Science Experts out there.. Help - How do I do 7th grade bio?

[talantine]

Trying to figure out science for ds12 for 7th grade. He loves science - well, as long as he doesn't have to write about it! He mostly likes doing hands on exploring or watching videos. He doesn't mind reading.

 

He has asked to do biology next year. For 5th grade we did ACS Middle School Chemistry. We loved the "inquiry" approach but it was 100% teacher participation. This year we did Exploration Education Advanced Physical Science. That was completely independent. He liked the hands on and building aspects of it. It was good that it was independent (I had a baby this year who got very sick and was hospitalized for a legnth of time) but I think it could have been more advanced for him.

 

I have looked around at some middle school textbooks and wonder if they are too easy. Should I be looking at highschool at this point? He is very bright and motivated in science, but I also want to keep science FUN. I want hime to really learn and enjoy. Science is his field and I certainly don't want to kill his passion.

 

He has had some life science before (up through 4th grade in PS) but not much. He will be doing Algebra next year.

 

I am a biomedical engineer and am very comfortable teaching science, but I would like something with some independent work to it as I will have a toddler and a K'er as well.

 

I don't mind trying to put something together from various resources if someone can give me guidance or a set curriculum would be good too.

 

I am not even sure what my goals for learning in science should be at this point.

 

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Tammie

[regentrude]

It all depends on your child. My DD did high school biology in 7th grade and used Campbell Reece Concepts and Connections.

You could use Campbell's Exploring Life text, which is a bit easier; my DS did parts of it for 7th grade.

But there are many different ways. It also depends on what your plans are for future bio courses for him.

[dbmamaz]

also check out Real Science for Kids which recently came out w level 2 biology

[dereksurfs]

Wow, as Regentrude said there are many options. This is probably a good place to gather a list of resources. Then narrow things down based on your child's interests, skills and level of independence. Are you after a more middle school, high school or high school honors/AP level course? I think many take another more advanced Bio or Anatomy once in high school if STEM directed.

 

Sometimes using a few things in unison can work well also such as living books along with a more standard textbook.

 

Perhaps one of the CK-12 Flexbooks would be worth considering. We really like their Physical Science text:

http://www.ck12.org/...ology-Concepts/

 

Here is a good list on the high school forum:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/468303-homeschool-high-school-biology/page__hl__%2Bbiology

[mom31257]

If you don't mind Christian materials, BJU's middle school Life Science course is very, very good. I only used the 3rd edition, so I'm assuming the 4th edition is as good if not better.

[talantine]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I am not sure of his high school plans - whether he will continue to homeschool or not. Our local PS is not an option so it would be private school or a move to a different district. But I am warming to the idea of high school at home. Two years ago I would have said "NO Way!"

 

He wants to be an engineer so definitely a STEM track.

 

The more labs/hands on, the better.

 

Also, I forgot to mention that we would probably be looking for secular materials as I haven't found much in the way of theistic evolution curricula.

 

Thanks!

[Five More Minutes]

Also, I forgot to mention that we would probably be looking for secular materials as I haven't found much in the way of theistic evolution curricula.

 

Have you seen the Farraday Schools site? It's not a science curriculum, but it does have some intriguing resources for theistic evolutionists to use as supplemental units. Having only looked in depth at some of the material for younger levels, my impression is that the resources here focus on the philosophy of science and its boundaries. Another poster shared about it in this thread.

[lewelma]

We did not use a textbook, but rather non-fiction science books. We have 4 10-week terms and my ds read the books listed. The topics were of his choosing-- you could pick different topics if your student has other interests.

 

Term 1: Biochemistry. The Way Life Works

Term 2: Genetics. The Cartoon Guide to genetics; The stuff of life

Term 3: Evolution. Biozone's Evolution

Term 4: Microbiology. Investigation: Which type of water supports the most diversity of micro-organisms, ocean, ditch, or river?

 

My son also watched every David Attenborough documentary out there (and there are a LOT). This covered ecology!

 

Recently I have found a nice website on ecology labs: http://www.biologyco...-plans/ecology/

There is a lot more on this site that I have not trolled through.

 

HTH,

 

Ruth in NZ

[Julie of KY]

I gave my middle school boys the choice of a text or just reading science books. They picked reading and learned more than they would have from any text. I give some parameters such as must find a book on "x". They started with science encyclopedias and Hakim's History of Science and then branched off from their based on their interests. I pull in certian books/topics that I want covered and assign them, but this has worked well for us.

[dbmamaz]

the Real Science Odyssey is secular, middle school level, and a whole section (not chapter, many chapters) on evolution. secular homeschoolers have been thrilled

[talantine]

We did not use a textbook, but rather non-fiction science books. We have 4 10-week terms and my ds read the books listed. The topics were of his choosing-- you could pick different topics if your student has other interests.

 

 

 

And this is where I get stuck. I am happy to use non-fiction science books. (We haven't really used a text in homeschooling yet. After being in PS through 4th grade, my son practically has panic attacks when he sees a text. Okay - not really panic, hatred and dread!) And I guess I can find the documentaries. But how do I tie this into something hands-on? He is interested in labs, microscope work, dissections. I just don't know how to get it all together.

 

And I don't really know what my goals for science instruction should be at this time and what skills he should be working on.

 

This is an area I want to get right for him.

[talantine]

the Real Science Odyssey is secular, middle school level, and a whole section (not chapter, many chapters) on evolution. secular homeschoolers have been thrilled

I have been looking at this. I sent it off to my biology major turned mechenical engineer brother and his teacher of gifted education wife to check out.

 

Have you seen the Farraday Schools site?

 

I have seen this before - thanks for the reminder.

[lewelma]

And this is where I get stuck. I am happy to use non-fiction science books. .... But how do I tie this into something hands-on? ..... I just don't know how to get it all together. And I don't really know what my goals for science instruction should be at this time and what skills he should be working on.

 

If you want to create your own program, you need to set aside a few hours to brainstorm, research, and then plan. It sounds to me like the planning is your hardest part.

 

I choose topics first: for biology you have: ecology, evolution, botany, zoology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, etc You can do a survey of all or an in depth study of a few.

 

I choose books, find documentaries, and locate cool hands on. I do this either by asking here or searching the web.

 

Then, I lay out a generalized weekly schedule, something like

Monday: read 1 hour

Tuesday: read 1 hour

Wednesday: documentary

Thursday: Hands on

Friday: read 1 hour.

Or whatever fits your child.

 

Finally, I map my resources to different months (or weeks if you are that organized). So when my student is studying zoology, I plan to have him dissect a fish. For ecology, I plan to go outside and do some experimentation.

 

I have laid out lots of plans for different people that you can read. That will help you get a feel for the process

Advanced science for a dyslexic child

Systematic unschooling for a student who dislikes most science programs

Designing a program using only resources you have and adapting for travel opportunities

Mixed ages for earth sci, chemistry, and physics. Reading focused

Learning physics and chemistry under the umbrella of astronomy: post 15

Studying biology and earth science by way of gorillas and snakes post 16

Creating high school 'Science in Society' courses for non-STEM kids: posts 37 and 38

Making science into unit studies that incorporate language arts and math

Setting goals for 7th and 8th grade science

Mixed science for an 11year old.

 

As for your goals. Your student only needs 2 skills to succeed in high school science: math skills and textbook reading skills. I have written about developing advanced reading skills here: http://forums.welltr...reading-skills/

 

I have also written extensively on the goals of hands on work, and how to evaluate its usefulness:

Evaluating usefulness of lab work: posts 1, 2, 3, 14 http://forums.welltr....d.php?t=425932

 

Hope that helps,

 

Ruth in NZ

[NittanyJen]

We are going to wrap up our year of bio over the summer. If you son enjoys bio, he might enjoy what we did; you are welcome to look it over to see if it fits your family's needs in any event. I'm a former bench scientist in biology as well :). This general format could easily be customized.

 

Our general schedule went:

 

Monday: I introduced the topic in lecture/discussion format, often with the white board.

 

Tuesday: he did assigned reading with some outlining or notetaking from either a solid encyclopedia, library book, or other resource, depending upon the topic. The focus is on the technical, strictly broad overview information with vocabulary.

 

Wednesday: lab day. We have gone nuts some weeks, with labs taking hours; other weeks, lab has only been for an hour or so, again depending upon the topic and our available time. This week, for example, to play with the ideas of the anatomy of skin, muscle, and bone, we: 1) looked at our skin under a magnifying glass, wrapped our hands in saran wrap. 2. took a chicken wing and a drumstick, and thoroughly and carefully skinned them, leaving the muscles intact. pinning the shoulder of the wing in place, we tugged one set of upper muscle bundles, and watched the wing straighten completely. Then we tugged the antagonistic set of muscle bundles, and watched the wing fold up. Then we held the elbow in place and repeated with the middle set of muscle bundles and watched the wing tips move. It was fascinating. Then we carefully dissected off the meat, noting the locations of the ligaments and tendons and how the muscles attached to the underlying bone. We noted that each muscle must attach to two different bones-- otherwise, it can't really effect movement. We took a wing bone and snipped it in the middle and saw the marrow, surrounded by compact bone, and snipped the ends and saw spongy bone (and took awesome pictures of the spongy bone using the Brock microscope at 40X and 100X). I wish we had thought to make a smear of the bone marrow for microscopic examination as well. We then took two cleaned bones, and dropped one in a cup of water and one in a cup of vinegar, to sit for a week. Finally, after removing our gloves, washing up, and removing the saran wrap, we examined our skin again with the magnifying glass-- what had changed??? For almost no money and requiring very little equipment, it was an awesome lab (found the ideas in the Prentice Hall Science Explorer anatomy book).

 

Thursday: additional reading. I don't usually require notes for this day of reading. This reading day is more broad, and may draw connections. For example, as we worked our way up the phylogenic tree earlier in the year, I might have assigned him readings on different types of motion in animals, or different types of feeding, or migration patterns or microclimates, to help him start drawing connections to the different things we had been studying across different weeks. I might assign a reading that connected to a prior year's study such as chemistry or physics. Or might simply assign a fascinating bit of reading that went into more detail on the topic at hand, to acquire more depth, such as diseases related to an organ system, or a particular habitat, or a book about a particular species.

 

Friday: On Friday, the assignment is to take one idea or thought that cropped up during the week, student's choice, that he wants to learn more about, research it, and by the end of the day, present it to the family orally. He can support his report with pictures, a powerpoint, note cards, a written report, whatever works for him. Friday happens to be our library day, so he can use our house resources, the library, the internet, or a combination of the above. It can be very related or only related by a tiny thread; the idea is that this assignment gives them time to learn about things you just don't have time to cover, and gives them the power to pursue things that they find interesting. I have never had to censor a topic or redirect-- if it's about biology, it's good, and so far, the boys have always picked things that somehow relate to the topic of the week in some fashion. We have heard about poison arrow frogs, how starfish toss their bellies outside of the bodies, the komodo dragon, cytoplasm and the cytoplasmic structure, motor proteins, and more this year.

 

What did I do for a spine? I purchased the Prentice Hall Science Explorer books and used them as a general "spine" as far as organizing the order of discussions, but my kids haven't "read" them as textbooks. They have also inspired some very cool labs, which are integrated into the text, and tend to be very practical and easy to do in a home setting. I have put together additional labs from supplies from HomeScienceTools (protozoan mixes, owl pellets, basic dissections, more advanced dissections-- cow eye, sheep heart, sheep brain) and I can recommend the Science Wiz DNA extracting kit if you don't want to use it for chemistry; it works very well and for only about $20 it's awesome.

 

We will finish our year with Kid first aid and outdoor survival, with identification of animal poop and tracks, good and not so healthy plants, and a camping trip.

 

I found this schedule set up a nice balance between having us interact and discuss, and allowing him some time to work independently and develop some study and investigative skills-- working on that "how to learn" bit. He has enjoyed having the time to chase down topics of his own interest. The week begins and ends with us having a discussion, and it begins with me teaching him, and ends with him teaching me. It has been a great teaching model for us for this year.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm going to do RSO Bio level 2. I liked the first levels so I'm hoping I like level 2.

[talantine]

If you want to create your own program, you need to set aside a few hours to brainstorm, research, and then plan. It sounds to me like the planning is your hardest part.

 

Yes, and making decisions. I am feeling like I just want someone to tell me what to do! :drool: I "hear" you are good at that, Ruth....

I choose topics first: for biology you have: ecology, evolution, botany, zoology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, etc You can do a survey of all or an in depth study of a few.

 

I asked the boy what he is interested in and he said he didn't really know because he hasn't studied biology. I guess that would be a survey, then.

 

As for your goals. Your student only needs 2 skills to succeed in high school science: math skills and textbook reading skills.

 

 

We have a good handle on the math. I guess it is time to ramp up the textbook reading skills. He dislikes texts as the only source of his science - ala public school.

 

So I have been reading many of your posts and feel like my head is swirling.

 

From a post of yours:

 

 

"Elementary age:

1) They need exposure to lots of different areas of science

2) They need to not fear science, and actually find it somewhat interesting.

 

Middle school (7th and 8th grade):

1 and 2) from above and

3) They should be able to read and understand difficult text and diagrams/charts/graphs

4) They should be able to write clear, concise short answers to a variety of questions types

5) They should understand and have experience with the scientific method"

 

This makes sense to me. I would add that I would like him learn to orally present information to others in a concise, logical way.

 

He is very much a builder and a thinker and an explorer. He understands things easily. i want to tap into those strengths while building the weaknesses - organization, output, study skills.

 

I think I am clarifying, but still muddled.

Thanks so much for the help.

Thoughts?

 

Oh, and I was wondering, have you looked at the REAL Science Odyssey Level 2 that has been recommended? I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it.

 

Ruth, you are a gem.

[lewelma]

After being in PS through 4th grade, my son practically has panic attacks when he sees a text. Okay - not really panic, hatred and dread!)

 

Given his not-quite "panic, hatred, dread," I would not put him in a textbook next year. Plan on it for 8th grade. You are going to have to work him into it, not do it cold turkey.

 

But how do I tie this into something hands-on? He is interested in labs, microscope work, dissections. I just don't know how to get it all together.

And I don't really know what my goals for science instruction should be at this time and what skills he should be working on.

 

You are right to think goals first. Once you have the goals, a lot of other stuff falls into place.

 

Let me first address how I think you can handle the skills:

 

1) They need exposure to lots of different areas of science - By middle school I personally don't like broad surveys because it becomes harder to go into enough depth to hit the high level thinking processes like analysis and evaluation. Instead I try to do in depth study of a broad range of topics. So for biology, you don't want to do marine biology, zoology, and ecology, because you will be covering very similar topics. Instead, you want to do a topic on the sub-individual level (molecular biology, cell biology, genetics), a topic on the individual level (microbiology, zoology, botany, evolution) and a topic on the super-individual or systems level (ecology, environmental science, or specialities like marine biology or arctic biology or even biome comparison). Three topics to go in depth, but the topic hit all "levels" of biology - so it is still a survey of sorts. So have your son pick one sub-indivual, indivdual, and super-individual levels.

 

2) They need to not fear science, and actually find it somewhat interesting. You son likes science but has had a somewhat bad experience in textbooks. You want to make sure to keep the passion and joy, these emotions will serve him well if you can keep them. Be very very careful. Attitude is everything.

 

3) They should be able to read and understand difficult text and diagrams/charts/graphs - This is easy to achieve. Do you have National Geographic or Scientific American available? They have graphs/charts/ diagrams and difficult text. You can also find really good books in the library under the adult section, often in the "large book" section because that is where you find all the coffee table books. Coffee table books are for the lay audience. They are filled with pictures that draw you in, and have text that is often well written. If you look carefully, you can also find some with lovely diagrams/charts/graphs. We found one recently in geography of NZ that was just excellent for developing these skills. He just needs time with this kind of text. There is really not a lot to teach, he just needs to read something that he really is interested in understanding -- interested enough that he is willing to fight difficult material and come out the other side as a winner.

 

4) They should be able to write clear, concise short answers to a variety of questions types. I did this over a 3 month period of time using Biozone's evolution modular worktext. Actually, I also used this worktext to work on his ability to read graphs/chars/diagrams. It is just excellent -- 1 page per topic. 1 paragraph overview, 1 graph/diagram/chart to analyze and understand, and then advanced comprehension questions at the bottom to answer. We worked together for 30 minutes everyday and I taught him *how* to answer the questions -- what was the question asking, what kind of words can you use, how do you organize your answer, how do you make sure you answered the question. You can also wait on this skill until 8th grade if you want. I found 3 months of instruction was required; this was not a skill that is self-taught IMHO.

 

5) They should understand and have experience with the scientific method". This is the hands on portion of science. You son does not need to *really* understand it, but rather just have a general feel for things. Regentrude found that her dd only needed to do one really good experiment to "get it." So you can set up one experiment of bread mould with replications in 2 locations and make a really nice graph and write up. I would suggest you plan on one really good experiment in 7th and one in 8th, and this will be enough to prepare him for highschool. This is in addition to more laid-back 'hands on' work.

 

 

Now, in order to set out a plan, you need to think about your specific situation,

 

Content: You need to pick the subtopics within biology as described above.

 

Other skills: do you want your ds to use any language arts skills in science? You don't have to but some people like to. You said no writing, that is not a problem, but what about an oral presentation of what he has learned, or a poster, or memory cards, or making diagrams/ charts, or advanced reading skills etc. There are also study skills, independence, following instructions, creating his own schedule, managing his time etc. Think about what transferable skills you want to have him learn while learning science.

 

Output: Although you don't have to do any output at all, many people like to. Do you want tests? presentations? reading/youtube/questions log? lab write-ups? graphs? biochemistry molecules drawn? notes? If you want, he can just read and have discussions with you. Think and decide what is best for him to learn effectively. Most students (but not all) need to process the material in some fashion.

 

Assessment: formal? as is grades for tests or presentations. or informal? as in evaluating his understanding through informally assessing your discussions. Does your state or charter require anything?

 

Hands on - You said he likes it, but what kind? Does he like the follow-the-directions type of lab or the investigate-my-own-questions type of lab. Does he like many 1 hour labs or a larger, over a couple of weeks, kind of investigation. Read my posts on the purpose of hands-on (I linked to the thread in my pp) and really think about what your ds likes and needs.

 

 

Once you have decided *what* you and he want, then you can find the resources to pull it off.

 

Ruth in NZ

[talantine]

This is extremely helpful. I am mulling this over for the moment.