raganfamily Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 This may be a silly question. What type of courses do you need to plan for your high schooler for STEM? Computer Science (Science courses: Biology, Chemistry, Physics) (Math course: Alegebra I & II, Geometry, Calculus, Trig) what else?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 It's going to depend somewhat (in the advanced levels) on which area of STEM you want to go into. Biology would be somewhat different than physics. However: Math: The student should take as much math as they can with as rigorous a curriculum as they can handle. This does not mean rushing through without understanding -- if your student is not ready for algebra before 9th grade then they should not take it before 9th grade. They should be competent with all levels of math that they have taken, including word problems. A student who aced the computation part of algebra but can't do word problems is going to struggle with STEM courses which require application of mathematics. Strong math skills are utterly essential. Science: At a minimum, a student should have a solid, high-school level course in bio, chem, and phys. These do not necessarily need to be taken during high school years, but they should be taken. This leaves time for at least one advanced elective in the student's area of interest. The science is not quite as important as the mathematics, as it is easier to make up shortfalls there, however, exposure is one way to tell if the student is actually interested in a career. Computer science: Some exposure to programming is nice, but not required. Electives will depend on the student and their capabilities. For specific examples, a student who wants to do environmental science might decide to fit in an introduction to statistics and a course in ecology -- a student who wants to do geology might work to fit in a course in geology and some extra chemistry -- a student who wants to do physics might fit in some advanced math work as well as physics -- really, after you get the "core" in there's a lot more room. But strong math skills are of paramount importance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raganfamily Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 Ok, these are the avenues we are pursuing. I really felt like I was missing something. I haven't been too concerned with my older daughter, whom is not interested in this are. However, I now have two starting 9th next year and wanted to make sure I was not missing anything. They are both doing Video Text Algebra now. Does anyone know of good reference for word problems for math? Are there any other basic courses I should focus on for STEM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Word Problems: Have you ever heard of Phillips Exeter School? They use a series of PDFs in their math program that is available online. Here's the first: https://www.exeter.edu/documents/math1all.pdf I don't think there are answer keys, but they are chock full of great questions, building one day from the skills learned the day before. I have a goal to work through all of them myself. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 I'd add statistics. In general, I think every child is different and that it is best to tailor their classes to their interests (as well as take basic foundational classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raganfamily Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 I''ll add statistics to my list. I have one that is interested in the medical field and one in engineering. I noticed Critical Thinking Company has two books for Daily Algebra word problems. So I will get those (since there is an answer key) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 My STEM kids have done things ranging from building kayaks and designing kites to being active in Civil Air Patrol to taking CAD classes and rebuilding motors and doing reenacting (muskets!) and sewing reenactment clothing. General thoughts -- 1) Anything hands-on is good. Build, design, explore..... (Not all engineers are hands-on people, but if your kid is, encourage it!) 2) Anything computer-related is helpful -- these days so much is computer-related. Programming, getting familiar with Linux, whatever..... Play around with composing music on various programs available over the internet. Play around with photoshop programs. Do the Sunday pamphlets for your church. Whatever! 3) Just get your kid involved. Civil Air Patrol provides experiences in search and rescue, communications, lots of hands-on projects, and learning about airplanes (technical!). Sea Scouts provides similar experiences but with boats. There are LOTS of things available that don't seem "STEM-related" but actually ARE VERY Stem-related. I have read several articles (no, I don't have links) describing an odd phenomenon -- kids these days are spending more time in structured activities and in front of screens so fewer and fewer kids have hands-on skills, whether they be related to model airplanes or clock repair or sewing or sculpture. The lack of hands-on skills translates to students who have less experience with how the world works. Kids with hands-on skills bring something to the table that others do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy58103 Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Don't forget Language Arts!!! A STEM student should have a strong foundation in grammar and then lots of practice writing essays/reports. Practice making formal presentations (include graphics / power point) is also very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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