hillfarm Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 My thanks also to all who have contributed to this thread. We will be doing 5th grade this fall and I still haven't found a science curriculum that I like. I absolutely hate experiments as busy work and totally agree that if the student knows what will happen, then why bother to do the experiment? I think what I am seeking is a curriculum that uses a child's natural, age appropriate curiosity as a springboard for delving into the scientific reasons for why things are the way they are. That introduces terminology as needed to understand the explanations. That requires students to spend some time observing their subject and ask more questions, then focuses on the answers to those questions. I guess what I want is a program that will follow and support my student's inquisitive nature, not direct it and certainly not squelch it. I don't think grammar aged students perceive science as an academic subject, they think of it as a way of answering all of those "Why" questions that are buzzing around in their heads. With botany, for example, I think my dd would be much more captivated with learning about why plants grow where they do and where they come from before learning the parts of a flower. She wanted to know why the tree leaves were shaped differently before she cared about the internal structure of a leaf. I would love to see a curriculum that adds layers of complexity tied to the maturing mental capacities of the students. Kids want to know things out of sequence frequently. Dd, for example, wanted to know why dogs don't have kitten babies, which led us to a basic discussion of genetics, when she was 3. She didn't give a hoot about zygotes or any of the structural details that most textbooks insist must be taught first. Now that she is 9, she is more interested in how the fertilized cell begins to divide and differentiate. Is there anything out there that bases the S&S on the child's mental capacity to understand and question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 Thanks for adding to the conversation, hillfarm. I don't think grammar aged students perceive science as an academic subject, they think of it as a way of answering all of those "Why" questions that are buzzing around in their heads. I hope that is the way they see it! We rob them of this if we start drumming in the things to memorize that don't have a contextual place to fit into the child's understanding. I would love to see a curriculum that adds layers of complexity tied to the maturing mental capacities of the students. Kids want to know things out of sequence frequently. I would too. As I have considered putting together a curriculum I am beginning to realize how difficult this would be. There is such a large amount of material that would have to be readily available (and mostly understood by the parent teacher) in order to skip around with your child's inquisitiveness. I feel somewhat comfortable with this because of my education, but how can a curriculum give this to a parent who doesn't have a strong science background? Goes back to the Stacia's comment on "science teacher included in the box." But really, what would it take? Is there anything out there that bases the S&S on the child's mental capacity to understand and question?I hope that the book recommended by nmoira and others will do this - Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. My copy should be here Thursday :). One other obstacle, and this is true of many curricula, is that mental capacity varies from child to child. This is not only a function of learning style and age-related development, but experiences too. Creating a curriculum is sounding more and more daunting all the time. And I am sounding more and more like an unschooler all the time. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I hope that the book recommended by nmoira and others will do this - Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. My copy should be here Thursday :). Did you get the book? If so, what did you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Curious too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novafan Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 This is such a wonderful thread I just had to bump it up yet again. :D I have come to the realization that I need to piece together our science "curriculum" as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Why I like Singapore Science: Stays on one topic for an extended period of time. Each topic builds on the concepts of the one before it. Cycles through all major topics every two years (It's on a two year cycle) Emphasizes biology, chemistry, and physical science which is a back to basics approach. Complete Curriculum in a box, tests included. Test bank includes review sheets, chapter tests, as well as cummulative tests along with scoring guide. Hands on labs with items around the house! (I've only needed to get a microscope) Tests and workbooks ask questions which make you think, they don't ask for regurgitation. For example, they'll show a diagrams of electrical circuits and the kid has to figure out which one will not work, or which one would light up the brightest based on concepts. They give you the answer and it's always "Oh, I should have thought about that!" or Why didn't this experiment work out? Why do you think the worm died? Why can't these plants reproduce? Comes with various kinds of teacher manuals. My favorite is one which teaches the teacher the same concepts as the student is learning, only more in depth. I've emailed folks who are content experts, hold degrees science fields, samples of workbook pages and tests on the topic that they are in and they've told me it's very good. No silly emphasis on either creationism or evolution as if they felt pressured to make some sort of statement about it. The lessons do not fill out a full academic year and this leaves us a LOT of time to explore biographies of scientists, outside reading, and spend more time on labs. I really detests "labs" that are about entertainment and not about demonstrating some topic. Singapore labs are, for the most part, not edutainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I'm going to check out Singapore Science, thanks for the recommendation. I'm a little hesitant to get the Nebel's Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding because it appears to be more of an outline than a curriculum but I would love to hear from someone that has used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 Sorry - I really have been reading through Nebel's book (among a million other things right now). I promise a forthcoming comprehensive review. So far all is really positive. Stay tuned.... :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldee Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I like the AIG science books. They have questions and experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Does anybody use Singapore's Integrative Science for 7th grade and up? We're planning on using Tanglewood's Create-Your-Own Curriculum at http://www.tanglewoodeducation.com/bkssci.htm with an emphasis on nature and nature walks for the elementary grades. We'll also do introduction to biology, chemistry and physics from 4-6th grades, but I want to hear recommendations on 7th-12th. I'm considering Rainbow Science, but some say it's not meaty enough. I want something similar to what Targhee is looking for, but at the same time I'm not much of a science person (at least not yet!). I would also like books about inventors, engineers and scientists and living books incorporated into the science curriculum. Now if only Noeo Science offered lessons for the 7-12th grade crowd! I do like science, but because of math issues I wasn't able to do a great job at school (schools in the Dutch system are rigorous in this regard). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Why I like Singapore Science: Stays on one topic for an extended period of time. Each topic builds on the concepts of the one before it. Cycles through all major topics every two years (It's on a two year cycle) Emphasizes biology, chemistry, and physical science which is a back to basics approach. Complete Curriculum in a box, tests included. Test bank includes review sheets, chapter tests, as well as cummulative tests along with scoring guide. Hands on labs with items around the house! (I've only needed to get a microscope) Tests and workbooks ask questions which make you think, they don't ask for regurgitation. For example, they'll show a diagrams of electrical circuits and the kid has to figure out which one will not work, or which one would light up the brightest based on concepts. They give you the answer and it's always "Oh, I should have thought about that!" or Why didn't this experiment work out? Why do you think the worm died? Why can't these plants reproduce? Comes with various kinds of teacher manuals. My favorite is one which teaches the teacher the same concepts as the student is learning, only more in depth. I've emailed folks who are content experts, hold degrees science fields, samples of workbook pages and tests on the topic that they are in and they've told me it's very good. No silly emphasis on either creationism or evolution as if they felt pressured to make some sort of statement about it. The lessons do not fill out a full academic year and this leaves us a LOT of time to explore biographies of scientists, outside reading, and spend more time on labs. I really detests "labs" that are about entertainment and not about demonstrating some topic. Singapore labs are, for the most part, not edutainment. Myrtle, Which levels of Singapore science are you using? Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novafan Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Sorry - I really have been reading through Nebel's book (among a million other things right now). I promise a forthcoming comprehensive review. So far all is really positive. Stay tuned.... :lurk5: Positive? Good!! Because I'm waiting to get a big 'ol thumbs up from you to press the order button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Have you looked at Nebel's Elementary Education? It's not a detailed day to day curriculum (which is the reason we're not using it for elementary; I just don't have that much time), but rather an overview of what should appear in a K-6 course. While it covers all subjects, science is its heart. Dr. Nebel has a Yahoo! group (Nebelselementaryeducation) with a number of files with aids, including a huge book list categorized by topic and reading level. He has recently published a more detailed K-2 curriculum entitled: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. Our homeschool is history and language based; Dr. Nebel's materials would be perfect for a science based homeschool. I totally agree and we have used Nebel's in the past and will be using the new Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding this year with my 3rd grader and PKer. I just received the latter and it is wonderful. Dr. Nebel offers online support for questions via yahoo egroups. I know it is a curriculum for K-2nd grade but there is so much there. I think that I can expand on some of the topics for my older daughter if she wants to investigate further. Edited additions: I am planning on doing some experiments from Janice Van Cleave books (I have several) for fun. I love her books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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