SJ. Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 If you were looking at Elemental Science Bio and RSO Bio 2 which did you choose and why? We're you happy with the choice? I am considering one of them for my children who will be in 7th and 5th grades. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 I'm in the exact same situation and am pretty sure I'm going with RSO Bio 2. I like the worktext setup and my kids love experiments. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 We went with RSO 2, and really enjoyed it. I chose it because it had more complete coverage of biology topics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 (edited) Elemental science is a neutral science which means it does not go into the age of the universe, evolution or global warming etc. To me those topics are crucial to biology but others may be ok with a neutral science or with adding that on with other books. I am still deciding if I want to use RSO Bio 2. Edited April 10, 2017 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Elemental science is a neutral science which means it does not go into the age of the universe, evolution or global warming etc. To me those topics are crucial to biology but others may be ok with a neutral science or with adding that on with other books. I am still deciding if I want to use RSO Bio 2. Thanks for this info. I prefer not to use a neutral science curriculum if I can help it. I do realize that there are not a lot of options so to ensure my children have a good understanding of evolution we are doing BYL's unit study on Darwin and evolution. Today's our first day and we are very excited! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Thanks for this info. I prefer not to use a neutral science curriculum if I can help it. I do realize that there are not a lot of options so to ensure my children have a good understanding of evolution we are doing BYL's unit study on Darwin and evolution. Today's our first day and we are very excited! I was considering that too. I hope you end up liking it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I went with Elemental this year, so I can't say how I like it. Hopefully a lot! We're doing a Prehistory science/history unit before we start earth science (we're secular, my kids are aware of the basics already). I chose Elemental because it schedules time right in for a science fair project - so I may actually get them to do one? - and it seemed to have more dissections and microscope work. I liked that the animal,plant and body studies were separate, after a five week session on biology basics. I've used Elemental and RSO in the grammar stage and I I have a slight preference for Elemental, though I can't say why. . . just a feeling (sorry). Also, I already own a lot of the books that they use :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Haven't used Elemental Science, but RSO Bio 2 is a solid program, with flexibility. I used it for kids in 5th thru 9th in a co-op setting. I actually gave kids the choice of texts, either RSO Bio 2, Life on Earth (free iBook by E O Wilson), or either a middle school or high school CK12 text (also free). The syllabus had correlated readings for all 4 texts. RSO dictated the sequence though. I changed a few activities out of preference - I'm a wildlife biologist and middle school science teacher by training, so it was mostly just subbing in favorite activities. So, despite my changes, RSO is on its own solid and great for those ages. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8elbows Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 Haven't used Elemental Science, but RSO Bio 2 is a solid program, with flexibility. I used it for kids in 5th thru 9th in a co-op setting. I actually gave kids the choice of texts, either RSO Bio 2, Life on Earth (free iBook by E O Wilson), or either a middle school or high school CK12 text (also free). The syllabus had correlated readings for all 4 texts. RSO dictated the sequence though. I changed a few activities out of preference - I'm a wildlife biologist and middle school science teacher by training, so it was mostly just subbing in favorite activities. So, despite my changes, RSO is on its own solid and great for those ages. Ooh! Do you still have a copy of the syllabus with correlated readings that you might be willing to share? That sounds fabulous, Targhee! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Ooh! Do you still have a copy of the syllabus with correlated readings that you might be willing to share? That sounds fabulous, Targhee!I'm sorry I do not as it was posted in 4 week chunks on the class blog (which is in the co-op's domain and I no longer have access after moving and leaving the co-op). Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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