Apologia Zoo 2 Swimming Creatures w. supplements for middle schooler.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Hi, friends. I miss ya'll. :grouphug:

 

Did anybody do Swimming Creatures w/ supplements of additional reading? Got a lesson plan?

 

I'm getting the notebook, but would like to beef it up in the same way we beefed up anatomy w/ the free lesson plans at the yahoo group. I checked there first, to no avail.

 

Thanks.

Tina

[lillehei]

IMHO, having just used Apologia Human Anatomy and Physiology with the notebooking journal, I don't think it is meaty enough for middle school. I can't even imagine what to add except getting a different middle school curriculum.

[johnandtinagilbert]

On the yahoo groups, there is a list of additional work for anatomy that really beefs it up. I am hoping for the same kind of increase for swimming creatures. Makes for a nice and easy base, then depth in other places, while keeping dd interested and on the same page as ds. Def. not enough on its own for middle school in our house.

[Renaissance Mom]

This is my favorite one of the Apologia elementary books! I seriously think it contains a great deal of information densely packed. Although it is written so that youngers can enjoy and understand much of it, there is so much there that a middle school student could absorb it all and then run with it.

 

I added Awesome Ocean Science by Cindy Littlefield for a bit of oceanography. It is written for ages 7-12 but you can make as much or as little of it as you want to.

 

If you ask a middle grade student to sketch, diagram, and label the anatomy or distinguishing features of each critter group, do more significant "experiment" write ups (similar to what the Aplogia General Science and Physical Science texts suggest), and add one independent investigation and presentation (powerpoint, report, poster, speech, display board, etc.) per lesson/chapter, you will have a very nice course.

 

Links I've found helpful for my older dd to do those independent or supplemental investigations are:

 

http://ocean.si.edu/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/games.shtml

http://lapazfarm.wordpress.com/about/

http://www.swbg-animals.org/

http://www.si.edu/marinescience/education.htm

http://homeschoolingisfun.com/resources/science/apologia/zoology-2/

 

Others have recommended The Seaside Naturalist by Deborah Coulombe. It does have some additional topics and some additional detail in some sections, but I do think that in many (not all) areas, the Apologia book goes into more depth. I really like the looks of The Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore: Beach Ecology from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras by Scott Shumway but haven't actually used it yet. I suspect it might be a bit too much for middle school.

 

I know this isn't a lesson plan. But I have found that simply using the text plus listing the requirements I have for additional independent work results in a beautiful and indepth notebook at the end of the year. It documents real learning, real investigation, real writing, and real joy!

 

HTH. Enjoy!

[johnandtinagilbert]

Monica, thank you so much. That is just what I was hoping for: investigation, drawing, and joy! I'll be researching for certain.

In appreciation,

Tina

[johnandtinagilbert]

Hi. I found this thread that had some great help, too. I also got The Ocean Book and Study Guide and the VanCleave Oceans. I'm in the process of lesson planning to keep us all together, but add to the Middle School workload with all the materials. I'll get VanCleave from the library, as I am only using few chapters from there. Great stuff all around, but I don't want the oceanography focus that VanCleave offers. Just waiting on the The Ocean Book in the mail. I'll post when I have the plan all done. Thanks again for all the suggestions both past and present.