kfeusse Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I have a 6th, 8th and 9th grader this year. We just started using Apologia for Science. Overall I really like it. My 9th grader is studying Biology this year. She is getting bogged down with the way they test....not that I think it's bad, but she has never really had to learn information and then apply it on a test...(it's not just simple recalling of information). I have a friend who also uses Apologia and she is looking into DIVE to supplement her science and I am curious to learn more from those who have actually used this. Will it work smoothly with Apologia? Or will I be piecing things together to make it work? Is it better than just using the DVD that comes with the program? Please give me all of your opinions on this...as I know NOTHING much about it. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 We are using DIVE Biology this year for my nephew. It has been a good experience so far. He uses the online text, however. I like that it is easy for me to check having all the videos online and assignments and tests graded and all in one place for me to check. The program seems challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 thanks. I am hoping to stay with Apologia.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I wouldn't go with DIVE if you want to stick with Apologia. Although he publishes syllabi for a variety of texts, the best fit is with is online syllabus or BJUP. He's gracious, but if you push the issue, he'll tell you that he not at all fond of the Apologia books. He feels like they don't go deep enough and skip important topics. Here's another thread with more details: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/555027-science-apologia-vs-bju/?hl=dive&do=findComment&comment=6419790 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 We chose DIVE biology for my 9th grade DD this year. DD absolutely hated it, and she loves science (especially biology). DD did not like the online text. We tried DIVE using the book Exploring Life...(Campbell), but the syllabus that was sent did not line up well at all. We then switched to another book that for which he had a syllabus published; it did not line up well with the lectures either. (We already had these books on our shelves.) We ended up ditching DIVE after 8 weeks and going with Science Shepherd biology. DD likes it much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 thank you so much for those who have responded....I would be interested to know for those who said they didn't like it as to WHY you didn't like it. Was it because it was too hard...or just wasn't the style of teaching that your child liked or what? Likewise for those who really liked it... I have 3 kids...only one ( my youngest) is interested in science things....my other two have other tendencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Ds tried DIVE for ICP when I had health issues and needed a teacher to fill in (Pearson text). He hated it. Dd used DIVE for ICP, Biology, and Chemistry. We used Pearson texts with the first two and BJU for Chem, so I can't speak to using Apologia with it. The reason ds hated DIVE was that Dr. Shoreman is boring and the text didn't align well making it frustrating. The reasons dd did like DIVE was that Dr. Shoreman offers straight forward no-nonsense explanations. The questions for each lesson are clearly covered in the reading and or his video and she liked following his video (actually stills with audio) labs better than labs with a lot of written instruction. DIVE was designed to follow BJU and works best that way. DIVE with Apologia always requires outside reading as Apologia doesn't cover all the topics or enough depth on some topics. DIVE is easier (the tests) than BJU, but harder than Apoogia (ds used Apologia for Chem, so I've seen both). The labs with DIVE are MUCH higher level than Apologia. The way I always tell people to decide about DIVE is to watch the sample videos on the website. If you think it is dry and tortuous, DON'T buy it. Those videos are exactly like all the others!!! If your student relates well to the videos and thinks they would be helpful, it isn't that expensive and it does offer test and labs that are easy to implement. Edited November 22, 2015 by Momto2Ns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 DD used DIVE ICP with BJU's textbook. She hated the presentations and really, really wanted to redo the course for the teacher with better graphics and such, but she learned a lot She used Apologia Biology and Chemistry (2nd edition) at home and doing labs in a co-op setting which I taught both years. She really enjoyed the Apologia textbooks. She did make a 35 on the science section of her ACT, so Apologia didn't hurt her ability to think scientifically. She always said she didn't want to do anything medical or science related, so I let her choose her fourth science. She did Astronomy with an easy course I put together myself. She is now considering a nursing major. I panicked when she told me that because I was thinking she wouldn't be prepared. She is in her first semester and doing chemistry. She's making an A (96-100s on her tests) and is signed up for A&P next semester. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValRN Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 thank you so much for those who have responded....I would be interested to know for those who said they didn't like it as to WHY you didn't like it. Was it because it was too hard...or just wasn't the style of teaching that your child liked or what? Likewise for those who really liked it... I have 3 kids...only one ( my youngest) is interested in science things....my other two have other tendencies. My DD did not like having to read everything online. She prefers an actual text. She also did not like the order in which the assignments were supposed to be completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemberley Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 We also tried DIVE to make it work with Apologia. Pros 1 - the labs are done for student and are presented with photos (though this is also a con if you want your child to learn on their own). The photos and explanations are clear. 2 - as far as I can tell, the labs coincide with the AP biology exam 3 - the student notebook is well done 4 - the fee is just right for homeshooling families 1 - my son didn't like the voice over slide show presentations 2 - i didn't like that DIVE's labs didn't coincide with Apologia's labs 3 - the labs are done for the students (which is also a pro if you don't have the right lab equipment) 4 - the lectures don't necessarily coincide with what was read in the Apologia book. What I mean is, while the lecture may cover the same topic, it didn't go into depth with the Apologia book's readings. I guess we were hoping for a professor to delve into the Apologia topics as they were presented. That wasn't the case and so we were a bit disappointed. It isn't a bad course, but it wasn't a fit for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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