I've been pondering science...

[julikins]

I've been pondering elementary science, wondering what my goals are for my children in the science area.

 

I understand the WTM/Classical perspective of children getting a foundation of understanding in Biology, chemistry and physics, with increasing difficulty. With hands-on and exploring the scientific method, the child has a good basis for future exploration.

 

Then there are those that have more of an exploratory attack on science--giving children good science books, experiments in many different areas, nature study, etc. More informal, but giving children the opportunity to lead study through interest and dig deep into those things that catch their attention.

 

I'm realizing I'm more of a middle ground kind of person. I don't feel comfortable with the less structured, interest-led science in elementary years. In what grade do you become more structured, if you follow less structured science. On the other hand, in the WTM rotation, where does life science, earth science, astronomy, and all those other interesting things fit in?

 

So, can we discuss elementary science? What are your goals for your children--preparation for high school, understanding scientific method, exposure to as many topics as possible, and/or following their interests? And what do you use that helps you accomplish your goals? And, if you are less formal, when do you change to more formal studies?

Edited October 28, 2012 by julikins
wanted to do it as a poll and didn't do it right.

[dovrar]

:bigear:

[alisoncooks]

Hmmm....interesting question.

 

What are my aims with science? I guess I would go with exploratory, discovery-based.... but with a logical, sequential approach. :) I want to have an organized schedule of study (to make sure I leave no gaping holes) but I do want to leave some wiggle room for "rabbit trails" and interest. But I prefer structure (otherwise, my animal lovers would study animals each and every year.)

 

I'm confused by this question:

On the other hand, in the WTM rotation, where does life science, earth science, astronomy, and all those other interesting things fit in?

I would assume life science = biology? IIRC, that's Year 1 in the WTM science "cycle."

Earth science and astronomy would fall into Year 2.

 

We are currently following a less formal approach (more of a "let's read about it" format). Next year, when we fold in the youngest, I'll be beginning our cycle with a more formal curriculum...

[melbotoast]

:bigear: We're doing ES Intro to Science this year and I'm trying to decide what to do next!

[Seeker of Schole]

My goals: enjoy science while young and build both interest and general background knowledge. Increase rigor starting in logic stage, with probable college intro level courses in high school.

 

OK, this is all theoretical - as in this is what I plan but have no idea how it will work out. Up through second grade we will be doing more exploratory science. I have a list of topics to cover, and as long as we get through them before the end of second grade I will be happy. We will be reading books, and performing experiments and demonstrations.

 

Starting in fifth grade will will begin to follow the WTM rotation subject wise, as well as using actual curriculum. That will give us two rotations through the classical method, and that final rotation will be during high school. During high school we will be using a combination of textbooks (possibly college intro course level) and classes at the local community college.

 

You may notice the grades 3 and 4 gap - I will make a determination when we get there. We may continue more interest led or may increase rigor starting at that point.

[serendipitous journey]

Ruth -- a.k.a. lewelma -- has some lovely posts on this. My methods don't line up with hers exactly, but hers are better. :) Well, better-organized for sure!

 

Here's one asking Ruth for her ideas on logic-stage science goals.

Here's a thread incl. posts by Ruth and regentrude, who is rigorous and has a very different approach, as well as (I believe) 8FilltheHeart.

And this is the definitive Ruth Inquiry Thread.

[Just Jane]

Personally if I only had littles I'd either do integrated science that focuses on several different topics a year or do a whole year of one specific topic. Clear as mud, right? I love both for different reasons. Currently my grammar stage kids are following my highschoolers sequence because it's easier for me. ;)

 

For 1st-6th if I was focusing on specific topics I'd do each for a whole year and in depth (like a year of Botany, Anatomy,etc). I like it because it's one topic to really dive into. My oldest son however did not he much preferred to explore several topics over the year and how they all related to each other. So that's what we did. I guess it depends on how your kid learns best. I specifically prefer that lower grammar students have integrated science so they can make those connections and dive in-depth later.

 

The goal IMO for K-6th is exposure and in 7th and 8th you can do a survey of sciences to prepare for Highschool. Learning to like science and have a basic understanding is the main goal

Edited October 28, 2012 by Just Jane

[lewelma]

Thanks for the kind words, serendipitous journey. :001_smile:

 

I've been having fun writing up different types of plans for different types of learners over on the logic board. My most recent plan is about student-led but within a structure (perhaps that middle ground you are talking about?). And I am going to cross post it here, just because I took some time to write it all out yesterday and I am kind of proud of it. ;) I asked the mom a bunch of questions first which guided the plan I developed. You can find our conversation here http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=435374

 

(And by the way, I do not use this approach.)

 

x-post

 

Goals

Attitudes: Focus on rebuilding enthusiasm

Content: Gain a broad overview of Biology, Earth Science, Astronomy, Chemistry, and Physics

Skills: improve non-fiction reading, presentation skills, drawing/diagramming skills, observation skills, notebook organization, and beginning experimentation skills.

 

Plan

 

Reading for Content

 

My plan for you dd is to allow this year to be interest led within some structure. She needs passion. She has time for textbooks later. She also needs breadth.

 

You have 2 options: Both plans rely heavily on the library.

 

Plan A: Variety on a daily basis

 

Set up a notebook for her with 4 tabs: Biology, Earth/Space Science, Chemistry, and Physics. On each page, write in these categories with 10 lines (or more) between each --

Biology: botany, cell biology, DNA, genetics, rainforests, deserts, arctic, etc.

Earth/Space Science: geology, crystals, ground water, volcanoes, earthquakes, weather, planets, sun, galaxy.

Chemistry: periodic table, chemical reactions, industrial uses, precious metals, plastics.

Physics: mechanics, inventions, light, electricity, flight, magnetism

 

Allow her to choose *any* books from the library that she finds interesting. Talk to her about trying to get a broad overview and have books in each topic. Encourage variety. Over the year, try to find one book within each subtopic. Your libraries may not have some topics or you may need to go to the adult section and look at some coffee table books. In plan A, she can read books in any order – ground water, then electricity, then plastics, whatever. Her goal is breadth by the end of the year. She will also write in any documentaries, websites, and youtube videos in the proper categories. Given her curious nature, I think she would enjoy seeing every category filled by the end of the year. I'm guessing it would be motivating, and she would get frustrated (in a good way), when she couldn't find a book to read in one of the categories.

 

Plan B: Variety on a monthly basis

 

In this plan, you set up month-long topics that she will focus in. She gets books out of the library on the same topic for a month. These topics would be broader than the ones listed above. Something like:

 

August: Earth Science – geology and crystals

September: Biology: DNA, genetics, microbiology

October: Chemistry: Periodic table and chemical reactions

November: Physics: Mechanics and inventions and flight

December: Astronomy – coordinated with darkest month for star gazing

January: Chemistry:Industrial uses and plastics

February: Physics: light, electricity, magnetism

march: Earth Science – earthquakes, volcanoes, ground water

April: Biology: Botany (coordinated with Spring) and Biomes (rainforests, deserts etc)

May: Her choice

 

She would still record all the books, docos, and internet resources she uses.

 

Hands on

I would focus on observation, nature study, exploration, and a few outdoor experiments

 

Biology: microscope work (get samples from pond to start, go online and ID what you find)

Botany: definitely do one of your crop experiments you mentioned before

Zoology: observe birds insects, squirrels, sea life in rocky intertidal (not sure where you live), identify what you can, notice patterns. When are birds on this tree? Where do I find certain insects. Etc.

Astronomy: observe the night sky and moon cycles

Earth Science: study weather maps, observe fronts, identify clouds, collect and categorize rocks, and go on field trips to see road cuts

Chemistry and Physics: I would suggest you skip these for now, because they require more from you. They typically have lots of instructions which are not your favourite.

 

Output

She seems to be a girl who likes variety. So I would recommend varying the output also. Set Fridays aside for output and rotate through these items over 6 weeks:

 

weeks 1 and 2) create poster

week 3) Prepare and practice presentation (based on poster from week before), present when dad available

week 4) Drawings/ Diagrams (copied and labeled from a book – like moon cycles, etc. or drawing a labeling clouds)

week 5) Lab notebook – On the Friday that is the lab notebook day, I would have her set up the tables for recording results that will happen throughout the month. So a table for the moon and where it is in the sky and its size each day for a month. Or a table to record her crop experiment in. Filling the tables in would occur throughout the months. But be careful not to make it an onerous job. She wants to have fun exploring, not be tied to writing it all down.

Week 6) Test

 

Evaluation

Well, if you want tests, you are going to have to write them. I suggest that you use a more Charlotte Mason approach, where you give very open ended questions and the student has the opportunity to describe what she knows rather than answering questions that she gets right or wrong. So before you return books to the library, you need to write 1 or 2 questions from each. Things like:

 

 

1. Describe an industrial use of chemistry that you found interesting.
   
2. Name your favourite 2 crystals and why they are your favourite.
   
3. Draw and label a diagram of the solar system
   

 

This allows her to show off her knowledge rather than showing off her *lack* of knowledge.

 

Resources

 

Books: library and you can buy some if needed on specific topics (the hive will happily give you recommendations)

 

Media: The most-engaging docos I have found are:

Technology: Modern Marvels

Biology: BBC David Attenborough (he has lots)

Earth Science: BBC Planet Earth (I have more of these and some on Astronomy, but I forget their names. will look them up tomorrow)

Chemistry: BBC Chemistry: a volatile history, The periodic table of videos (online)

Physics: BBC The Atom, The Way Things Work

 

Lab materials:

buy a microscope, slides, and cover slips. You can buy prepared slides too of things like plant cells, amoeba, etc

I would make the rest of your work observation and not bother with buying any kits or books because they are really not your thing.

 

Time Schedule

I'm not sure how much hands on your daughter wants to do so not quite clear what to suggest. But here is just an idea

 

M Read 1 hour

T Read 30 minutes and do 1 hour of outside “hands on” work (see above)

W Read 1 hour

H Read 30 minutes and do 1 hour of outside “hands on” work (see above)

F output day (see above)

 

OK, I'm a bit tired out and will need to get to 7th and 8th grade later. They will start to be more structured and begin to ramp up the use of a textbook and test taking.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited October 28, 2012 by lewelma

[PeacefulChaos]

I've been pondering elementary science, wondering what my goals are for my children in the science area.

 

I understand the WTM/Classical perspective of children getting a foundation of understanding in Biology, chemistry and physics, with increasing difficulty. With hands-on and exploring the scientific method, the child has a good basis for future exploration.

 

Then there are those that have more of an exploratory attack on science--giving children good science books, experiments in many different areas, nature study, etc. More informal, but giving children the opportunity to lead study through interest and dig deep into those things that catch their attention.

 

I'm realizing I'm more of a middle ground kind of person. I don't feel comfortable with the less structured, interest-led science in elementary years. In what grade do you become more structured, if you follow less structured science. On the other hand, in the WTM rotation, where does life science, earth science, astronomy, and all those other interesting things fit in?

 

So, can we discuss elementary science? What are your goals for your children--preparation for high school, understanding scientific method, exposure to as many topics as possible, and/or following their interests? And what do you use that helps you accomplish your goals? And, if you are less formal, when do you change to more formal studies?

 

The WTM rotation has 'life science' (by which I'm assuming you mean animals, humans, plants?) during year one of the cycle and earth science and astronomy in year two. So I'll admit I'm sort of :confused: by that question. :)

 

Personally, we did the WTM recommendations for science last year, and I sort of felt like it was lacking at the time. In hindsight, I've changed my mind. :)

This year, I decided to take a textbook approach to the grammar stage astronomy/earth science, and I really do NOT like it.

We'll be going back to the WTM recommendations next year, for chemistry. And I'll definitely be using the year one stuff again when Pink is in 1st grade (and buying the WTM stuff for 2nd).

[Walking-Iris]

Until recently our science has been all over the map. Mainly because I have struggled to find materials that I liked and wanted to use. So for the most part our science has been really unschooled and informal. Last year for 3rd I added RS4K chemistry, and I started craving a real plan.

 

At the moment my general rough idea of a plan is to follow the WTM rotation, using various materials and mommy-made lesson plans/booklists.

 

For pre-K and K (because I don't like WTM lack of focus in science in those grades) I'll use a buffet type approach. A bit of everything.

 

As far as nature studies---we'll always do those regardless of what area of science we may be in that year. They are such a part of our life that they don't take much planning, they just happen. And I really like the Outdoor Hour Challenges for more ideas. The Private Eye ideas I like to enhance all areas of science.

 

I just started this year really trying to flesh all this out. I hope to sit down and write out the main divisions in WTM and to decide what sub topics of those I want to cover for that year and what books /resources. It makes more work for me, but I have nearly given up on finding a complete science curriculum that I can live with.

 

Right now I am using ScienceWorks units with my Kinder (we're learning about our body and some health topics--anatomy--life science--biology at the moment)and Mudpies to Magnets as well. So we're hitting a lot of different topics in about a month's time.

 

I'm letting my ds play around with his Explora science book and then we'll try to hit some physical science (physics) concepts the rest of the year. So for next year I'll have a 5th grader and a 1st grader doing life science together.

 

I guess my main worry has been that following the WTM rotation creates a risk of forgetting previously learned concepts. Where maybe the "textbook" type approach of hitting everything (buffet style) in deeper complexity each year might guard against forgetting what was learned.

 

I'm still trying to figure this all out. I like science, but the best way to teach it is alluding me.

[Hunter]

Over the decades and with different students my priorites have changed at times, but most of the time I have focused on 3R skills, Bible and classical languages before the content subjects of science and social studies. More 3R skills and less Bible and classics as I've gotten older, and either wiser, more sinful or lazier; you take your pick.

 

The introduction in Science Matters, validated and cemented my science priorities when they were getting shaken while homeschooling a gifted high schooler. Also Art Robinson's encouragement to focus on math and reading comprehension as the best preparation for later reading of rigorous college science texts, makes sense to me, even if maybe he takes it a little too far.

 

First I focus on BASIC science that helps a student understand and interact safely within their home and community.

 

Second I focus on preparing for non-lab community college courses in nutrition and environmental science.

 

I'll never again teach typical high school textbook science unless the student is a well rounded and diligent student that I believe has what it takes to succeed as a scholarship student at a 4 year selective college, and is worrying about the future as much as I am.

 

If I'm recording a high-school transcript I write down pre-AP, and AP environmental science down for the last 2 years of high school, and use the test prep booklets as a scope and sequence. Before that I focus on basic science and geography with whatever I have, and some years than has been pretty lean pickings.

 

With my adult tutoring students and neighbors I am constantly shocked at how lacking they are in basic science. Sometimes it's dangerous and affects their basic quality of life. Now, when a dangerous situation arrives, even if a person isn't officially a student, they either get a lecture or a picture book read to them, usually with a bribe of homemade cookies if that is what it takes.

 

I think we underestimate the importance of mastering basic science facts and teaching the 3R's before focusing on thinking like a scientist or tackling advanced topics that are not part of the average person's daily life.

 

A student is more likely to grow up to be a fireman than a scientist. Until we start spending as much time playacting at being firemen, I have stopped worrying about playacting as scientists. Somewhere that has gotten WAY out of hand as a priority. Our nation feels like we don't have enough scientists to compete globally, and that filters down into PS curricula and then the homeschooling curricula, and I've come to think it's ridiculous. The likelihood of any of my students becoming scientists is too small to waste precious resources making sure they are prepared for that eventuality, at the expense of not preparing them for likely scenarios.

 

Arctic children don't need to learn to climb palm trees. Children of the tropics don't need to learn to harpoon seals. If we aren't focused enough to prepare our children for the community they are most likely to live in, we shortchange them. Time and resources are limited. To try and prepare for everything ensures we will prepare for nothing.

[julikins]

Thanks ladies for your replies. Thank to Ruth in NZ and to every one who has weighed in. It's been a couple years since I've read the WTM and didn't realize that those science categories were included in the rotation. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

I would love, love, love to use the library to do the plans that you laid out, Ruth. Awesome! But, alas, we live in a foreign country and the only library around has about 100 books in Portuguese. Our internet is also quite slow, and isn't reliably available every day, so I can't depend on it for a consistent study of science. I do, however, have a couple science encyclopedias for children (Usborne and one other, I don't remember). Would that be sufficient for one year (or two) of study, if I tried to flesh it out with internet resources? Or is there a program I can buy (and have brought down) that would give me the security of covering all the bases?

 

I'm just really shaky in this area, and my kids love it so much. I wouldn't be so uncomfortable if I had the resources available like I would in the States, but having to have everything on hand and plan it ahead of time to have it sent to me, well, I'm struggling with it.

 

By the way, I'm planning for a 3rd and a 6th grader.

 

By the way, You guys are awesome!

[lewelma]

I've been pondering elementary science, wondering what my goals are for my children in the science area.

Julie, goals are different from the methods you will use to achieve them. For my children I have the following goals:

 

Elementary level goals

 

Content: Breadth (obviously, some would say depth :001_smile:).

 

Skills

1) Reading: able to read nonfiction at increased difficulty over time

2) Output: able to summarize what has been learned, verbally or in writing

3) Observation: ability to see what is actually there, not what you expect to see

4) Math: at grade level

 

Attitudes

1) Curiosity: wanting to understand the world. Including the desire to find answers either through books, observation, or tinkering

2) Enthusiasm towards science

 

Middle School level goals

 

Content: Broad overview of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics. High school science is easier if it is not the first time the material has been encountered.

 

Skills (students who already possess these skills by 9th grade will be set to succeed in high school science):

1) Reading: Ability to read difficult text. Ability to interpret graphs, charts, and diagrams.

2) Writing: Ability to write succinct answers to "short-answer" questions including evaluate, interpret, integrate, compare and contrast, critique, etc.

3) Math: at grade level. Including the ability to identify and draw appropriate graphs for the data

4) Logical thinking and problem solving capability

5) Study skills, reading a textbook, organization skills, time management, note taking

6) Scientific Method: general understanding of how experiments are replicated and controlled, how hypotheses are are accepted or rejected (this does not need to be a detailed understanding, although it could be if you want to spend the time doing it in middle school to save some time in highschool)

 

Attitudes

Reinforce 1 and 2: curiosity and enthusiasm

3) Scepticism: inquire what facts substantiate a claim

4) Acceptance of falsification: Ability to reject your hypotheses; to not have your ego tied to your ideas.

 

Possible Methods to implement the goals

 

There are many ways you can achieve your goals.

 

For the content goals listed above you can:

1) Cover one scientific field per year

2) Cover many scientific fields per year with increasing difficulty

 

For resources you can use:

1) the library

2) a few longer non-fiction books

3) a textbook

4) documentaries, youtube, and the internet

5) living books and biographies

6) integrated curriculum

 

For daily direction, you can:

1) let the student choose the topic to study (with the goal of breadth, one method is the earlier plan I described)

2) I as the teacher can choose topics to study

 

For the goal of scientific method, you can:

1) use lab books and kits

2) do observation, nature study,

3) do scientific investigation

4) read books about scientific method

 

For output, you can:

1) require no output

2) student led (encourage something but not require it)

3) require posters

4) require slide shows

5) require lab notebook

6) require answering of short answer questions

7) require diagrams and drawings

 

For evaluation purposes, you can:

1) discuss topics

2) observe learning on a daily basis

3) require presentations with posters/slide shows

4) notebooking

5) written tests

6) oral tests

 

*My* Methods to implement the above goals

*** I put my reasoning for *my* family after the 3 stars. So you can see the types of questions you need to ask yourself in order to choose from above ideas.

 

Content

1) Cover one scientific field per year (Biology, earth/space, chem, physics, rotating in a 4 year cycle a la WTM)

*** I like to focus on one thing at a time. We rotate through subtopics for each term (we have 4 terms, so 4 subtopics; see post 62 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=361740&page=7 )

 

For resources I use all of them:

1) the library

2) a few longer non-fiction books

3) a textbook (but only when my students are ready for high school level material (some time late middle school))

4) documentaries, youtube, and the internet

5) living books and biographies

6) integrated curriculum (like McHenry's The Elements )

*** We like variety. Lots of different ways to get the content in. :001_smile:

 

For daily direction, I can do a mixture of these (see this post: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showpost.php?p=4131455&postcount=65 )

1) student led

2) teacher directed

*** I want to make sure that all the material is covered, but I find that my kids do better if they have some say in what they are learning.

 

For the goal of scientific method, I have a variety of goals and ways to achieve them see post #4 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=425932. But the main thing we do is:

3) a scientific investigation (for 10 weeks at the end of each year)

**** I personally really dislike doing weekly demos/experiments. *I* find them exhausting. My kids love them. So by doing one big one, I can gather the energy for 1 push at one time during the year. My kids stay satisfied, I stay sane.

 

For output,

1) I require no output for 8 months

until the science fair then my kids:

3) make a poster

4) do a presentation

in middle school, we work together to be able to

6) answer short answer questions

*** My kids don't like to write or draw. So I require no output. The goal is to read and learn, and they can do this through books. My kids retain well through reading and don't need to *do* to remember. The science fair is like a big unit study for us, so we drop writing during this time, and put the effort to writing down the science fair notebook and paper.

 

For evaluation purposes, I

1) discuss topics

2) observe learning on a daily basis

*** I don't do tests until high school material (late middle school). My kids don't like them and I find that it kills the joy for them.

 

Attitudes:

Curiousity: We get excited about what we *don't* know, and figure out how to answer it. We design "thought experiment" when the kids are curious about something

Enthusiasm: We talk science at the table. Science in the news or what we are reading about. We ooze enthusiasm about all things scientific.

Skepticism: we do this with ads, health claims of products, etc.

Falsification: scientific investigation every year leads to many discussions

 

It all depends on the needs of *your* students and *you.* It MUST work for both parties. Go to the logic board and look at the questions and answers that I went through with parents interested in designing a program for their children ( http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=435374 and http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=434816). Both the children and the parents had needs that HAD to be met for the science program to work in their homes.

 

So you need to do some serious thinking. Not just goals, but also how to implement them in a way that will be effective and achievable.

 

HTH,

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited October 29, 2012 by lewelma

[Hunter]

 

I would love, love, love to use the library to do the plans that you laid out, Ruth. Awesome! But, alas, we live in a foreign country and the only library around has about 100 books in Portuguese. Our internet is also quite slow, and isn't reliably available every day, so I can't depend on it for a consistent study of science.

 

Do you have any library cards from the States? Many libraries let you download books.

 

Here are some cheap and free resources that you might like.

 

Do you know about currclick? If you get on the author's list, some of the SimpleSchooling ebooks go on sale every month.

 

The BFSU ebooks are only $5.00 each. The author runs a yahoo egroup you can sign up for.

 

Book 1

 

Book 2

 

Book 3

 

 

 

Click on "English" at this link, for lots of free ebooks.

 

Science Notebooking and more notebooking

 

The scientific method is you do want it. Lab worksheets with further instructions in the free life science curriculum. The other volumes go on sale in January for 1/2 price.

 

Phenology is literally "the science of appearance." It is the study of the timing of the biological events in plants and animals such as flowering, leafing, hibernation, reproduction, and migration. Scientists who study phenology are interested in the timing of such biological events in relation to changes in season and climate.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Hunter

[2_girls_mommy]

I did WTM style and felt it was structured enough and left plenty of room for following interest led stuff as well. Since we weren't using a particular curriculum that I felt we "had" to get done, if something in another science field came up that wasn't our area of study that year, we could still take time to enjoy and learn that. Then we got back to whatever our year of study was at home.

 

Like a PP, I wanted to say that there is a year of life science and a year of astronomy/space/ earth science in the WTM rotation. So those are covered.

 

And we did a science fair a couple of years in the mix to really dig into the topics at hand and to really focus on the scientific method.

[Mandy in TN]

So, can we discuss elementary science? What are your goals for your children--preparation for high school, understanding scientific method, exposure to as many topics as possible, and/or following their interests? And what do you use that helps you accomplish your goals? And, if you are less formal, when do you change to more formal studies?

 

In grades 4-8 with oldest and middle ds, we used Lyrical Life Science. We also used Lyrical Earth Science with the Dinah Zike Earth Science Book and some Eyewitness books. My boys didn't particularly like the music (although I knew other kids who did), but it was effective. In 8th grade my oldest used an old, now OOP BJUP physical science text. My second was in 6th grade that year and he did science tied to Tanglewood's middle grades ancient history. Then he used Rainbow Science in 7th and Apologia Physical Science in 8th. The Apologia text was used by the tutorial he attended. I do not recommend it after Rainbow as there is not really anything new.

 

I read aloud books like 101 Things Every Kid Should Know About Science and Oh Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty. We had the Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia that we used or perused from time to time. We also read books on puberty and sex education.

 

I also kept Beautiful Feet's History of Science around and whenever we needed a break from what we were doing in science and history I would pull it out and do whatever little section lined up with where we were in history.

 

In addition to whatever I planned, the boys enjoyed topics on their own. I think my oldest practically memorized the DK Smithsonian Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. In middle school he moved to ocean mammals after his previous elementary school obsession with dinosaurs. My middle ds did the rock thing, so we had the Eyewitness rock and mineral book and other books of that nature. Middle ds had the DK Smithsonian Handbook of North American Birds that he read and carried around until it fell apart.

 

My oldest did pretty traditional courses with basic high school texts while in high school- biology, marine biology, and chemistry. Both boys used Abeka's high school health text for a semester, because health was required by our umbrella. My second did a lot more science in more eclectic ways. However, he did use a Holt biology text, a Prentice Hall Chemistry text, and Paul Hewitt's Conceptual Physics. He also studied oceanography, astronomy, and human anatomy. Even when he used a text he added various books and videos and lectures from The Teaching Company.

 

Mandy

Edited October 29, 2012 by Mandy in TN

[julikins]

Ruth, thank you for the time you took to answer my question. I will need some time now to really think through not just goals but methodology. I'm afraid I've been severely lacking in that as I've been just trying to survive for so long. Now I want to be proactive and give my children the quality education that they need and deserve, no matter where we live. That's why I'm homeschooling, after all. I see with how you have done it, that it's not so overwhelming. Thanks for showing me that it IS doable. Do you think, with the fact that we live overseas, (therefore no library) that it would be best for me to find a program that gives me the complete deal in a box? Or should I try to get a main spine with complementary books? I can just feel myself panicking. But first, I need to think methodology, right?

 

Hunter, thank you for all those links. Wow! I will look into them. I had no idea all that was available! Does this mean I can justify buying a Kindle for Christmas? :) Maybe I won't have to worry so much about how to get our books here.

 

Mandy, thank you for sharing the titles that have been a hit in your home. I'll look into them. And it helps to see how you broke it up to give your kids some variety.

 

Thanks all for the time and effort you took to write to me! I feel so blessed. I didn't even know where to look and this gives me a starting point of what to think about and where to look. Thanks!

[Hunter]

Usually it's harder to decide what NOT to teach than to find interesting resources, but when you explained your situation more, I figured I better send some of the best free and cheap resources that I knew about just in case any of it might appeal to you.

 

If you can afford to spend a little, and are looking for a box, Evan-Moor Daily Science is the absolutely most easy to use curriculum. You can find samples at the publisher website, google, currclick and amazon, I think. I'm not sure what you can access from your country. There are full hardcopy workbooks with the TM and student pages included. There are also inexpensive hardcopy student workbooks available from the publisher. And there are ebooks. There are a few threads about the series here at TWTM.

 

If there is a little money to spend, and a family has not been getting any science done, Evan-Moore is my first suggestion. My second suggestion is Magic Schoolbus videos. I think there is a DVD set of 54 episodes for less than $50.00. The price goes up and down and I'm not sure of the exact number of episodes. That series covers a LOT of science!

 

Start small, even if you hope to move on to lots more. And don't get too caught up in what "they deserve". What they "deserve" can topple a challenged homeschool quicker than anything else. The human mind is always learning, if it is not being numbed with something negative. Less time spent one one thing means more time spent on something else. As long as it's all good stuff it evens out pretty well, in the long run.

[CyndiLJ]

I struggled with elementary science for quite awhile. I sort of knew what I wanted covered...I wanted a general exposure in a systematic way to a variety of sciences, and to build basic vocabulary and foundational knowledge. What I didn't want was for it to get overly complicated, too textbooky, etc. I just wanted a clear and easy path to follow. I tried to create it myself, which I do successfully with history, but just couldn't find my way through science for some reason. Maybe I am science phobic.

 

Anyway, we ended up going with Nancy Larson Science, which has proven to be perfect for us. It has everything in a box so experiments actually get done, and it is a systematic approach over the elementary years where learners are exposed to a wide variety of science topics...from electricity to botany to physics to life cycles of various living things to tectonic plates. My kids now have a well developed overall sense of science areas and have a few favorite areas that they can talk about wanting to study more in high school. One will study meteorology because of this science program, something she probably never would have discovered if I had kept up with the hit and miss sort of approach.

 

We also tried Noeo, but it felt somehow a little too loosely structured for us. I am not sure why and I still like the program, but for some reason it just wasn't working for our situation and my kids wanted something different.

 

I was really afraid of hitting topics so haphazardly that we would miss ones I would later ask myself about "Why didn't we do that? I knew that was important!". Now I don't have that fear.

 

Cindy

[JenniferLynn]

My husband and I studied science and engineering in college and hope to cultivate the interest in our children. I think long-term, math is essential to both and every elementary math effort I count as science to some degree. Content-wise, exposure to basic experiments and the idea of scientific theory, and familiarity with concepts through indirect methods like non-fiction books, science histories and biographies have been working well. I've seen having some fluency in the language of science and an affinity to the culture and key personalities in science get kids over the bump in high school when courses become more rigorous.

[julikins]

Jennifer Lynn, would you say the goal in the early years, is to develop a fluency in scientific thinking, vocabulary and such? I can't decide if that is better accomplished through exposing them to as many topics as possible or if that is better addressed through a systematic approach, going through the WTM cycles. I'm still processing all of this...It's a little overwhelming...

[Mrs Twain]

If you want specific goals for science, then look at the Core Knowledge K-8 Sequence. That is what I use for my baseline. I don't know if you can download it, but it is free here:

http://www.coreknowledge.org/download-the-sequence

 

For my science program, I use Building Foudations of Scientific Understanding (Nebel). It fits my goals, and almost all of the experiments use things I have around the house (so no expensive "box" needed). However, I think the people who do the best with this science program are people who have a strong science background or a career in something related to science.

[Walking-Iris]

I'm glad that someone mentioned Core Knowledge. I have always really liked the Sequence because of the nice way everything is laid out. There are also free lesson plans available at that website in various subjects.

 

Which leads me to what I have been pondering lately. The Core Knowledge Sequence hits topics in a little of everything, going deeper each year. The WTM science rotation stays with one subject of science for one year. I've wondered if the two could somehow be combined? If the Sequence could be used as a guide for the study of one science topic for one year? Clear as mud?

 

So for example Grade 1 WTM is Life Sciences (Animals, Human Body and Plants). The Core Knowledge has this outlined for Life Sciences in Grades 1-4 respectively:

 

Grade 1 :Living Things and Their Environments

A. Habitats

B. Oceans and Undersea Life

C. Environmental Change and Habitat Destruction

D. Special Classifications of Animals

II. The Human Body

A. Body Systems

B. Germs, Diseases, and Preventing Illness

 

Grade 2: I. Cycles in Nature

A. Seasonal Cycles

B. Life Cycles

C. The Water Cycle

II. Insects

III. The Human Body

A. Cells

B. Digestive and Excretory Systems

C. Taking Care of Your Body: A Healthy Diet

 

Grade 3: I. Introduction to Classification of Animals

II. The Human Body

A. The Muscular System

B. The Skeletal System

C. The Nervous System

D. Vision: How the Eye Works

E. Hearing: How the Ear Works

 

Grade 4: I. The Human Body

A. The Circulatory System

B. The Respiratory System

 

So I guess what I'm wondering is if it would be feasible using the above as a guide to make mommy made lessons and acquire resources for one year of science. Combining the similar subsets and calling it all 1st grade and then rinse repeat using the Core outlines for 2nd grade Earth Science? And then starting in 5th it would cycle through again using the core sequence outlines for 5th -8th?

 

Does that make sense? I'm sort of thinking about this as I type. I really like the WTM rotation idea better than the hit a bit of everything textbook, but I need more direction than the WTM suggestion of reading an Usborne book and narrating all year. I need to see the sub-topics of life sciences spelled out and Core Knowledge does a good job of doing that.

[NASDAQ]

My primary goal for their high school science is a firm foundation of math.

[Hunter]

I'm glad that someone mentioned Core Knowledge. I have always really liked the Sequence because of the nice way everything is laid out. There are also free lesson plans available at that website in various subjects.

 

I've been looking at the Core Knowledge What does your ... Grader Need to Know books too. OP, there are downloadable Kindle books, but the people who have been using them recommend hardcopies. There are 2 editions, the original that came in both hardcover and softcover. Then a revised edition in softcover. They can't be mixed, as they are different.

 

My primary goal for their high school science is a firm foundation of math.

 

So very Robinson :lol: It's a valid option, and one I've used in the past, with success. It works for some families.

[NASDAQ]

So very Robinson :lol: It's a valid option, and one I've used in the past, with success. It works for some families.

 

I'm not so Robinson that I wouldn't do _any_ science. Just that it's what I generally see people struggle with in high school, kwim? It was usually math that held people back.

[Mrs Twain]

I'm glad that someone mentioned Core Knowledge. I have always really liked the Sequence because of the nice way everything is laid out. There are also free lesson plans available at that website in various subjects.

 

Which leads me to what I have been pondering lately. The Core Knowledge Sequence hits topics in a little of everything, going deeper each year. The WTM science rotation stays with one subject of science for one year. I've wondered if the two could somehow be combined? If the Sequence could be used as a guide for the study of one science topic for one year? Clear as mud?

 

So for example Grade 1 WTM is Life Sciences (Animals, Human Body and Plants). The Core Knowledge has this outlined for Life Sciences in Grades 1-4 respectively:

 

Grade 1 :Living Things and Their Environments

A. Habitats

B. Oceans and Undersea Life

C. Environmental Change and Habitat Destruction

D. Special Classifications of Animals

II. The Human Body

A. Body Systems

B. Germs, Diseases, and Preventing Illness

 

Grade 2: I. Cycles in Nature

A. Seasonal Cycles

B. Life Cycles

C. The Water Cycle

II. Insects

III. The Human Body

A. Cells

B. Digestive and Excretory Systems

C. Taking Care of Your Body: A Healthy Diet

 

Grade 3: I. Introduction to Classification of Animals

II. The Human Body

A. The Muscular System

B. The Skeletal System

C. The Nervous System

D. Vision: How the Eye Works

E. Hearing: How the Ear Works

 

Grade 4: I. The Human Body

A. The Circulatory System

B. The Respiratory System

 

So I guess what I'm wondering is if it would be feasible using the above as a guide to make mommy made lessons and acquire resources for one year of science. Combining the similar subsets and calling it all 1st grade and then rinse repeat using the Core outlines for 2nd grade Earth Science? And then starting in 5th it would cycle through again using the core sequence outlines for 5th -8th?

 

Does that make sense? I'm sort of thinking about this as I type. I really like the WTM rotation idea better than the hit a bit of everything textbook, but I need more direction than the WTM suggestion of reading an Usborne book and narrating all year. I need to see the sub-topics of life sciences spelled out and Core Knowledge does a good job of doing that.

 

Yes, you absolutely can do that with the Core Knowledge Sequence. There is nothing special about the content being assigned to particularly grade levels as far as I understand. They put the material in order by grade level because they had to pick something in order for the Sequence to be used by school systems. If using the Sequence for homeschooling (IMO) you can teach the content in whichever grades work for you. This is actually how I use the Sequence.

 

If I were running a school, I might do the Sequence as described, grade by grade. However, that does not generally work for us who homeschool because we are teaching students of various grade levels at one time. The way that seems most effective for me to use the Sequence is just the way you organized the science above.

[stm4him]

Here are some of my goals:

 

-a strong familiarity with science vocabulary

-a strong understanding of how the Bible fits with Science

-a systematic coverage of the science disciplines that is repeated for longer term retention

-a good understanding of the history of science and how the faith or the scientists influenced their works and how inventions have influenced the world

-practice the scientific method regularly through simple, fun experiments and at least one long term science project before high school

-an ability to identify local plants and animals (this is the hardest one) and have at least a strong appreciation for nature, if not a love of being in it

-the ability to recognize the awesomeness of God through His creation

 

Through Classical Conversations I am able to meet most of these goals very simply at home using only memory work and their acts and facts science cards and a notebook. We do weekly experiments there and go over them at home using the steps of the scientific method. We get information about the scientists and see how they fit into history with the acts and facts cards and our timeline cards. We go through 3 cycles which is enough that they get to go through the cycles 2-3 times in their elementary years and build on their understanding each time. In Challenge A and B (7th and 8th grades) they will learn more in depth about the history of science and do a science fair project, as well as learning to research topics and draw detailed diagrams of specimens.

 

Through Nancy Larson science in the younger years (which we have not started yet but will start in April) I hope to accomplish a strong vocabulary and retention as well as more experiments. I also like Lyrical Science for this. In the upper elementary grades I want to use Apologia Science and carry this through high school. These books do a great job fitting the Bible in with Science and giving a ton of detail. I just think they are more effective in those upper elementary grades. Another resource I am really enjoying for this this year is from Homeschool Curriculum Co. and directly ties to our science memory work.

 

The hardest thing for me is the nature study. Right now my kids read a nature reader and then answer questions and sketch the specimen from the book. It is focused on our state so it is relatively local. However, I know this is not the most authentic way and I'm still not sure they will be able to do this well, but I consider much of that to be that I am not strong in this area myself and not consistent enough in getting out into nature. It is hard to find curriculum for this because it is so tied to one's direct area. But I will hopefully improve in this somehow over the years.....

 

I would strongly encourage you to read The Core. I really like Leigh Bortin's way of tackling science systematically and also encouraging a basic love of science and how it relates to everything else......During the school year when I am so focused on the 3R's I like that they get the hands-on stuff done at CC. No guilt trips for me. But in the summer I want to break out other things and let them go more in depth on those topics. I will definitively say that their interest in science is much more heightened because of the memory work pegs than it would be otherwise. And we have a fabulous home library I continue to build on all science topics for them to explore as they are interested......

[Hunter]

-an ability to identify local plants and animals (this is the hardest one) and have at least a strong appreciation for nature, if not a love of being in it

 

The hardest thing for me is the nature study. Right now my kids read a nature reader and then answer questions and sketch the specimen from the book. It is focused on our state so it is relatively local. However, I know this is not the most authentic way and I'm still not sure they will be able to do this well, but I consider much of that to be that I am not strong in this area myself and not consistent enough in getting out into nature. It is hard to find curriculum for this because it is so tied to one's direct area. But I will hopefully improve in this somehow over the years.....

 

 

I still struggle with identification, but two things moved me forward quite a bit.

 

Youtube videos about individual plants.

 

The detective worksheets in Considering God's Creation.

 

[cmarango]

My goal for grammar stage is to be very good at observing and recording observations. In the logic years I will expect my children to be able to carry out simple experiments...formulate a hypothesis, collect observations, analyze them, and form a conclusion. In the rhetoric years I expect them to be able to do some research into a particular question to see what has been done, design an experiment, and then tell me how they would follow up based on their results.