9th grade science for kid who doesn’t like science, math, or thinking

[caedmyn]

Starting to think about next year when DD will be in 9th grade.  She doesn’t like science or math and is poor at thinking/reasoning/drawing conclusions from information given.  So I guess I’m looking for something that is engaging and breaks things down into small, well-explained parts.  I’m not set a particular science so open to anything but I do need a creation-based or neutral program.  She would probably prefer something video-based if possible.  She also doesn’t like labs or doing much writing.  I really don’t know how she’s going to get through high school science.

[Little Green Leaves]

 I know a few people who hated math with a passion but loved biology, because it's so hands-on and accessible. It's not as "math-y" as, say, physics. Biology has a lot of real-life applications, and it can focus on observational skills, rather than logic and deduction. (Since you said she doesn't like drawing conclusions.) Some people really love the classification aspect of biology.

There's also a lot of room for drawing, instead of writing.

 

[Lori D.]

I'd suggest outsourcing. Having to be accountable to a teacher and keep up with peers can really help "pull along" a student who is not interested in science, or at least "keep them honest" by forcing them to keep up with a minimum amount of work be accomplished each week to not be embarrassed in front of classmates. Probably best if you could find a local way of outsourcing, for face-to-face interactions, which can actually make the material more interesting, and pushes the student toward DOING the work (because it's definitely harder for a student to NOT do the work when you have to explain in person why you didn't do it each week 😉 ).

A few ideas:
- a single class at a public/private/charter high school
- homeschool co-op that at least does the labs together once a week/every other week
- a community program (someone on these boards had a student who loved birds doing a community ornithology program as the credit)
- college student to come in once a week and tutor/oversee
- dual enrollment at the community college
- if no local outsourcing, then online -- perhaps with a live class component, or a required student "discussion" component
- if needing free/low cost and online, perhaps the at-your-own-pace Virtual Homeschool Group, which offers Apologia Physical Science, or Apologia Biology for 9th graders

Also, you might try going with either a less-common science topic that might be of higher interest to DD:
- Equine Science (horses)
- Horticulture (gardening)
- Ecology or Environmental Science
- Ornithology (birds)
- Meteorology (weather)
- Astronomy
- Forensic Science

Or, you might look into starting with an Integrated Science (so it connects principles and concepts between the Sciences) -- for example, whatever Science you do, consider watching the Joy of Science series from The Great Courses (secular).

If you absolutely can not make a live/local outsourced option happen, perhaps consider a "lite" science for 9th grade (and slowly ramp up into harder sciences in later grades):
- Story of Science -- living-book based; no labs; integrated science
- Guest Hollow: Botany; Kitchen Chemistry; Anatomy; Physics; Biology
- Rainbow Science year 1 + year 2 -- Christian; completely solo working; heavy on hands-on; a middle school program, but if doing both years in 1 year, it can be a 9th grade Physical Science credit; very pricey, but includes everything
- Friendly Chemistry (or Biology or Physics)
- Forensic Science -- see these past threads for resource ideas: Forensic Science; Forensics; Forensic Science Curriculum

Esp. if interested in materials for a more unusual science topic, check out PAGE 5 of the "High School Motherlode #2" at the top of the high school board -- past threads on different science topics are all linked there.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Lori D.