We have to do physical science in both 8th and 9th grade .. help!

[ondreeuh]

We homeschool through our district's correspondence program. In K-8 they are very relaxed about what we choose and are even flexible about the topics we study. Normally in 6th-7th they do world geography, but I subbed world history and they were fine with it. In grades 6-8 they do earth, life, and then physical science, and we have used that schedule as well so we are due for physical science next year in 8th. I was planning on using Holt Science & Technology for physical science.

 

Now, In high school we have to meet the graduation requirements for the district, which are:

 

Physical Science ................ 1 credit from the following:
Physical Science
Integrated Science 1

 

Life Science ....................... 1 credit from the following:
Biology
Integrated Science 2

 

Science Electives ........................................... 1 credit

 

I'm trying to figure out the best way to meet these requirements that don't involve doing the same thing two years in a row. I do have the text and TM for Hewitt's Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations, of which half of it is physical science & chemistry. My tentative plan is to use HST in 8th and then the integrated science in 9th (and biology in 10th), but I am open to another solution. I could use Hewitt in 8th and then something else in 9th .... not sure what that would be. My son isn't a math or science whiz.

[8filltheheart]

I don't read that as the physical science the course but A physical science. That means chemistry or physics or I think even geology type courses. Just like life science is biology type courses.

[ondreeuh]

You are right! Although they list physical science as a course title, they later say "3 Credits are required to graduate: 1 Physical Science (Physical Science, Chemistry, or Physics), 1 Life Science (Biology), and 1 elective (any additional science) credit."

 

They track science along with math. I'm not sure how seriously I should take their recommendation for my son who will take algebra in 9th (after a very solid pre-algebra program that introduces multi-step equations with inequalities, graphing lines, sequences, functions, and polynomials). Again, he's not a math or science whiz but we do cover topics to mastery as well as we can.

 

A freshman taking pre-algebra takes earth science, then physical science, then biology, then optional elective

 

A freshman taking algebra takes physical science, biology, then chemistry or electives, then optional elective

 

A freshman taking geometry has more options. He can take biology, chemistry, and then AP or IB sciences. Or he can take integrated science 1, integrated science 2, and then IB sciences, or he can take accelerated science, chemistry, and IB sciences.

 

[EKS]

The reason the have that sequence is that they want the kids in chemistry to have taken or be taking Algebra II.  At least that's my suspicion.   He could easily take biology while taking Algebra I concurrently, but you may want to put something between biology and chemistry if he'll be taking Algebra II in 11th grade.

[LisaKinVA]

You could do:

Biology in 9th

Environmental Science (not at AP level) in 10th

Chemistry in 11th

 

OR

 

Conceptual Physics in 9th

Biology in 10th

Chemistry or Environmental Science in 11th

 

OR

Biology in 9th

Anatomy & Physiology or Marine Biology in 10th

Conceptual Physics 

Chemistry or Environmental Science (AP)

 

Those are just a few of the ways you could do this.  There are numerous sciences at the high school level one can take without a lot of heavy math -- there's a recent thread about that here, too...

[Mom22ns]

Conceptual Physics in 9th

Biology in 10th

Chemistry or Environmental Science in 11th

 

This one matches everything they are asking for. Physics gives a Physical Science in 9th along with Algebra, Biology in 10th, Chemistry in 11th, and then an optional elective science, which he could go with a higher level of Bio, Phys. or Chem, or he could do environmental or another elective if he wants to.

[ondreeuh]

Does Conceptual Chemistry require Alg. 2 as well?

 

What about doing:

 

8th: MS physical science (HST) OR Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations

9th: Environmental Science

10th: Biology

11th: Conceptual Chemistry

12th: Conceptual Physics

 

My son won't be applying to selective colleges, so I am more concerned with giving him a well-rounded education than a super competitive one.

[EKS]

I would not do conceptual physics concurrently with Algebra I as it does require Algebra I (there *is* math in conceptual physics--actually quite a bit of math, just not to the extent required by a real high school level algebra based physics course).  I think that biology in 9th, conceptual physics in 10th, and chemistry in 11th might work better.  And if you want a regular physics course instead, then the biology, elective, chemistry, physics sequence would work.

 

If you don't have to, I wouldn't put much energy into conforming to the high school's sequence.  People who decide that sort of thing in schools don't tend to think outside the box much--or even realize that they're in a box in the first place.

[happypamama]

I'd skip physical science for ninth grade and do physics in eleventh or twelfth. Our high school progression was biology in ninth, chemistry in tenth, either bio 2 or chem 2 (most did chem 2 because it was easier and because that was also the year of APUSH and a very difficult English teacher; a few science geeks, like my husband, did both; I don't know of anyone who did just bio 2) in eleventh, and physics in twelfth (with a few seniors also doing bio 2 if they didn't do it the previous year). That's about what we are planning for our kids too -- probably one year each of bio, chem, and physics, and a second class in one or more of them, maybe at the college level.

[ondreeuh]

OK, I like the idea of doing environmental in 9th because we'll also be doing world/cultural geography that year, and the two seem to go well together. Biology in 10th, chemistry in 11th and maybe physics in 12th will check all the boxes and make sense. We'll see if he develops an interest in pursuing something more in depth or choosing electives, but this is a good starting point. Many thanks!