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Martha
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| Posted: July 20 2009 at 10:47pm | IP Logged
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well can I change my mind? 
I just fully enrolled in Seton for 9th grade and so my 9th grader will be doing their abeka physical science. They say I don't need the labs to go with it, but I'm getting them anyways. 
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Martha
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lambchopwife
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| Posted: July 20 2009 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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I change my mind ALL the time, especially about science! I was originally going to use MODG Natural Science Biology syllabus since I got it from a friend. I just couldn't bare the thought of another year with Apologia! Frankly neither can my son! So, I thought okay let's do the Natural Science Syllabus instead since it's less demanding. Now, I've read on the board there are no answers for the book questions!!!! Agh!!! So what now?!!!! My son and I really like the syllabi, but with no answers!! Like I have time to read everything with 5 kids and a husband who travels for the military ALL the time!!! Any suggestions would be great!
God bless,
Cheryl
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Faithr
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 6:20am | IP Logged
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Hi Kristie,
I did find A Beka digestable, especially the Biology text which we found well written. I was wary about A Beka being too fundamentalistic/creationistic to an extreme, but it wasn't. In the Biology text they just address the issue in one or two chapters which we glossed over and instead focused on Humani Generis at that point. I didn't sit down and read the Chemistry text though, as I did the Biology one, so I can't vouch for that one. Chemistry is pretty much beyond what my poor little head can handle! My now rising 12 grader liked Biology better because he loved the labs. The class did lots of dissecting (the mom who taught the class used to be a nurse). My dd (now graduated and heading off to college in a few weeks!) liked the Chemistry more but I think that was because she is a little more mathy than my son and also she is squeamish about such things as dissecting and learning about bodily organs (she would never, ever make a good nurse! LOL!). Chemistry stayed in the more theoretical realm which she was more comfortable with. Also, she didn't really know any Chemistry before high school, so it introduced her to a whole new world she'd never thought about before.
I have a friend who plans to use the A Beka Physical Science with her 9th grader. She got the dvds so he can sit and watch the lectures and take notes.
I think high school science is a toughie! I'm excited that we are going with K12 for Earth Science though, my rising 9th grader is more science-oriented than my older two were. He already knows a lot about the subject just from his own reading and he'd be really frustrated with something shallow like the MODG syllabus. He wants something he can dig his teeth into! K12 looks like it will fit the bill.
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KackyK
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 8:06am | IP Logged
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We've decided just to stick with straight Kolbe plans. So we'll be doing the Biology with the virtual labs cdrom. Maybe we can reproduce some of the labs irl.
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Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
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Martha
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 8:09am | IP Logged
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well, I was going to enroll him in the english, comp, and religion courses only, but it was worth a few more bucks to fully enroll. I have prentice hall phys sci and chemistry. I also have apologia gen sci and chemistry, and I also have abeka biology and chemistry.
From what I have, I'd rank the "digestablity" and the faith content greatest to least as:
apologia
abeka
PH
I think Abeka is probably the most hands on, which is why I'm going to offer it up and use them much as I'd rather not give money to Abeka. (they aren't exactly catholic friendly! altho they aren't on BJU level of anticatholic either)
It's outragiously expensive, and maybe after I've done this 1 or 2 times I'll find it a total waste, but I'm buying the home science tools science kits to go with abeka phy sci. Seton says I won't need it and it does look like Seton has some awesome support options online, but well... I value book learning, but the purpose of it is to actually USE it. To me learning about these things without getting their hands dirty just seems pointless. And I think they will learn more by actually doing experiments.
So that's what we've settled on.
DS is very happy. He confessed that opening the PH text made him a bit nauseated.  That he learned a lot, but just couldn't stand to open the book. He has sensory issues and is a very direct young man, so all that flash and glitz probably irritates him as much as me. Wish he'd told me earlier!
My 6th grader is chomping at the bit to get into the PH book though, so I guess it's not a total loss. I'm thinking he'll enjoy Kolbe's Harcourt or Holt texts...
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Martha
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 8:35am | IP Logged
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Faithr wrote:
For example, the Earth Science program we did 4 years ago used workbooks and the student had to answer the workbooks and then write up essays from what they'd answered. And they had to be long essays, so even after you'd finish regurgitating what you'd just filled in (in these very dry workbooks) you'd still be floundering around because the essay wasn't quite long enough. I guess you were supposed to be doing extra research to fill in the holes. Except the dryness of the workbooks used did nothing to inspire wanting to learn more about Earth Science.
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Well, that's two negative reviews now on the Earth Science syllabus. Bummer.
I did like the Natural History one a lot, though. I know its a pain that there isn't an answer key. For that segment of the syllabus (maybe 8 weeks or so?) I would sit down on Sunday afternoon with the book, skim the chapter for the answers and then check ds's work. It was a pain and I did grumble about it at times, too. Last night I had a brainstorm though. One of LB's techniques in the history syllabi (I saw this on a sample page on their website) is for the child to write down what page they found found the answer on. I am going to have my next child do that, so that I can find the answer easily. 
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 8:35am | IP Logged
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Martha wrote:
well can I change my mind?
I just fully enrolled in Seton for 9th grade and so my 9th grader will be doing their abeka physical science. They say I don't need the labs to go with it, but I'm getting them anyways. |
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If it isn't allowed, then I am definitely in trouble.
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Tami
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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Very quickly jumping in here - 2 of my sons have done this course.
The course is focused on research. There are materials given in the syllabus to refer to as well as additional questions for the student to answer, then pull it all together for the essay.
It's important to include all of the info on the worksheets. The additonal reading fills it out. Then, if something still seems weak, the student needs to read a bit more to flesh it out. This constitutes the body of the essay. Add and introduction and conclusion, and it's complete.
Honestly, the essays look better as the year wears on, and the student does become more efficient is his ability to pull all of the info together. My boys have learned how to organize ~and~ write. As the year progressed, they did become better at doing both. I was heavily, heavily involved in the beginning (some of that is a 9th grade/entering high school type-of-thing as well).
This past year, my son worked with an MODG teacher in a weekly class. Sometimes she would have them just write the body of the essay, to make sure they were including and organizing all of the information, and had good sentence structure. Then later she started to address how to write a good introduction, then conclusion.
For some students the focus for an essay could just be producing a good outline, and perhaps writing every other paper.
It was a process. The beginning did not look like the end. I think that's important to keep in mind when going through this course.
Did I say 'quickly'?? 
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God bless,
Tami
When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become. (Nouwen)
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 21 2009 at 10:51am | IP Logged
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Is it enjoyable at all? Would you have your dc do it again? I'm ok with the research method. I prefer that to textbooks. Also, what are the word count requirements for the essays?
Since it sounds like you have some experience with MODG science, any thoughts on the difficulties mentioned in the biology syllabus?
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~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Angel
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| Posted: March 04 2010 at 4:33pm | IP Logged
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Bumping this old thread to ask how everyone's science turned out this year?
My 13 yo ds and I just opened the Prentice Hall Phys. Science book (with the Kolbe lesson plans) and I don't think he was expecting to be smacked in the face with all that math first thing. I'm researching other options for 8th/9th grade science, and this thread was quite informative. 
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Angela
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lapazfarm
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Ours is going great! See for yourself here!Fieldwork
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Teachin'Mine2
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| Posted: March 06 2010 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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We're using Apologia physical science. My dd is in 8th, but this will count towards a hs credit as it can be done in 9th. This is the first year she actually enjoys science! So I'm thrilled!!! What I've also liked about it is that the labs don't require fancy equipment. We've done the majority of them and we've only had to buy a few things that we didn't have on hand.
We'll be doing their biology next year - well that's the plan for now anyway. But I'm having a hard time finding reasonably priced lab equipment.  If I had a few dc, I could more easily justify the cost as it would get a lot of use, but it's just for my dd. That's never held us back on things before, but I'd love to find a more economical way to do the labs next year.
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Topic: What are you using for 9th grade science?
