Biology 101, Chemistry 101, and Physics 101

[Janeway]

My son is acting like I am completely torturing him with Science Shepherd. 

 

Does anyone have opinions of the 101 videos? I am considering purchasing Biology 101 in hopes of making it somewhere in the biology this year.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Sorry, I know nothing about this.  Just wanted to mention before purchasing anything, maybe take a look at the Crash Course courses on youtube- they are free!  We've watched them.  They are WAY over my kids' heads as they are high school level science, but as a (former life) scientist, I LOVE them.  

[G5052]

By way of background, we used DIVE for biology for both, DIVE for earth science for my youngest, and chemistry for my oldest. DIVE is very dry IMHO, but I was pleased with the content. Both had very high A's with DIVE. My younger one used Friendly Chemistry with the DIVE lectures and labs and also did the Landry Academy Chemistry Intensive. She was not at the level needed for DIVE Chemistry in the area of math. My oldest one used the college-level Conceptual Physics. That was a good fit for my oldest who is a very motivated, book-oriented learner. My younger is not in love with science and needs something more engaging.

 

I have Physics 101 and will be using it for my youngest in the fall. If you use the guide, it has a lot of research projects, which is the sort of things she likes. The experiments are very basic, so I'm adding the Castle Heights physics experiments which are meaty. She's also going to do the Tiner physics and math books with the study guides. So in short, I feel like that makes for a solid 12th grade credit. Everyone is different of course.

 

They do have a YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtV_4NQ-x9nQ6d_qfmAcXRA

 

 

Edited July 23, 2016 by G5052

[SilverMoon]

Personally we found the 101 series to be middle school supplement level. Even my science phobic DC finished the Biology 101 course, padded with extra reading, in nine weeks. I used Chemistry 101 with a 10 and 12 yo; they enjoyed it and had no difficulties following the course.

 

I've heard Science Shepherd is a pretty meaty biology course. A kid who can keep up with it, even if they don't like it, would not be served well by the 101 course. SS's middle school life science level has more meat than 101.

Edited July 22, 2016 by SilverMoon

[cbollin]

We used them as fun supplements and end of year review for my oldest and middle who don't have the learning challenges that youngest does.  For those two, the videos were enjoyable to watch.  But not the spine of their program. 

 

with that said, my youngest does have a lot of learning challenges and I'm not afraid to use the video series as a major part of her high school credit.

However, Bio 101 the accreditation guide does not help bring it up to high school level in my opinion.   And that's coming from someone who is deciding if my youngest gets a "special ed track" or "regular track".    For example to see the unseen: take the link above to youtube samples.  watch the intro.  In the guide book, that intro section is suggested for 3 weeks pace and "9.5 clock hours".  activities in that section include a 2 hour field trip going out to restaurant and sorting items into categories.  (that's to practice stuff with taxonomy, right?)  I'd had a really hard time calling that 2 hours of work even for my youngest.   I know the accreditation guide (as they call it) says to read more books, and write a paragraph or two.   The other "book" that is pdf file on the disc is mostly an outline of the video script.   So you'll need to get another text, or lots of library books.  you'll want to expand the activities.  (for example, while it's fun to sort items at restaurant, how about learning how to read a classification key with trees?  not everyone has used one of those since preschool.  grin)

 

Yes, I'll use it to build up a credit for my youngest. and plan to add in labs that my other children did from apologia.

 

Chemistry 101: again, my plan is to use it as part of lectures for my youngest and add labs and text at her level.  It doesn't cover much for high school on its own. 

physics 101:  this one I felt like we'll have to adjust the least to get an intro conceptual physics class.  but even then, it's not open and go, self contained.

 

thinking in analogies here for OP: if your son thinks SS has him in the deep end without supports, then bio 101 video will feel like the zero entry splash pad.    Might be a nice break when needed.

 

 

 

[Rosyl]

I really like the 101 series.  My kids love Wes Olson.  He brings these topics to life for the kids.  That said,   I do add to it.  i am not impressed with the labs in the biology, therefore we did every possible class at our local wilderness center that provides hands on experiences.  The biology needs disection added to it (my sons dissected an owl and a frog)

 

The chemistry experiments were the same ones in the apologia book, but the MLA requirement was missing.  this is remedied by requiring a specific lab format.

 

i have not used the physics.

 

 It appears to be more charlotte mason in philosophy, gentle in learning, teach them enough to get them to research more about it for themselves. 

[Rosyl]

 

 

thinking in analogies here for OP: if your son thinks SS has him in the deep end without supports, then bio 101 video will feel like the zero entry splash pad.    Might be a nice break when needed.

 

I like this analogy

[mom31257]

I have been looking for a possible physics course our co-op could use with late middle school students and 9th-10th grade students not quite ready for the math of most high school physics courses. I was considering pairing Physics 101 with this course from Memoria Press.

 

https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/science/exploring-the-world-of-physics-set/

 

 A couple of them will have counted physical science credit from 8th grade when the co-op did Apologia Physical Science, and they are doing Biology this year. I'll be teaching chemistry to the older high school students the next year, but I know some won't be ready for it. Physics lite seems a good option for those kids. 

 

 

[cbollin]

Regarding labs in chem 101 and apologia (not to fight. but to add information to help see the unseen.  my opinion only)

There are some of the 101 demos that are also found in some apologia general/physical (and maybe in chem as review?).

think venn diagram here with narrow overlap. when they do overlap, they are good labs for intro and having fun in science. nothing against that. I like those labs.  Keeps it interesting.

There are plenty of labs in apologia chemistry (2nd) that are not part of 101 demos.   

 

And some of the things suggested in chem 101 "labs" are analogy teaching such as count 1 clock hour going out to eat pizza to learn that isoceles means equal sides, and that some pizza slices will be heavier because of toppings, therefore. isotopes are equal place but heavier.    Again, that's a great teaching tool, but hardly a lab and no, not worth counting that as a full day of class.  

and yes, some of the labs/demos are fun and keep the fun in science learning (make your own lava lamp).

Some of the field trip suggestions are going to gem store, or local electric power plant.  Some of these may be harder to do for some people.  Again, I'm not dissing the field trips.  Good ideas.  Just trying to describe the stuff here.

 

Nothing against the videos. I agree it does take a very CM minded approach to make it full.(that's not a bad thing)

this is info, not a diss:  The videos were not done by someone with science background.  He's a film maker who asked someone to make sure he wasn't off base with what he said.  But to be honest, the amount and level of topics is in the lighter side.  (again, I'm planning to use them. so I'm not dissing them.  just being honest to help see the unseen). 

 

also, for chem 101 very little math is needed.  (again this will be awesome for my youngest).

 

I think each year the lab work got better as the series was developed.  and in spite of all of that I still struggle with the biology 101 to be stretched for full year even in my situation with youngest.

 

hope some of that extra info helps the OP to see the unseen.

[G5052]

 It appears to be more charlotte mason in philosophy, gentle in learning, teach them enough to get them to research more about it for themselves. 

 

Yes, that's a good analogy for what I've seen in the physics.

 

My plan is to have her start August 1st, so we'll know in a month a little more about it. My paid work ramps up significantly after Labor Day, and I wanted a month where I could monitor it closely and see it how it goes. My goal is to have her finish in April to leave May more open. She will have heavy papers then and is graduating the first week of June.

[katilac]

I would be more inclined to slow down the pace of a harder text, rather than go to something so much easier, even if it means not finishing all the planned chapters. 

 

It could be a mismatch in curriculum, but basically high school science is just freaking hard, lol. And they might be a great supplement, but we never used any of the cool supplements out there. By the time they were finished with the main lesson neither teacher nor students wanted anything to do with supplements.