Chemistry or Biology for 10th Grade?

[JumpyTheFrog]

I need help deciding between biology and chemistry for my DS for 10th grade. We initially tried chemistry this year, but it didn't go well. I dumped Spectrum chemistry because the book had only about 10% of the practice problems needed. Then we tried Holt's Modern Chemistry. He was getting an A-, but we kept having to go slower and slower because he has ADHD and his study skills are behind. I felt like I was dragging him through the course, and I was frustrated with having to make him read sections of the book aloud, show him how to take notes, try to find videos to go with the topic, etc. So we stopped and switched to Derek Owen's Physical Science course. It is going much better, and he is getting an A without me feeling like I am having to do the entire course with him.

I think for biology we might try Funda Funda's course. For chemistry it sounds like we should try Clover Valley's Chemistry course. DS is thinking about major in forestry in college, so he needs a background in both areas. He's never had much exposure to biology, so I don't know how much he will like or dislike it. What I do know is that I want next year's science course to be something he can be successful in despite his ADHD. Which course should he do next year? I don't know what the workload is like for either.

[BusyMom5]

Where is he in math?  With my oldest,  she was ahead in math and we did Bio in 9th, Chem in 10th,then she did college chem.  Second was on target for math and did Bio in 9th, Earth Science in 10th, and will do Chemistry in 11th.  I waited bc I knew her math skills, while adequate,  would be stronger in 11th.  

Whichever you choose,  I would look for a forestry class, maybe horticulture,  as an elective!  

[JumpyTheFrog]

He's finishing up geometry, so he has enough math for biology, chemistry, and physics.

[EKS]

1 hour ago, JumpyTheFrog said:

We initially tried chemistry this year, but it didn't go well. I dumped Spectrum chemistry because the book had only about 10% of the practice problems needed. Then we tried Holt's Modern Chemistry. He was getting an A-, but we kept having to go slower and slower because he has ADHD and his study skills are behind. I felt like I was dragging him through the course, and I was frustrated with having to make him read sections of the book aloud, show him how to take notes, try to find videos to go with the topic, etc.

Kids in school would have a teacher to explain things to them.  I see nothing wrong with reading the text aloud with him, discussing, and, in the case of physics and chemistry, doing several problems together, that sort of thing.  

[Miss Tick]

We took both those classes. FF Bio in 8th and CV Chem in 10th. DS says Chemistry was definitely the higher workload. I was hands-off for both classes, but my impression matches his recollection. In between they took the FF Bio2 and enjoyed that a lot also.

[Arcadia]

If his interest is in Forestry, I would prioritize biology over chemistry. 

[JumpyTheFrog]

35 minutes ago, SusanC said:

We took both those classes. FF Bio in 8th and CV Chem in 10th. DS says Chemistry was definitely the higher workload. I was hands-off for both classes, but my impression matches his recollection. In between they took the FF Bio2 and enjoyed that a lot also.

That's what I wanted to know. I want to start with whichever has the lower workload.

[stripe]

I would make sure he is OK with the structure of asynchronous classes. Clover Creek Chemistry has office hours plus videos, but FF is all videos. Both have samples on their websites, I believe. Make sure you know how he will get help when he’s confused.

Edited June 9, 2021 by stripe
typo

[mlktwins]

We didn't use Funda Funda for Biology, but my boys did Biology (local) in 9th and Clover Valley Chemistry in 10th.  They really enjoyed both and learned a lot, but their Biology had a much higher workload than Chemistry.

[JumpyTheFrog]

22 hours ago, SusanC said:

We took both those classes. FF Bio in 8th and CV Chem in 10th. DS says Chemistry was definitely the higher workload. 

Can you tell me about how the labs worked? Funda Funda's description of biology doesn't seem to give much specific information about labs.

[stripe]

On 6/8/2021 at 2:28 PM, Arcadia said:

If his interest is in Forestry, I would prioritize biology over chemistry. 

I would also make sure they cover botany. Many biologists hardly talk about plants, and emphasize animals. One kid took chemistry first and while it wasn’t as academic as I would have liked, it did seem to help in biology. 

[JumpyTheFrog]

I signed him up for FundaFunda's biology class. I'll report back in the fall with an update about how it goes.