12th grade engineering textbook

[Guest Barb B]

Ds has had bio., chemistry, and 2 years of physics. He will be in 12th grade this fall and I am looking for a science. Anyone know of an egineering textbook or course we can do at home? He would prefer something with hands on stuff he can do at home. I just can't see not doing science but am at a loss.

 

Barb

[LBS]

Here's info about exploring engineering:

http://www.swe.org/regione/OpeningEngineering/engineering_exploration_opportunities.htm

 

The Infinity Curriculum with a textbook link:

http://www.infinity-project.org/infinity/infinity_curr.html

 

and best of all, this site is all about Engineering/Technology for high school:

 

http://www.engineering-ed.org/

(Click on Course description in the bottom left corner, and see an course outline of modules, plus the texts and supplemental materials to use.)

 

 

"Available on this site:

 

• A suggested Core Curriculum and additional alternative curriculum modules endorsed by a diverse Engineering/Technology advisory committee to ensure credibility and "real world" acceptance. The curriculum is firmly grounded with workplace, technology, and mathematics and science content standards. The core curriculum satisfies University of California "a-g" requirements for high school graduates. Download our Course Description and use it for your own purposes.
  
• Engineering/Technology curriculum modules from a wide variety of sources which can be used to enrich math and science curriculum or assembled into comprehensive units tailored for many educational audiences and objectives"
  

It looks like a lot to tackle at home, unless you have an engineer in residence. What about oceanography, Ecology, Geology, Environmental Science, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and here is a whole list of interesting, more in-depth science courses you could adjust to high school or interest level, maybe a semester of the science and life of Galileo, and a semester of Nutrition Science?

 

Hope that this will help you.

 

LBS

Edited March 24, 2010 by LBS

[Guest Barb B]

OH, thanks! I will look. You came up with much more then I have in my searches. Yes, it seems intimidating. But we really want to find something that covers the diverse engineering fields while having projects he can create (without an expensive lab). I am off to search the links you found. Perhaps ds and I can create our own class. . .

 

Barb

[April in CA]

That Infinity Project looks pretty neat! Thanks for the link!

Blessings,

April

[Guest Barb B]

I have to research the infinity text. It looked like there was a requirement for teachers to complete training from them: qoute from the site: "Each instructor signing on with Infinity is required to successfully complete the Professional Development Institute, a 40-hour training course designed to prepare instructors to successfully implement the program." So, I wasn't sure. I think I will see if this is available on amazon or something?

 

Barb

[Guest Barb B]

You can get the infinity project textbook on amazon and such, however - I noted that on the infinity web site they mention a "technology kit" - I think this is quite expensive. . . . don't know if the text can be done without it. . .

 

Barb

[cshell]

Have you checked out the FREE Online MIT Engineering courses?

ocw.mit.edu

It looks great & its FREE from MIT!!!:001_smile:

[TechWife]

You can get the infinity project textbook on amazon and such, however - I noted that on the infinity web site they mention a "technology kit" - I think this is quite expensive. . . . don't know if the text can be done without it. . .

Barb

Labs would be critical to a course like this if you want to give credit - otherwise it would fall under career exploration. The technology kit is not that expensive $399 - considering what you are doing with it. Now, that probably includes a site license (for all computers at one location). You can contact the company and ask them if they are able to sell it to you w/out the license (for one computer only). They may be willing to work with you as a homeschooler - Prentice Hall has been easy to work with from my perspective as a homeschooler.

[TechWife]

Have you looked at this? We have the first one and it is definitely high school level. In addition to the course you selected, you would have to invest in a Mindstorm NXT. They do have a high resale value, so you could later sell it if you want to do so.

 

The course includes student materials, video tutorials, problem sets and projects. It is very robust. MIT developed the courses.

 

Engineering I Introduction to Mobile Robotics

 

Engineering II Guided Research

[Reya]

Snap Circuits has an actual high school course that DS wants to do.

 

http://www.elenco.com/SC-750R.htm

 

It'd help him get through the hardest of the everybody-has-to-take-it college engineering classes for all engineering majors at some universities, too. And EEs get paid a lot!

Edited March 29, 2010 by Reya

[Guest Barb B]

Thanks for the ideas. We will check them out. Lately we have been thinking of ds doing a series of projects. Each with an engineering "notebook" to hand in at the end. The first would be - make his own electric guitar - no kit just him.

 

THe infininity kit - seems that most of the "labs" here are all sort of virtual - plans on the computer. Ds wants to actually plan yes, but then do it. So I don't know if infinity is worth the money. For what it is (or I should say insn't) it is rather expensive. We will look into the other ideas as after the guitar he will be up for another project. Instead of one large project all of senior year - he wants to do several.

 

Barb

[Guest Barb B]

Techwife - how was the 1st mindstorm kit? Is it a schools year worth of stuff or shorter (guess we would like shorter since ds also has other project ideas in mind)? Could he be independent with it (after 2 years of physics and now begining calculus with him - I am ready for his science next year to be as independent as possible!)?

 

Barb

[LBS]

if these would be up to snuff, but there is a high school engineering course on sale at usedhomeschoolclassifieds (just search the word "engineering").

 

Also, I got a link to a course that Rainbow Resource sells.

 

They may be check-out-worthy.

 

LBS

[Handmaiden]

Have you looked at this? We have the first one and it is definitely high school level. In addition to the course you selected, you would have to invest in a Mindstorm NXT. They do have a high resale value, so you could later sell it if you want to do so.

 

The course includes student materials, video tutorials, problem sets and projects. It is very robust. MIT developed the courses.

 

Engineering I Introduction to Mobile Robotics

 

Engineering II Guided Research

 

This looks fantastic as my ds already has an NXT and loves it! Question: on the website for the first link one of the sample activities says that it is geared for grades 5-8, not high school. Are there other activities that that are listed for high school level?

 

Thanks!

 

ETA: I just noticed that you need both Levels I and II for 18 weeks of instruction. Quite pricey!

Edited March 30, 2010 by Handmaiden

[Handmaiden]

Barb, another idea is to do advanced physics. The Robinson Curriculum includes the Apostol physics text which Caltech uses with their students.

 

You could buy the disks used or look for the text elsewhere if you didn't want buy their disks...