Ann@thebeach Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) Like another member posted, we have done a hodge podge of science in the elementary yrs. Now I need to start planning things out a little better since we are starting middle school. DS is in 6th gr this yr and we are doing McHenry's Elements. Planning on doing Elemental Science Biology for Logic Stage next yr with my 4th and 7th graders. Not sure after that. I have Hakim's History of Science series and 6 of the Prentice Hall Science Explorer books. Not sure how I'll use these yet. What do you have planned for science through high school? Edited April 23, 2011 by Ann in IA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 If you like Elemental Science, you should move towards Classiquest. I would think this would be the next closest match. This is secular. I will more than likely make this switch myself. There are experiment kits soon to be available with some updates. These are Christian: I am leaning with BJU for highschool science. It is impressive in depth. You could easily enhance/use Apologia as well. I was very pleased with the Biology when combined with the Human text for a full year of Biology. I did consider the Biology alone was enough for my science-minded oldest, but felt better at expanding the depth of the information and providing additional resources. You could do this easily with a bit of research and work. You could supplement with secular reading from Prentice Hall series. I must say that I have no suggestions for a secular high school science. I would think Prentice Hall, Glencoe, and Scott Foresman are candidates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'm planning an 3 year integrated science program for high school, this would be for 9th-11th. Each year we will spend 10-12 weeks on physics, chemistry, then biology. We'll use a spine and round out with living books, some science great books, and a lab section each year. I've made no final decisions on spines, but have looked at the following. Conceptual Chemistry Conceptual Physics Chang Chemistry IGCSE Edexcel for Chem, bio, & physics IB program chem, bio, & physics Miller/Levine Biology Light & Matter Open Source physics books Some of the books I'm looking at using for science are listed here. His senior year will be choice, but I'm hoping he'll do AP of chem or physics or Earth or Environmental Science. For next year, 8th grade, he's opting to study computer programming. He'll be doing python and alice, probably on his own. Then in class we'll go through this book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 You may be able to continue with Elemental Science...The Biology for the Logic stage just came out, but the Earth Science & Astronomy for the logic stage should be out next year around this time...The plan is to release one each year...If all goes as planned, then you will be able to continue... At least this is what I was told ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Have to throw out --- http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/index.shtml Great, great high school science program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Have to throw out --- http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/index.shtml Great, great high school science program. I'm sorry to sneak into the thread ... Have you used this? seen it? It looks engaging and complete. I have not seen this before now. :D Of course, it is another program that needs to be examined. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Chrissy, My son used the Biology program (at that time the rest of the courses weren't available). The program is the most complete I've seen written specifically for homeschoolers. She also sells a lab kit that includes the most complete lab experience I've seen for use at home. The program prepared my son for the AP biology test. If any of my other kids homeschool through high school, I will use these courses. It is research based and just very well done. I have abosolutely nothing negative to say about it! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 TYVM, I have added this to the top of my list. I was browsing the site. I am so glad you mentioned this! Research-based is ideal for science, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 How do you like the McHenry programs? Are they from a Christian viewpoint? Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Here's our science plan: 7th: McHenry's Elements and Carbon Chemistry (along with chemistry experiments with a Thames and Kosmos kit). 8th: Conceptual Chemistry (inexpensive used textbook along with free online videos, worksheets, and more of the chemistry lab kit) 9th: Campbell's high school biology text: Biology-Exploring Life along with online activities and actual dissections 10th: Biology at local community college 11th: Chemistry at local community college AND Conceptual Physics at home 12th: Physics (non calculus) at local community college Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 How do you like the McHenry programs? Are they from a Christian viewpoint? Alison They are very well done and get great reviews on this board. They are secular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Have to throw out --- http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/index.shtml Great, great high school science program. Is this secular or Christian? I can't tell from her website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 it is secular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) Chrissy, My son used the Biology program (at that time the rest of the courses weren't available). The program is the most complete I've seen written specifically for homeschoolers. She also sells a lab kit that includes the most complete lab experience I've seen for use at home. The program prepared my son for the AP biology test. If any of my other kids homeschool through high school, I will use these courses. It is research based and just very well done. I have abosolutely nothing negative to say about it! :D I am very interested in this science. Would you give more specifics describing how your son used it? Sorry for the list of questions.... these are the things I would like to understand. I would be interested to know what books he used to answer the question sheets. Did he have trouble answering the questions fully? It seems like there would be a temptation to give too simple an answer if the student were not disciplined enough. How long did he spend working on the science days/week; minutes/lesson? Were there any science research papers written? I am considering Miller-Levine Biology if we go secular. Could it be used as a resource to answer some of the question sheets? Why is this science better than other sciences such as Apologia, Bob Jones, Holt, Miller-Levine.... In your opinion, (and to help me understand)... Why should I consider High School Science in Your Home? Did your son take the biology AP test? How did this curricula help him? Edited April 25, 2011 by Sweet Home Alabama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 In McHenry science, does it give answers into why things are happening, and are their answers to all of the questions? I noticed in the chp. 1 sample, it shows an experiment with a battery....does it explain why the experiment does what it does? Thank you, Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 In my perfect world, I would have done things a little differently, but I didn't know about all these programs at the time. What my oldest did: 7th - ps 8th - Prentice Hall Science Explorer (5 books of her choice from the 15 available) 9th - Miller&Levine Biology (never again will I touch this one) 10th - Spectrum Chemistry (never again) 11th - Hewitt's Conceptual Physics (never again) 12th - two classes at the cc, General College Physics and Introductory Chemistry what my middle dd did and will do: 7th - 4 Prentice Hall Science Explorer books of her choice 8th - 5 Prentice Hall Science Explorer books of her choice 9th - Holt Biology (will make sure to do chemistry BEFORE biology for my youngest) 10th - Giancoli's Physics 11th - Tro's Introductory Chemistry (this is next year) 12th - probably chemistry and biology at the cc My youngest is just in 7th grade this year. I started off this year planning to do something she would love, focus on architecture. I got Art of Construction and Engineering the City to use with her. What I found was that science just wasn't happening. This semester we have gone back to PH Science Explorer. She has done Animals and Environmental Science. Next year she will do physical science. She won't be doing Algebra I until 9th grade, so she can't do chemistry in 9th. I may have her do Oak Meadow's Environmental Science in 9th, Tro's Introductory Chemistry in 10th, Holt Biology in 11th, and some physics program (NOT Hewitt's because I hated it or Giancoli's because that would be too hard for her) in 12th. I may instead have her do Integrated Physics and Chemistry in 10th and then do a full-fledged chemistry or physics at the cc in 12th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 We have done: 7th - BJU Life Science 8th - PH Physical Science Concepts in Action Plan to do: 9th - PH Miller, Levine Biology 10 - Chemistry don't know which yet 11 - Physics don't know which yet 12 - Student choice, one will do Anatomy & Physiology, I don't know about the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I'm just copying and pasting this from something else I put together: We do not do physical science as a high school course. I follow interest-driven science typically until late middle school. My 9th grader completed all of Plato's middle school courses in 1 yr though. He enjoyed them. https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1024 Order? my older kids did/are doing...... 9th--biology 10th--chemistry 11th--anatomy and physiology 12th--AP (or college) chemistry or physics (or both) my younger crew will be doing chemistry before biology (I wish I had done all of them that way.) Where A&P is listed, it is replaced according to desired future pursuits. My 9th graders' schedule is below. My 6th grader will probably take some sort of ecology course b/c she thinks she wants to pursue some sort of naturalist/biology major. My 9th grader's schedule is completely abnormal. 8th--physics 9th--chemistry and astronomy 1 planned 10th AP chemistry and astronomy 2 11th AP physics 12th biology (he does not really like biology. ;) ) We are considering an alternative possibility with this ds. The local university does not allow dual enrollment, only the CCs. However, they do have an Young Scholars Program for 2nd semester jrs. So, we are now thinking about switching biology to 11th and having him apply for the YSP and have him take physics at the university instead. physics......I highly recommend Kinetic physics. The virtual labs are fantastic. Excellent course. I haven't gotten as far as planning AP physics yet. My ds will be going that route in 2 yrs. chemistry......I have used so many different chemistry courses that it makes me sick to think of all the $$ I have spent! I think I have finally made my decision as to how I will proceed in the future. Spectrum chemistry combined with PH chemistry. I do not think Spectrum has enough explanation on its own for my kids (at least not compared to the other chemistry courses my kids have taken) I added in Plato's chemistry in Dec for ds, and he has already finished over 1/2 of that course, so Plato is not really enough of a good supplement either. I have used TC's lectures with my kids and they are a good supplement. astronomy 1--The Cosmos and Understanding the Universe (TC lectures) + every single other astronomy course that TC has. (ds is obsessed with astronomy and physics in case you can't tell!) astronomy 2- The Cosmic Perspective: The Solar System (6th Edition) and Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (2nd Edition) (I have actually changed my mind about this and he is now going to do Yale's opencourseware class http://oyc.yale.edu/astronomy) He will probably do the Cosmic Perspective for a 3rd yr astronomy course. AP chemistry: online enrollment with Chemadvantage through PAH. biology-- Campbell's Concepts and Connections anatomy and physiology: Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology + student workbook http://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Anatomy-Physiology-Valerie-Scanlon/dp/0803610076/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1300819370&sr=8-5, + TC lectures, and the Anatomy Coloring book+ multiple dissections Computer science: 9th--python via AoPS 10th--C and C++ via books and MIT open courseware (there are 3 different ones I am looking at) 11th-- Stanford's SEE java http://see.stanford.edu/ 12th- AP computer science via PAH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Where are you buying/looking at Prentice Hall science products? I've found one website, but it was a bit confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Where are you buying/looking at Prentice Hall science products? I've found one website, but it was a bit confusing. I found 6 Prentice Hall Science Explorer books at Goodwill for .99 each! They are pretty common at homeschool curriculum sales too if you have some in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 The Prentice Hall website is awful. I have actual paper catalogs. Aside from the solution manuals, I buy my PH books on either ebay or amazon. I get my solution manuals from PH. You just have to sign the homeschool statement so they have you on file as a hser and then you will be allowed to buy all their products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Everyone complains about the Pearson site, but honestly, I have no trouble with it. I bought Physical Science on the For Sale board here at TWTM. I bought Biology directly from Pearson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I am very interested in this science. Would you give more specifics describing how your son used it? Sorry for the list of questions.... these are the things I would like to understand. I would be interested to know what books he used to answer the question sheets. He used the library to get his information. At the time we lived within walking distance of a public library and he spent about 4-5 hours a week at the library finding his information. Did he have trouble answering the questions fully? Yup, right up until the first quiz! ;) The student text is pretty explict in what you need to learn. And the TM has all of the info needed in it. I made sure we had a discussion each week before the test. If there was info he didn't have, I sent him back to find the info. It seems like there would be a temptation to give too simple an answer if the student were not disciplined enough. That's where you as the teacher come in. It is not a open the book and hand it over to the student program. How long did he spend working on the science days/week; minutes/lesson? 4-5 hours researching. 1-2 hours discussion and studying. 1-2 hours on lab work. About an hour to take the test each week. Were there any science research papers written? To be honost, I'm not sure. I don't have the program in front of me right now and it's been a few years. I require a science and history paper each year from my high school students, so I know he did one. Not sure if it was from the program or from me. I am considering Miller-Levine Biology if we go secular. Could it be used as a resource to answer some of the question sheets? I'm not familiar with this--if it is a text book, It could definatly be used to answer the questions. My reason for using the program was to not have a textbook that was simply read. I wanted my student to have to search and digest and think about the information he needed. Why is this science better than other sciences such as Apologia, Bob Jones, Holt, Miller-Levine.... In your opinion, (and to help me understand)... Why should I consider High School Science in Your Home? I didn't want the text book approach. That is why I didn't use any of those texts. Did your son take the biology AP test? He did. How did this curricula help him? He scored a 4 on the test without any study aids besides this program. Hope this made the program a little bit more clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Hope this made the program a little bit more clear. Thanks, I'm considering the chemistry for down the road. That answered a lot of my questions too. Having a decent TM would be paramount for me, and I really like the research aspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in SouthGa Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 We will be using Elemental Science Biology for Logic stage next year also for 5th and 7th grader. The plan is to stay with it as long as possible-I am just in love with this program! 5th grader will go through WTM sequence with Elemental (5th-8th), then probably Apologia Bio, Chem, Physics for HS (9th-11th) with elective of choice (or none) for 12th. 7th grader: Elemental Bio (7th); Elemental ES & Astronomy (8th); Apologia or DIVE Physical (9th); Apologia Bio (10th); Apol Chem (11th); elective or not for 12th I happen to already own the Bio 101 dvds, and will be adding them to the ES Biology. I am also toying with teaching this as a coop class, if I can figure out what to do with the little one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) Hope this made the program a little bit more clear. Thank you so much for answering my questions! This was so helpful. I've only seen this program mentioned a handful of times on this forum. It seems like it would be a benefit to others who are looking for high school biology. One more question.... were any particular books especially helpful to your son? Anything he referenced on a regular basis? If we used this curriculum, I just wonder if it would be a good idea to keep a few favorites on hand. The only downside I can see is the *need* to use the library so often.... i.e. arranging the schedule so that this can happen on a daily basis. We live close to our library but not within walking distance. Edited April 27, 2011 by Sweet Home Alabama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Thank you so much for answering my questions! This was so helpful. I've only seen this program mentioned a handful of times on this forum. It seems like it would be a benefit to others who are looking for high school biology. One more question.... were any particular books especially helpful to your son? Anything he referenced on a regular basis? If we used this curriculum, I just wonder if it would be a good idea to keep a few favorites on hand. The only downside I can see is the *need* to use the library so often.... i.e. arranging the schedule so that this can happen on a daily basis. We live close to our library but not within walking distance. I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions for specific books. I know the library had an encylopedia set specifically about the human body that he used for quite a few weeks. Having a place to do research is important for this program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Home Alabama Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions for specific books. I know the library had an encylopedia set specifically about the human body that he used for quite a few weeks. Having a place to do research is important for this program. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayden Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Have to throw out --- http://www.scienceforhighschool.com/index.shtml Great, great high school science program. Glad to hear this. It's what I am planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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