Michelle T Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Has anyone here ever spent a school year just studying important/famous scientists as they come up in history, rather than doing regular science, such as biology or space? My DS really dislikes science, but enjoys history very much. I'm contemplating spending a school year or two just reading about important scientists as we come to their spot in history, (We're doing a rapid-pace world history tour using SOTW series, but reading a couple chapters per week.) maybe doing a notebook page on the scientist, and possibly a simple experiment of some sort that would be along the lines of whatever field their discoveries were in. Has anyone here done something like this? I know Beautiful Feet puts out a curriculum scheduling this very thing, but it seems easy enough to do on my own. Any suggestions, advice, pointers for me? DS is 12, but on a lower academic level due to raging ADHD and LD's. Michelle T :001_tt1: Just felt like trying this smilie out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 AO Year 3 recommends Story of Inventions. You can find all but the last two chapters online at http://www.mainlesson.com. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Crazy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 There is a book called Scientists Through the Ages It goes through 20 scientists, I think, talking about their lives and what they did. Then there is a little experiment that connects to what the scientist did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I've been looking at the Historical Connections books from AIMS. http://www.aimsedu.org/index.html Here's a description from the website: Grades 6-12 Interesting reading in the content area! This illustrated collection links history and mathematics with biographical information, famous quotations, and fascinating anecdotes from the lives of 30 mathematicians (10 in each volume). Each chapter also includes four to six ready-to-use classroom activities that relate to the work of the mathematician. Reproducible activity sheets range from problem-solving exercises to hands-on learning experiences and skits. Volume I: Pythagoras, Archimedes, Napier, Galileo, Fermat, Pascal, Newton, Euler, Gauss, and Germain Or, http://www.livingmath.net has a similar study plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I had my dd (when 9) do this for six months while I was waiting for Apologia's Zoology III to come out. I selected different biographies for each scientist (sometimes it was an inventor) and she spent the week reading the biography. She had to write two papers - one a factual report of that person's life and the other was a fiction paper assuming the viewpoint of a character in the scientist's life. She enjoyed doing the fictional stories. She did a hilarious one on Alexander Graham Bell from the viewpoint of the dog he taught to talk. We should have done experiments too, but we never got around to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeke Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 How about The Story of Science series, by Joy Hakim? Perfect for reading your way through science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 How about The Story of Science series, by Joy Hakim? Perfect for reading your way through science. I second this recc. It is a very readable series. Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 in my house. Scientific discoveries shaped history. If early astronomers didn't learn what they did, explorers would not have have been able to navigate the seas. Last century the building of the atomic bomb had an obvious effect on world history. However, knowing who made these discoveries does not teach the science behind them. And assumptions made by scientists ancient times were disproven by scientists in the renaissance. I think it is very important to learn about these extrordinary people who shaped history as much as leaders of civilizations. However, it is not really a science course unless you are actually learning the science behind these discoveries. What is it about science your ds does not like? Are his LDs in writing. Would an informal course that limits writing and spends a lot of time on experiments and some videos from the library help. How does your son learn best? That said, I like The Story of Science by Hakim. My eighth grader had the vol 3 as one of his assigned texts in history this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 What about Beautiful Feet History of Science? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I've got to 2nd BF Science. Nice literature approach with some neat and easy experiments too! Their audio cds are good too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I have the BF guide too and plan to use it one year. You can borrow most of the books from the library, and I find the used guides very reasonably priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tami Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 and if you go to the author's website, there is a guide available to "flesh out" the science book with experiments, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 My son is 10, and he'll be using Hakim's Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way as a spine. Alongside that, he'll be reading: Archimedes and the Door of Science Galen and the Gateway to Medicine Science in Ancient China Science in Ancient Egypt Science in Ancient Greece Science in Ancient India Science in Ancient Mesopotamia Science in Ancient Rome For hands-on stuff, he'll be doing some activities from Ancient Science: 40 Time-Traveling, World-Exploring, History-Making Activities for Kids. I think it'll be a fun year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Archimedes and the Door of ScienceGalen and the Gateway to Medicine Science in Ancient China Science in Ancient Egypt Science in Ancient Greece Science in Ancient India Science in Ancient Mesopotamia Science in Ancient Rome Great books! I managed to get the Science in Ancient __________ when my library discarded some of them. Yahoo! I've also always wanted to incorporate this book: Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China http://www.amazon.com/Made-China-Inventions-Ancient-Dragon/dp/1881896145/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215352730&sr=8-1 Oh, and for the older students and adults, this is an incredible Teaching Company series (our library carries it): History of Science: Antiquity to 1700 http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=1200 A couple of books I also hope to use are: The Story of Inventions (CLP) http://www.amazon.com/Story-Inventions-Michael-McHugh/dp/1930092407/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215353041&sr=8-1 and The Usborne Book of Scientists From Archimedes to Einstein http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Book-Scientists-Archimedes-Einstein/dp/0590621807/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1215353077&sr=11-1 Oh, a great book on Archimedes for a younger audience is Archimedes Takes a Bath (Joan M. Lexau) It's out of print, but I found mine at a library book sale. I also plan to get these two Naxos audio stories for the van: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Inventors-Their-Inventions-Gutenberg/dp/9626344199/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215353320&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Great-Scientists-Discoveries-Junior-Classics/dp/9626344407/ref=reg_hu-wl_mrai-recs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 You all have some really great ideas! Now I am going to research about this. This will be fun! Thank you Michelle T for starting this topic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadiegirl Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 We are doing famous inventors for science this year. I have been picking up various books about inventors and inventions that look great for us. We are going to throw in Prentice Hall as well for a science core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmomofboys Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 We are doing something very similar. We will be using Trisms HistoryMakers in 1 yr and they will be studying a scientist, explorer and artist with each lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah in tenn Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 The Great Physicists from Galileo to Einstein by George Gamow sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoffeeBean Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 The Story of Science by Hakim - its both history and science (3 volumes) CoffeeBean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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