Apologia or BJU for grade 7 through highschool?

[specialmama]

Of the two programs (Apologia and BJU) which would you recommend for use from grade 7 through highschool? Let's suppose that both would be done with the CD lectures or online. Can you explain why you prefer that program?

[Susan C.]

I have used both, but Apologia is much more homeschool friendly. BJU is also excellent, but wasn't as easy to do at home.

[specialmama]

I have used both, but Apologia is much more homeschool friendly. BJU is also excellent, but wasn't as easy to do at home.

 

oooo homeschool friendly is important! Thank you Susan!

[HollyDay]

7th and 8th, I'd say hands down, Apologia. We loved both General and Physical. But, we did not like Biology. Dd is very visual and Apologia BIology is not as visual as BJU. I like BJU Biology at lot. But, it is hard for me to teach.

 

I think the best advice I ever got was from a book rep at a conference. BJU assumes the teacher has a degree in science. Apologia assumes there is no teacher (it is student directed). Now, I do not have a science degree. But, I did take 3 years of biology in college and I can teach BJU biology. But, it is not as easy as teaching Apologia and I rely on my knowledge from my college experience to teach BJU.

[yinne]

We have used both.

 

I have used the following BJUP courses: Life Science(7th), Earth Science (8th), Biology, and Physical Science. The first 3 were used with the DVDs and I can't speak highly enough about Mrs. Vick who teaches Life Science and Earth Science. We weren't as impressed with the Biology teacher, but the text was good. This year I'm using Physical Science (9th) with my 8th and 9th grader and am doing it myself. Learning experience for all of us, but so far going well, but it does take a far amount of prep work on my part.

 

Apologia courses: General Science -- we tried to use this a few years back, but were bored to tears and switched to something else. Chemistry -- my oldest used this last year with the DIVE CD's and wishes we would have picked the BJUP textbook. There were too many times when what was being discussed on the DIVE CD was not in the textbook and she would have to search for answers. This year we are trying Physics -- started out with Kinetics, but at least for us there wasn't enough explanation, so are going to try the Apologia book.

 

Yvonne in NE

[Rhonda in TX]

I voted for BJU. Neither one of my kids cared for Apologia. I like it, but they didn't. I think it's too "chatty" for them. Also, science is something I need to outsource and BJU is easier for that in our area. DD goes to an outside class and DS uses the DVDs.

 

That said, if my kids liked Apologia, I would probably use it. It's easier to do on their own (therefore, cheaper) and I personally like the style.

[mom31257]

I voted BJU. Dd is using middle school Life Science online. If all continues to go well, she will use it all the way through Physics.

 

I've actually taught the Apologia Chemistry in a co-op setting. At first I liked it, but then after seeing a public school student's textbook, I think Apologia is too light for a high school level course alone.

 

From researching mainly on this board, I think you would have to do the advanced courses of Apologia in addition to the regular course to equal one year of BJU. I'm not there yet with my own child, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Jen the RD]

I also voted BJU. My dd is currently using Life Science. She and I reviewed Apologia texts for Gen, Physical, Bio and both of us disliked the layout. She needs visual breaks in the text and prefers a 2 column text on page vs. Apologia's long line across the page. She also prefers a lecture format to go with science and BJU provides that through the DVD's. BTW, if you listen to the audio description on the DIVE Science CD's, the author ranks BJU texts higher than Apologia, not necessarily for superiority, but for depth of coverage.

[specialmama]

Thank you all for sharing your insight! I found it easier to comment throughout each post and change the colour... I think I changed the colour on all my comments...

7th and 8th, I'd say hands down, Apologia. We loved both General and Physical. But, we did not like Biology. Dd is very visual and Apologia BIology is not as visual as BJU. I like BJU Biology at lot. But, it is hard for me to teach. My dd is visual too... hmmm...

 

I think the best advice I ever got was from a book rep at a conference. BJU assumes the teacher has a degree in science. Uh-oh. That's not me! But BJU online would take care of that, right? Apologia assumes there is no teacher (it is student directed). Now, I do not have a science degree. But, I did take 3 years of biology in college and I can teach BJU biology. But, it is not as easy as teaching Apologia and I rely on my knowledge from my college experience to teach BJU. Thank you, Holly. That was helpful.

 

We have used both.

 

I have used the following BJUP courses: Life Science(7th), Earth Science (8th), Biology, and Physical Science. The first 3 were used with the DVDs and I can't speak highly enough about Mrs. Vick who teaches Life Science and Earth Science. Yes! That is encouraging! If you use the DVD's you don't need to be a science whiz, correct? We weren't as impressed with the Biology teacher, but the text was good. This year I'm using Physical Science (9th) with my 8th and 9th grader and am doing it myself. Learning experience for all of us, but so far going well, but it does take a far amount of prep work on my part.

 

Apologia courses: General Science -- we tried to use this a few years back, but were bored to tears and switched to something else. Chemistry -- my oldest used this last year with the DIVE CD's and wishes we would have picked the BJUP textbook. There were too many times when what was being discussed on the DIVE CD was not in the textbook and she would have to search for answers. This year we are trying Physics -- started out with Kinetics, but at least for us there wasn't enough explanation, so are going to try the Apologia book. Yes, if we go with Apologia we would use Red Wagon or Apologia Academy live classes. I have not heard a lot about those DIVE CDs, so that is good to know. Thank you, Yvonne.

 

Yvonne in NE

 

I voted for BJU. Neither one of my kids cared for Apologia. I like it, but they didn't. I think it's too "chatty" for them. Rhonda, if you don't mind, can you expand on that? Chatty as in trying to be friendly with the kids by telling jokes or stories, taking rabbit trails, or over-explaining when the kid got it 20 minutes ago? Thanks Rhonda! Also, science is something I need to outsource and BJU is easier for that in our area. DD goes to an outside class and DS uses the DVDs. Oh, that must be handy to have an outside BJU class! Count your blessings, girl!

 

That said, if my kids liked Apologia, I would probably use it. It's easier to do on their own (therefore, cheaper) and I personally like the style. LOL, darn I'm getting confused! :lol: I mean, I was confused before, but this is making my head spin LOL!

 

I voted BJU. Dd is using middle school Life Science online. If all continues to go well, she will use it all the way through Physics. Interesting! Can you share any more about how it is going right now?

 

I've actually taught the Apologia Chemistry in a co-op setting. At first I liked it, but then after seeing a public school student's textbook, I think Apologia is too light for a high school level course alone. Wow. Really? Do you know if the students using that public school text actually went through everything? Sometimes they don't...

 

From researching mainly on this board, I think you would have to do the advanced courses of Apologia in addition to the regular course to equal one year of BJU. I'm not there yet with my own child, though, so take it with a grain of salt. Okay, that is one massive grain of salt... I think I need to research more. Yikes. My dd will likely go into animal sciences or writing or writing about animal sciences! :lol: So this is important info here! Thank you Amy!

 

I also voted BJU. My dd is currently using Life Science. She and I reviewed Apologia texts for Gen, Physical, Bio and both of us disliked the layout. She needs visual breaks in the text and prefers a 2 column text on page vs. Apologia's long line across the page. I can see my dd having a slant toward one visually as well. Having a break is a factor. She also prefers a lecture format to go with science and BJU provides that through the DVD's. BTW, if you listen to the audio description on the DIVE Science CD's, the author ranks BJU texts higher than Apologia, not necessarily for superiority, but for depth of coverage. Depth of coverage... but not as chatty as Apologia (as per Rhonda above, but I need clarification on that...) so who is the author of the DIVE CD's? Does he have any bias toward one or the other? Does Apologia not have lectures with their classes on CD or online? I'm not sure I get the lecture part... I think my brain is bleeding. hee hee. Thank you Jen!

[Susan C.]

To us, Apologia is like reading a lecture. It is a conversational tone, not textbookish. Both of my kids are liberal arts based, so they like it. Those who don't like Apologia complain it is too long, too "chatty" and not to the point. Another way, Apologia fills in between points (my kids are not good at doing that on their own). Kids that can look at facts and fill in themselves lose patience w/Apologia.

 

Hope this makes sense...

[HollyDay]

Hi again! I'm not Rhonda, but I would like to address the "chatty" thing. This style was a big factor for dd. Apologia is wordy in a conversational style (Have you ever seen...... What do you think would happen.....). Dd is a very "just the facts" learner and found that style very distracting. She was not a fan of STOW (when she was in elementary) for the same reason. She told me once, she didn't want to have a conversation with the book, she wanted learn the material. So, this is really a style factor. One dc might love it, another not so much.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'm not at all familiar with BJU, so I can't comment on that. We've been using Apologia and like it a lot. My suggestion would be to try BJU for 7th grade, and then use Apologia for 8th - Physical Science, and then compare the two. When you have a couple of years before high school to try different curricula, it's a wonderful opportunity to try what you think might work for high school.

 

I know that some do use a virtual class with the Apologia courses, but I truly doubt that you will need to for physical science. The book alone teaches the course very nicely. We will be using DIVE, along with Apologia, for chemistry and biology because of the labs being done with equipment that we wouldn't be able to purchase. We'll still be doing labs here, but it's great to be able to watch some that aren't even usually done on a high school level. :)

[Excelsior! Academy]

We like Apologia here. We tend to be a bit chatty, though, so I guess its our style.

[Rhonda in TX]

Karyn - I just saw your questions about my response. Sorry about the delay!

 

What Holly says sums up nicely what I meant by "chatty". It's the conversational tone that bothers my kids. Also, DS has Asperger's, so he really need a "just the facts" program. He has difficulty seeing through the conversation to the science included, if that makes sense.

 

As far as my personal preference for Apologia goes, I was probably confusing you with my "outsourcing" comment. Let me see if I can explain. I had intended to use Apologia until both my kids said "no way". Apologia is much easier to teach than BJU, so I wasn't really looking at outside classes. In fact, it's written to the student, and intended for them to do alone. So, I didn't feel as much pressure to be able to teach them. If they had liked Apologia, I would have found a way to make it work. They didn't, however, and I really don't trust my ability to teach BJU, so outsourcing is our only option. Is that clearer?

[Jen the RD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jen the RD

I also voted BJU. My dd is currently using Life Science. She and I reviewed Apologia texts for Gen, Physical, Bio and both of us disliked the layout. She needs visual breaks in the text and prefers a 2 column text on page vs. Apologia's long line across the page. I can see my dd having a slant toward one visually as well. Having a break is a factor. She also prefers a lecture format to go with science and BJU provides that through the DVD's. BTW, if you listen to the audio description on the DIVE Science CD's, the author ranks BJU texts higher than Apologia, not necessarily for superiority, but for depth of coverage. Depth of coverage... but not as chatty as Apologia (as per Rhonda above, but I need clarification on that...) so who is the author of the DIVE CD's? Does he have any bias toward one or the other? Does Apologia not have lectures with their classes on CD or online? I'm not sure I get the lecture part... I think my brain is bleeding. hee hee. Thank you Jen!

 

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to your questions. I hadn't rechecked this thread. Below, I've posted a link to DIVE CD's. The author is Dr. Dave Shorman. If you click on the audio on this link, he will give you an overview of all the science CD's and textbook options with his ratings.

 

http://www.diveintomath.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?listcategories=action&parent=DSCI

 

 

HTH,

Jennifer

[Brigid in NC]

We are an Apologia family from General all the way through to Physics -- and now to Advanced Chem. We went off track one year with one ds (Spectrum chemistry), and regretted it. My two science-y guys loved Jay Wile's teaching style. They found it understandable, and they could work independently from their non-science-y mom:thumbup1:, My college soph/aerospace engineer thinks that Apologia prepared him well.

 

Our $.02. :)

~Brigid

[Teachin'Mine]

Yeah!!!! Brigid has broken the long standing tie!!! :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know it's not a contest. :lol: