Fundafunda biology

[Roadrunner]

Is anybody enrolled in this class? I know it's new, but I would love to hear some reviews.

I am interested how it's run. I know there is no live component (☹ï¸ï¸), but does it have daily message? Is it text based? Or videos? How many hours per week? Labs? Writing component? Are there graded tests? What is the benefit of taking this class as opposed to just getting a Kolbe syllabus for Miller Levine bio? Basically is there more to the class than just what's in the textbook? Anything really since the only thing I found was a Q&A on their website and I liked what I read.

 

I would ideally like to find Clover Creek Physics clone for biology for next year.

[The Girls' Mom]

I don't know about the online class, but my dds took her biology class in person and really liked it.  One of them took college Biology this year, got an A, and said that she already knew most of the material from taking Dr. Underwood's class.  

[The Girls' Mom]

I wanted to add...in her class they really did just use the text as a reference.  Dr. Underwood did her own in depth lectures and covered a lot of current events within Biology as well.  

[Roadrunner]

I wanted to add...in her class they really did just use the text as a reference. Dr. Underwood did her own in depth lectures and covered a lot of current events within Biology as well.

That's very helpful!

 

How many hours of work would you say per week?

[The Girls' Mom]

They were in class for an hour each week.  Then they did article reviews (one page papers), lab reports, and homework problems/reading.  DD said it took her around 3-4 hours a week to do the work.  (They work and read rather fast, so it may take other students longer) 

[Roadrunner]

What about labs? How many labs and how difficult in a home setting?

[LAR]

I noticed on their website that the online class would require 4 to 5 hours a week, plus study time for tests.

 

I also had an email exchange with the instructor, who provided the following:

 

Videos are posted weekly, 1 to 1.5 hours of video time.

Honors credit is an option.

Weekly quizzes.

Homework.

4 tests (including the final).

No dissection labs.

4 labs per semester.

Including 3 microscope labs per year.

3, one-page article reviews. 

Plus small projects.

It's molecular biology.

$184 per semester.

 

I'll share more info as I receive it.   Right now we've narrowed our choice for bio down to FundaFunda, Blue Tent or WTMA.

[Roadrunner]

I noticed on their website that the online class would require 4 to 5 hours a week, plus study time for tests.

 

I also had an email exchange with the instructor, who provided the following:

 

Videos are posted weekly, 1 to 1.5 hours of video time.

Honors credit is an option.

Weekly quizzes.

Homework.

4 tests (including the final).

No dissection labs.

4 labs per semester.

Including 3 microscope labs per year.

3, one-page article reviews.

Plus small projects.

It's molecular biology.

$184 per semester.

 

I'll share more info as I receive it. Right now we've narrowed our choice for bio down to FundaFunda, Blue Tent or WTMA.

Thank you!!!

 

We are 80% sure we will go with this option given Miller Levin text. I was debating between this or WH.

Do you know what percentage of the Miller Levin text (or topics in the text) they cover in a full year?

[LAR]

We also like the textbook. According to the current year's syllabus (2016-2017) chapters 1, 2, 7-10, and 12 are covered during the fall semester and chapters 3-6, 11, 13-18 in the spring.

 

Did you consider Blue Tent? They use the 2012 interactive Holt book.

[Roadrunner]

We also like the textbook. According to the current year's syllabus (2016-2017) chapters 1, 2, 7-10, and 12 are covered during the fall semester and chapters 3-6, 11, 13-18 in the spring.

 

Did you consider Blue Tent? They use the 2012 interactive Holt book.

I don't want the honors version. We just want a solid bio class with Miller Levin text. We will eventually do AP bio with Campbell. For some reason, I don't want to use Holt.

[LAR]

We are planning to take the honors version.  I'm hoping we can pull out if it's too much.

 

Where would you take AP bio/campbell?

[Roadrunner]

We are planning to take the honors version. I'm hoping we can pull out if it's too much.

 

Where would you take AP bio/campbell?

PAH offers an AP class with Campbell.

We have a long way till there. We first plan on AP Chem and physics before circling back to bio.

[bluebonnetgirl]

If the text you are looking for is Prentice Hall Biology (Miller Levine), another option is a live online Biology class using this text through HomeschoolConnections.com  The course is taught by Christine Hamilton.  There is also a lab component.

 

This semester she is teaching Biology, part II (closed), but I would suspect that Biology, part I will be offered live again in the fall.

 

https://homeschoolconnectionsonline.com/people/christine-hamilton

 

https://reg129.imperisoft.com/HomeschoolConnectionsOnline/ProgramDetail/3135333435/Registration.aspx

 

I don't have any experience with this particular course or instructor, but all the other Homeschool Connections classes my middle school son has taken so far have been top notch.  He will be taking high school courses with them next year, and probably Biology in 10th grade.

Edited January 19, 2017 by bluebonnetgirl

[LAR]

Thought I'd share an email I received from the biology teacher (Dana Underwood) at FundaFunda.  She responded immediately and as you can see, provided a ton of information.

 

"Because I use the book (Miller-Levine) as a reference, it doesn't matter what copy the student has.  Some use the dragonfly, and others have the bird (macaw?).  There is very little change between different editions of most textbooks, so unless you need to do assigned end-of-chapter problems (which my students don't do - I write my own homework questions) any edition is fine.

 

If you're looking for a book that you could use for a good reference or future AP, Campbell Biology is a good one.  I still use mine, and it's 20 years old.  Although technology changes, the fundamentals of metabolism and cell parts don't get updated very often.  Unless you need something specific, any reasonably recent edition would make a good reference.  Don't confuse it with Campbell's Concepts and Connections-  that is a Bio II/Intro college text.  I've taught with it, and it's a good text but not nearly as comprehensive. 

 

For the labs, there's a lot of flexibility - families want different things and have different constraints, so I try to offer options.  For microscopes, if you have access to one you'll have a few chances to use it, but if you don't I post directions so that students can learn how to use it and then they can look up pictures of different types of slides.  We do a molecule lab, and you can choose to buy a 'food molecule testing kit', or I can recommend a reagent or 2 that you can buy if you want to try the procedure without investing in everything, and I also post links to videos of the tests being done.  There is a measurement lab where students use a balance and various methods of measuring liquids.  I post videos that they can watch to show how, and you can pick which parts you want to buy or already have.  The osmosis lab requires some eggs, vinegar, and a bottle of Karo syrup (and a way to weigh them - a balance or kitchen scale).  We do an enzyme lab that can be done with milk, a glucose tablet, a couple of lactaid tablets, and a pack of urinalysis strips - all available at a drug store, and some you might already have. Today we did a DNA extraction, so we used an onion, meat tenderizer, dish soap, and 90% alcohol.  For the genetics section, alas, we can't do an actual lab and so, like college classes, we just work problem sets.  During the ecology section, student pick one of the DIY projects described in their book to do at home, so they usually just get some seeds and set up an experiment.  For classification, we go outside and do some classifying, so that one doesn't require anything but a printout of the charts.  The hands-on loading of a gel for the biotechnology lab is the one lab that doesn't translate to home use very well, but since it only takes about 10 minutes they're not missing too much (and I can link to a video).  And, I've loved that the online format makes it so easy to post links to other videos - we watch mitosis or osmosis in real cells, etc. 

 

I hope this helps!  Most of our labs translate easily to the home because the in-person facilities are in a church basement so I can't set up anything too involved.  We do have a couple of other hands-on days, but students can easily replicate those at home.  I use homemade felt boards to model transcription and translation, for instance,  I made a video of it, and students can make something similar out of post-it notes if they want to practice.  We also model mitosis and meiosis with pipe cleaners, and I post step-by-step directions. for that.   Sometimes we use play-doh.  It seems really simplistic, but it seems to work.  Today was a felt board day, and there were a lot of a-ha moments.  I think that having the students manipulate the pieces helps get them out of 'nodding while the teacher explains it but not really understanding' - once they pick up a pipe cleaner chromosome or a felt tRNA, they think enough to figure out what to do with it. "

[Roadrunner]

Thought I'd share an email I received from the biology teacher (Dana Underwood) at FundaFunda. She responded immediately and as you can see, provided a ton of information.

 

"Because I use the book (Miller-Levine) as a reference, it doesn't matter what copy the student has. Some use the dragonfly, and others have the bird (macaw?). There is very little change between different editions of most textbooks, so unless you need to do assigned end-of-chapter problems (which my students don't do - I write my own homework questions) any edition is fine.

 

If you're looking for a book that you could use for a good reference or future AP, Campbell Biology is a good one. I still use mine, and it's 20 years old. Although technology changes, the fundamentals of metabolism and cell parts don't get updated very often. Unless you need something specific, any reasonably recent edition would make a good reference. Don't confuse it with Campbell's Concepts and Connections- that is a Bio II/Intro college text. I've taught with it, and it's a good text but not nearly as comprehensive.

 

For the labs, there's a lot of flexibility - families want different things and have different constraints, so I try to offer options. For microscopes, if you have access to one you'll have a few chances to use it, but if you don't I post directions so that students can learn how to use it and then they can look up pictures of different types of slides. We do a molecule lab, and you can choose to buy a 'food molecule testing kit', or I can recommend a reagent or 2 that you can buy if you want to try the procedure without investing in everything, and I also post links to videos of the tests being done. There is a measurement lab where students use a balance and various methods of measuring liquids. I post videos that they can watch to show how, and you can pick which parts you want to buy or already have. The osmosis lab requires some eggs, vinegar, and a bottle of Karo syrup (and a way to weigh them - a balance or kitchen scale). We do an enzyme lab that can be done with milk, a glucose tablet, a couple of lactaid tablets, and a pack of urinalysis strips - all available at a drug store, and some you might already have. Today we did a DNA extraction, so we used an onion, meat tenderizer, dish soap, and 90% alcohol. For the genetics section, alas, we can't do an actual lab and so, like college classes, we just work problem sets. During the ecology section, student pick one of the DIY projects described in their book to do at home, so they usually just get some seeds and set up an experiment. For classification, we go outside and do some classifying, so that one doesn't require anything but a printout of the charts. The hands-on loading of a gel for the biotechnology lab is the one lab that doesn't translate to home use very well, but since it only takes about 10 minutes they're not missing too much (and I can link to a video). And, I've loved that the online format makes it so easy to post links to other videos - we watch mitosis or osmosis in real cells, etc.

 

I hope this helps! Most of our labs translate easily to the home because the in-person facilities are in a church basement so I can't set up anything too involved. We do have a couple of other hands-on days, but students can easily replicate those at home. I use homemade felt boards to model transcription and translation, for instance, I made a video of it, and students can make something similar out of post-it notes if they want to practice. We also model mitosis and meiosis with pipe cleaners, and I post step-by-step directions. for that. Sometimes we use play-doh. It seems really simplistic, but it seems to work. Today was a felt board day, and there were a lot of a-ha moments. I think that having the students manipulate the pieces helps get them out of 'nodding while the teacher explains it but not really understanding' - once they pick up a pipe cleaner chromosome or a felt tRNA, they think enough to figure out what to do with it. "

Wow, that's a lot of detail. Thanks!

Since she says she uses the textbook as a reference, should we assume the she uses handouts for reading? I would rather my kid read the textbook in addition to videos.

[MorningGlory]

 

$184 per semester.

 

This is nice!  :)

[LAR]

Our daughter already said she'd read the textbook along with the assigned videos each week. She's always liked science textbooks so that's one of the reasons I try to find classes with a textbook I feel she'll enjoy.

[Roadrunner]

This is nice! :)

Yep, but no live class, which has been so important for DS in your class. He looks forward to Thursdays.

We are going to try his though and see how a class without a live component works out. This could be a good experiment for future choices.

I am still dreaming that you will have a Chemistry class online using Novare boooks for 2018-2019.

😋

[Roadrunner]

Our daughter already said she'd read the textbook along with the assigned videos each week. She's always liked science textbooks so that's one of the reasons I try to find classes with a textbook I feel she'll enjoy.

That's good to know. I just though if there was a lot of reading outside of the textbook, he might not touch the latter.

[LAR]

A live online class was one of our daughter's request, but the only one I found was through WTMA.

[Clemsondana]

I thought I'd pop into answer the question about handouts - I talk about everything that I want for the students to know in the videos (2-5/week, 10-25 minutes each). My recommended approach is to take notes from the lecture and then re-write your notes, using the book, the discussion thread that I set up so that students can post messages to me or each other, or emailed questions to fill in any gaps. From experience with my in-person co-op students, I know that some carefully read the book, others skim, and others just look up sections that they don't understand or figures that I can't draw in detail during lecture. For most students, the homework questions help them to figure out what they understand and what needs more work. I also post links to other videos (animations, etc) for students who want it. You can message me if you have any questions - I don't want to veer into 'promoting my class' territory!

[Roadrunner]

I thought I'd pop into answer the question about handouts - I talk about everything that I want for the students to know in the videos (2-5/week, 10-25 minutes each). My recommended approach is to take notes from the lecture and then re-write your notes, using the book, the discussion thread that I set up so that students can post messages to me or each other, or emailed questions to fill in any gaps. From experience with my in-person co-op students, I know that some carefully read the book, others skim, and others just look up sections that they don't understand or figures that I can't draw in detail during lecture. For most students, the homework questions help them to figure out what they understand and what needs more work. I also post links to other videos (animations, etc) for students who want it. You can message me if you have any questions - I don't want to veer into 'promoting my class' territory!

Thank you for clarification. I see how he can learn to take notes with this method, a definite weakness of his at this point.

 

Maybe I will ask one more question. How quickly does the class fill up? Basically when should we be registering for next next year?

[Penelope]

We also like the textbook. According to the current year's syllabus (2016-2017) chapters 1, 2, 7-10, and 12 are covered during the fall semester and chapters 3-6, 11, 13-18 in the spring.

 

Did you consider Blue Tent? They use the 2012 interactive Holt book.

For anyone considering this, this is only half of the book. But since it is based on lectures rather than books, maybe it does cover some information on the plant and animal chapters?

[Roadrunner]

For anyone considering this, this is only half of the book. But since it is based on lectures rather than books, maybe it does cover some information on the plant and animal chapters?

I understand it's normal to skip some chapters, but it does seem to me they a third of the book is being skipped. Is anybody aware which chapters are a must to cover from this book and which tend to be optional?

[Clemsondana]

Hi again.  When I designed the course, it was for my co-op and it covered all topics that were included in our state standards (which, depending on how the students' records were being kept, was necessary).  Now that the class is reaching a broader audience, I've checked the standards for NY and CA and found that the only additional unit that they include is about homeostasis and immunity. If we have people requesting it, I can put together an optional unit for that material. Although I've been teaching at the co-op for several years (and before that at a community college), the online class is still new.   If there is a need to include a particular unit for a group of online students, I can add it.  

 

Biology books are often not used in their entirety - the one that I used at the community college stated at the beginning that there were multiple courses that could be taught from the book, depending on which chapters you chose to use.   I think that's probably why the SAT subject test in biology has 2 options - molecular and ecology.  At our co-op, many of the students have been exposed to the 'whole organism' part of biology through their middle school 'life science with dissection' class, so I don't duplicate that material.  If there's a demand for an online class that has it, though, we could possibly put together a separate class that uses a different set of chapters. 

 

As always, feel free to message if you have any questions!

[Penelope]

Just to clarify, I don't know anything about state standards elsewhere or what is covered in a typical school biology class, other than the limited number of syllabi and courses I have researched for my own children. This is more about number of chapters covered in general in biology and SAT subject test, since I've been trying to figure it out.

 

For the SAT Biology test, most of the test is a core of 60 questions which all students will answer. In the official study guide of the College Board, it indicates 25% of the core questions are on organismal biology - which would be in the last half of the Miller-Levine book- with an emphasis on plants and animals and animal behavior. The sample questions reflect that. The E or M questions at the end, from the samples I see and the break-down the guide gives, are more about understanding and interpreting concepts, with less of an emphasis on facts. So the student who doesn't cover the chapters after 19 will not be prepared for the subject test (not E or M) without a significant amount of self study. That's perfectly okay for most people, given that most students aren't interested in taking the test, most classes aren't designed to specifically prepare for it, and apparently some of those that do wait until after taking AP Bio, anyway.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Penelope

[Roadrunner]

Thanks Penelope!

In our case this is our first stab at bio, and DS will take AP bio at some point in the future. He will also most likely DE Anatomy & Physiology class. So we are probably Ok with limited content for now, but for kids who are planning on taking SAT Subject exam, your comments are a must read.

[LAR]

We're in the same boat as Roadrunner.  This will be our daughter's first high school bio class so we're not looking to take the AP test just yet.  We'll schedule AP Bio in a few years.  Your information, Penelope, was very helpful.  I didn't even know how many questions were on the test! I have so much to research!  

[Roadrunner]

And just to add, maybe there is a market for a bio class focused on prepping for SAT2 bio. I think a lot of us go AP route because we are told that's the class that prepares for both AP and SAT exam. In our case, we would be more than happy with just an SAT score in bio.

[Clemsondana]

I have had co-op students take the SAT subject test in the past. I offered to help with anything that we didn't cover, but was told that what was left was the material that was fairly easy to learn on their own from the prep book. Having not taught it, I can't make any specific claims about the organismal biology, but most students find the molecular material to be the harder part. When I originally planned the class, I put the ecology at the end because if co-op missed some classes due to snow days, ecology was the material that they could self-teach if they needed to. Now that even the co-op students can catch up on missed material online, we're still happy to put that material at the end - they tell me that when the 'end of the year lazies' hit, they're glad that all they have to worry about is 'predator-prey relationships and symbiosis' and not the details of how tRNA works. But, if there's interest in an SAT prep class, it would be easy enough to add some extra modules. Some of my co-op students would probably take advantage of it, too. Hmmm...now I have a spring break project - figure out which chapters correlate with those SAT questions.

[Penelope]

And just to add, maybe there is a market for a bio class focused on prepping for SAT2 bio. I think a lot of us go AP route because we are told that's the class that prepares for both AP and SAT exam. In our case, we would be more than happy with just an SAT score in bio.

I know of this one that says it will prep for SAT2 and CLEP, but I know nothing about the class other than what the course description says. https://debrabell.com/product/biology-pre-ap/

[Roadrunner]

Just reviving to see if anybody is joining us here next year.

[fourisenough]

Just reviving to see if anybody is joining us here next year.

Not next year, but thanks to this thread, it's on my radar for the year after! Please report back after you have a few months under your (student's) belt.

[LAR]

Roadrunner, we've decided on FundaFunda bio.  I was hesitant to go for it, because DD really prefers live online classes.  She's currently taking Jetta's physics class and is tears knowing they only have one more class this year. 

[Roadrunner]

Roadrunner, we've decided on FundaFunda bio. I was hesitant to go for it, because DD really prefers live online classes. She's currently taking Jetta's physics class and is tears knowing they only have one more class this year.

Oh, my son is in Jetta's class as well! He will be happy to know his classmate is moving on with him into the same bio. Edited May 2, 2017 by Roadrunner

[TarynB]

My 9th grade son just finished the second semester of Dr. Underwood's biology class with FundaFunda Academy, so I wanted to chime in with our experience. :)  DS has had a terrific time in the class, has learned so much, and he loves Dr. Underwood. He switched into her class at the beginning of the second semester, after a series of events that caused us to have to find a different provider than the one we had used for the first semester. It turned out to be a fantastic opportunity. Dr. Underwood's class is of a higher quality (IMHO) than the other provider's bio class, so I'm glad he got to switch!

 

Dr. Underwood truly is a gifted instructor and DS enjoyed her video lectures a lot. Although there isn't a live face-to-face component to the online course, Dr. Underwood comes across as having a friendly, warm personality and she was always prompt and helpful in responding to any emails. She also gave DS detailed and specific feedback on his work. Everything mentioned up-thread about this class and how it works was in line with our experience, so I won't repeat those details. Bottom line, it was a very positive experience for us and I hope my son will have the opportunity to take another class with Dr. Underwood in the future.

Edited May 5, 2017 by TarynB

[madteaparty]

My 9th grade son just finished the second semester of Dr. Underwood's biology class with FundaFunda Academy, so I wanted to chime in with our experience. :) DS has had a terrific time in the class, has learned so much, and he loves Dr. Underwood. He switched into her class at the beginning of the second semester, after a series of events that caused us to have to find a different provider than the one we had used for the first semester. It turned out to be a fantastic opportunity. Dr. Underwood's class is of a higher quality (IMHO) than the other provider's bio class, so I'm glad he got to switch!

 

Dr. Underwood truly is a gifted instructor and DS enjoyed her video lectures a lot. Although there isn't a live face-to-face component to the online course, Dr. Underwood comes across as having a friendly, warm personality and she was always prompt and helpful in responding to any emails. She also gave DS detailed and specific feedback on his work. Everything mentioned up-thread about this class and how it works was in line with our experience, so I won't repeat those details. Bottom line, it was a very positive experience for us and I hope my son will have the opportunity to take another class with Dr. Underwood in the future.

Thanks for this great review!

Is your son planning on taking the biology SAT subject test, by any chance? Many thanks again.

[TarynB]

Thanks for this great review!

Is your son planning on taking the biology SAT subject test, by any chance? Many thanks again.

 

No, but I think he could at this point with a little self-prep.

[madteaparty]

No, but I think he could at this point with a little self-prep.

Thanks for answering, appreciate it!

[Roadrunner]

I would also be interested in a follow up course (semester or a year) that teaches the remaining chapters in ML bio.

[TarynB]

I know of this one that says it will prep for SAT2 and CLEP, but I know nothing about the class other than what the course description says. https://debrabell.com/product/biology-pre-ap/

 

I was curious, so I just now looked at the course description for the bio class at AIM Academy at the link above . . . to see what it covers that other standard bio courses don't. I couldn't find anywhere that said it prepares a student for SAT2 and CLEP . . . unless I'm totally blind . . . or the course description has been changed since this was posted. Anyone know? I don't think having "Pre-AP" in the title necessarily equates automatically to SAT2/CLEP-readiness. It just says "This course is designed to prepare students for the rigor of college biology and/or AP Biology."  I.e., this course could be taken with the intent of college bio or AP bio as the next step, i.e. this is a typical college-prep biology course. Unless I am misunderstanding, which is entirely possible.

 

Edited May 5, 2017 by TarynB

[Penelope]

The course description has been changed. I am 100% positive on that as I have looked at it more than once in the past year or two and I posted the link.

 

They do use Campbell's which is more of an AP book, but you would have to mail the teacher and see what they cover.

[Murrayshire]

My 9th grade dd signed up yesterday for Biology 1..... She's happy to have finally made a decision, as am I!!

[Janeway]

I wish I had used FundaFunda with my older child. I feel his biology ended up lacking. I will most likely use Funda Funda with my next child.

[SanDiegoMom]

Reviving this thread to see how students are doing this year in Bio! Any further thoughts, reviews, comments about course load? Thinking about this for an accelerated eighth grader... in a year and a half. Always researching! 

[OneStepAtATime]

I'm curious, too.  I am looking at an on-line Biology class for my son for 2018-19.  I like the structure of FundaFunda but wondered what the experience has been for those taking it right now.

[LAR]

DD14 9th grade is enjoying FundaFunda bio.  The course is very manageable. It's not overly difficult or challenging even with the extra honors questions. Don't get me wrong....she definitely studies, takes notes, rewrites notes. She's prepared for tests and quizzes.  But it isn't a stressful class.   

 

Dr Dana's recorded lectures make up the bulk of the curriculum, with outside videos and readings tossed in.  There is a textbook (Miller Levine), but it's not used much.  I've noticed for certain topics/chapters, Dr Dana refers to the textbook.  DD uses the textbook as an additional resource especially when it's a topic that interests her. The lectures are well done, but DD does complain that she can't see what Dr Dana is writing on the white board until she moves her hand away.  She then needs to pause the video to catch up with her note taking.  Not a huge issue, but our girl definitely reminds me how annoying it is.  

 

Dr Dana is very responsive when it comes to answering DD's questions.  She usually responds within a few hours and no more than a day an dher answers and explanations are excellent.  Dr Dana also gives quality feedback on all assignments.  

 

The lab component is not as strong as DD would like;  she loves labs and would like to do more of them.     

 

DD does prefer the live online class structure and misses the social component with FundaFunda.  However, it hasn't taken away from the quality of the curriculum. 

 

DD is also taking FLVS Anatomy and Physiology Honors this year.  She's able to manage both sciences pretty well.  

 

Overall, FundaFunda has been a solid course for us. With this foundation, we plan on AP Bio or DE for 12th grade.

[mirabillis]

Love to see any updates from others taking FundaFunda last year. How did it go? Did anyone take the SAT-Bio - how did that go?