Cindy in WA Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I've been reading about science recommendations and have become a bit confused. I had planned to start our youngest in APologia's Physical Science, then procede to Biology, and let him choose an upper level science. But I've read that some people don't believe that Physical Science is adequate for high school. A little background. This student has to work very hard in school. The work load for high school this year will be a challenge for him. Because of a late start in reading, though he reads well now, we have worked for years to get him up to grade level. We are pretty close (within a few months to 1 1/2 years) in all subjects. He does plan to go to college some day. Thank you, Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Meet him where he is. If you try to use a science that he is not ready to handle, you will be setting him up for failure. There is nothing wrong with the Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry sequence for high school. I would not eliminate chemistry as many colleges require it, but there is nothing wrong with taking chemistry his junior year instead of his sophomore year. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura K (NC) Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I think Physical Science would be just fine for a freshman who struggles a bit and doesn't care much for science. The text we used, A Beka's, did a nice overview of both chemistry and physics that laid great groundwork for future classes. I think many schools are doing physical science in freshman year these days, like schools back in my day used to do biology first. My kids are all doing sciences in different sequences depending on their interest and math ability. I'm thinking my least mathy son will do Biology/Conceptual Physics/Chemistry/Anatomy and Physiology as a sequence (the anatomy and physiology because he's an artist... that might change if his interests change). I feel strongly about them having four years of science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 starts physical science in the freshmen year; physical science is not offered at our middle school. Biology is taken in 10th grade, Chemistry in 11th grade, and Physics in 12th grade. This is not a bad sequence to follow, so if your student simply isn't ready for Biology in 9th grade, I don't believe you would be doing him/her a disservice by having him/her take Physical Science in 9th grade. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 IMO there's nothing wrong with physical science for a freshman. Many high schools offer it, even for college prep students. Dh and I would like our children to take one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics in high school, but that is just our personal preference. Ds #1 has always been my science kid. He did bio in 8th and chem in 9th and will do physics in 10th, leaving time to do 2 AP or community college science courses. Ds #2 doesn't care for science, so he will do BJU Physical Science in 9th, then the bio, chem, physics sequence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 It's not so much that Physical Science isn't adequate for high school, rather it's that many colleges don't consider it a high school level course. So you could be setting yourself up for an admissions problem. If you already know where he will be heading for college (or the type of setting) you can do a little research and see if it would be a problem. One option that I would suggest is to do a year of Conceptual Physics. It has a physical science component, but is technically a high school level course (Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program by Hewitt). It is a typical 9th grade text although many will use it anytime during high school. It is a fun course and there are a lot of helps (and virtual demonstrations) on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 One option that I would suggest is to do a year of Conceptual Physics. It has a physical science component, but is technically a high school level course (Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program by Hewitt). It is a typical 9th grade text although many will use it anytime during high school. It is a fun course and there are a lot of helps (and virtual demonstrations) on the internet. This isn't the book called Touch This! Conceptual Physics for Everyone, is it? I'm looking at Hewitt's site and seeing a few things there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 No, it's a different book. I haven't seen or used Touch This!, but Hewitt does a great job with making physics fun and painless (or less painful than it could be :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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