Apologia physical science-studying for the tests

[Ame E.]

We went over orally the on your own questions. (they had written down the answers, then we discussed the answers and made corrections). We went over the study guide (again I had them write down the answers to the questions and then we went over it in class)... however, my daughter got a 69 and my son got a 57 on the third test. It was basically they were fuzzy on the "spheres."

 

What is an effective way to study for this course? The appeal was that I thought it could be done fairly independently. My daughter got all the study guide questions correct..

 

Could you detail for me exactly how your child studies for these tests? One thing is that I don't think I've given them enough study time.. and i don't think they know exactly what to do.

 

thank you.

 

Ame E.

[Moni]

We did Biology, not Physical Science, but I like to hold the book and ask them to "tell me about......" and then I say a bold word. And the student would "tell me about" it (from memory).

If he didn't know, forgot, omitted an important part, I'd have him use his book to reply. ( I had my own Mom's copy of this book )

 

I go through the chapter and one by one do this for every bold word.

And the OYO questions.

I would do this nearly daily up to however far he got to date in the book.

And the Review (is it called Study Guide, I forgot; it's been a year) once it was done, would do that also.

 

If I remember correctly, the book was read a section, do the OYO, and the daily work as divided according to those sections. So the first few days were lighter/short on the 'recitation'

 

If you want it to be more independent than you asking for what amounts to Recitation, you can always make a list of the bold words and have them do the 'recitation' in writing.

 

I also prepared a set of flashcards for vocab type words and probably some concepts. There was daily session for flashcards, with right/wrong discard piles, re-doing the "wrong" cards until all cards eventually end up in the "got it right" pile

 

And I didn't give a test until I knew the student knew everything that was bold, OYO, on the flashcards, and in the Study Guide.

 

Do you have two students in the same course?

They could do this to each other and it would benefit both the one reciting and the one listening.

 

:seeya:

[Cindy in WA]

One of my great frustrations in homeschooling has been science tests from nearly every publisher out there including Apologia.

 

I explain to my kids how to study, much like you have. They study. Take the test and get a poor score. I recently went over my daughter's Apologia test with her question by question. We looked up every answer in the text. Nearly every question she missed was not included in the bold print, oyo questions, or in the study guide. Of those that were included, she had gotten nearly every one correct.

 

Most of the questions missed were, to me, small tidbits of information that really didn't have bearing on the main concepts of the chapter.

 

I've found this with BJU, ABeka, CLP, and Alpha Omega. It is extremely frustrating to the kids when they work so hard and feel as though they've been set up to fail.

 

Two solutions that I've come up with: to not test, but have them study like they were going to test and have them narrate to me the things they've been learning and to make up our own tests sticking to the main concepts.

 

Cindy

[ThelmaLou]

My son takes Apologia Physical Science in a co-op, but for him completing the Study Guide and re-reading the chapter are enough preparation for the test. The teacher uses the tests that come with Apologia, but she occasionally substitutes a question or two of her own. His grade in the class is in the mid 90s right now.

[Rhondabee]

We are doing Physical Science this year, and we did General last year. I find my ds doesn't really learn by writing. I don't have him write anything but lab reports and the Study Guide. BUT, I quiz him orally every day on the On Your Own questions, the definitions, the Study Guide questions that apply to the material he's covered, and the Module Summary (in the back of the Physical Science book).

 

As we discuss, I give him hints, like the "spheres" are in reverse alphabetical order. And, I can teach him how to phrase his thoughts correctly, "No, a jet stream is not a when" kind of thing.

 

I know this really defeats the independent student feature of Apologia, but *all* of our subjects are pretty much like this, so I've just accepted it.

 

:001_smile:

Rhonda

 

 

We did Biology, not Physical Science, but I like to hold the book and ask them to "tell me about......" and then I say a bold word. And the student would "tell me about" it (from memory).

If he didn't know, forgot, omitted an important part, I'd have him use his book to reply. ( I had my own Mom's copy of this book )

 

I go through the chapter and one by one do this for every bold word.

And the OYO questions.

I would do this nearly daily up to however far he got to date in the book.

And the Review (is it called Study Guide, I forgot; it's been a year) once it was done, would do that also.

 

If I remember correctly, the book was read a section, do the OYO, and the daily work as divided according to those sections. So the first few days were lighter/short on the 'recitation'

 

If you want it to be more independent than you asking for what amounts to Recitation, you can always make a list of the bold words and have them do the 'recitation' in writing.

 

I also prepared a set of flashcards for vocab type words and probably some concepts. There was daily session for flashcards, with right/wrong discard piles, re-doing the "wrong" cards until all cards eventually end up in the "got it right" pile

 

And I didn't give a test until I knew the student knew everything that was bold, OYO, on the flashcards, and in the Study Guide.

 

Do you have two students in the same course?

They could do this to each other and it would benefit both the one reciting and the one listening.

 

:seeya: