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Rainbow Science or Apologia General for Grade 6-7?


Elinor Everywhere
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While I've finally got my 8th grade Biology figured out (thanks Beth!), I'm not 100% sure what I want to do next year. Two plans have emerged:

 

6th Grade

 

Math & the Cosmos combined with Signs & Seasons (both are astronomy) - 1st semester

 

Prentice Hall Chemistry - 2nd semester

 

7th Grade

 

Apologia General Science

 

OR

 

6th & 7th Grade

 

Rainbow Science

 

 

If it matters, my dd wants to major in pre-med at University.

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I love (love, love) to recommend Rainbow; esp if you have a science-oriented student and can do it in in 5th/6th or 6th/7th. We did it in 5th-6th. Then went to Apologia Physical, Biology and now BJU Chemistry (I wanted DVDs) for 7-8-9th grade science.

 

Rainbow was well put together, extremely easy to teach and the weekly experiment was usually great too!, great middle school course, loved by both kids and mom. (My older non-science dtrs was in 7th-8th - the science whiz kid was the 5/6th grader who did Rainbow at the same time as her older sis.)

 

I liked Apologia but I love Rainbow!

Lisaj,

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We ordered the entire lab kit, which has made using it a cinch.

 

It does NOT come with lesson plans, so we just study a section for two days and then do the corresponding experiment. We are using the biology portion and my 7th grader, who enjoys science, has thrived with it.

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I'm using Rainbow for the second time thru. This year, I'm using it with two 7th graders. I think it's excellent science. I also own Apologia Physical textbook, & it's the same stuff really, just in a different order.

 

The biggest difference between the two is (a) fewer words and (b) more experiments, that you are *sure* to do.

 

I personally think that because of the fewer words, Rainbow does require a parent's supervision. The kids can do everything on their own (or not). Then, using the teacher's guide, I insure that the main points have been absorbed.

 

I also use the online quizzes. They help a lot with insuring the kids are getting the main points. http://www.beginningspublishing.com/RainbowQuizzes.pdf

 

I think the teacher's guide recommends doing the program three times a week -- two lessons in the book and one experiment each week. That's what we do, anyways.

 

P.S. Answers to quizzes: http://www.beginningspublishing.com/RainbowAnswers.pdf

Edited by Julie in MN
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I'm using Rainbow for the second time thru. This year, I'm using it with two 7th graders. I think it's excellent science. I also own Apologia Physical textbook, & it's the same stuff really, just in a different order.

 

The biggest difference between the two is (a) fewer words and (b) more experiments, that you are *sure* to do.

 

I personally think that because of the fewer words, Rainbow does require a parent's supervision. The kids can do everything on their own (or not). Then, using the teacher's guide, I insure that the main points have been absorbed.

 

I also use the online quizzes. They help a lot with insuring the kids are getting the main points. http://www.beginningspublishing.com/RainbowQuizzes.pdf

 

I think the teacher's guide recommends doing the program three times a week -- two lessons in the book and one experiment each week. That's what we do, anyways.

 

Thanks Julie; it helps to see a schedule of how someone is using it. I appreciate the link, too.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks Julie; it helps to see a schedule of how someone is using it. I appreciate the link, too.

 

which worked better for us. We did each reading twice then the lab on Fridays - we kep science to 30-40min a day tho.

 

So Monday read a lesson aloud and outlined all (or the most important parts of) it and made vocab cards; Tuesday we re-read it aloud and did the end-of-lesson question (1,2 or 3 of those).

Weds, Thurs - next lesson same thing.

Friday - lab.

 

For most this was overkill, I suppose. But for non-sci mom and older dtr, this was very good for retention.

 

We also used the online quizzes - I think each quiz covdered 2-3 lessons.

 

Lisaj

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