Dusting off Nebel / BFSU -- what works?

[anabelneri]

Ok, I'm planning on doing Nebel with my girls this year.  I've got a 1st grader who has only done a couple of the lessons, and a 6th grader who is done with BFSU1 but has only done a couple lessons in BFSU2.

 

Organizationally, how have you gotten BFSU to work for you?  It's been a major energy-suck in the past... how do you neutralize that aspect of it?  And it's not like the lessons are hard!  I know that... it's just getting it together that I've had trouble with.

 

Thanks!

 

[Tracy]

I wish I had a good answer, because I am in the same boat.  A friend and I want to combine our families.  She has a 10yo and a 7yo.  I have a 9yo and a 6yo.  I did most of Vol. 1 with my dd, and my friend just pulled her kids out of school.  Although it is recommended to go through Vol. 1 first, I don't really want to teach it again.  Both of our families are very science-minded, so I am hoping that the daily casual science discussions we have will be enough.  We don't have a solid plan just yet, but I am thinking that we will start with Vol. 2, let the youngers tag along, and fill in with information from Vol. 1 as needed.  

[WeeBeaks]

I am on again and off again with it, but what works to get it done for us is write it in my lesson plans 1-2 lessons a week.  Two weeks prior I put holds on the books from the library I will use so they will be ready in time.  My kids like science, so I do something else the other 3-4 days of the week (Elemental Science for olders, have been doing Sassafras with youngers).  Since our "regular" science is all one topic, the BFSU works to intersperse other topics. 

[Tanikit]

I use Bill Nye videos and some short youtube videos as an introduction. We discuss the topic, do some form of writing (be it a worksheet or just writing out main points or sticking something in a notebook - this varies depending on what topic we are doing). I use books we have at home or that are available on the internet as getting to the library is a pain and they never have the books required anyway. I find just diving in works best - if I plan too much then we never get started - which is why having the videos forces me to follow up after that because then I cannot just leave the topic. I am however only doing BFSU 1 with my first grader - it will be another story when I have my 3 year old join a book behind the older one so following to find out how people cope with two books.

[ErinE]

I used BFSU 1, 2, and 3 last year for a 5th and 2nd grader. Nebel has recommended lesson paths with integrated topics, but I just used the Biology sections as a whole. Here's what worked for us:

 

* At the beginning of the school year, I read through the Biology sections in each volume. Doing this helped me build my basic knowledge.

* Almost every week, I'd reserve library books and videos. While looking at the recommended lists, I'd skim the relevant section to refresh my memory.

* Once the library items were picked up, the kids read through them. Dd8 read aloud to me, usually finishing 1-4 books a week. We started with BFSU1 so the Let's Read and Find Out (LRAFO) books were quick lessons. Some of the higher reading level habitat and human body books took longer. DS11 read a chapter or two per day with one exception. I required only a few sections at a time from David Macalauy's The Way We Work. The book is colorfully illustrated, but the text is written to a high reading level. I think Lewelma (Ruth in NZ) recommends this book as well.

* On an ideal day, I'd discuss the reading with each child, using the Nebel text as a guide. Some weeks, I'd have a end-of-week conversation with my oldest as Fridays are our lightest days.

* Demonstrations were child-led and done in the child's free time. DD8 is a "maker" so she'd use the any in-book suggestions to do "experiments". I keep on hand lots of crafty/science supplies and I try to have a bin filled with recycling items (empty egg cartons, yogurt cups, cereal boxes, etc). DS11 would join in on occasion, but he hasn't much interest in doing demonstrations.

 

The kids did not keep a science notebook. Our conversations showed my kids' understanding and I'd refer back to previous lessons when applicable. Every few weeks, a writing assignment was science based. I didn't plan field trips specifically for science, but if we had one that was relevant to our study, the kids and I would have discussions during our trip.

 

Having used and discarded numerous science curriculums, this method worked best for my family. I plan to do the same next year for Earth Science, except we'll add-in a science fair project using Lewelma's inquiry-based science posts.

[madteaparty]

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* Almost every week, I'd reserve library books and videos. While looking at the recommended lists, I'd skim the relevant section to refresh my memory.

 

Butting in, because I will be using BFSU 2 with my 5th grader. I have the book but haven't cracked it open yet (saving it for the camp days). Where did you find recommended books/videos? Did you come up with a list yourself? many thanks!

[Mrs Twain]

BFSU 1 is basic enough that I can read through half of a lesson and grab the necessary items from around the house right before I teach it. I highlight important things that I want to say, and I jot a few notes in the margins when supplies are required.

 

I also have a large white board. I give my kids all of the markers and have them draw pictures and label as I do the explaining from the book. This method keeps them interested compared to previously when I did the writing on the board.

 

After each lesson, I make 3-4 copywork sentences for the next day which summarize the main principles of the lesson. There is a list at the beginning of each lesson which helps with this. The kids copy the sentences and draw a picture for each one. Then they file the paper in their binder which has tabs for each thread.

 

Ideally, I would have coordinated library book reading, but that never worked out.

 

I got halfway through BFSU2 in the same manner, but it was a bomb. I don't know how to make volume two work well.

[Roadrunner]

BFSU 1 is basic enough that I can read through half of a lesson and grab the necessary items from around the house right before I teach it. I highlight important things that I want to say, and I jot a few notes in the margins when supplies are required.

 

I also have a large white board. I give my kids all of the markers and have them draw pictures and label as I do the explaining from the book. This method keeps them interested compared to previously when I did the writing on the board.

 

After each lesson, I make 3-4 copywork sentences for the next day which summarize the main principles of the lesson. There is a list at the beginning of each lesson which helps with this. The kids copy the sentences and draw a picture for each one. Then they file the paper in their binder which has tabs for each thread.

 

Ideally, I would have coordinated library book reading, but that never worked out.

 

I got halfway through BFSU2 in the same manner, but it was a bomb. I don't know how to make volume two work well.

I approach teaching BFSU in much the same way. We have finished volume 1 and some of volume 2. Can you tell me where you got bogged down and why? The difficulty of some of physics lessons worries me, but I am hoping the rest isn't too bad.

[anabelneri]

I used BFSU 1, 2, and 3 last year for a 5th and 2nd grader. Nebel has recommended lesson paths with integrated topics, but I just used the Biology sections as a whole.

 

This post was super-helpful.  Did you find that it worked out to only do one topic area at a time?  I'm curious to know if you find that your kids make connections between the topics anyway, even though they're spread apart.

 

I'm still considering what to do.  It looks like if I do 20 lessons from BFSU1 with my 1st grader this year (and 20 next year) she'll be at the right place, and BFSU2 only has 30 lessons anyway (and we do a 30 to 36 week school year)... is one lesson/week of BFSU2 reasonable?

 

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

[Roadrunner]

This post was super-helpful. Did you find that it worked out to only do one topic area at a time? I'm curious to know if you find that your kids make connections between the topics anyway, even though they're spread apart.

 

I'm still considering what to do. It looks like if I do 20 lessons from BFSU1 with my 1st grader this year (and 20 next year) she'll be at the right place, and BFSU2 only has 30 lessons anyway (and we do a 30 to 36 week school year)... is one lesson/week of BFSU2 reasonable?

 

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

You can take longer than a week per lesson especially in BFSU 2. The book is intended of three years. We spent three weeks on the water cycle lesson alone.

[Mrs Twain]

... is one lesson/week of BFSU2 reasonable?

 

 

 

The lessons in BFSU2 are significantly longer than volume 1.  If you work on it every week, multiple days per week, you could get it done in one year.  IMO it would be better to spread it out over two or three years, though.

[Mrs Twain]

I approach teaching BFSU in much the same way. We have finished volume 1 and some of volume 2. Can you tell me where you got bogged down and why? The difficulty of some of physics lessons worries me, but I am hoping the rest isn't too bad.

 I did about an equal number of lessons from each thread so that we got halfway down the flowchart page in the beginning of the book.  I don't know what went wrong.  The way I presented the information came off as boring to my kids, and they told my husband that they hated science.  One of those two is excellent at science, and we are considering sending her to our local science magnet high school. The problem is not that my kids are not interested in science.  The issue was how I was presenting the lessons.  I just don't know how I would improve it on my end. 

 

I am still using BFSU1 with my youngest.  Maybe I'll try BFSU2 with her and it will go better...?

[Sammish]

 The way I presented the information came off as boring to my kids, and they told my husband that they hated science.  One of those two is excellent at science, and we are considering sending her to our local science magnet high school. The problem is not that my kids are not interested in science.  The issue was how I was presenting the lessons.  I just don't know how I would improve it on my end. 

This is exactly why I gave up on BFSU, despite loving it in theory. (Well, it being a pain to put together each week didn't help, either!) I have only on kid, and I just couldn't get him engaged in the material, and asking questions and participating like it seems to require. Maybe it works better with groups of kids that can play off one another? I just ended up lecturing, which was awful for both of us.

 

After we quit BFSU, I moved on to some Home Science Adventures kits, and he loved working on them. So science went from being dreaded to being the first thing he asked to do each week. And since I keep reading things that say that at this age, the important thing is to keep them interested in science, not necessarily to learn a specific set of facts, Nebel is collecting dust.

 

I still love the idea of BFSU, so I'm following this thread, hoping someone has some magical advice, but I'm just not sure we'll ever get it to work for us. 

[daijobu]

If your household is like mine, now is a good time to get started.  My kids have camps on and off all summer, so that gives me more uninterrupted time to do planning.

 

Look through the materials sections of each lesson you'll be covering the first semester.  Order it and put it away until needed.  You'll need more stuff in vol's 2 and 3, particularly in physics.  If you are not strong in science, start reading now to familiarize yourself with the concepts and experiments.  

 

I agree with a PP to start putting library books on hold a week or so before the start of a new lesson.  I usually hold additional books that pop up in my library searches as appropriate.  It's free after all!  

 

I like to work through an experiment before I do it with the kids to get the bugs out.  It's also amazing what people are posting on youtube.  You can easily find lots of good supplemental hands on work.

 

For example, we've been studying E&M in bfsu3.  I wanted to supplement with some youtube videos when I stumbled on an experiment for DIY speakers made from paper plates!  Amazing!  It was so easy, you could totally hear the radio transmission, and it really drove home the role of electromagnets and permanent magnets in producing sound waves.  It wasn't a part of bfsu but dovetailed so well with it.  

 

if you have any specific questions about any particular lessons, I'm happy to help.  

[Miss Tick]

To avoid the long, dry lecture mode in BFSU 2 I made up some worksheets for the lessons with some pictures and some kind of interaction from my kids. The type of interaction I asked for varied from straight-up workbook to data collection for experiments.

 

I also broke up some lessons quite a bit. For instance, we spent a month on the density lesson. The concept was easy, but neither were proficient with division, so we took it slow.

[Courtney_Ostaff]

You may find this helpful: http://fromtherootsup.blogspot.com/2011/10/bfsu-flowcharts.html

Plus, Nebel is on a Yahoo group and does awesome presentation suggestions.