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Help with long term course planning (STEM/Math/Science)?


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I am a secondary English and social studies teacher. I have loads of experience with humanities, and a gifted, 2E 14 y.o., whose main passion in life is to be a civilian pilot and/or aeronautical engineer. We live in the land of Boeing, so we do have some amazing resources at our fingertips, but can you all help me think out the math/science/electives sequence for high school? He is going into 8th grade this year, but applications for some high school programs come up in winter, so I want to be prepared. He will probably also need another full neuropsych eval before taking any standardized tests to gain accommodations, and those waitlists are also about a year, so I need to be working on some of this during the fall. Here is what I have so far:

Summer before 8th grade

Advanced Aerospace Camp at Boeing Field, including some intro flight lessons

Tons of flight simulator time, air traffic control lessons online (I don't know much about this stuff, he researches it and does it all on his own online)

8th grade

Algebra 1 (taught by a private math teacher in our home)

Physical Science (taught by a private science teacher at her home)

Aeroscholars Fundamentals of Aviation online? (I can't find many reviews of this course and how worthwhile it is or not)

Possibly flight lessons or ground school, depending on cost?

Summer before 9th grade

Advanced Aerospace Camp at Boeing Field, including flight lessons

9th grade

Geometry (taught by private math teacher)

Biology (taught by private science teacher)

Aeroscholars Advanced Aviation Science online?

Statistics? - prereqs needed? Where can I fit this in before dual enrollment?

10th grade

Algebra II

Chemistry

WA Aerospace Scholars online

11th grade

Precalculus?

AP statistics? Both?

Dual enrollment online with Embry-Riddle?

Running Start at Green River College in Private Pilot AAS degree? (heard mixed reviews for various reasons)

WA Aerospace Scholars online including ground school, private pilot exam

 

What am I missing? Should there be a different sequence of math/science/aviation? Should we double up on some math and science to get him to dual enrollment or aviation programs sooner? He would like to apply to various colleges with strong aviation or aeronautics programs long term. He tried Civil Air Patrol and it was not for him due to the military aspect. Thanks for your help!

 

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My oldest took a physical science class in 9th grade because a local hybrid school was offering it and I thought that's how science was done (since that's what  did in 9th grade....nearly 3 decades ago ?)....in retrospect, I would have started with biology or with an algebra based physics class. It turns out, at least in our area, physical science isn't generally offered in high school on a college prep track. Now that I know what our dual enrollment options and limitations are and what his interests are, I would have done biology and chemistry either at home or as outside classes and then he could have taken as much physics as he wanted dual enrollment (he likes physics; just wants to get through bio and chem).

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1 minute ago, Tanaqui said:

They don't offer physics on the college prep track!?

physical science, not physics ?

When I was in school, you took physical science in 9th grade and then maybe you'd take physics in 12th if you were strong in science and/or were going to college. Now there are so many physics options (AP and otherwise) that kids generally take one or more of those but don't take a separate physical science class if they're doing a rigorous science sequence.

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3 hours ago, kokotg said:

My oldest took a physical science class in 9th grade because a local hybrid school was offering it and I thought that's how science was done (since that's what  did in 9th grade....nearly 3 decades ago ?)....in retrospect, I would have started with biology or with an algebra based physics class. It turns out, at least in our area, physical science isn't generally offered in high school on a college prep track. Now that I know what our dual enrollment options and limitations are and what his interests are, I would have done biology and chemistry either at home or as outside classes and then he could have taken as much physics as he wanted dual enrollment (he likes physics; just wants to get through bio and chem).

 

Yes, this is true here as well, which is why he is taking it this year for 8th grade. I actually debated bumping him to high school level biology this year, but decided to wait for reading fluency & executive function reasons. He's dyslexic and dense textbooks are still challenging sometimes, even though the math and concepts are not.

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47 minutes ago, FairProspects said:

 

Yes, this is true here as well, which is why he is taking it this year for 8th grade. I actually debated bumping him to high school level biology this year, but decided to wait for reading fluency & executive function reasons. He's dyslexic and dense textbooks are still challenging sometimes, even though the math and concepts are not.

 

Ah--I didn't read it carefully enough and thought you had physical science in 9th grade. oops!

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I don't know much about aviation, but for an engineering focus, I don't know if Statistics is a core high school STEM class...in my mind it's more of an elective.  As previous posters have pointed out, physics definitely needs to be incorporated.  In terms of the order of the sciences (bio, chem, physics) there are different schools of thought and a lot will depend on the level of the classes.  Some physics classes only require algebra...others are calculus-based.  

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25 minutes ago, sgo95 said:

I don't know much about aviation, but for an engineering focus, I don't know if Statistics is a core high school STEM class...in my mind it's more of an elective.  As previous posters have pointed out, physics definitely needs to be incorporated.  In terms of the order of the sciences (bio, chem, physics) there are different schools of thought and a lot will depend on the level of the classes.  Some physics classes only require algebra...others are calculus-based.  

Agree about Statistics. And if you do do it, you would want it to be after Algebra II. And you wouldn’t need a stats course before AP Satistics or a dual enrollment stats course. Strong algebra skills is the most important thing.

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On 8/19/2018 at 4:09 PM, FairProspects said:

 

Yes, this is true here as well, which is why he is taking it this year for 8th grade. I actually debated bumping him to high school level biology this year, but decided to wait for reading fluency & executive function reasons. He's dyslexic and dense textbooks are still challenging sometimes, even though the math and concepts are not.

Another option might be to do a conceptual physics course this year and then a regular physics class when he has the math skills necessary for the level you choose. Given the strengths, weaknesses, and interests you mention, he might find biology the most challenging, so it might be better later in his high school career, as long as he has the necessary math to finish chemistry and physics first.

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On 8/19/2018 at 4:09 PM, FairProspects said:

 I actually debated bumping him to high school level biology this year, but decided to wait for reading fluency & executive function reasons. He's dyslexic and dense textbooks are still challenging sometimes, even though the math and concepts are not.

 

The Miller Levine textbook heavily supplemented with Crash Course videos might work if you want to try a high school level Biology course for this year. It is more picture heavy than text heavy.

The Hewitt Conceptual Physics textbook that Jetta use for Clover Creek Physics is not as text heavy as other Physics books.

DS12 learns most of his Physics from YouTube and hands on. He is a slower reader and also more impatient when reading, but absorbs what he hears. Chemistry is more text heavy than Physics for him. 

The AP Statistics using The Practice of Statistics textbook doesn’t need a prerequisite even though the class my kids took put down a prerequisite of algebra 1. DS13 finds the pairing of AP Statistics with AP Economics nice as both courses have many real world examples to discuss. The workload for my kids summer Statistics brick and mortar course was 42 hours of lecture/tutorials, 3hrs for final exam and they spent about 36 hours completing homework.

I won’t do a Statistics course before AP Statistics. My kids had some Statistics in their California algebra exams when they were in public school so they already learned what was required for the small statistics portion of SAT. 

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