Ecologically-focused HS Bio (for a 6th grader)

[patchfire]

Since I have next year all planned out, I'm ready to start looking at '6th grade.' :tongue_smilie:

 

Dd has expressed a continued interest in doing high-school level sciences in 6th, 7th, & 8th, so that she can pursue AP sciences & college coursework in high school. THat said, I don't know that she will end up taking AP Biology - it's her least-favorite area of the sciences and I could well see her deciding to skip it. She will likely want to take Environmental Science, though.

 

What I'd really like to do is use her interest in ecology and the environment to open up biology a bit for her. I'm familiar with the BCBS texts, both the "Molecular Approach" and the "Ecological Approach," but am not sure about using them in a home setting. My undergraduate studies were in biology, so I feel very comfortable teaching it & am inclined to rule out any more expensive options with teacher support or more detailed explanation (i.e., TIP's CD-ROM course).

 

I will no doubt agonize over this for the next eight or nine months :) so I thought I'd ask for (secular) suggestions so I'd have specifics to agonize over. ;)

[JennW in SoCal]

I don't know if my experience will help you plan, but thought I would share my very secular route to advanced high school science. It is very unorthodox as I didn't use any text books or "programs" until we hit AP level science in 10th grade, but it worked and it was fun for all.

 

I mostly let my kids follow their interests, which was easy as science is simply a part of our life here. We participated in Project Feeder Watch and did all kinds of nature studies on our own or through classes (either homeschool organized nature classes or through the local museum and aquarium.) We spent hours at the Natural History Museum studying and comparing skeletons. I bought the Chem 3000 kit (Kronos and Thames I think is the company that makes these.) And we had lots of other kits for building things such as an electric motor. It was like an extension of the fun exploration you do with preschoolers -- it just got deeper and more complex as they got older.

 

Needless to say a bottomless supply of good books was an essential part of this. Field guides, memoirs, science magazines and popular science authors. I ordered some Teaching Company courses too which my 15yo in particular will watch for fun.

 

As for ecology being a starting point for biology, check out Project Feeder Watch , a terrific citizen science project organized by Cornell University. There is a free, downloadable homeschool curricula, and related projects such as Pigeon Watch and Nest Watch. Check out your local Audobon society and wildlife rescue organizations, too for interesting talks, hikes or volunteer opportunities. Biology Corner is a site I used extensively this year for my son's AP level biology course. It has many excellent activities and labs.

 

These titles would also tie into an interest in ecology:

 

Suburban Safari is a great book. The author set about to track all the life in her suburban yard in Maine -- from the birds to the insects, and found quite a lively community of critters share her yard.

 

My Family and Other Animals by Gerrald Durrell is a memoir of man who became a zoologist.

 

Douglas Adams who wrote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy spent time traveling the world to see endangered animals which he wrote about in Last Chance to See

 

David Attenborough's Life of Birds and other books and DVDs are terrific.

 

The PBS series Evolution from a few years ago is also good.

 

I can't finish without recommending A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It is hands down the best overview of all things science you'll ever read.

 

This is getting long, but I wanted to add that I went this route for science simply because I never found a textbook or program that went deep enough for my middle schoolers. They didn't have the math for high school level physics or chemistry, but they wanted to know more than the simplistic material aimed for their ages. The benefit of my approach is that science remained exciting, something open for exploration rather than a set of dry facts to memorize for a test.

 

Hope I've given you some ideas you can use!

[Guest]

If you and your daughter don't mind exploratory, hands-on science that involves some collecting of materials, take a look at the units from http://www.lhs.org/GEMS -- in particular, check what they have under environmental science. The units are wonderful: they come with detailed lesson-by-lesson plans which emphasize observation, data collection, and structured exploration; they include literature tie-ins, fiction and non-fiction, for multiple levels including adult; they stress the comprehension of underlying concepts rather than simply vocabulary and "facts." There is also a long, detailed guide on Life Through Time.

[Kareni]

I posted on the high school board several months ago a post entitled Biology in the Movies. Perhaps something there might spark your interest.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ouzel]

I just purchased a used BCBS 9th grade text called Science: An Inquiry Approach. It was cheap enough and I was curious to see if I could implement it at home. At first glance, I think it would be challenging to implement, but may simply serve as a source book for ideas.

 

Thus far, most of our science has followed Jenn's format above. My oldest is going to be in 9th grade and will be doing his first ever formal science course using Miller and Levine's biology. However, he'll continue with his serious scientific investigations, which primarily revolve around birds and ecological issues. My 12 yo will continue to follow his passions without a text through middle school. My sons have used the Teaching Company, Netflix, and many books as source material. More importantly, over the years they have spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors and keeping field journals, which has led to their participation in actual scientific projects (general bird counts, breeding bird surveys, and bird banding) and community outreach (leading bird walks). Their interests continue to expand as they make more connections. Their passions fuel their desire to tackle other subjects, ie. Spanish (thanks to our neotropical birds).