Need help with logic stage science sequence and curriculum

[Annabel Lee]

I'm doing Elemental Science Biology for the Logic Stage this year with a 4th and a 6th grader. We've never covered chemistry or physics. Earth science was pretty light in 1st & 3rd grades, and we used Apologia Astronomy in 2nd & 4th grades, so Earth & Space science might have been mostly forgotten.

 

I've been looking at all kinds of sequences, including where it will land my rising 7th grader by the beginning of 9th grade. If I choose the BJU sequence, then he would repeat all the same concepts from this year in greater depth. If I choose Apologia for the next few years, then too much repetition is not a problem, but I'm still drawn to the WTM sequence (using other materials) and he wants his science to include chemistry next year.

 

I was thinking of combining chemistry & physics into 1 year, doing a semester of each, or a Physical Science course since that's mostly what they cover. I prefer that he study Earth & Space, Chemistry, and Physics before high school since he likely won't cover E&S in HS and I want good review before HS Chem & Physics.

 

Would it make sense to go in this order?

6th - ES Logic Stage Bio. (current)

7th - Chem/Physics or Physical Science (b/c he wants some Chem next year & I want to follow that interest)

8th - Earth & Space

9th - Biology

 

What if it looked like this - would it be nuts?

6th - ES Logic Stage Bio. (current)

7th - Apologia Physical (Will this be too hard to jump into? It's billed as an 8th gr. course.)

8th - BJU E&S (Again, will this be too hard not having done BJU 7?)

9th - ??

9th with BJU is Physical Science... too much repetition from 7th (albeit deeper)

Apologia 9th is Biology, but I'm not totally convinced on either one (Apologia or BJU)

 

Or a more WTM-ish sequence:

6th - ES Logic Stage Bio. (current)

7th - Earth & Space (BJU E&S would probably be too much right here, huh? I might have to use something else for it.)

8th - Chem & Physics (but then his interest in Chem might have already died out... I want to follow his interests if possible, esp. since it's something I want to cover anyways)

 

I'm afraid to commit to Apologia or BJU, each for different reasons. Apologia having its reputation for lengthy, chatty text doesn't sound like a great match for a student who reads somewhat slow. Then I wonder about BJU going much farther in each topic than Apologia, but I don't know how to gauge which, if either, would be better for *my* child. When I read all the BJU 7th & 8th grade samples I can find online, is it just me or is an encyclopedia more accessible and lively than that? It feels so technical and so much is crammed in; I don't want it all to go over his head as he's reading.

 

I'm also drawn to Ellen McHenry's curriculum, RS4K (for getting Chem & Physics into 1 year, and SWB recommends it in WTM 3rd ed.), possibly Hakim's Story of Science as a supplement, and others. Those could fulfill a subject in a sequence in which I use only some or no BJU or Apologia before high school... but then what would I do for high schoool? Ack!

 

I know this was a long post and I'm sorry for the rambling. If you can offer any suggestions based on my goals & his interests, I would be very grateful.

[TarynB]

I think any of your three plans would work very well and all are solid. I can see your reasoning with each of them.

 

My DS is forming strong opinions about presentation style and format in his books. He detests chatty, wordy texts (and he thinks Hakim and Apologia both fall in that category but of course different people like different styles and some people love those two). He inhales science encyclopedias because he just wants to get to the important stuff with little fluff. (FWIW, we LOVE Elemental Science and McHenry, and plan to use both of them throughout middle school alongside CPO or Holt textbooks.)

 

Middle school science doesn't have to be so intense. Preserve the love of science. You'll hit the heavy stuff in high school. Perhaps you could lay out all three of your plans, go through each one with samples thoroughly with your DS, and let him choose what style of learning *HE* wants?

[Annabel Lee]

Ugh. I hate it when choosing curriculum gets like this. I tried talking to my DH about it and he even thinks it would be fine to do BJU Life 7 next year since it dives so much deeper into biology topics, even though the topics would be repetitive from this year.

 

I've tried involving DS in curriculum choosing but he's not interested at all. The most I got out of him was that he didn't want to cover the same stuff again next year even if he'd be learning different things about it, and that he wants some chemistry. I think as he matures his opinions will become more detailed. For now, he just wants to hurry and get back to playing, saying he doesn't care what I choose and that he'll do whatever that is.

 

I do want to preserve the wonder & awe of science, but I think that can be done with some intensity. I'm thinking of "intensity" as in the depth to which concepts are covered, breadth in the form of connections to other subjects (math, etc.) as well as a wide scope, and learning about *real* science, not just jello & candy models or other demonstrations, observations that aren't actually true experiments. I think McHenry qualifies for at least some of that. Then there's another kind of "intensity" that I don't want: science presented in such an uninteresting way but also at such a high level (still rigorous, just very dry) that he hates it, or that it's truly too hard for him combined with being not engaging enough to lure him into stretching to meet the challenge. I don't want it to be like trying to cram brussel sprouts into him, kwim? I guess I want the benefits without the yucky taste.

[Annabel Lee]

Apologia & BJU users, please chime in with any helpful insight, particularly regarding my questions in parenthesis in the 3 schedules above. TIA!

[TarynB]

Apologia & BJU users, please chime in with any helpful insight, particularly regarding my questions in parenthesis in the 3 schedules above. TIA!

 

 

You might also consider cross-posting on the high school board. The ladies there have more BTDT experience than us here in logic stage, LOL!

[Crimson Wife]

If you want a Christian curriculum, I would be very tempted to go with The Rainbow. The only reason I didn't pick it is because my DH has vetoed any YEC materials for biology & Earth/space science in our HS. You could do it in 7th and 8th and then be all set for the typical high school science sequence.

[RootAnn]

You might also consider cross-posting on the high school board. The ladies there have more BTDT experience than us here in logic stage, LOL!

 

:iagree:

Had you looked at doing year 1 of The Rainbow? It is Chem/Physics. If you covered it faster than their schedule (3x/week for 32 weeks) and your son wanted more Chemistry, you could move onto Ellen McHenry's Elements.

 

This way would look more like your Sample Schedule 1. (I'm not a BJU/Apologia type, so I can't comment on those!) Do you not like ES's Logic Stage stuff? Because if you are ok with it, you could swing back in 8th & use ES's Earth/Science program.

 

We're doing ES's Logic Stage Bio this year (6th). Not sure what Earth/Space I'm using next year yet (7th). I'm hoping to do The Rainbow with dd#1 (grades 8 & 9) & dd#2 (grades 6 & 7) combined for the next two years.

[kiana]

If you want a Christian curriculum, I would be very tempted to go with The Rainbow. The only reason I didn't pick it is because my DH has vetoed any YEC materials for biology & Earth/space science in our HS. You could do it in 7th and 8th and then be all set for the typical high school science sequence.

 

I especially think the 7th grade would be ideal for what OP has in mind. The 8th grade year has both bio/earth science, so if you wanted a 'pure' earth/space science you'd need to look elsewhere.

[freesia]

We are doing Physical Science next year. I am using the American Chemical Association's free middle school science curriculum followed by Ellen Mc Henry's Carbon Chemistry. Then we are going to use the physic's part of Science Explorer Physical Science (which I got cheap on Amazon) supplemented with TOPS Light and Sound units (we did electricity and magnets in grade 6.)

 

I have decided that I really want to mix things up in middle school. I want to use textbooks to teach study skills but I have interspersed textbook work with Ellen Mc Henry, TOPS, Lyrical Life Science, Tiner books to keep the "fun" in science. I am afraid of burning ds out on science before high school. He really does not like textbooks.

 

I also think Rainbow is a wonderful option in your case.

[Annabel Lee]

We are doing Physical Science next year. I am using the American Chemical Association's free middle school science curriculum followed by Ellen Mc Henry's Carbon Chemistry. Then we are going to use the physic's part of Science Explorer Physical Science (which I got cheap on Amazon) supplemented with TOPS Light and Sound units (we did electricity and magnets in grade 6.)

 

I have decided that I really want to mix things up in middle school. I want to use textbooks to teach study skills but I have interspersed textbook work with Ellen Mc Henry, TOPS, Lyrical Life Science, Tiner books to keep the "fun" in science. I am afraid of burning ds out on science before high school. He really does not like textbooks.

 

I also think Rainbow is a wonderful option in your case.

 

 

Your plan sounds like more fun, though. :) That's the sort of plan I'm excited about, in which our time spent on science would be more enjoyable & interesting. My big question for myself is can I pull off this sort of hodge-podge plan in a way that prepares for rigorous high school science? I'm not very "mathy", and while I have a deep interest in many sciences, it's not like I'm academically "science-y", either. How then, can I judge what is "enough" to meet my standards? It's like diving blindfolded, hoping the water is deep enough, but I don't want to take too many risks with my child's education. I also don't want to burn us out and make school (esp. science) into a bad experience.

 

I looked at reviews & posts about Rainbow and read the online descriptions. I still need to look at actual samples. So far it just seems "meh". Maybe I'm missing something that I'll see in the samples. LOL, many people probably think BJU is pretty "meh", too. In a way, I do too, but I always read about it being so solid & advanced in some aspects.

 

BJU would be a way for me to ensure a certain level of academic rigor and put my mind at ease about being prepared for high school, but it would also likely put us on a track that did not include physical science until high school (if we follow their sequence). Again though, would this leave any time for fun, enjoyment, or interesting extras? It feels "safe", and I know he'd learn a lot, but I know I'd be wondering what could have been with the less intense or more interesting options (wondering if the grass is greener).

 

Apologia (if my concerns are eased to my satisfaction) might be under BJU in academic rigor but as long as it is at grade level or above average I'm OK with it. I'm still trying to figure that out, esp. for their some of their high school materials. I want DS to be prepared for whatever it is we'll be using in HS, but I don't have that figured out yet. I don't want to go with Apologia for Jr. High and then decide I want to use something like Campbell's Biology in high school but find ourselves unprepared. I have no idea if that would be the case after using Apologia; it's just an example.

 

Apologia General doesn't look bad at all. I picked up a used, inexpensive current edition. My son would enjoy some of it. But, is it *enough* to prepare for a high school sequence that may or may not include all or some Apologia?

 

*sigh* My son has agreed to read some online samples in lieu of his extra science reading that we usually do (some of the samples are very long & technical, for him). Thanks to all of you for the input.

[Annabel Lee]

I am using the American Chemical Association's free middle school science curriculum followed by Ellen Mc Henry's Carbon Chemistry.

 

 

Freesia, is the free ACS Chemistry more like regular textbook work, then?

[freesia]

Freesia, is the free ACS Chemistry more like regular textbook work, then?

No, it is not at all like textwork. It is mostly guided experiments. You weave the teaching in as you go (it is scripted). Then at the end of each unit there is student reading but it relates what you have done to the principles.

 

The Science Explorer is the textbook work I mean. We used the Life Science this year. I started "just" doing that bc I thought he needed the textbook practice. We worked hard on study skills but I realized he was hating science so I added McHenry's Cell unit and he lit up and learned SO much. That's when I realized that we needed to mix things up.

 

I've heard parents of high schoolers say that their children went right into high school science and did fine even with eclectic backgrounds in science. That encouraged me.

[Annabel Lee]

I'm looking at the ACS free online chemistry. Would doing both this and McHenry's Elements be redundant? Is that why you are choosing to move on to Carbon Chemistry after ACS?

[freesia]

I'm looking at the ACS free online chemistry. Would doing both this and McHenry's Elements be redundant? Is that why you are choosing to move on to Carbon Chemistry after ACS?

I think Elements would add a lot. My dd did it this year in co-op, though, and I want her to join us as muchas possible. I thought it would be redundant to add it in. She LOVED it, though, so I am a bit said that my oldest ds won't have it.

[Annabel Lee]

Have you seen the American Physical Society's site (and their 2 linked sister sites, Physics Central and Physics)? Neat stuff! It doesn't look like they offer anything in the form of a full, pre-made curriculum though.