Rainbow Science versus Prentice Hall

[Country Girl]

Anyone used (or even looked at) both of these programs and can compare them? Would you say they are of the same level or would you say one program is easier than the other (ie. could be done at a younger age)? Is the depth of the programs similar? I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the two programs.

 

Thanks!

[HollyinNNV]

Anyone used (or even looked at) both of these programs and can compare them? Would you say they are of the same level or would you say one program is easier than the other (ie. could be done at a younger age)? Is the depth of the programs similar? I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on the two programs.

 

Thanks!

 

I'll answer this as best I can. But, I think this is an apples vs oranges type of thing because they are so different.

 

First-I'm thinking you are talking about Science Explorer. Our co-op uses the SE version that combines several books into one. So, we use the Physical Science Explorer, Earth Science Explorer and Life Science Explorer. Each volume is large-like 300 pages! I don't have any with me right now, but they are huge.

 

Rainbow is a smaller book meant to be used in 2 years. If you compare depth of coverage-there is no comparison. The SE is far more deep and far more comprehensive.

 

What Rainbow does provide is a helpful lab program where you can buy all of the labs and have every single item needed for every single lab.

 

There are labs and activities in the SE, but you have to get the stuff and schedule it yourself.

 

Personally, I think that there are sections in both programs that require advanced thinking. I'm especially thinking of the end of the Rainbow chemistry section. However, the benefit of the SE is that skipping a section is not much of a problem since there is so much book left to use.

 

Our co-op used Rainbow (twice) and we've never had a problem with content. I think that it is very scientifically sound. We do not like the lab component for year 2. A lot of it is paper labs which we're not really happy with. We have had to watch the evolutionary content within SE. It's not too hard to eliminate it.

 

Our co-op has used many different science programs including Rainbow, SE, BJU Physical Science and PH Biology. At this point, my preferred sequence is all PH:

 

6th Grade SE Life Science

7th Grade SE Physical Science

8th Grade SE Earth Science

9th Grade PH 9th Grade Physical Science

10th Grade PH Biology

11th Grade PH Chemistry (we are offering next year)

 

You could probably also do this sequence with students one grade younger so that you hit Biology in 9th grade.

 

Our co-op has been really, really happy with PH science products.

HTH,

Holly

[Country Girl]

Holly,

 

Thank you so much for the information! You were correct in assuming that I was referring to the Science Explorer series... thanks for reading my mind:D.

 

From all of the great reviews I've read on the PH books, I'm pretty sure they will be in our line-up at some point. I really like the layout that you gave for your ideal sequence. However, I'm actually looking at using one of these programs with a child that is below the typical recommended age level. I know I've seen people on the boards who have done this with the two programs so that is why I was curious about the depth and difficulty of the two.

 

I'm still torn between the two. The flexibility of being able to skip around in the PH would be great so we could move on if a chapter was too difficult (we will only be starting a 5th grade math text next fall and so I'm a little nervous about the level of math required to complete these middle school texts). However, the depth of the PH program could be too much, making Rainbow sound appealing. The inclusion and scheduling of labs in Rainbow is also a plus. However, how would you characterize the quality of the lab activities in the two? You mentioned that the 2nd year of Rainbow is a lot of paper labs, do you mean things like balancing chemical equations etc. or is there still a hands-on component?

 

Thanks!

[Mom22ns]

There are more science explorer books than just the Life, Earth, and Physical science books. In fact there are 16 more. They are small topical books and they seem to me to be on a bit lower level. I think you could easily pick topics from these books and use them for a couple of years leading into the the other series. Both sets of PH books can be found here:

http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ16f&filter_161=&filter_423=24902&filter_422=&filter_424=&filter_281=&filter_425=&programFilterTypeList=161%2C423%2C422%2C424%2C281%2C425&PMDbSiteid=2781&PMDbSolutionid=6724&PMDbSubSolutionid=&PMDbCategoryid=814&&PMDbProgramID=52181

 

I've been using BJU science with my ds, but if my dd homeschools next year I was considering using some of these for a year before I start Life Science. I plan to switch from BJU to PH at either Earth or Physical science for my ds.

[Country Girl]

There are more science explorer books than just the Life, Earth, and Physical science books. In fact there are 16 more. They are small topical books and they seem to me to be on a bit lower level. I think you could easily pick topics from these books and use them for a couple of years leading into the the other series. Both sets of PH books can be found here:

http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ16f&filter_161=&filter_423=24902&filter_422=&filter_424=&filter_281=&filter_425=&programFilterTypeList=161%2C423%2C422%2C424%2C281%2C425&PMDbSiteid=2781&PMDbSolutionid=6724&PMDbSubSolutionid=&PMDbCategoryid=814&&PMDbProgramID=52181

 

I've been using BJU science with my ds, but if my dd homeschools next year I was considering using some of these for a year before I start Life Science. I plan to switch from BJU to PH at either Earth or Physical science for my ds.

 

Debbie,

 

Thanks for bringing these up. I thought the Life, Earth, and Physical were just a bind up of all of the smaller (16) books in each category. So are the small books actually different than what you'd get in the Life, Earth, and Physical books?

 

Thanks!

[elegantlion]

Debbie,

 

Thanks for bringing these up. I thought the Life, Earth, and Physical were just a bind up of all of the smaller (16) books in each category. So are the small books actually different than what you'd get in the Life, Earth, and Physical books?

 

Thanks!

 

I have a Texas edition of the PH Sci Explorer, it's for 7th grade. I compared it to the anatomy book and the changing earth book (all 2002 copyright, so not the Latest edition) and they were very similar. The Texas edition book leaves out a few of the chapters of each book.

 

I don't have it in front of me but I believe the 7th grade book covers anatomy, changing earth, environmental, and either physics/chemistry or both.

 

HTH

 

You might look on paperbackswap.com there always seems to be at least one of the books listed there. You can search under PH science explorer to get the best results.

[Guest]

The large volumes are complilations of the 16.

[HollyinNNV]

Holly,

 

Thank you so much for the information! You were correct in assuming that I was referring to the Science Explorer series... thanks for reading my mind:D.

 

From all of the great reviews I've read on the PH books, I'm pretty sure they will be in our line-up at some point. I really like the layout that you gave for your ideal sequence. However, I'm actually looking at using one of these programs with a child that is below the typical recommended age level. I know I've seen people on the boards who have done this with the two programs so that is why I was curious about the depth and difficulty of the two.

 

I'm still torn between the two. The flexibility of being able to skip around in the PH would be great so we could move on if a chapter was too difficult (we will only be starting a 5th grade math text next fall and so I'm a little nervous about the level of math required to complete these middle school texts). However, the depth of the PH program could be too much, making Rainbow sound appealing. The inclusion and scheduling of labs in Rainbow is also a plus. However, how would you characterize the quality of the lab activities in the two? You mentioned that the 2nd year of Rainbow is a lot of paper labs, do you mean things like balancing chemical equations etc. or is there still a hands-on component?

 

Thanks!

 

Someone mentioned that these are a mock-up of several books, and yes they are.

 

How would I characterize the labs? Some of the labs in Rainbow are less than exciting, like bouncing or rolling a ball. Some of the labs are great, like dissecting a flower and worm. Because the labs are all scheduled for you, there aren't extra ideas/suggestions. Our co-op has offered Rainbow Science twice. My dd took it in 6th and 7th grade-over two years. Our current RS class is moving through the book in one year. The first teacher found it difficult to occupy the kids in a 2 hour period, once a week. She had to come up with additional activities. This year seems to be a better experience with the kids working through all the labs in one year.

 

By paper labs, I mean a lab where you mark parts of the human body on a sheet of paper. It is not really a "lab" at all.

 

Prentice Hall has far more suggestions for labs and learning activities. You can pick and choose what works for you. Some of the labs are similar to what we saw in the Rainbow book. Some of them are learning activities that enhance the content-like making clay models of different types of viruses. Or making a yarn model of dna. Most of the "learning crafts" use cheap items that a teacher would have access to-clay, yarn, paper etc.

 

When our co-op first started, it seemed that science classes were easier when the labs were pre-decided and the materials provided through a kit. However, we've actually found that it is better to have many activities to choose from. The flexibility is preferable to a strict pre-decided regimen.

 

In terms of difficulty, I know that people on this board have different opinions about the correct age to use PH Science Explorer and Rainbow. As with any program, the older the student, the more they will retain. I think that Rainbow and Prentice Hall is best around 6th grade or older. If I were going to use either of the programs with a younger student, it would be Prentice Hall, not because it is easier, but because there is more choice as to what the reading assignment is.

[kangato3]

I started with Rainbow for my 7th grade dd this year, and we are one of the minority who did not have great success.

 

My dd did love his tone, and some lessons had some good visual image descriptions that helped my non-science dd. For the most part, I found that I had to read and discuss each lesson with her because it wasn't fleshed out enough for her. She felt he made big jumps in concepts. As for the labs, it was convenient to have all the supplies. Many labs could be categorized more as activities to reinforce the lesson. I used the quizzes that are posted at the website, and my dd did miserably with those. It wasn't always clear what to focus on for each lesson when she studied, and it seemed that he sometimes chose more obscure items to quiz on. I know that most people have great success with this program. I fully expected to as well, but it just didn't mesh with dd.

 

We are now using PH Science Explorer. It is very different. Each lesson is fleshed out very explicitly. The books go into much greater depth than Rainbow. My dd is having much better success with this style. We use the guided reading worksheets which really helps her focus on the main points of the lesson. I bought teacher materials which have the lab worksheets. I do have to prep the lab materials, but there are so many to choose from, that I've been able to find easily doable labs. These books do have a LOT in them (lots of little mini-activites, chapter projects, etc). We don't do a lot of the extras (other than weekly labs) and have come up with a routine that works well for us.

 

I don't think one is easier than the other - just different styles of presentation and depth.

 

HTH

Louise

[Country Girl]

Someone mentioned that these are a mock-up of several books, and yes they are.

 

How would I characterize the labs? Some of the labs in Rainbow are less than exciting, like bouncing or rolling a ball. Some of the labs are great, like dissecting a flower and worm. Because the labs are all scheduled for you, there aren't extra ideas/suggestions. Our co-op has offered Rainbow Science twice. My dd took it in 6th and 7th grade-over two years. Our current RS class is moving through the book in one year. The first teacher found it difficult to occupy the kids in a 2 hour period, once a week. She had to come up with additional activities. This year seems to be a better experience with the kids working through all the labs in one year.

 

By paper labs, I mean a lab where you mark parts of the human body on a sheet of paper. It is not really a "lab" at all.

 

Prentice Hall has far more suggestions for labs and learning activities. You can pick and choose what works for you. Some of the labs are similar to what we saw in the Rainbow book. Some of them are learning activities that enhance the content-like making clay models of different types of viruses. Or making a yarn model of dna. Most of the "learning crafts" use cheap items that a teacher would have access to-clay, yarn, paper etc.

 

When our co-op first started, it seemed that science classes were easier when the labs were pre-decided and the materials provided through a kit. However, we've actually found that it is better to have many activities to choose from. The flexibility is preferable to a strict pre-decided regimen.

 

In terms of difficulty, I know that people on this board have different opinions about the correct age to use PH Science Explorer and Rainbow. As with any program, the older the student, the more they will retain. I think that Rainbow and Prentice Hall is best around 6th grade or older. If I were going to use either of the programs with a younger student, it would be Prentice Hall, not because it is easier, but because there is more choice as to what the reading assignment is.

 

Wow Holly, thank you so much for answering my questions so thoroughly. The flexibility of PH may be what I need if I'm thinking of doing this with a younger student. Then we could work through the books that best suite him right now. I have to say though, I'm very much a "box checker" and the layout of Rainbow with scheduled labs and all of the supplies is definitely appealing!

 

Thanks!

[Country Girl]

I started with Rainbow for my 7th grade dd this year, and we are one of the minority who did not have great success.

 

My dd did love his tone, and some lessons had some good visual image descriptions that helped my non-science dd. For the most part, I found that I had to read and discuss each lesson with her because it wasn't fleshed out enough for her. She felt he made big jumps in concepts. As for the labs, it was convenient to have all the supplies. Many labs could be categorized more as activities to reinforce the lesson. I used the quizzes that are posted at the website, and my dd did miserably with those. It wasn't always clear what to focus on for each lesson when she studied, and it seemed that he sometimes chose more obscure items to quiz on. I know that most people have great success with this program. I fully expected to as well, but it just didn't mesh with dd.

 

We are now using PH Science Explorer. It is very different. Each lesson is fleshed out very explicitly. The books go into much greater depth than Rainbow. My dd is having much better success with this style. We use the guided reading worksheets which really helps her focus on the main points of the lesson. I bought teacher materials which have the lab worksheets. I do have to prep the lab materials, but there are so many to choose from, that I've been able to find easily doable labs. These books do have a LOT in them (lots of little mini-activites, chapter projects, etc). We don't do a lot of the extras (other than weekly labs) and have come up with a routine that works well for us.

 

I don't think one is easier than the other - just different styles of presentation and depth.

 

HTH

Louise

 

Louise,

 

Thank you for taking the time to tell me why the program didn't work for you. It is very helpful to hear both sides of the coin. Having a program that fleshes out the topics more thoroughly would probably be a good thing for a younger student. I'm not sure if my son could make the big jumps, plus the guided reading assignments would be good to help him know what to focus on (since he needs practice on this). Thanks, you have given me lots to think about.

 

Thanks!

[jellogirl]

I haven't seen PH books, but Rainbow Science drove me nuts. The concepts were too hard to understand and the labs boring. The explanations were dry and the material just didn't click-- potential energy and chemical equations are hard for seventh graders. I felt it moved too fast without enough depth.

 

We switched to Apologia in 8th grade-- and loved it.

Edited April 7, 2009 by jellogirl