Using Holt/Oak Meadow for biology - what IS their teacher's manual?

[DarlaS]

Do I need this?

 

I have the book, the syllabus and the lab supplies. I'm feeling like I missed something. For one thing, there are a lot of questions in the syllabus--and no answer key.

 

Is the teacher's manual just an answer key to the questions in the syllabus? Is there more to it? I see a number to call and order the teacher's book, but no description of what it is. (Also it's Saturday and I'm impatient--figured someone here would know. :))

 

Also, are there no tests for these courses?? That can't be right. :001_huh:

[oldskool]

:bigear:

[Bee]

It has the answers to questions in the syllabus, rubrics for grading assignments, and many teacher's resources pages for the labs. (In retrospect, I should have gone through the manual first, chosen certain labs and made sure I had materials on hand. )There is a midterm/ lab activity and final/lab activity. If you are using teacher support thru OM you wouldn't need the teachers manual.

[DarlaS]

It has the answers to questions in the syllabus, rubrics for grading assignments, and many teacher's resources pages for the labs. (In retrospect, I should have gone through the manual first, chosen certain labs and made sure I had materials on hand. )There is a midterm/ lab activity and final/lab activity. If you are using teacher support thru OM you wouldn't need the teachers manual.

 

I'm not using Oak Meadow's online program (if that's what you meant).

 

Sounds like I should order this manual. It might make life easier this year--and that's a good thing.

 

I'm adding a few labs from the book itself since it appears (so far--I'm only through week 7) that there are no microscope labs in the syllabus. :001_huh: I don't know whether to be more bothered by that or the lack of tests. I may have to make my own.

 

I wonder if I'm out of my mind yet or just heading that way. :tongue_smilie:

[AngieW in Texas]

The teacher manual is the answer key. There are no tests for the course.

 

I thought the labs were pretty lame. Most of the labs were paper labs - those were the ok labs. The few hands-on labs were mostly art projects.

 

All of the labs were from the Holt book.

 

I thought it was a good biology course, so long as labs are added from some other source.

[DarlaS]

The teacher manual is the answer key. There are no tests for the course.

 

I thought the labs were pretty lame. Most of the labs were paper labs - those were the ok labs. The few hands-on labs were mostly art projects.

 

All of the labs were from the Holt book.

 

I thought it was a good biology course, so long as labs are added from some other source.

 

My Holt book does have some microscope labs. I plan to do as many of the book labs as possible. I'm hoping that's enough. Do you have another source you would recommend?

 

I did get a slightly different version of the book. The pages seem to line up. (I checked several chapters at both the beginning and end--but not every one yet.)

 

This is the one I got:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Holt-Biology-George-B-Johnson/dp/0030740614/ref=tmm_hrd_title_popover?ie=UTF8&qid=1309018177&sr=8-1

 

This is the one that matches the isbn # given by OM:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Biology-George-B-Johnson/dp/003066473X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309018177&sr=8-2

 

Mine has a few extra pages, and includes standardized test prep (which would help me come up with a few test questions).

 

I have no idea if there are any differences at all since I don't have the exact OM book, but all the chapter titles & page numbers are the same.

[FrogMom5]

I used the teacher's manual to check answers to the syllabus and labs. Yes, the labs are lame. We did some of our own stuff, like dissecting. We also used the HHMI videos to supplement some of the chapters.

 

For tests, I used the questions in the syllabus. They require the child to explain things so I thought that was a good test of whether he knew the material or not.

Denise

[DarlaS]

I used the teacher's manual to check answers to the syllabus and labs. Yes, the labs are lame. We did some of our own stuff, like dissecting. We also used the HHMI videos to supplement some of the chapters.

 

For tests, I used the questions in the syllabus. They require the child to explain things so I thought that was a good test of whether he knew the material or not.

Denise

 

 

 

I'm SO glad you posted this. I was really over thinking the whole test thing. This will free up more time for labs.

 

I see how I will do this now. I will keep the syllabus in my possession, use some of the questions for oral discussion, some for written work and some for... TESTS! :w00t:

 

I don't want a test every week, so this will work out nicely.

 

Are these the videos you're talking about?

 

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/video/

 

I also have a Netflix list going--mostly NOVA stuff. It's a biology year for all three younger kids and I'm starting to get excited. Hope I don't end up overdoing it...

[AngieW in Texas]

That's actually the text I have as well.

 

There are a lot of labs in the text that OM doesn't assign (OM always assigned 1 or 2 labs each week) because there are a ton in the book. The ones that OM mostly chose to assign were the paper labs and crafty labs. If you get the lab kit from OM, it won't have much in it aside from craft supplies. There is a little magnifying glass and some plastic tubing, but mostly it's pipe cleaners and beads and yarn and things like that.

[DarlaS]

That's actually the text I have as well.

 

There are a lot of labs in the text that OM doesn't assign (OM always assigned 1 or 2 labs each week) because there are a ton in the book. The ones that OM mostly chose to assign were the paper labs and crafty labs. If you get the lab kit from OM, it won't have much in it aside from craft supplies. There is a little magnifying glass and some plastic tubing, but mostly it's pipe cleaners and beads and yarn and things like that.

 

Yeah. I did buy it and felt a little ripped off. :glare: I won't make that mistake again. I will probably be skipping many of them in favor of the book labs (or just doing them with some discussion instead of filling out the paperwork).

 

I am going to be spending a bit more on the supplies we will REALLY use (At least they are mostly non-consumable items.).

 

Have you heard of this company?

 

http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm/subsection/4

 

Their prices look pretty good. A glass funnel like they have was much more on amazon.