SnMomof7 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Is anyone using this? I looked at some samples and I sort of like the writing style (surprisingly). Looks pretty doable as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Most of the new series was written after I finished homeschooling so I have only looked through the texts, but I sure do like what I see. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a27mom Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I know very little about it. But I have a friend who uses it and enjoys it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 There seem to be 2 streams for grades 5 and 6, the regular God's World general science progression, then a life sciences focus God's Marvelous Works 1 and 2 in those grades as well. They seem to be all about animals and look so neat, are these extra science options? Does anyone know how those are worked in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 There seem to be 2 streams for grades 5 and 6, the regular God's World general science progression, then a life sciences focus God's Marvelous Works 1 and 2 in those grades as well. They seem to be all about animals and look so neat, are these extra science options? Does anyone know how those are worked in? The original science texts were Patterns of Nature (gr. 2), and God's Marvelous Works, Books 1 and 2 (gr. 5 and 6). The new series is the God's World series: God's Protected World (3), God's Inspiring World (4), God's Wonderful World (5), God's Inhabited World (6), and God's Orderly World (which I haven't held in my hands, but Book 1 looks to me like the original text; I have an older catalog, and maybe there's a new 8th grade text by now). I love the God's World series. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I've used God's Marvelous Works 1 and 2. I believe they were originally for grades 4-5, but then were advertised for 5-6 when the new grade 4 was written, so they could fill in until students started the 7th grade text. I've also used the old 7 and up texts. The chapter on parasites was helpful when our new puppy had worms. And the agriculture chapter made my garden produce more. I don't know anything about the new series, but as I get older and either wiser and/or lazier, I'm more and more of a fan of vintage and older science scope and sequences. I don't believe harder, more abstract, and more microscopic is better that the science topics that students interact with everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 I don't know anything about the new series, but as I get older and either wiser and/or lazier, I'm more and more of a fan of vintage and older science scope and sequences. I don't believe harder, more abstract, and more microscopic is better that the science topics that students interact with everyday. Erm, I'm becoming much the same. The longer I'm at this homeschooling mom gig, the simpler, more practical, and easier to implement I want things to be. You've rubbed off on me, Hunter. I mean that, and it's been a good thing for us this past year and a half. I've also been able to let a lot of my mom-intensive, so complicated for a mom with a newborn to pull off, does a 1st grader really need that anyway, resources go to new homes. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaHappy Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I use Rod & Staff science and I REALLY like it. You don't hear of many homeschoolers using it and I think it is underrated in the homeschool community. :) It is well laid out with short, interesting lessons. The 3rd grade book doesn't have very many color pictures, but there were a few more in the 4th grade book and now I'm noticing *a lot* more colorful pictures in the 5th grade book. I like the end of chapter questions and there is just the right amount of review. The activities are meaningful and not too complicated. It can be done completely independently if necessary. I think most science textbooks get a bad rap for being dry and boring, but Rod & Staff is different! Yes, it is a textbook, but it's written in an engaging, conversational sort of way. We started out this year using Rod & Staff science, but then I felt like I needed to do more "living books" for science so we stopped for a while. And wouldn't you know it, my son asked to go back to R&S science. He says he likes it better, it is more interesting than the other book he was reading, and he is learning more. Go figure! Anyway, just my shameless plug for Rod & Staff Science. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 How young earth is it? I mean, does that permeate the content in the lower levels? I would love a Christian science - but we aren't young earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaHappy Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 How young earth is it? I mean, does that permeate the content in the lower levels? I would love a Christian science - but we aren't young earth. Oh, it is VERY young earth. I mean, this is Rod & Staff we're talking about here, lol. :tongue_smilie: I wouldn't say it permeates the book. I mean, not every lesson will talk about young earth stuff. For example, in the 5th grade book, the first lesson (or maybe it's the first two) are on creation, so of course you would expect to see young earth references there. But lessons on insects, for example, will just talk about insects and there isn't any sort of reference that I've noticed to young earth. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 I use Rod & Staff science and I REALLY like it. You don't hear of many homeschoolers using it and I think it is underrated in the homeschool community. :) ... It can be done completely independently if necessary. ... I think most science textbooks get a bad rap for being dry and boring, but Rod & Staff is different! Yes, it is a textbook, but it's written in an engaging, conversational sort of way. This is JUST the feeling I was getting when I looked at it! Thanks, Sara! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 The old 7th grade book forever changed the way I taught science. It's been a long time since I read it, but as best as I can remember, it taught a humbleness to teaching the age of the earth. That God would prove God, not man prove God with methods of man. That there is a lot man cannot understand about earth's age and that we don't need to understand, but rather trust. I stopped spending my limited funds and time on creation science after that and focused on the science encountered in daily life, and what the boys needed to be prepared for the local junior college. I no longer worried about a student's faith being based on Christian scientists being able to prove God and the Bible. God just got to be, and no matter what man came up with to prove or disprove God, I was unmoved. God was a fact. Everything else that man thought he knew or didn't know about God, all became insignificant. Scientific debate became like two preschoolers debating whether there was Mommy before they were born. What either one of those babies thinks doesn't change whether there was Mommy before they were born. Mommy was there whether or not they are developmentally advanced enough to understand that. Their understanding doesn't change Mommy's presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Erm, I'm becoming much the same. The longer I'm at this homeschooling mom gig, the simpler, more practical, and easier to implement I want things to be. You've rubbed off on me, Hunter. I mean that, and it's been a good thing for us this past year and a half. I've also been able to let a lot of my mom-intensive, so complicated for a mom with a newborn to pull off, does a 1st grader really need that anyway, resources go to new homes. :D And I'll bet the kids learned more, even though it was easier. It's so funny that way. I'm glad you had a great year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 And I'll bet the kids learned more, even though it was easier. It's so funny that way. I'm glad you had a great year! Yep, school got done. DONE! Finshing whole levels and everything! Even though we'd just moved cross-country into a house that needed major renovations and had a new baby :). I guess your generally repeated advice here freed me up to do what needed to be done without (quite so much) guilt. Thanks so much for hanging out here and being a voice of reason. I've been wanting to tell you that for a while now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Yep, school got done. DONE! Finshing whole levels and everything! Even though we'd just moved cross-country into a house that needed major renovations and had a new baby :). I guess your generally repeated advice here freed me up to do what needed to be done without (quite so much) guilt. Thanks so much for hanging out here and being a voice of reason. I've been wanting to tell you that for a while now! :grouphug: Congratulations on the DONE and congratulations on the new baby, too! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Love Rod & Staff Science (3-6)! It gets done. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wehave8 Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Is anyone using this? I looked at some samples and I sort of like the writing style (surprisingly). Looks pretty doable as well. I see your older three are close to my younger 3 we're homeschooling now (I think I need to update my siggy info :) ). Anyway, if you did R&S Science, would you choose a middle of the road one (or oldest one) and teach 1 book to all, or would you have them do their own levels? Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I will be the lone dissenting voice here. :001_smile: I used R&S grade 3 science - God's Protected World - with my oldest child for several months, and it was...horrid, for lack of a better word. It was boring, pointless, and seemed like a compilation of useless, uninteresting facts...I finally chucked it when my normally compliant, loves-to-learn child was in tears because she couldn't remember the different oils that petroleum makes during each step of the refinery process and didn't want to go back and re-read it because she couldn't understand how this related to her life...and I could give her no good reason to learn it, because it didn't relate to her life! So we chucked it and she studied astronomy for the rest of the year and had a ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 The only one I attempted was grade 2 which granted is different from the newer revised books of which I have no knowledge. But I wouldn't use it as a stand alone. It was boring and babyish. I did like the coloring pages and a few of the worksheets. But we used a WTM type of science study in grammar stage and used the occasional section of R&S 2nd to read as a supplement and just 3 hole punched the color sheets and a worksheet here or there into our WTM style science notebooks. I picked from it over a couple of years as we hit a topic that was in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaHappy Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I will be the lone dissenting voice here. :001_smile: I used R&S grade 3 science - God's Protected World - with my oldest child for several months, and it was...horrid, for lack of a better word. It was boring, pointless, and seemed like a compilation of useless, uninteresting facts...I finally chucked it when my normally compliant, loves-to-learn child was in tears because she couldn't remember the different oils that petroleum makes during each step of the refinery process and didn't want to go back and re-read it because she couldn't understand how this related to her life...and I could give her no good reason to learn it, because it didn't relate to her life! So we chucked it and she studied astronomy for the rest of the year and had a ball. Yeah, I will say that of the levels we have used, the 3rd grade book is my least favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1pageatatime Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Can someone please clarify if the grade 7 book is part of the newest editions? Would a dc be able to move from Apologia's Zoology 3 into the R&S grade 7? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Can someone please clarify if the grade 7 book is part of the newest editions? Would a dc be able to move from Apologia's Zoology 3 into the R&S grade 7? Thanks in advance! I'm on mobile and can't see signatures. What grade is the DC? An average 7th grader should do fine with R&S 7. I would call R&S directly to ask about editions; they are very friendly and helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I just posted about this on a different forum so I am appreciating this thread and following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 God's Orderly World Grade 7 and Grade 8 are the new series. https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-147--/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Science https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-148--/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Science Investigating God's Orderly World Book 1 is the old series I used back in the 90s. I've been thinking about repurchasing this. It is ugly and boring and we often just read it without completing the activities. But it is a really good overview of the science topics needed to function in real life. https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-147-7/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Science Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnold Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Does anyone know if I can view samples online? I'm interested in 3rd and 5th grade but I was only able to see the outline of lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 https://www.milestonebooks.com/list/Questions/#science Understanding Rod and Staff's science program Rod and Staff's science program for grades 7-10 is being revised. During the revision period, here is the plan they are recommending that you should consider following. Originally "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One and Two was written for the seventh and eighth grade students, respectively. It is based on six-day creation and shows that true science and Biblical truth agree. Generally it was a very good course. But it was last revised in 1992, and much new scientific information has become available and corrected since that printing. Also, one problem continued to surface. Many teachers and students found that it was too much material in each book to be covered in one year, along with all the other subjects. So then Rod and Staff suggested that "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One be used for grades seven and eight, and Book Two be used for grades nine and ten. More recently, Rod and Staff Publishers decided it was time for a revision. In 2008 they published a revised seventh grade science text called "God's Orderly World" Grade 7. This covers the same basic materials which are in units 1,4,7,8,9,10 and 12 in "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One, in an improved and updated form. In 2012 they published a revised eighth grade text ("God's Orderly World" Grade 8) which covers the material from the remaining units of "Investigating God's Order World" Book One, and units 3, 4 and 12 from Book Two. Rod and Staff is continuing to recommend that "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book Two be divided and used for ninth and tenth grade students (note that units 3, 4 and 12 were covered in grade 8). This material will be revised and updated as the revision process progresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Does anyone know if I can view samples online? I'm interested in 3rd and 5th grade but I was only able to see the outline of lessons. If I click on "pupil textbook", then I have a "look in the book" option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Milestonebooks.com has samples online. Otherwise, if you call R&S directly they'll send you a grade 7 sample (every subject) at no cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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