Amandamc0017 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I am considering placing a 7th grader in Apologia's Physical Science. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemy9kids Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I'm planning this as well. I'd love to hear from others who have done it. My other question is, what do you do for science in 8th grade? Biology would seem a bit much at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 It will depend on their math ability. My 8th grade daughter did it this year and struggled a little bit with the math portions but worked through it. Check out the apologia website. There is a chart there that recommends the math experience needed for each book. Ruby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I have used general, physical, and chemistry in the past, but I have made the decision to drop Apologia from my curricula selections. We are not young earth creationists, but old earth "intelligent design." Wiles tone if you disagree with him is very condescending and it got to the point where it became obstacle to our appreciating the overall content of the books. FWIW, my rising 8th grader is doing conceptual physics next yr after doing both physical and life science last yr. (but he is ahead in math and has already completed alg) I do not believe he is mature enough to handle the vocab and content of high school biology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 My dd did Physical this year in 9th. I'm guessing that if you are wanting a 7th grader to do Physical Science then you have advanced them in math as well. If that's the case, then you might be ok. But I'd wait. If this is your first year with Apologia and your child's first year with formal science, then I would start with General. These courses were a big leap for my dd (and for all of her friends, which range from highly intelligent to average). It took dd a little while to get the "flow" of the Apologia courses. Taking General first really gave her a feel for the program and she had an easy (and enjoyable) time with Physical this year. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicki Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I've taught Apologia Physical Science several times at our co-op and I always have several students that struggle with the math. I would check out Apologia's web site to make sure your child if where he needs to be in math. God bless, Vicki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I have used general, physical, and chemistry in the past, but I have made the decision to drop Apologia from my curricula selections. We are not young earth creationists, but old earth "intelligent design." Wiles tone if you disagree with him is very condescending and it got to the point where it became obstacle to our appreciating the overall content of the books. We just finished Physical Science with my 8th grader. His math skills are not as strong as I would like them to be at this point, but he was still able to do the work in the book. For us, Apologia gets the job done. It's easy to schedule, the format is simple to follow, and the experiments are basic but get the point across. We had one module (maybe 5, I'm not sure) early on that didn't go well but I had read that other parents experienced the same thing. My ds likes science and he scores very well on the state test but I can't say that the course leaves us jumping with enthusiasm. I chose Apologia for middle school when I was new to home schooling. It is the most mentioned science curriculum and has schedules and kits available. It makes thing easy for a mom who is unsure if she can teach this level of science. That said, at times I feel compromised using Apologia. As the pp noted, Dr. Wile can be very condescending to opposing viewpoints. It's almost as if he forgets that he is speaking to adolescents. I find that to be unscientific and highly unprofessional. There is more of this attitude in Physical Science than in General Science probably due to content. If you are a young earth creationist, you and your dc shouldn't have a problem with the course. It you are of a different viewpoint, you may find as the pp pointed out the Dr. Wile's attitude gets in the way of your focus on science. Personally, I wish I had the years of home schooling experience and the library that some of the posters here have who supplement his programs heavily. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandamc0017 Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 The reason I am considering 7th grade physical science is that my co-op is using it this year. It sounds like some of you would try something else. If you could do middle school over, what would you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandmama Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 My ds did physical science for 7th. He also started Algebra as well, so the math in it was not too difficult. He is an above average student and studies hard. I think it depends on your student. The curriculum is laid out for you and easy to use. The experiments can easily be done at home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I am using it this year for my 7th grader. I am forming my scope and sequence this week so I will have a better idea of the fit with DS's math skills. DS will be starting Algebra 1 this year, if that makes a difference. DS has already completed a Life Science course and has worked on numerous 4H projects and Boy Scout projects that are covered by the gen. science umbrella. When we looked at the 7th grade gen. science he looked at me and begged for the next step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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