Mrs. Tharp Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 (edited) So I appear to have misjudged our science curriculum needs again. Can anyone recommend a curriculum with tons of hands-on, fun experiments and not too heavy on reading & writing for 5th-8th graders? We'd prefer chemistry, but really any field of science is up for consideration. It does not necessarily have to last a full year; we may be able to enroll in some local classes this coming winter. ETA to add: This is primarily for younger DS, who reads waaay ahead of grade level, but has ADHD and dysgraphia. He hates anything that smacks of busywork and freaks out over too much writing. He is learning to type this year, but until then, we do as much work orally as is reasonable. Edited September 20, 2017 by Mrs. Tharp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 A super solid chemistry curriculum for middle school is the free curriculum from the American Chemical Society http://middleschoolchemistry.com. It uses worksheets that are part of the curriculum, so the writing is not too heavy. Hands-on things to do, but they're straightforward rather than "blow 'em up" which is what many people think of as fun chemistry. Combo of hands-on, with video and simulations that are built into the curriculum, plus lesson plans. Erica in OR 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 How about Kitchen Chemistry? We did that for fun and my kids just learn as much as they can. Besides they enjoy cooking. A few suggestions in this article "Kitchen Chemistry Classes Take Off Instructors aim to make science more relevant for undergrads not majoring in the subject." http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i36/Kitchen-Chemistry-Classes-Take-Off.html We use this one as spine and do those we could https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/experimental-study-group/es-287-kitchen-chemistry-spring-2009/index.htm We use these videos by Heston Blumenthal "The 16 video clips (© 2002 Discovery Communications Inc.) that accompany the book Kitchen Chemistry can be accessed from this site in three formats" http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/Resources/kitchenchemistry/00_video.htm 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Tharp Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 (edited) I've glanced over that one, but I'll take another look, thanks. (The American Chem. Society curriculum). Edited September 20, 2017 by Mrs. Tharp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) . Edited May 23, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Have you looked at Exploration Education? It's physical science with a lot of hands-on activities (my dd actually didn't like it because it had too many projects for her). http://www.explorationeducation.com/course.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Tharp Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 Thanks for the replies, everyone! There's lots to think about here. I'll update when I make a decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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