babybryte Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 My 13-year old Ds will be in 8th grade this fall. Right now, he wants to be an astrophysicist. Who knows if he will stick with that...but he has always wanted to be something in the science field, like a paleontologist and a meteorologist. This year he did Apologia General Science. He really liked it....but did terrible on the tests. In his defense, he's never really had to study that intensely before so it was a learning curve. I finally started doing open-book tests, and even then he would miss a couple that he couldn't find in the book (heck, I couldn't find the answers either in the text! LOL!). He wants to do Apologia Physical Science this next year, which I have bought used. But in reading some comparisons on here, it seems like BJU explains things better and has better labs. For some reason, I can't hit "enter", so forgive this one long paragraph!! Is BJU significantly harder than Apologia? Is there another Christian science that I'm overlooking? If he does end up in the science field in college, I want him to be prepared. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 And I should probably add that my DS is starting MUS Pre-Algebra right now (he's on lesson 3 and will continue through the summer). We are a little behind in math due to life circumstances, but hope to catch up soon. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I can't compare Apologia and BJU, so hopefully someone else can chime in about that. But as someone with a doctorate in physical chemistry, I can't stress enough that developing strong math skills is one of the best things you can do to prepare him for the science field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I can't compare Apologia and BJU, so hopefully someone else can chime in about that. But as someone with a doctorate in physical chemistry, I can't stress enough that developing strong math skills is one of the best things you can do to prepare him for the science field. This! Dh and I have degrees in chemistry and biology, and he (Ph.D) teaches at the Uni level. It is NOT the chemistry that gives the students fits, but rather BASIC math! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Thank you!! We are working furiously to get to Algebra 1 by this fall which I think we can do. If we stay with Apologia, I think he would be fine math-wise. But I don't know about BJU or any other program. I will tell him what you both said about math. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Anyone else? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Math, absolutely, especially as ds moves to more advanced studies. I notice you wanted Christian science programs. Asking gently, but is there any way you would be able to broaden your choices without compromising your beliefs? It would give you a wider range of high school and even college textbooks to choose from. Public libraries often have copies of standard school texts, so you could look without spending any money. Then, if the books are not acceptable, you wouldn't have made any significant investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 For 8th grade, we started on used college textbooks. You could also check out various free online high school and college level courses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I've been trying to answer this and I keep deleting because I can't figure out a way to say it nicely. I'm not sure the MUS math is going to get him where he needs to do the BJU science. Also, if he's having trouble reading the apologia science and doing well, it's either the narrative/wandering style of apologia or a reading comprehension issue. If it's reading comprehension, that means he's not going to be doing the BJU alone, meaning he'll need the videos. And the labs are expensive to implement (we're doing ALL of them this year, $$$). Prentice Hall's Concepts in Action text looks very elegant from the online samples, and just as a text, it's a nicer read than BJU's. The labs for BJU are better. (We're using the PH CIA labs as well.) The videos for the BJU are quite engaging and I HIGHLY recommend you get them if you decide to do the BJU. Also realize it's their 9th grade offering and that the reading level and the maturity of the math reflects it. I also politely suggest that you consider stepping up your math to match. I'm not saying change what works, because of course math is very individual. I'm just suggesting that now is the time to think whether he's ready to step up to a more rigorous math. If he actually has the ability to be an astrophysicist, it's time. BJU's new edition math is stellar, and of course then you'd be pairing things that are meant to go together. You could start the BJU new edition pre-algebra now, and no matter how far you get *probably* be ok to go into the BJU physical science in the fall. Then just keep going with the BJU math. The new editions are very, very rigorous. If that doesn't float your boat, look at Foerster. It has good word problems. We're using a combo of TT and BJU math, which you can see in my sig. My dd is NOT a science/math person, lol. She's fine, but it's not her love or anything. That gives us the combo of spiral and conceptual she needs to meet her potential. That's just your total aside to show that math really is individual. Also, you could keep him in Apologia all the way, double up the chem1 and 2, bio 1 and 2, etc. and be JUST FINE. Creekland on the hs board has done this with her boys and gotten stellar results. She even used (the much maligned) TT. There are multiple paths to good results here. I hear you on wanting a distinctly christian curriculum. The christian perspective DOES show up in the BJU physical science, and it can be a fascinating choice if you want to make the effort. For instance we just did some labs modeling radioactive decay of isotopes and exploring how this relates to carbon dating. This is fascinating stuff and stuff that kids ought to be able to explore on an intellectual level to understand the arguments and the data and how their faith relates. So yes it WILL be interesting to use a christian text. But I probably wouldn't chose a text that totally doesn't fit him just to get it. At some point the book that gets done is better than the book that doesn't get done due to expense, being the wrong learning style, or whatever. The BJUPressHomeschool website has extensive samples. Give it a look and see what you think. Btw, option C that you haven't mentioned is to do the BJU Earth Science this fall and go into the BJU physical science the following year. I LOVE earth science, so I'm rather partial to this. At least it gives you more to look at and think about. :) Double PS. If math hasn't been getting done because of life, now's the time to make that change and get it consistent. That's why we finally started TT, because I needed something that got done EVERY DAY. So don't be afraid to make a change if necessary to get that math consistent. BJU dvds, TT, Foerster with the Math Without Borders dvds, whatever it takes. :) Triple PS, and then I'll stop, lol. I just caught that you said he's on lesson 3 of the MUS pre-algebra. He's no where NEAR ready to do the math in the BJU physical science. There will be unit conversions, derivations of formulas, percent change, etc. etc. They throw all the proper signage at them (variables with subscripts, deltas, etc.), because the dc is assumed to be enrolled in BJU's very rigorous algebra 1 concurrently. So I don't know what to say. They walk you through the math, but you could have a kid looking at you with bug eyes in some of the labs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Wow, OhElizabeth....thank you! You've given me a lot to think about (in a good way!). :) I will try to respond but *please* forgive this one large paragraph. For some reason, WTM will not let me use my "enter" key when writing! But I promise, I do know how to write in paragraphs! LOL!! 1) The life circumstances I was talking about was a while back. I had major back surgery that put us behind and then, 3 years ago, I had a difficult pregnancy. But everything is fine now, thank goodness. 2) What do you mean by MUS not going to get him where he wants to go? Do you mean that he's too far behind in MUS or do you mean that MUS is not a rigorous enough math program? 3) What if he did the BJU Life Science this fall? Would his math skills be enough for that? (sigh) I am praying I make the right decision. I don't want to be the reason he can't achieve his goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 The BJU Life Science is their 7th grade offering. It's going to overlap somewhat with what you did for the Apologia GS, so I wouldn't. I'd go Earth Science (their 8th grade text, which I THINK has new videos featuring the super-fabulous Mr. Harmon! if not it's still the wonderful, very, very popular Mrs. Vick) or jump up to Physical Science. I haven't used MUS, so who am I to say? I HATE that I could say something to you and cause you to leave MUS if it's really, really working for him. I suggest you try to see some of the new edition BJU math and decide for yourself. Get a Foerster text for that matter or any other text. Decide for yourself. Understanding is good, and doing math with understanding is what matters. But yes, there are more rigorous curricula out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 Thank you so much!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarahillmom Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Wow, OhElizabeth....thank you! You've given me a lot to think about (in a good way!). :) I will try to respond but *please* forgive this one large paragraph. For some reason, WTM will not let me use my "enter" key when writing! But I promise, I do know how to write in paragraphs! LOL!! 1) The life circumstances I was talking about was a while back. I had major back surgery that put us behind and then, 3 years ago, I had a difficult pregnancy. But everything is fine now, thank goodness. 2) What do you mean by MUS not going to get him where he wants to go? Do you mean that he's too far behind in MUS or do you mean that MUS is not a rigorous enough math program? 3) What if he did the BJU Life Science this fall? Would his math skills be enough for that? (sigh) I am praying I make the right decision. I don't want to be the reason he can't achieve his goals. I think the poster meant that MUS may not be the most rigorous of available programs, but if it is working for your family it doesn't mean you have to change it. Pre-algebra is in line for most 8th graders, so he is not behind. The most important thing on the math is a firm understanding of the concepts. It is more important to know the math they have take and be able to retain the knowledge then completing Calculus in high school. A lot of kids will have taken the courses, but when they get to college end up having to retake classes due to lack of mastery of material. I would say to any parent wanting to prepare their child for a science career make sure they take at least 4 high school level science courses and mathematics courses. I also recommend going to the high school boards and reading through the posts there. There are some fantastic reviews of science textbooks on there for kids wanting to go into the sciences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babybryte Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 Thank you, tarahillmom! Great idea to check out the high school board!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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