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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Aug 14 2009 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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Thought I had decided 
I was perusing (wasting a bit of time!) reading old posts and came upon an old one on biology where both Theresa and MacBeth responded. They mentioned the list on MacBeth's Opinion, that we love around here, as well as the book on it called The Way Life Works.
I don't think I can do a textbook for my 9th grader for science next year- I think in that format it will be info. overload!
So, I was thinking of using The Way Life Works, the Castle Heights Lab Guide, lots of living books from MacBeth's opinion etc.
Yikes, but when I look at those other hefty Bio texts there is just so much info. and I don't know what I should include if I am designing my own course.
Any ideas?? Theresa (  )!!
We are using Marine Biology ala Theresa for my middle schooler and she is stoked, but I want to develop a Living Books heavy study for my 14yos.
Thanks!!
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 15 2009 at 3:19pm | IP Logged
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Just a thought, but could your 14yo son do the marine biology and just add in living books? Here are some of the books my ds will be reading to compliment his science course:
The Tempest
The Perfect Storm
Adrift:Seventy-six Days lost at Sea
The Old Man and the Sea
Shipwrecked
and perhaps Moby Dick. Still undecided about that one. maybe we will just re-watch the movie.
I only suggest it as I always like to combine studies if possible.
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Martha
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| Posted: Aug 15 2009 at 4:15pm | IP Logged
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Ah geez Theresa you're the coolest. I never think of those connections.
I get too befuddled by all the choices.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: April 07 2010 at 4:56pm | IP Logged
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I realized I never replied to this post
Great suggestions Theresa!
We actually have covered half of the Apologia book (which I previously said we would never use  but we need a change now).
I have my trusty Animal book by DK (the big one that MacBeth lists), another great Animal one and we are going to do some dissections. But once again I am befuddled at what to include from the hefty text?
Some of the topics include...
Vertabrates
Invertabrates
Ecology
and the Evolution question.
I am leaving the evolution one for my priest and my dh right now as my mind isn't up for it at present.
For the Vertabrate and Invertabrate sections I thought to look at some of the general characteristics for the Phyla and then pick a few representative creatures for each to study more in depth. We have looked at the classiication system heaps already and my dd learned lots about Invertabrates from her Marine Bio study with Theresa. I would tack onto that lots of sketching, including some of the coloring in the Zoology coloring book, some Natural History for my son(he is reading IN a Patch of Fireweed) and my dd is listening to Under the Sea Wind, and dissections of frogs, earthworms, and crayfish. We could also do some microscope work and Nature Study is easy to work in on the classification of the insect world.
Now, how to organize these random thoughts into some kind of executable form!! (Much easier when the older two were the only ones I was teaching- now my time is pretty split three ways!)
Ideas from the experts 
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: April 07 2010 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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Here is what I think we will be doing. I'm splitting biology into 2 years. After finishing marine bio this year, which will cover all of the taxonomy/systematics/ecology part of biology, he will do a 10th grade year of chemistry and geology, and then an 11th grade year of advanced biology which will include all of the molecular/cellular/genetics stuff typical of a high school bio course.He will do Physics and astronomy his senior year. That will give him 6 science credits for graduation, which is pretty good I think. Since he loves science like his mama, it should not be overkill for him.
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: April 07 2010 at 5:17pm | IP Logged
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One really good living book for the molecular side of biology is The Double Helix by James Watson (one of the discoverers of the structure of DNA). It is fascinating and very readable, I think.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: April 07 2010 at 5:34pm | IP Logged
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Yup, my son is reading that right now. Picked it up in his spare time- I must ask him about it!
Sounds like a good plan Theresa- I think I need to just break out of my self imposed box!!!!
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vmalott
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| Posted: April 12 2010 at 3:19pm | IP Logged
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Theresa,
Am I understanding you correctly that the
"molecular/cellular/genetics stuff" is pretty typical of a basic HS bio class? And that you're just calling what you plan to do in 11th grade "advanced" because you're doing marine bio and covering taxonomy, etc. this year?
I've been following the bio threads with interest and I'm trying to decide which route I want to go without spending too much $$. We've had an unschooling approach to science here, with lots of nature study and child-directed inquiry throughout the years. Now that I need to actually call something science for my DD (15), I waver between the unschoolish, CM approach that we're used to, and using a text. I think I'm conifdent I could design something with living books and hands on labs and projects, as long as I was certain I'd be covering the same bases as a text-based course.
FWIW, DD is definitely not a on a science/math track for her future. She is more of a "arts and lits" person (Trivial Pursuit anyone???). So, I don't want to kill the interest she has in the natural world around her, but I do want to be sure she gets a decent foundation in bio and chem should she decide she wants to go on to college.
Any suggestions for an outline of what topics to cover???
As an aside, I was stunned at the amount of molecular/cellular/genetics stuff my ds has covered this year in his 7th grade life science class at the local jr. high. They've spent the bulk of 1/2 the year on it and have *maybe* covered 5 chapters in the text for the year. It seems like a lot more than what was covered in my HS bio class...but that was back in the dark ages, so I'm sure times have changed a bit.
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: April 12 2010 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
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Nah,let me explain better.
Typically in biology ALL of the topics are covered in a basic way in general biology and then ALL of them again in more depth in advanced biology. I don't care for this approach because in basic bio I don't think you have time to really sink your teeth into a topic before you have to move on. And by the time you get around to addressing a topic for the second time in advanced bio you've forgotten what little you learned in basic.This leads to unnecessary redundancy and a superficial understanding IMHO.
I'd rather split the topics amongst two years my way (taxonomy, etc one year, molecular, etc another year) and go ahead and cover each topic in depth once. So in reality we are doing a simultaneous basic and advanced bio course, stretched over two years, but for simplicity of record-keeping I will just *call* the first year basic bio and the second year advanced. Clear as mud?
Plus this gives me the added benefit of being able to sneak in a year of chemistry before we cover the molecular aspects of biology, which should be helpful.
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vmalott
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| Posted: April 13 2010 at 7:15am | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
| So in reality we are doing a simultaneous basic and advanced bio course, stretched over two years, but for simplicity of record-keeping I will just *call* the first year basic bio and the second year advanced. Clear as mud? |
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Actually, it's very clear!  I totally "get" what you mean about calling what you're doing this and that. It's pretty fun (for me, anyway) to take the non-traditional learning that's done around here and discover that there are credits for American Lit., Creative Writing, and Fine Arts just from the things she does for enjoyment every day.
And I like *your* way a lot more than trying to cram in all that stuff in only one year.
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Karen T
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| Posted: April 13 2010 at 9:56pm | IP Logged
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Kristie 4 wrote:
I am leaving the evolution one for my priest and my dh right now as my mind isn't up for it at present.
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I know you said you are leaving this for your priest and dh but I thought I would reply anyway. I used Apologia biology last year to teach my son and another boy and I was leery about what their approach to evolution would be so it was the first thing i read in the text, before deciding to use it. I was surprised to find it mostly pretty even -handed and not rabidly Creationist. I have a science background myself so what the author argues in the evolution chapter makes sense. He doesn't disagree with the idea of micro-evolution, that species do change over time in response to environment, etc. but he does disagree with the random jumps in genetic material that would have to occur for one species to become a totally new one (ie, apes to people).
This past fall I got roped into giving a brief talk on this topic to a young adults' group at our parish and I did a little more reading. I can probably find some notes on it if you are interested, that explain the Church's teachings on evolution.
Karen T in Md.
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vmalott
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| Posted: April 15 2010 at 12:34pm | IP Logged
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This talk on evolution from Ye Hedge School has helpful information and some links to Church documents. Ye Hedge school also sells the book Creator and Creation, which might also be helpful in reconciling Catholic teaching/beliefs with the evidence science provides us. I've not read it, so I can't rightly give a review. Has anyone here read it?
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Valerie
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AtHomeScience
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| Posted: April 15 2010 at 10:01pm | IP Logged
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I am reading Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth R. Miller. Just read the reviews on Amazon and you'll get an idea of how the arguments rage on, and unless you are very familiar with the literature, or have those that are debating together before you, you can see how easy it is to make a case the way Apologia does that seems logical but ignores large amounts of evidence.
Anyway, this book published in 2000 spends a lot of time presenting and then refuting other major Creationist and anti-Evolution works like Darwin's Black Box and Darwin on Trial. He also discusses the vicious anti-religious zealots in the scientific community, and how Evolutionists also distort the science. In that sense the book helps form a good foundation about the debate and is very readable.
I have not finished the book, but I understand that in the end he does a great job at refuting the attacks on Evolution but does not delve into the philosophical discussion that the Church engages in when discussing Evolution and the Faith.
A new book out is expected to be much better at elaborating on the theological aspects and not just the scientific ones. Faith, Science, and Reason by Christopher Baglow is supposed to be excellent and written to prepare high schoolers to discuss these issues. Unfortunately it's $35 and very unlikely to be found at your local library.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: April 16 2010 at 1:34am | IP Logged
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Karen, it is more because of my tired head that I am leaving it for our priest and my dh at present. Honestly, we are very solid on the basics- yes, God created the universe and all that is in it. But when I have children who want to be geologists, marine biologists, etc. it starts getting a little more complacated (I can't spell that last word...too....much....tax....work...tonigt  ). We are not Catholic, but rather Eastern Orthodox. We have some good resources but as we are fairly recent converts I wanted my Priest to help me through them.
Edited to say: We converted from a Protestant background to Eastern Orthodoxy (just in case it looked different above!)
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vmalott
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| Posted: April 30 2010 at 9:42am | IP Logged
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Thought I'd revisit this thread, hoping Theresa will be able to provide some more input.
I've finally had a chance to look through your Fieldwork blog, Theresa, and it is wonderful! I hope to use some of the ideas/activities for some learning experiences when we are in Florida for several days in July. DD will also be heading to the Caribbean with her grandma right after we all return home from the Florida vacation, so hopefully she'll have even more opportunities to explore. At the very least, I think I'll get a copy of The Seaside Naturalist to have around for some summer reading.
Anyway, I was able to find a copy of the Biology textbook ("Dragonly" edition) written by Miller & Levine for only $10 at Amazon. I'm a little more comfortable having the text around to be used as a resource along w/more interesting/living books.
Theresa, would one use The Way Life Works for a study of the molecular/cellular/genetic aspects of biology? From the looks of it, it doesn't seem to get into taxonomy. Still, it's on my wish list. I've looked at our library's copy of Lynn Margulis' Five Kingdoms. The newer edition, Kingdoms and Domains is a bit too pricey for me to justify owning it only as a resource. 
I hope to fill in with plenty of the readings from MacBeth's Opinion. It makes sense to read things by/about Darwin when learning about evolution. Ditto for Mendel when learning about genetics.
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Valerie
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: April 30 2010 at 12:06pm | IP Logged
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Yes, Valerie, I think The Way Life Works would be excellent for the molecular/genetics/etc parts.
Five Kingdoms is good, if a bit dry, for the taxonomic stuff. Just realize that it is outdated as far as the macro-level taxonomy (and I cannot remember at the moment how or if she treats archaea) so you may want to use a resource such as Tree of Life web for that. But at the phylum level and below it is still a solid resource I believe.
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Biology for 9th
