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Confused about possible science choices....


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My oldest is finishing 7th grade this year. We are doing BJU Life Science. I've been looking at the science expecations for our local public schools because I'd like to be sure to meet the same expecations from a credit perspective. (I'd rather not argue about this. I don't care is some colleges are ok with much less. I don't want my child to have significantly less credits etc than her public school counterparts).

 

So I was looking at the science requirements. They require 4 years with the most standard (for non-AP or IB science kids) being Biology, Chem, Physics and Earth Science. Or you can do Biology, Chem, Physics and and AP science course. They do Physical Science (the part Chem part Physics) course as an 8th grade course and you can not receive high school credit for Physical Science. So here's my question.

 

I would prefer to do BJU's Space and Earth next year (8th) followed Physical Science. I have several reasons for this not the least of which is that Physical Science will have a new edition this year and I'd like to wait the extra year so we can use DVDs with the new edition. They won't be available until the following year for the new edition. If I do that, can I give her 9th grade credit for the Space and Earth science as her Earth Science even though she took it in the 8th grade and then technically not have science credit in the 9th grade? Do I even have to tell them that's what we did? Do I really need Physical Science? I never took that in jr. high and I went on to take 5 science credits (2 AP) in high school. What is really in Physical Science that you'd need later? Does it just make Physics and Chem easier later?

 

Thanks

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I am not going to attempt to answer most of your post -- but I do have two thoughts:

 

1) I would definitely NOT count work done in 8th grade as high school level work, except POSSIBLY for algebra 1 and foreign language.

 

2) Kids do get into college with only three years of science. My dd did it, with a full-tuition scholarship! And she is majoring in science. However, she didn't skip science her freshman year -- she did biology, chemistry, AP physics B, and then did AP US govt her senior year instead of a science.

 

3) You do not need physical science. Dh and I didn't -- and we're engineers! Neither of my olders kids have done it. The younger kids won't do it. Physical science is sort of a watered-down combination of physics and chemistry.

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My oldest is finishing 7th grade this year. We are doing BJU Life Science. I've been looking at the science expecations for our local public schools because I'd like to be sure to meet the same expecations from a credit perspective. (I'd rather not argue about this. I don't care is some colleges are ok with much less. I don't want my child to have significantly less credits etc than her public school counterparts).

 

So I was looking at the science requirements. They require 4 years with the most standard (for non-AP or IB science kids) being Biology, Chem, Physics and Earth Science. Or you can do Biology, Chem, Physics and and AP science course. They do Physical Science (the part Chem part Physics) course as an 8th grade course and you can not receive high school credit for Physical Science. So here's my question.

 

I would prefer to do BJU's Space and Earth next year (8th) followed Physical Science. I have several reasons for this not the least of which is that Physical Science will have a new edition this year and I'd like to wait the extra year so we can use DVDs with the new edition. They won't be available until the following year for the new edition. If I do that, can I give her 9th grade credit for the Space and Earth science as her Earth Science even though she took it in the 8th grade and then technically not have science credit in the 9th grade? Do I even have to tell them that's what we did? Do I really need Physical Science? I never took that in jr. high and I went on to take 5 science credits (2 AP) in high school. What is really in Physical Science that you'd need later? Does it just make Physics and Chem easier later?

 

Thanks

 

My personal (unprofessional) opinion of BJU's Space and Earth is that it has got to be at least on par with some high school Earth Science/Astronomy texts - I can't imagine what could possibly be added to it. It covers everything including astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography in great detail. It was very thorough, very challenging, and required a decent amount of math. If you do the labs, even picking and choosing from among them as the TE instructs, it's a very solid course. I may not know *at all* what I'm talking about, as I'm not familiar with high school level Astronomy/Earth Science texts, but I was pretty surprised at the level of rigor in this text. If I do this one again, I'll definitely use the DVDs!

 

I would probably do Physical Science if you want to have an easier time of Chemistry and Physics, especially BJU. I thought BJU's Physical World was very meaty, and I would follow their recommended sequence if you're sticking with BJU. There is a reason why they stick that physical science in there, and it's heavy, too, IMO. BJU's physical science is a little more difficult than some physical science texts (at least in my part of the country, it *greatly* surpasses our ps physical science).

 

If you really wanted to have a clear conscience about it, you could add some reading to the Space & Earth, or some research projects. I don't know when you'd have time, though, as that course is jam-packed and really takes the full year.

 

So to sum it up, in my personal opinion, both of those would qualify as a high school science. Since your state requires one but not the other, it would be silly to mess up your sequence or credits because you're following the publisher's sequence, but still doing both.

 

I'd just put 'Astronomy/Earth Science' down for 9th, no matter that I did them in a different order.

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I am still in the process of learning what my dd will need for high school credits, etc... but I was under the impression from research I've done in talking with people that you can give high school credit for high school courses taken in 8th grade. You can have a five year high school transcript. I think as long as the material is the same as it would be for a high school level course you can get credit. If I am mistaken please correct me.

 

I'm not familiar with BJU science, but I have been investigating Apologia science. Is anyone using that program and how does it compare to something like BJU?

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Thanks guys - I am beginning to think I really don't need Physical Science. If I have to choose between Physical Science and Space and Earth Science, I think I'll choose Space so that she gets a wider experience rather than Physics and Chem twice.

 

I did do more research and our public school system allows kids to get high school credit for high school level courses taken from 7th grade and up so if I did decide that BJU's Space/Earth is high school level enough I could give her high school credit for it and still stay consistent with what other students are doing but maybe by later in high school it will make more sense to do a specialized science like Marine Biology or Anatomy and Physiology. DD is certainly capable of handling AP level science courses but since science isn't her primary interest, I'd rather not make things overwhelming if I don't have to.

 

Thanks!!

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