High School Physics/Science

[nifferiffic]

I am trying to make some decisions about our high school science path and would love any feedback. Based on the fact that our district uses a "physics first" approach, I'm feeling like we should follow suit, therefore, I've been looking at 9th- Conceptual Physics, 10th- Chem, 11th- Bio, 12th- AP Physics.

1- What does a science path typically look like for kids who aren't super into science, but are strong academically and want to be competitive college applicants?

2- This whole notion of starting with conceptual physics in new to me. (My HS experience was much more traditional, in a Bio, Chem, Physics way.) Has this been beneficial for others? More beneficial than taking a year and doing Environmental Science, for example, before going the Bio, Chem, Physics route?

3- As for Conceptual Physics, has anyone used Conceptual Academy? 

For reference, my will-be 9th graders have finished Geometry and will be studying Alg 2.

I apologize for the multiple questions. My head is spinning! Thanks in advance for any shared insights.

[stlily]

Hi there,

I'm not sure I have the answers you're looking for but I'd like to share some thoughts in hopes that it will be of some help. As far as your local school district being "Physics" first, I'm not sure why they choose to follow that order for the sciences but there really is no hard and fast rule for the order in which you do the sciences. Typically, Chemistry and Physics are taught later, 11th and 12th grade, to give the student a chance to get some more math under their belt since both Chemistry and Physics require a pretty solid math foundation. However, it's perfectly o.k. to do physics first. If you're planning to enroll your student in public school down the road, then it is probably a good idea to follow the pattern your local school district is using. If you plan to homeschool through high school then you're free to choose the order based on your student's interest or what makes sense to you, so long as you're following your state's guidelines. 

1) As far as the pattern most homeschooling families follow, well it varies.  The two physics curricula recommended in TWTM are  Saxon Physics for the student who enjoys math or who will be pursuing a career in math or science. Conceptual Physics is recommended for bright students who will likely pursue a non-math or non-science degree.  To be competitive for college,  a student needs a minimum of 3 science credits, I believe, two of which include a lab. One thing you can do is, go the website of the college or colleges your student is interested in and look at their admissions requirements. There you'll find exactly how many science credits and how many lab credits they require. My daughter will not be pursuing a degree in math or science but she will still be taking 4 sciences three of which will be lab sciences. 

2) Again, the order in which the sciences are studied varies from student to student. If you're following TWTM, the pattern is Biology-Astronomy-Chemistry-Physics. We're not following this pattern exactly. Instead of Physics, my daughter will be taking Advanced Biology (Human Anatomy).

3) We have no experience with Conceptual Academy

If you own a copy of The Well Trained Mind, you'll find more information on requirements for college admission on page 553 of the 4th edition. In case  you don't, I'm including a photo of the page I'm referring. I hope this information is of some help. You children are going to do great, I'm sure. 

Lily

 

[MamaSprout]

We did Algebra-based Physics first. It was a good choice for my kiddo who didn’t want to do Earth or Environmental, ect. I would recommend looking at Derek Owens.