Talk to me about K12's middle school science

[Matryoshka]

So, dd grade 5 is just loving Exploration Education - it's on the computer, written to the student, and it has pretty much daily hands-on activities.

 

I was at a party tonight, and someone said this is pretty much the way k12's science is set up. I looked at their online sample lessons, and at least from the lesson themselves, it does look very similar. So, I have questions for anyone who's used it.

 

1. Do you find the depth of content good at the middle school level? Did you feel you need to supplement (a little? a lot? not at all?)

 

2. What's the difference between advanced vs. regular?

 

3. Is there a physical textbook at all (or any other physical materials)?

 

4. How often are the hands-on activities/labs, and do some/most/all of the materials come with the course, or do I have to keep finding things for it?

 

5. Are the hands-on activities/labs written to the student, and how much interaction from the teacher is required?

 

6. Did you use the optional teacher support, or do it via independent study, and why did you / didn't you like that option?

 

7. It is completely secular, and the biology includes evolution, yes?

 

This route would have been completely wrong for my older two, but could be just the thing for my youngest. Such a different kid!

[Halcyon]

:bigear:

[Kebo]

We used K12 Science for the past two years. Here are our answers:

 

So, dd grade 5 is just loving Exploration Education - it's on the computer, written to the student, and it has pretty much daily hands-on activities.

 

I was at a party tonight, and someone said this is pretty much the way k12's science is set up. I looked at their online sample lessons, and at least from the lesson themselves, it does look very similar. So, I have questions for anyone who's used it.

 

1. Do you find the depth of content good at the middle school level? Did you feel you need to supplement (a little? a lot? not at all?)

 

**We didn't supplement, and I wouldn't say it was rigorous but it covered the topics pretty well.

 

2. What's the difference between advanced vs. regular?

 

**We did one year each way. The main difference was that the advanced year didn't come with a student handbook :confused:, and may have had additional testing. I didn't feel the content itself was much different, but I may have missed some subtler changes.

 

3. Is there a physical textbook at all (or any other physical materials)?

 

**There is a student handbook, but it essentially is a schedule rather than teaching materials. We had the option of purchasing it or printing off of the website. For our advanced year, the purchase wasn't an option for some reason, but it was still available online.

 

4. How often are the hands-on activities/labs, and do some/most/all of the materials come with the course, or do I have to keep finding things for it?

 

**I remember having a lab every couple of weeks or so. Most of the materials come with, but we did have to find a few accessories.

 

5. Are the hands-on activities/labs written to the student, and how much interaction from the teacher is required?

 

**Yes, the activities are written to the student. Teacher involvement would depend on how well the student works independently.

 

6. Did you use the optional teacher support, or do it via independent study, and why did you / didn't you like that option?

 

**We did independent study, for the flexibility. I'm sure the teacher support option would have been fine, although I'm not sure that it would have added anything to the experience.

 

7. It is completely secular, and the biology includes evolution, yes?

 

**It is secular. Evolution was covered, though not in an in-depth way.

 

This route would have been completely wrong for my older two, but could be just the thing for my youngest. Such a different kid!

 

**K12 Science and History were the two courses from K12 that my son liked and wished to continue with. He did prefer to work independently, and this made it easy.

[prairiewindmomma]

We are using 4th grade this year, and I just examined grades 5-8 science materials this week.

 

:iagree: with the pp..... I really like the program, but I thought I'd share things that were relevant for me.

 

A few things to consider:

*There is breadth, but not a whole lot of depth. You are covering, in 5th grade at least, a lot of topics. In the jr. high years you are covering more specific subjects (physical science, etc.)

*The labs are a key part of the curriculum. The student pages include the labs and the occasional worksheet. The "text" is online for 5th grade. In later years there is a tangible textbooks.

*You still have to scramble for a number of science supplies even if you get the kits with the main stuff. Most are household items, but they are often things I don't just have hanging around the house.