How to self-study for biology. We are using Science Shepherd.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Dd is self-studying biology using Science Shepherd.  We also use the Parent Companion which gives me questions to ask her as a help to review each chapter's information. (This is not really helping her.) She is a dedicated student and is truly trying to learn the material, but she's bogging down from detail-overload in the text.  I would like to know if you all can suggest any way to help her self-study biology. Her science background is 9th grade: Conceptual Physics, 10th grade Apology Chemistry, and now 11th grade: SS Biology.

 

The routine is to read a chapter, answer questions, review the chapter with the parent, do this for 2-3 chapters, then take a test.  She's saving the labs to do at the end of the year.  I'm open to alternative ways to studying/testing biology.  I think the information is valuable for her to know; I'm simply willing to make it more palatable for her.

 

One career that she is considering is landscape architecture.  We've looked into this; and there is quite a bit of biology involved, so I don't want to skimp.  Of course the landscape architecture thing could change, but she needs a good biology background just in case it does not.

 

Her other subjects are PreCalculus (outsourced), American literature/composition (outsourced), American history/government, and some electives. This course load is challenging for her so that time is precious.  She would prefer a live teacher for biology, yet we thought we could handle biology as a self-study.  Videos might be a good idea but only if they don't add any unnecessary time to her already tight schedule.  They would need to be REALLY good videos for us to add them in.

 

She is reading about material that just sits as words on the page.  She needs help making biological concepts come to life- to be explained. Yep- she needs a live teacher, but we are in this situation and don't have one.  

 

How would you suggest she self-study biology?  Any ideas?  Out of the box ideas are welcome.  Any ideas are welcome.

[Vida Winter]

Khan Academy would have videos to supplement her work.

[Luckymama]

You might also consider the Crash Course Chemistry videos (YouTube).

[chiguirre]

The CK-12 biology textbooks have imbedded videos. T and I did the Physical Science chapter on chemical bonds yesterday and it really helped her understand better than the PH Physical Science textbook. Bozeman science also has excellent videos and includes biology. Both of these resources teach evolution as the basis of biology, so preview them.

 

Another idea is for you to give a mini-lecture or study guide or study tips about what will be tested. IRL teachers do this all the time and it's a big help when it comes to studying.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Thank you, ladies!  I thought about Khan, but I had not heard of Crash Course Chemistry videos.... do they teach about biology?  One huge problem we have is that we have satellite internet which limits our data.  We have to be VERY careful about streaming video.  Using Khan or YouTube is only a once-in-a-while luxury, unfortunately.  

 

The CK-12 book I've looked at before.  Same thing applies for the video componant, but I'll take a look at that.

 

Chiguirre, thank you for the ideas about test study.  We sort of do this, and it has helped.

 

Please keep the ideas coming!

 

[Luckymama]

Thank you, ladies! I thought about Khan, but I had not heard of Crash Course Chemistry videos.... do they teach about biology? One huge problem we have is that we have satellite internet which limits our data. We have to be VERY careful about streaming video. Using Khan or YouTube is only a once-in-a-while luxury, unfortunately.

 

The CK-12 book I've looked at before. Same thing applies for the video componant, but I'll take a look at that.

 

Chiguirre, thank you for the ideas about test study. We sort of do this, and it has helped.

 

Please keep the ideas coming!

This is a listing with descriptions of all the Crash Course Biology videos. Perhaps you and your dd could chose the ones that would help her the most :)

 

http://biologyclass101.com/resources/biology-video-resources/crash-course-biology-video-series/

[chiguirre]

Thank you, ladies!  I thought about Khan, but I had not heard of Crash Course Chemistry videos.... do they teach about biology?  One huge problem we have is that we have satellite internet which limits our data.  We have to be VERY careful about streaming video.

Could you drive to a place that has free wifi once every week or two? McDonald's and Starbucks in a bigger town would probably have it or a public library. You'll have to look around at the towns near you to find places. If you're in Alabama, I think you'll be able to find something, if you've moved to Alaska, maybe not. If you can't access wifi regularly, I'd buy the Teaching Company's Biology course. Here's a link to used copies on Amazon for about $50 (make sure you get the complete set, some sellers are listing partial sets):

 

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1565859308/ref=sr_1_2_any_1_main_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1411743542&sr=8-2&condition=any

 

This will include evolution, so you'll have to preview.

[happygrrl]

Science Shepherd has a lot of detail.  What we did: 

 

My dd took notes in outline form as she read. This was a huge help- making an outline helped her to see the main points and not get too overwhelmed by supporting details. It was a great exercise in learning to select how to fine tune her view as there is no way to learn everything in the book. I thought it a great prep for college.  We discussed, using her notes, before she filled out the study page. She took the study page almost as a pre-test, helping her see what she was hazy on. Then she would use the book to correct her study guide and clear up any shallow understanding. After taking the test, she went back and corrected any missed answers using the book. 

 

Secondly, I allowed her to do two tests open book- her choice. That way, when there was a chapter that was completely overwhelming she could choose to treat it more lightly. That opportunity put the power back into her hands, and gave her confidence that she could finish the course. I graded those tests as quizzes. If I recall correctly, she chose one of the genetics chapters to do as an open book test.

 

I also did the entire evolution section open book; I wanted her to experience that material as a conversation and point of view, not necessarily as fact that had to be memorized. It comes in the middle of the course, so it was a good time to chill a bit and just read the chapter/do the study guide.  We spent the time (that would usually have been spent studying and test taking) sitting on the couch talking about faith and science. This girl is not a philosopher by nature, so I count that time more precious than any graded work.

 

Science Shepherd is honors level work, in my opinion (though you should probably add evolutionary material to call it honors).  If my non-science major son decides to use Sceince Shepeherd, I will focus on this as an opportunity to learn how to extract main themes from a text book, and will not ask him to memorize the details, which would be completely overwhelming to him. I would also then modify the tests to reflect a comprehension of themes, and ask for examples without worrying about the depth that a science major would be expected to go. 

 

Just my opinion! Hope that helps!

[Orthodox6]

Nobody is going to send me flowers for this reply!

 

We are using Science Shepherd with a fifteen-year-old bright student.  Not only have I located some errors in the text -- (most of the type where a paragraph of text says one thing, then the corresponding diagram contradicts what was said) -- but the text often is poorly written.  Sometimes there will be synonyms (or equal meaning concept) employed without reference to what is the antecedent (i.e. where the concept was discussed previously, called something else).  

 

The text -- the third chapter, at least -- is not at all suitable for exclusive self-study.  I taught chapter three, paragraph-by-paragraph to my daughter until I was convinced that she understood, and would retain, the material.  I graded the first test carefully, removing points or half-points where I thought it necessary -- (We omitted no questions, although the guide says it is ok to do so.) --  and she made a 96.  She could not possibly have done so well had I not taught the course material.  DD is bright, with intuitive insights.  Not Nobel-Prize-winning level, though.

[PeterPan]

You realize you could screw the science shepherd biology, spend the whole year studying PLANT biology (since that's what she's interested in), actually learn something, actually be engaged...  It's not like there's some law that you HAVE to study certain things.  There are 36 (right? I forget) chapters in Miller-Levine, and teachers pretty much pick about 18 of them to do, from what I can tell in googling syllabi online.  So who's to say you're a horrible person if the chapters you were to choose just HAPPEN to center around topics she enjoys?  And then if you just HAPPENED to expand them with well-written biology literature on the topics...  

 

All your topics there could connect to plants.  Genetics of plants.  Definition of life with plants.  Chemistry/ATP with plants.  Meiosis/mitosis with plants.  Biomes with plants.  Evolution/Creation/ID controversies with plants.  Reproduction with plants. The whole thing could center around what really interests her.  You'd make a list of the major topics you want to hit (using the chapter titles of your current text) then figure out how they connect to plants and find resources for them.  Botany of Desire, David Attenborough videos, there's all kinds of stuff on plants.  I got a book for my dd on the history of the tulip industry.  

 

If she's having a cruddy time, change it and have more fun.   :)

[chiguirre]

Following up on Elizabeth's idea, there's an excellent Coursera course on plant senses:

 

https://www.coursera.org/course/plantknows

 

I did it last year and loved it and I'm not really very interested in plants normally.

 

It's going to start in late October and run through mid-December. The book isn't necessary, but it's good reinforcement and it's not dry at all.

 

ETA: Coursera videos are downloadable, so you could go to a place with wifi and download them for later viewing at home.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I was away most of the afternoon yesterday and didn't respond last night.  Wow, ladies!  Thanks so much for the ideas!  I figured there would be several good ones here!  ;)   I especially appreciate that there are suggestions for the SS Biology text as well as suggestions for other ways to complete this credit. Dd is struggling with the time it takes to get all of her subjects done.  If I could modify the text or specialize in plant biology, that might free up her time while doing "enough" to make it a full credit.  

 

It is another busy day here.  I will have to check on the courses mentioned later.  Again, thanks so much for all the help!

 

Please keep the ideas coming!  

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Ok....  I need to ask.... Generally speaking, I have always had the impression that colleges are looking for high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and at least one advanced course and labs to go with most of these sciences.  SS Biology would check that box exactly.  If we were to tweak the course to cover only plant related biology, would that still satisfy colleges?  Would they accept such a class as  biology, or would they think, "Well, you know enough about plants, but you haven't studied anything about animals?"  

 

I'm sure I should call the colleges dd is most likely to attend for a bottom-line answer, but since that isn't an option on a Sunday morning, I thought I would go ahead and ask here.  

 

So, are there any negative consequences if we modify this general biology class and turn it into more of a plant biology (botony) course???

[Orthodox6]

It becomes, then, a botany course.  Not a substitute for biology, but a good choice for an elective afterward.

[1Togo]

The suggestion that I always make because it has worked for all of our children.

 

First, teach your daughter how to take Cornell notes, which are a lot like outlining but with a more flexible format.  Then, your daughter should "teach" her notes to an imaginary audience.  If a person can teach the material, then they know it.

 

Some students may have a learning curve mastering the process, but the payoff is worth the effort.  Initially, it may take 45 minutes to take notes on 2 pages, but after practicing, 4-5 pages can be done that amount of time.  We use the Cornell format; i.e. fold a piece of paper in half, put main ideas on the left, and support on the right, for every subject and for lectures as well.  "Lecturing" may feel awkward in the beginning, but the method helps with understanding and retention.  

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Ok.  Thanks!

Dd and I will give all this some thought.  

It does make sense to complete a regular biology class- whether its SS or something else (maybe CK-12 biology) because it prepares her for possible dual-enrollment biology (just an option for 12th grade at the moment) and for college biology.  If she follows this route, the suggestions for outlining the text and Cornell notes will be very helpful.  I would hope to be able to use Khan, YouTube and CK as needed.  We hate limited internet..... We truly can run down to the library for free WiFi, but it's a bit of a chore.

 

It also makes sense to change from biology to something like botony.  This makes her 11th grade year possibly more manageable/enjoyable and also gives her strong background for future landscape architecture courses.This  is definitely worth considering.

 

You all have been wonderful.  I really appreciate all the help! 

[PeterPan]

I'm not saying do botany. I'm saying go through your text, pick 15-18 chapters you would have covered, and do the topics through the perspective of her interest. You could do the same thing if it were cats or snakes or whatever. If you were doing botany it would include more botany-specific topics.

 

It took me quite a while to create my ddaughters bio plan. Maybe I put it on google? I'll check.

[Deee]

Some students learn extremely well through just reading. I was one of them until I started Uni, when the work became too complex. Biology is information heavy, and the temptation is to stay in the lowest of Bloom's levels of learning, knowledge, because that is the easiest way to get through all the info in a reasonable timeframe. But this isn't really learning. You need to move your daughter up to at least the analysis phase. Doing the labs with the corresponding unit, rather than in a block at the end, will help. Active learning is a must with biology. To give you an idea, during the first year of my science degree (I majored in molecular biology), I spent 4 hours a week in biology lectures and 4 hours in the lab. This mix is what I'll aim for with DS in high school. Give her some projects to do where she has to read, research, analyse and synthesise information. These could be mostly plant based. Plant experiments are cheap and easily controlled (I did loads at uni). A good biology course should include ecology, genetics, evolution, cellular bio, human and animal systems, and botany.

 

There are loads of good videos for supplementing. Bozeman is great, and he gets to the point quickly. Great note taking practice! Also try Open Learning Australia: loads of free, short courses from university lecturers, and you don't have to be Australian. Also have a look at Alison, based in the UK. Again, completely free, but both require internet access.

 

BTW, there is a nasty myth, often perpetuated by physicists ;), that biology is easy. Its not.

D

[PeterPan]

Sorry I'm not sure if I uploaded it yet. Here's my amazon list to give you ideas. I think straight bio is fine, but there are other ways to do this.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2L2758EUNGF22/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_o

[Orthodox6]

 

It does make sense to complete a regular biology class- whether its SS or something else (maybe CK-12 biology) because it prepares her for possible dual-enrollment biology (just an option for 12th grade at the moment) and for college biology.  If

 

If she is taking biology this current high school year, she would not be able to take "dual credit" biology in a later high school year.  She already would have received credit for the subject.   

 

[JanetC]

If she is taking biology this current high school year, she would not be able to take "dual credit" biology in a later high school year. She already would have received credit for the subject.

 

Not true. You can receive credit for doing a high school level and a college level class in the same subject. The dual credit class will cover new and more material; it won't be a repeat.

[Orthodox6]

Not true. You can receive credit for doing a high school level and a college level class in the same subject. The dual credit class will cover new and more material; it won't be a repeat.

 

This is interesting.  The part about the CC course covering more material is true.  I can't help wondering, though, whether a high school transcript listing general biology twice would founder upon an admission department's desk.  Have your children done this?  

 

Doing so would not have occurred to me.  There is barely room to take enough courses in high school to begin with!   :001_smile:  

[JanetC]

This is interesting. The part about the CC course covering more material is true. I can't help wondering, though, whether a high school transcript listing general biology twice would founder upon an admission department's desk. Have your children done this?

 

My own kids have not. Future pre-meds do it all the time. If writing your own transcript, I would use two different course titles to make the differences clear.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

OhElizabeth.... Gotcha.  I like the idea of using the SS book and picking topics that most interest dd. There are 34 chapters- should be able to omit a select few.  Thank you for your Amazon list!  Reading a bunch of topical books like these would certainly liven up a text book subject.  Is your dd reading these as her biology?  Are you incorporating a textbook?

 

Deee.... I agree.  Biology is hard due to the amount of learning complex ideas and memorization.  We used the physics first approach to hopefully prep for biology.  This has actually helped.  Dd is very familiar with the chemistry concepts covered at the beginning of the text.  I totally agree that it is better to do the experiments along with the corresponding chapters.  When her Precalc class started, she basically had to put most of her other school work aside just to have time for class work and home work.  Math was very challenging.  Because of this, we thought it would help her with time management/ time efficiency to do the labs at the end of the year. When she gets comfortable with the math routine, maybe we can start doing some experiments with the chapters.  Changing the labs to the end of the year was an act of survival (to be dramatic about it).  

 

Orthodox6....   It is true (where I live/ in my hs covering) that a DE biology class can follow a high school level biology class.  Both classes earn credit and appear on the transcript.  

 

Thanks, ladies!

[PeterPan]

OhElizabeth.... Gotcha.  I like the idea of using the SS book and picking topics that most interest dd. There are 34 chapters- should be able to omit a select few.  Thank you for your Amazon list!  Reading a bunch of topical books like these would certainly liven up a text book subject.  Is your dd reading these as her biology?  Are you incorporating a textbook?

 

Deee.... I agree.  Biology is hard due to the amount of learning complex ideas and memorization.  

Sorry, I was out and about and couldn't remember how to find the link for the files!   :lol:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4d-ni5Q4XwtMHp0ZXJBQXY0UHc/edit?usp=sharing  Try this, see if it works.

 

Obviously it has a little shorthand.  Bio101 are the Bio 101 dvds.  I used a dab of Macaw.  Basically I went through Macaw, picked the chapters we wanted to do, and then decided whether we wanted to use the text OR an alternate source.  There's not really time to add a lot ON TOP of Miller/Levine, so it's one or the other.  I have the print study guide for M/L, and if I had a student who was the type to just sit there and memorize scads of vocab, it would be great.  Some kids do that.  People can disagree, but *my goal* with her for biology is to be a lifelong learner.  I figure if I intersect her with SOME of the material in an interesting way and she doesn't come out hating it, that's better than if she gets exposed to a bunch of vocab that she won't remember.  I think the best teachers ARE bringing M/L (and other bio texts) to life, focusing on contexts, applying the info in interesting ways, etc.  *I* can't do that, so I'm doing what fits her and what we can get done.

 

I interspersed labs, but we haven't started them yet.  I tried to have ways to connect the material to history, art, videos, etc.  I bought about twice as many books as I ended up including.  Some might be more appropriate for your dd, being slightly older, than they were for mine, iykwim.  Botany of Desire, Violinist's Thumb, etc., some of them I just decided to wait on.  

 

If you go through my syllabus you'll see the flow: new chapter topic (that I pulled from M/L), alternate book source we're reading instead of M/L, labs to go with the topic.  I have videos linked.  I had tons more ideas, but I just ran out of TIME!!!  You literally can't do all the cool stuff you'd like to.  

 

On the one hand it's laudable to have a thorough education.  On the other, I had a bizarre background and had no trouble picking up a college text.  You just need enough *pegs* that when you pick it up you can go forward.  There ARE more ways to do this, not just one.  I chose what I was willing to have less of (vocab memorization) and what I wanted more of (engagement, application, context, connections).  It's what fits my student and she enjoys it so far.

 

Btw, I used an online syllabus from a ps class I found to decide which chapters to lean toward as I made my choices for topics.  It doesn't seem like most teachers cover all the book.  I really think you can pick and choose, do things a different way, spend the time, increase engagement, and be LEGIT.  In fact, I think it's MORE than legit.  I think it's BETTER.  Far better to do less chapters but spend a couple days a week in some really involved project she decides to pursue or assist with on genetics of african violets or something than to apply to college and say "But you don't get it, I'm awesome.  I'm read all 35 chapters in M/L!!"  They don't care how many chapters you read.  What did you DO with them?

[PeterPan]

Btw, we just visited an engineering college that is using that Henrietta Lacks book as required reading for all their freshman for ethics...  What a great way to get an interconnected, meaningful understanding of the topics!

[dovrar]

Nobody is going to send me flowers for this reply!

 

We are using Science Shepherd with a fifteen-year-old bright student.  Not only have I located some errors in the text -- (most of the type where a paragraph of text says one thing, then the corresponding diagram contradicts what was said) -- but the text often is poorly written.  Sometimes there will be synonyms (or equal meaning concept) employed without reference to what is the antecedent (i.e. where the concept was discussed previously, called something else).  

 

The text -- the third chapter, at least -- is not at all suitable for exclusive self-study.  I taught chapter three, paragraph-by-paragraph to my daughter until I was convinced that she understood, and would retain, the material.  I graded the first test carefully, removing points or half-points where I thought it necessary -- (We omitted no questions, although the guide says it is ok to do so.) --  and she made a 96.  She could not possibly have done so well had I not taught the course material.  DD is bright, with intuitive insights.  Not Nobel-Prize-winning level, though.

 

I know that this was posted a long while back, but Orthodox6, do you happen to know where the errors you found were? I purchased a 1st edition of the book some time ago, but haven't had a chance to use it yet and would rather not have to go fishing for errors before I use it if I didn't have to. (I don't have the money to buy another text at this point.)

 

Thanks so much!