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Erin
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| Posted: May 18 2008 at 11:38pm | IP Logged
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Is my title a misnomer?  
My 9th grade dd has just finished her first formal science book, The History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner she admits it was basic but she enjoyed it. This book is written in very much a living book style, a chapter of information with questions at the end.
She now loves science  so I am looking at where to go from here. I was all set to ask here for ideas on using books recommended on Macbeth's Opinion and my library but dd has told me she enjoyed having questions to answer at the end of the chapter. Very funny  as other than maths we haven't used any textbooks 'till this year.
So what is out there that is a 'living book science textbook?'
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Erin
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MrsM
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Tiner has several other books available, including Exploring the World of Physics and Exploring the World of Chemistry. Perhaps these would fit the bill?
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Erin
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Thanks MrsM, actually I have the Chemistry one, but dd says she wants something more 'meatier'. A friend has just told me about some similar books from New Leaf Publishing that has free download study guides to accompany each chapter.
I've also been considering Singapore Science. Is anyone familiar with it? We use their maths and are very happy so I've been considering their science.
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CKwasniewski
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Can you tell me what age level these books would be for--reading aloud? Rainbow Resource says grade 5-9 and Amazon has reading ages 9-12.
Thanks!
ck
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Erin
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CK
I'm assuming you are referring to the John Husdon Tiner books? I have seen them recommended anywhere from 9-18yr olds. Exploring the History of Medicine is a little easier, New Leaf Publ. for example have it and the World of Chemistry for Middle School; (and I would put the Chemistry one as a little older than Medicine) and Exploring the World of Physics for highschool. There is also a Mathematics book.
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CKwasniewski
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Thanks for your help! These look very interesting.
ck
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Erin
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I am soo excited! I have found a wonderful site. Bridget Ardoin's Science for High School.
Bridget has a degree in microbiology, has taught in highschools and has been/is a homeschool mum for the last 12 years. She has created a curriculum that uses library books and the internet, it is NOT a textbook. On the site there are student research pages, student dissection pages and quiz pages and accompanying parent pages. Even I was interested to find the answers. And that's amazing in itself.
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BrendaPeter
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I haven't checked Macbeth's recommendations but what about the Hakim science books? There is a slight anti-Christian slant that I could detect but it is very mild. Her treatment of Galileo was quite fair, imo!
Erin, I think you would love For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittman. She has a great booklist for science.
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TracyQ
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Thank you for the link to the High School Science at Home, Erin. I really love the look of this! I sent the link to my girlfriend who is a high school science teacher in NY State in a public school, because I want to get her opinion. Thanks again! 
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 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Erin
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Tracy
I thought it sounded like your type of program.
I emailed Bridget and I include here part of her email because I think it very helpful. I wrote telling her how thrilled I was to find her site and asked a couple of questions regards age and adaptability for my hemisphere.
She was so helpful and fast to respond.
Hi Erin,
I am so glad you found the site, too! I love hands on science SO much more than textbooks ... SO much more interesting!
First, the manuals will take the student from 9-11th grades. I am thinking about doing physics, but each manual has taken me about 3-4 years to complete, so at this time there is not any physics! I am still on the lookout for a similar physics curriculum. Each is one year of study, with a lab for each week (except for 2 weeks in biology when the endocrine system and the reproductive system are studied). There are a total of 24 weeks of research assignments. I recommend high school age to begin with the research manuals, because the research can be difficult and extensive at times, but I have had 8th graders take the biology , and take 2 weeks to do one assignment rather than one. They can then call 8th grade "human anatomy" and their 9th grade "Zoology and Botany".
As to the astronomy part of Physical Science, one week they study the constellations. In that week I have the students research the history of the various constellations, and the Southern Cross is one of them. You could cancel the northern hemisphere constellations and substitute those in the southern hemisphere (I am not familiar with any others!) I think that is the only research question that would need to be adapted, but I will check on that to be sure.
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Erin
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I'm wanting to buy it, just checking the cheapest option of postage to Aust.
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BrendaPeter
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Yes Erin, that was what came to my mind too . Hope it works out!!
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Regarding the Bridget Ardoin texts. I have only looked at the biology syllabus and samples, but they seem very light in certain areas to me.
I see no mention of fungus,all of genetics in one week, no ecology, no molecular biology and of course the big missing component is no evolution, unless that is under "the great debate." If so, the the treatment of it (crowded into one week along with careers in science) is much too light to provide any kind of real understanding pro or con.
But evolution aside, honestly, the parts that disturbs me most are:
the lack of molecular studies (where are the structures of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, etc studied?)
the short time spent on genetics (can you really learn mitosis, meiosis, all of Mendelian genetics, DNA structure and function, and protein synthesis in one week?)
the lack of ecology (ecosystems, biogeochemical cycling, behavioral science, community ecology, population ecology, etc)
and the over-emphasis on animals (three quarters of the entire program)It seems very lop-sided.
I honestly don't see how it could be called a complete biology program with these large gaps, and certainly not "honors" as she claims.
Now, in all fairness, it is possible that some of this is covered in the study questions within certain other chapters and I have not seen the entire book (eg hopefully photosynthesis is covered under plants. But only 1 week for all of that? Cellular respiration? where is that?), so I cannot give a complete review.
I'd love to see an actual copy though and be proven wrong, because the premise is pretty good. A self-directed real-book based science program would be pretty cool.
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Erin
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Thanks Theresa for looking, I REALLY appreciate you doing so. I lack so much science knowledge, I've never even heard of half the sub-topic areas you mention, perhaps I really need a textbook after all because I truly am lacking in knowledge. But if that is the case I'd still like to find an interesting one to use as a base, I've been wondering about Singapore Science mainly I guess because they are coming second in the world at science so I think they must be doing something correct and because I have been so happy with their maths curriculum. Then again I have also wondered about Rainbow Science as it has been mentioned here several times. My dh loves science, he reads science encyclopedias for fun! so he would certainly fan the enthusiasm.
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Well, I have been thinking about it, and since you seemed really excited about that program, I think it could be used as a base.
What I would do is split it up into 2 courses:the stuff she has listed under second semester I would turn into a general biology. The topics she has listed under first semester (except chapter one, I believe) I would make into an anatomy/physiology course. Then I'd take 2 years to do it with additional resources to supplement the biology side with the areas I mentioned.
If this appeals to you, I would be glad to go into more detail about how exactly to split it and supplement.
The point is, if YOU really like the material then that's a big plus, and it can be made to work with a bit of tweaking.
I wish I knew more about Singapore science, but I have never seen it.
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MaryM
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BrendaPeter wrote:
| I haven't checked Macbeth's recommendations but what about the Hakim science books? There is a slight anti-Christian slant that I could detect but it is very mild. Her treatment of Galileo was quite fair, imo! |
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MacBeth has posted her pretty thorough review of Hakim's science book in a past thread.
I would second Theresa's thoughts on one week for genetics being light and the lack of molecular. I do know that my boys (in actual high school honors bio class) did spend pretty much the entire second semester on animal classification, dissection, etc. Heavily animal.
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About Singapore Science...
I bought the 6th, 5th and 3rd grade versions. And we ended up mailing them back (this after my dh phD chemist/physicist looked at them). Besides being slightly obnoxious because we had to buy 2 texts for one year, then 2 tms for each year, 2 wkbks for each year, 2 test books, so on and so on, they have some serious s*x ed stuff in there. I had to glue together several pages in my dd's (the 6th grade) books. (At least the books are cheap!)
I didn't even get to look for evolution stuff. But we just dropped the whole thing when we saw the "stuff" I mentioned above. Anyways...just another thing to look out for..
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I'm still going to discuss this with my friend who's a high school science teacher. She'll really help me determine whether all three subjects are good for NY State requirements or not, and can hopefully help me tweak it to work for us.
I know she does NOT like the Apologia Biology textbook at all, and doesn't love the Chemistry, and so even though I'd used it for Jake, she let me borrow her Prentice Hall text for Zach, because it was so much better for what we needed, and Zach really did learn a lot, and liked it a lot.
But for Sarah, I know even that text would not be right for her, so I have got to figure out a way to do a CM approach to lab science for her the best way that I can. I love MacBeth's HS Science Opinion, but don't know enough about science to put it all together on my own. 
I'm SO frustrated! Thankfully, she's only in 8th next year, and using MODG Earth Science, combined with some other biographies, so I still have some time to figure out the high school science thing for her. 
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Tracy Q.
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homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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BrendaPeter
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MaryM wrote:
BrendaPeter wrote:
| I haven't checked Macbeth's recommendations but what about the Hakim science books? There is a slight anti-Christian slant that I could detect but it is very mild. Her treatment of Galileo was quite fair, imo! |
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MacBeth has posted her pretty thorough review of Hakim's science book in a past thread. |
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Thanks a bunch Mary!
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Erin
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Thanks for your generous offer Theresa, I will take you up on it if I go with Science for High School Have you seen the Rainbow Science books? If so what was your opinion?
Thanks for the heads up Kacky, then again I would only be buying for 9th grade and maybe later 7th, but still I treat those areas very sensitively even with olders. What else did your husband not like? Did you find something that you/he was pleased with?
Tracy, I'd love to hear your friend's opinion.
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Living Book Science Textbook?
