Astronomy for 8th

[Guest TheBugsMom]

I am getting together an Astronomy course for my 8th grader and am either finding things for the younger age group (below 6th grade) or the High School/adult level. This is part of his Earth Science school year so it is not to be a complete 36 week curriculum but maybe up to 15-18 weeks. I have the guide from Living Books Curriculum which states it is for ages 9 and up and uses Apologia's Astronomy as the main text (it is a full yr curriculum but doable in half that time) but not sure it is adequate for an 8th grader. I am also looking at Signs and Seasons:Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy but this is a years course and I am not sure I can squeeze it to half a year.

 

I am curious what others have used.

[Guest]

Me too as my son wants to study this topic. I would say the Apologia book is NOT enough by a long shot for a middle school course. You might look at the Teaching Company's Understanding the Universe DVDs and someone recommended a book called The Cosmos to me. It is available on amazon. My dh has been putting together some resources for our son. If you are interested, I can try to link what he has found.

[Jean in Wisc]

I think you could do Signs and Seasons in a semester if you spent 2 weeks on each chapter.

 

http://shadesofwhite.typepad.com/shades_of_white/2009/01/jay-ryans-signs-and-seasons-understanding-the-elements-of-classical-astronomy.html

 

IMO, I think you'd have to clock quite a few hours under the night sky to get 160 hours out of this book (IOW, a full year). If you do the book in 14 to 16 weeks and then go out throughout the year to take advantage of the changes in the night sky that comes with the seasons, I think you could easily finish it in a semester. You'll want to pick through the labs and choose those that will help you understand the material the most.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Jean in Wisc

[8filltheheart]

Me too as my son wants to study this topic. I would say the Apologia book is NOT enough by a long shot for a middle school course. You might look at the Teaching Company's Understanding the Universe DVDs and someone recommended a book called The Cosmos to me. It is available on amazon. My dh has been putting together some resources for our son. If you are interested, I can try to link what he has found.

 

I would not recommend The Cosmos or Understanding the Universe for the avg 8th grader. This is college level course. My advanced 9th grader (taking pre-cal this yr and has already complete high school physics) says that it is a challenging course and he wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 10th grade unless they were advanced.

 

He took Plato's earth/space when he was in 7th grade and enjoyed it. It is on sale through homeschool buyers coop through tomorrow.

[2cents]

BYU has 2 free middle school astronomy courses. Scroll down-they are toward the end.

http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/free.cfm

 

You can also download a free planetarium software called Stellarium. It is a nice addition to an astronomy program. Shows a realistic 3d sky.

http://www.stellarium.org/

[Guest TheBugsMom]

Thanks for all the ideas...lots of good web sites to look over.

These ideas are much appreciated.

[Cindyg]

BJUP has an astronomy book for either 8th or 9th grade, don't they?

[Kates]

I was just about to suggest the BJU Earth & Space Science course - it's for 8th grade, very comprehensive, challenging but user friendly. There are a lot of lab projects (that you can use or not) as well as extension ideas.

[EKS]

Science Explorer has an astronomy book.

[Guest]

:blush5: I stand corrected about my suggestions.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

BJUP has an astronomy book for either 8th or 9th grade, don't they?

I have BJU Earth and Space science, but we are trying to move away from this type of curriculum. We are burnt out on BJU and the type.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

BYU has 2 free middle school astronomy courses. Scroll down-they are toward the end.

http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/free.cfm

 

You can also download a free planetarium software called Stellarium. It is a nice addition to an astronomy program. Shows a realistic 3d sky.

http://www.stellarium.org/

These look really good, the two BYU courses. Might be enough for most of his Astronomy study. Throw in the free TOPS courses (mentioned in another thread), some experiments, and some biography and it might just be enough for 8th grade intro to Astronomy.

[2cents]

We just did this cool astronomy study this morning. It is called Journey To The Stars by NASA. I was lucky enough to get the teacher's kit before the demand caused them to stop sending for awhile. They are going to resume though so you should put in your request. It is free too. The video is AWESOME! The teaching kit is very nicely done too!

 

More about it here:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/07jun_journeytothestars/

 

To request the teacher kit:

http://www.journeytothestars.org/

[jayfromcleveland]

I am also looking at Signs and Seasons:Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy but this is a years course and I am not sure I can squeeze it to half a year.

 

Hi, just surfing into WTM and saw your post. I created Signs & Seasons to be ultimately flexible (much to the consternation of the many very rigid homeschool moms out there!)

 

Anyway, though the course is recommended for 13+, my son read and followed it when he was 10. The book can be read in a couple weeks of casual reading, and the field activities are all electives. In other words, you can fit into a short span, or drag it out for a whole year, if you like. I've heard about students completing the course in as little as three months.

 

Please drop me an email at my site if you have any questions. (Not sure when I might be back to WTM to read this thread). Thanks and God bless, jay

Edited November 21, 2010 by jayfromcleveland
typos