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guitarnan
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| Posted: April 27 2011 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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My dd will be in grade 9  next fall and has chosen Earth Science for her science class. We own Earth Science the Easy Way, but I'm looking for other textbook options, preferably with experiments/labs. All suggestions welcome!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 27 2011 at 7:18am | IP Logged
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I don't have any textbook recommendations, but let us know if you're interested in living book ideas at some point. My dd did a term of Earth Science last year and really enjoyed it. Also, I'm pretty sure that by now Angel(a) ought to be an authority on Earth Science!  Her kids seem to thrive on it and I know she has great recommendations!
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Jen Mackintosh
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kristinannie
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| Posted: April 27 2011 at 9:35am | IP Logged
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I saw these programs at the HS convention I went to and they looked great. She is very knowledgable about Earth Science and the programs looked interesting and high quality.
Ring of Fire Science
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Angel
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| Posted: April 29 2011 at 5:32pm | IP Logged
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I guess maybe I am an authority by now. In fact, tomorrow we are going to a dig at local fossil bed, and everyone is really excited about it!
We haven't used textbooks, though, really. I will say that I think one of the better lab-type resources is the Boy Scout Geology merit badge book. Oh! And The Practical Geologist and The Practical Paleonotologist. Those books are well-organized and tell you how to collect. Discovering Fossils is another good how-to guide, but I don't think I'd use it unless your dd was really interested.
I have Earth Science the EZ Way, but we really didn't use it. I was going to use it as a spine, but then my ds spent most of his time on paleontology, so we just decided to call the class "Paleontology" instead of Earth Science.
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Angela
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: April 30 2011 at 8:52am | IP Logged
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I too am developing an Earth Science course for my 9th grader. I plan on getting the EZ Way and using it as a spine. I am also going to get Earth Science Made simple. Our lib has it and I just loaned it. It looks useful and has several labs per chapter. I also came across this website:
high school earth science labs
I also plan on checking out the book Clouds in a Glass of Beer.
I'm planning to have my son do reading, videos, and a lab day each week. It looks like the EZ Way offers a good amount of reading with quizes which is what I thought would be good about it. Those who have it....do you like it? Will it be a good spine for a freshman course?
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Jackie
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KackyK
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| Posted: April 30 2011 at 10:11am | IP Logged
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@ Jen - me, me, me I would love to hear what living books you added to your Earth Science. I have a 7th grader who will begin the Kolbe text (but not the Kolbe plans) as a spine next year. I want to put together my own thing. The Kolbe text is really texty, but it is a nice book so I can't buy another spine, kwim, but I'd love to add fun stuff.
@ Jackie - awesome site! I could be on there a long time, it's like they took all their gems and threw them on one site and decided to alphabetize them. It's a treasure!
Thanks ladies!
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KackyK
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KackyK
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| Posted: June 23 2011 at 1:53pm | IP Logged
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Jen can you share what titles of living books you guys used for Earth Science? or anyone else out there??
I'm making our list and there are SO many, I thought I'd go first with first hand recommendations!
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KackyK
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Angel
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| Posted: June 24 2011 at 10:12am | IP Logged
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Kacky, how interested is your student? Strong reader or not so strong?
I would really, really recommend the two books I linked to above, The Practical Paleontologist and The Practical Geologist. They're very good, hands-on guides, not too hard to read but pretty thorough.
Also:
National Geographic Dinosaurs
National Geographic Prehistoric Mammals
Snowball Earth (Really good book. Be aware that there's a lot of "nature created...", "The universe produced" and that sort of thing.)
There are tons of good videos out there -- NOVA in particular has lots of good earth science related shows. I can come back and link my favorites and also give you some more recommendations. Have to get everyone moving now...
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Angela
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 24 2011 at 6:52pm | IP Logged
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KackyK wrote:
| Jen can you share what titles of living books you guys used for Earth Science? |
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I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond to you, Kacky! I'm glad Angela added her favorites. Since Nancy started this thread asking about a 9th grader, I'm going to assume that this is the age you're looking for as well.
** Please note: I assume you will preview these based on your family comfort level on teaching the theory of evolution. Many/all of the books I'm going to recommend contain evolutionary content.
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Earth science living books:
The following four books comprise John McFee's Annals of the Former World series and discuss a wide range of geological topics pertinent to US, but extending to world, geology. McFee writes in an interesting, understanding way, and is a favorite author for exploring geology. In this order:
Basin and Range
In Suspect Terrain
Rising From the Plains
Assembling California
See if there is a Roadside Geology Series book for your area.
Beneath Our Feet: The Rocks of Planet Earth by Ron Vernon
Melting the Earth: A History of Volcanic Eruptions and Encyclopedia of Volcanoes both by Haraldur Sigurdsson
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Weather related Earth Science:
Clouds in a Glass of Beer and What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks by Craig Bohren - both explore atmospheric physics and contain many exciting and interesting experiments/explorations. Great books for an Earth Science lab!
The Invention of Clouds: How an Amateur Meteorologist Forged the Language of the Skies by Richard Hamblyn - interesting biography which is enriched by the exciting burgeoning scientific understanding of the 18th/19th century.
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Oceanography
The Wonderful World of the Sea (oop) by James Fisher - this book is really well suited for the middle school student, so high school is a little bit of a stretch, but it isn't written in a juvenile way at all, so I'm including it. It fits a broad spectrum of ages. The illustrations are stunning and explanations are fantastic. It is oop, so check your library. At the time of this post, copies were still very inexpensive to obtain. Original copyright 1957.
The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson - full of wonder and excitement in its language! It's a book that explores all the science of the ocean - from the geography of the ocean (fascinating), the technological advancements just beginning to assist in exploring the sea in the 50's, and the understanding of life in the sea - and it does so in a way that is quite beautiful in terms of expression and language. Many reviewers refer to the book as poetic; I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it is quite expressively written and is a compelling read. The copy I linked is a big coffee table book with photos - it may be very lovely, but I have the 1961 paperback which is very affordable and does contain several b/w photos.
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Hope this is a help, Kacky! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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KackyK
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| Posted: June 25 2011 at 8:32am | IP Logged
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Thanks so much ladies!!!!
Jen while I was clicking around Amazon after following the Cloud in a Beer book love that title...
I found this: Jewels: The Secret History. I read the first chapter free on my ipad. It looks really really good, even if my ds doesn't enjoy it, I know I will. The same author wrote a book about color too. I have put both on hold at the library.
My library seems to have most of the recommendations, hurray!
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KackyK
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Earth Science Options
