Just got off the phone w/ the Biology product specialist at Prentice Hall....

[Beth in SW WA]

She discouraged me from purchasing Exploring Life (Campbell) and said the Miller/Levine Bio text would be a better fit for homeschool. She said it would be hard to do either w/o access to sophisticated lab materials (which I don't own).

 

She said EL was set up for schools who have special access to the interactive website.

 

I'm looking for a Bio text that ds 13 can read/study over 2 years (8th/9th).

 

I have the option to do Apologia through our local homeschool group -- but not for another year (local teacher really pushes Physical in 8th).

 

Thoughts??? Thanks!

[Jane in NC]

Beth,

 

There are some terrific ideas on the Internet for labs. In fact, many schools cannot afford a lot of the expensive equipment that is recommended in the lab manuals, so they improvise as well. For example, I learned from the AP Bio teachers listserv that many teachers use baggies for the osmosis/diffusion lab in the AP lab manual--they don't buy the special tubing!

 

We used the big Campbell this year at home. I have nothing against Miller/Levine, but I think that any dedicated student can read a textbook. So I would go with what you think your student would understand.

 

Best regards,

Jane

[Beth in SW WA]

Jane,

Do you think the EL book would be fine w/o the web interactive portion?

Thanks!

[Jane in NC]

Jane,

Do you think the EL book would be fine w/o the web interactive portion?

Thanks!

 

When we purchased the Big Campbell, it came with a number that granted us web access for a year. (And boy did I luck into this one. I found the latest edition of Campbell, code intact, for $1.99 at a college text book store. The corner had been clipped--only flaw I could find!) Why would you not have web access? Or would you only have web access for a limited amount of time?

 

My son did greatly appreciate the web tutorials which helped solidify concepts. There were clear demonstrations and quizzes.

 

Since we have not used EL, I cannot report specifically on that book. I did glance at the PH website and saw that the online component is emphasized. I wonder how it is different from the Big Campbell text with online features that we used this year.

 

Sorry not to be of more help.

Jane

[danielle]

Our high school uses Miller/Levine for intro "honors" bio. FWIW.

Danielle

[RoughCollie]

I'm teaching 9th grade biology next year. I found a lot of labs online which I plan to use to supplement the curriculum I bought, called High School Biology in Your Home. Ninety percent of that curricula, by the way, covers the Massachusetts standards, which are among the best in the nation. I just like to fiddle with things and make them harder than they need to be!

 

With the book How to Dissect, available at Amazon, and a bunch of dead animals to cut up, along with a microscope and a set of premade slides, we are good to go.

 

Really, with all the virtual dissections available on the internet, plus the many websites which show what your student would see with the microscope, even those things aren't strictly necessary.

 

Here are some bio labs I found online which use materials that are relatively easy to procure:

 

http://www.troy.k12.ny.us/thsbiology/labs_online/home_labs/labs_online_home_labs.html

 

http://www.troy.k12.ny.us/thsbiology/skinny/skinny.html

 

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/

 

http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/ProjH/cardiovascularsystem.cfm

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eheart/transplant.html

 

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

 

http://www.zerobio.com/drag_gr9.htm

 

And here is an online biology textbook:

 

http://www.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobooktoc.html

 

If you search Google -- virtual dissections biology -- you will find lots of sites for that too. And it isn't cheating -- our local high school gives its students the choice of virtual or actual dissections.

 

All sorts of supplies for biology can be purchased at http://www.carolina.com or from http://www.hometrainingtools.com/catalog/life-science-biology/cat_dissection.html

 

I think biology is a science that readily lends itself to be taught at home and IMO you don't need a publisher's website or fancy tools to do it.

 

RC

[AngieW in Texas]

I have the Miller/Levine book and have been using it with my 9th grader all year. I think it's definitely at an honors level and I really didn't want an honors level biology. I gave up on the labs in the biology book. I'm going to order virtual biology labs for my dd to do over the summer after she finishes the text.

 

For my next dd (even though she is my science-y girl), I'm going to go with Holt for biology. I've seen their biology text and it's much more doable. Since she is my science girl, I'm going to use LabPaqs for her labs.

[Mad Jenny Flint]

You may already be aware of this, but EL has a CD component that can be purchased which includes all of the online activities- advertised as a "backup" for when online service can't be accessed by the school. I purchased it used for about 20$ on Amazon.

 

We will sort through the lab manual and figure out which labs I can realistically do, and then if there are not enough labs I will supplement, probably with dissections and the book "How to Dissect" which was recommended on these boards- I'm big on dissections. :)

[Pam in MA]

When you're referring to the "big Campbell", is that the one titled just "Biology" as opposed to EL, "Exploring Life"? Both published by Prentice-Hall?

 

Thanks!

[Jane in NC]

When you're referring to the "big Campbell", is that the one titled just "Biology" as opposed to EL, "Exploring Life"? Both published by Prentice-Hall?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, the "Big Campbell" goes by the name of Biology. It is the book that is often used in college and AP courses. There is another Campbell that the biology teachers on the College Board's AP Listserv call "Baby Campbell". I'm not sure which that is.

 

If having various texts is not sufficiently confusing, throw in the various editions and ancillary materials (study guides, lab manuals, etc.). It is all overwhelming and can be frightfully expensive.

 

Jane

[Beth in SW WA]

 

You don't need a lot of expensive, specialized equipment to do a solid, first rate intro biology course. I think a microscope and a good set of slides is ideal - and there are a number of other Home Science Tools products we use as supplements... but you don't need a lot of bells and whistles...

 

What would be the minimum number of labs a Bio class should have in order to receive the lab credit for transcript purposes?

 

I already know that UofW in Seattle said virtual labs are acceptable. I should have asked the admissions officer "how many" labs were necessary.

 

Thanks to all who chimed in on these questions regarding EL vs. Miller/Levine.

[Beth in SW WA]

You may already be aware of this, but EL has a CD component that can be purchased which includes all of the online activities- advertised as a "backup" for when online service can't be accessed by the school. I purchased it used for about 20$ on Amazon.

 

Jenny, what is the ISBN for the CD? Thanks!!

[Michelle in MO]

I'm so silly, but I tend to get "worried" when I don't see my WTM friends on the boards for a while! :)

[Beth in SW WA]

I'm so silly, but I tend to get "worried" when I don't see my WTM friends on the boards for a while! :)

 

Thanks, Michelle. We just disappeared to Maui for a couple weeks. Back in action now. You're sweet for asking :)

[Mad Jenny Flint]

Here is a link to it on Amazon. As you can see, they have used ones from 9.99. I'm sure I didn't pay much more than that, now that I think on it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Exploring-Life-Neil-Campbell/dp/0131150626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211454484&sr=8-1

[Beth in SW WA]

Thanks Jenny. I ordered the book for $9.99 used and the CD-Rom for $9.99 new, from separate sellers. I hope it all arrives as promised in full working condition.

 

Thanks gang for all your help.