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8th Grade Science....TGC Joy of Science?


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Thinking about this for next year. He won't be finished with Derek Owens Physical Science as he can only work on it part-time due to his project school that he goes to 3 days a week. But I was thinking next year I would also add in The Great Courses Joy of Science--has anyone used this? THoughts?

 

Thnk you!!!

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  • 5 months later...

Yes, this is exactly what we are doing.  We are using Joy of Science with supplements for science, and for history we are doing History of Science.  So it's really one big mash-up, no sharp distinction between history and science.  And for lit we are doing a bunch of sci fi/dystopian stuff.  So it's aaaaallllllllll connected!  :D

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For those of you using Joy of Science, can you share how you'll use it? I see that it is on sale right now (but still $125 for the video download version). It does look like a great overview before starting high school science.

 

 

 

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We'll use it for a science overview and to practice the skill of note-taking from lectures.  We have 4 core texts that she or we will read alongside:

Core Texts

Science Matters - Hazen & Trefil

The Story of Science – Susan Wise Bauer

What’s The Matter: Readings in Physics

Nature of Life: Readings in Biology

 

 

She also has a set of books she'll read independently:

1.       String, Straight-edge & Shadow: The Story of Geometry – Julia Diggins

2.       The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, The Royal Society & the Birth of the Modern World – Edward Dolnick

3.       Story of Science: Einstein

a.       Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon – Steve Sheinkin

4.       Mchenry’s Carbon Chemistry (11 chapters/5 weeks)

a.       Uncle Tungsten: Memoirs of a Chemical Boyhood – Oliver Sachs

b.      Napoleon’s Buttons – Penny LeCouteur

c.       The Disappearing Spoon – Sam Kean

5.       McHenry’s The Cell (9 chapters/5 weeks)

a.       The Violinist’s Thumb – Sam Kean

6.       Exploring the Way Life Works (8 chapters/10 weeks)

a.       The Double Helix – James Watson

b.      The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot

7.       McHenry’s The Brain (4 weeks)

a.       The Dueling Neurosurgeons – Sam Kean

b.      The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sachs

 

And then there are some additional things we'll read aloud together:

1.       The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in the Trees to Understanding the Cosmos – Leonard Mlodinow

2.       How We Got to Now - PBS videos

3.       Voyage of the Beagle – Charles Darwin

4.       The Origin of Species – Charles Darwin

5.       Why Evolution is True – Jerry Coyne

6.       The Beak of the Finch – Jonathan Weiner

7.       The Social Conquest of Earth – E O Wilson

 

 

Sorry my formatting got all wonky with the cut & paste.

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Rose, I love your upcoming year!

 

Just a few ideas, as I read this...

 

I just started listening to Bill Nye's Undeniable, Evolution and the Science of Creation.  Perfect for middle school.  

 

One of my fave documentaries is Jim Al-khalili's Science and Islam.  I just LOVE his stuff.

 

Do try the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures.  My fave was the Brain series.

 

I'll keep thinking, as I plan my year of Big History for my 7th grader!

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Rose- I want to come to your house for science!  How long do you spend on it if you do not mind me asking?  

 

 

I will have to check out the other classes mentioned. 

 

We will spend at least a couple of hours a day on our combined history/science.  Most days will include an hour of independent reading, note taking or writing, and another hour of read aloud & discussion or watching a lecture & taking notes, which we will do together.

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  • 6 years later...
On 7/19/2015 at 7:09 PM, Chrysalis Academy said:

We'll use it for a science overview and to practice the skill of note-taking from lectures.  We have 4 core texts that she or we will read alongside:

Core Texts

Science Matters - Hazen & Trefil

The Story of Science – Susan Wise Bauer

What’s The Matter: Readings in Physics

Nature of Life: Readings in Biology

 

 

She also has a set of books she'll read independently:

1.       String, Straight-edge & Shadow: The Story of Geometry – Julia Diggins

2.       The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, The Royal Society & the Birth of the Modern World – Edward Dolnick

3.       Story of Science: Einstein

a.       Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon – Steve Sheinkin

4.       Mchenry’s Carbon Chemistry (11 chapters/5 weeks)

a.       Uncle Tungsten: Memoirs of a Chemical Boyhood – Oliver Sachs

b.      Napoleon’s Buttons – Penny LeCouteur

c.       The Disappearing Spoon – Sam Kean

5.       McHenry’s The Cell (9 chapters/5 weeks)

a.       The Violinist’s Thumb – Sam Kean

6.       Exploring the Way Life Works (8 chapters/10 weeks)

a.       The Double Helix – James Watson

b.      The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot

7.       McHenry’s The Brain (4 weeks)

a.       The Dueling Neurosurgeons – Sam Kean

b.      The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sachs

 

And then there are some additional things we'll read aloud together:

1.       The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in the Trees to Understanding the Cosmos – Leonard Mlodinow

2.       How We Got to Now - PBS videos

3.       Voyage of the Beagle – Charles Darwin

4.       The Origin of Species – Charles Darwin

5.       Why Evolution is True – Jerry Coyne

6.       The Beak of the Finch – Jonathan Weiner

7.       The Social Conquest of Earth – E O Wilson

 

 

Sorry my formatting got all wonky with the cut & paste.

This is just a lovely, lovely list! I realize this was posted seven years ago, but do you remember how it all worked out?

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2 hours ago, knitgrl said:

This is just a lovely, lovely list! I realize this was posted seven years ago, but do you remember how it all worked out?

Wow, what a blast from the past! My kid was sitting at the table when I read this, so we looked at it together to see what we remembered, what we actually read, and what we skipped. One thing for sure, we didn't read everything on that list! Like most of my plans, it had like twice as much as was actually possible to cover. Here are the things we both remember enjoying. We are left with the impression that it was a good science year, FWIW!

Core texts:

Science Matters & SWB's Story of Science

Independent reads completed:

String, Straight-Edge & Shadow; The Clockwork Universe; The Story of Science/Einstein; The Bomb; McHenry's The Cell & The Brain; Exploring the Way Life Works; The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Read alouds: The Voyage of the Beagle & Why Evolution Is True

We also watched a bunch of PBS videos & a ton of other videos from HHMI's BioInteractive.org. I love that site, it had a ton of great, engaging, easy to use resources. Looks like even more now than 7 years ago.

Thanks for that fun walk down memory lane!

 

 

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13 hours ago, Chrysalis Academy said:

Wow, what a blast from the past! My kid was sitting at the table when I read this, so we looked at it together to see what we remembered, what we actually read, and what we skipped. One thing for sure, we didn't read everything on that list! Like most of my plans, it had like twice as much as was actually possible to cover. Here are the things we both remember enjoying. We are left with the impression that it was a good science year, FWIW!

That was indeed a long book list; it's a relief to know not everything was read. Thanks so much for sharing!

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