Physical Science for a future STEM major?

[Janeway]

He has ASD. He won't do something unless super confident. We tried physics for high school this year through an outsourced program for grades 9-12 and he flipped out. Science came to a stand still. Now I am looking at BJU DVD program and they have physical science for 9th grade. He will be going to a local state university for college. I don't think they care which science a student has. He will be in algebra 2 this fall. Would physical science be a mistake?

[regentrude]

If he is going to a local school that is not selective in admission, nobody will care, as long as it checks a box. I would check with the local school's admissions requirements to be sure that this is indeed acceptable. If it is, physical science is not a mistake - but it is not a necessity either.

 

OTOH, what exactly do you mean by "future STEM major"? That's a fairly broad and useless label. What field is he interested in? There has to be a science that he is particularly interested in - why not study that?

 

Edited June 4, 2016 by regentrude

[Janeway]

Computer engineering.

[Julie of KY]

I would teach him at the level that is best for him which sound like physical science. I think it is much more in the student's benefit to study at whatever level they are at rather than try to push to please colleges. Of course you have to box check and meet certain minimal requirements and if your student isn't excelling at high school math/science then they might not make it into the most elite colleges, but it is fine to take physical science now, perhaps a high school level physics later and save college level physics for college. It is way better to have the student learning at THEIR level rather than flopping by trying to do something out of their reach.

[Janeway]

He is at a level where he could handle the regular, higher level science. But, he fights everything, especially if he does not feel 100% at it.

[Julie of KY]

It's hard to find the right balance when their emotional readiness and organizational ability don't match their academic potential.

 

I'd still pick something that sets him up for success. It is very beneficial to take an "easier" course and learn to be organized and build the confidence to take something else by excelling at the first.

[Saddlemomma]

You could try CK12 Physical Science at the middle school or Physics for high school level.  The lessons are short, include videos for most lessons, vocabulary, comprehension questions, quizzes, tests, practice games, and further website links for research.  Best of all it's free, so you're not out anything for trying it.  If you wanted to add information, you can create your own flexbook from the MS/HS text you prefer and edit in documentaries from YouTube, or supplemental info such as web articles/videos/games you think are appropriate.

 

Another option would be the out-of-the box scenario.  For instance, get a book such as Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy.  Read that paired with some appropriate documentaries or CK12 chapters that correspond to the book topics, which would include some comp questions/quizzes.  Throw in some cool experiments (you can easily find these on YouTube using household items for free as well, or buy a kit).

 

Our DD doesn't have any LDs but HATES physical science, and we've put it off, but I want her to have a good understanding of the fundamentals before heading into HS.  Therefore next fall we will bite the bullet and do it.  I recently purchased The Great Courses Plus (they offer several physics courses) and will be using their Joy of Science lectures paired with the text, The Sciences, an Integrated Approach and Scientific Matters.  Because we are OEC, I am also adding supplemental material for that.  I will be spreading the course over 2 years and, in 9th. grade, she will finish the course with a credit in Integrated Science.  By doing this, we will be able to take our time, delve deeply, and explore rabbit trails.  The first part is primarily physical science, but she will  also get biology, astrology, and earth science as well and see how the sciences intersect and build upon each other. 

 

Just some suggestions...

[Loesje22000]

We just quit BJU Physical Science.

Dd could not make it work.

(She did fine with BJU Life science and used BJU Science since 2nd grade)

 

For grade 9/10 we will use IGCSE Complete Physics

For grade 11/12 something geared to our exit exams.

[Pistachio mom]

In my state, Physical Science is not counted as a high school credit. Earth Science is. My state dept of ed website's syllabus/table of contents type of list  describes their earth science. It looked just like the the table of contents from the the Apologia Physical Science textbook with a little more astronomy. The colleges in my town do not specify which sciences they accept. It is just 4 years of science. Some universities require a specific number of lab sciences.

 

For my 9th grader, we used the Apologia book combined with extra astronomy and geology. Though we did not take it, Apologia has the option of buying the teaching DVD for about $150 or $160 from the CBD website. If you go with BJ science DVD, you will pay close to 400. The textbook is very thick with tiny writing. I love BJ products, but for this subject we made a different choice. We chose Apologia because it because of its more conversational tone, and good explanations of basics for anyone. The experiments were also well designed. Since your son is future STEM major, you might also want to check out the Master books website. Their science books are very nice. They have a lot of sales also. Master books has lots of science DVD sets that could go along with any program.

 

Have you seen Aurora Lipper's website for supercharged science and her e-science program? Her materials are top of the line and very hands on. I have a lot of her products also. Aurora has sales all the time. She is a former NASA scientist who designs science courses for elementary - high school.

[Mom22ns]

He is at a level where he could handle the regular, higher level science. But, he fights everything, especially if he does not feel 100% at it.

 

You might consider pairing BJU Physical Science with DIVE ICP. It fits together really nicely and I can almost guarantee he will gain confidence with DIVE. BJU is a solid high school level text, which just means it includes a reasonable amount of math (algebra 1). It is a good intro to Physics and Chemistry and I don't see any reason it would be a mistake for your ds as you describe him. He can follow it up with Chemistry and Physics, and even a more advanced level of one or both if he wants to double up science somewhere along the way. I would meet him where he is.

 

(from the mom of an ASD kiddo now in college)