, they do call it "Daddy Campbell"): AP Biology (typically taken as upperclassmen after already completing 9th grade bio)

[jlovebaker]

My brother teaches AP and Honors bio at one of the better high schools in our state. They use many of the Prentice-Hall texts mentioned here - I can only share what they use them for; other schools may well do it differently.

 

Miller-Levine : "regular" 9th grade bio

Campbell Exploring Life (which they do call "Baby Campbell"): Honors 9th grade bio

Campbell Reese Biology (college text, they do call it "Daddy Campbell"): AP Biology (typically taken as upperclassmen after already completing 9th grade bio)

 

Plus I bought all three of these (altho come to think of it I might have bought Campbells Concepts and Connections which is one level below the Bio book, I believe and compared them) ... Anyway, I settled in the middle for a middle schooler who LOVES Chemistry and Physics (but not Bio much too my dismay as a Bio major).

[Corraleno]

AAAAAAAH.

Me too!!!:confused::confused:

 

I don't think it really matters what "nickname" the books go by; it seems like different people use the same nickname to apply to different books. You just need to know what level the different Campbell texts are at:

 

If you want a 9th grade, Introduction to HS Biology type text, you want Biology: Exploring Life by Campbell, Williamson & Heyden. Lots of illustrations, concepts explained very clearly, not math-heavy.

 

If you are looking for a more in-depth, honors-level HS text, or the sort of book a CC would use for a one-semester Bio 101 type course, you want Biology: Concepts & Connections by Campbell, Reece, Taylor & Simon.

 

If you are looking for an AP-level text, which is frequently used for a year-long Biology Majors college course sequence, you want Biology by Campbell & Reece.

 

Jackie

 

ETA: If you google "Baby Campbell" and Biology text, you can see that the references are to the Concepts & Connections text, which is what the publisher told me.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Corraleno