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Patty
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High School Biology in Your Home
It looks intriguing, and was written by a homeschooling mom who has a degree in microbiology and has taught science to homeschoolers and in private schools. The program is based on research. The student researches to find the answers to the questions for the week using whatever sources he chooses, and then at the end of the week he discusses his answers with a parent. Each week there is a lab to do, and a quiz over the material.
Opinions? Anyone?
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Mackfam
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It is one of the programs I'm considering, Patty. My dd and I like the way it looks alot. She'll finish up a focused year in Natural History next year and move on after that - possibly to this series.
I'll be using many of the living science books recommended by MacBeth - High School Science. The lab manuals MacBeth recommends are dead links now, so I'm guessing they are no longer available. This program looks like a great option using a research based approach which fits better with our current approach to the sciences fostering living books. Science for Highschool provides a lot of very informative hand holding and well thought out information for labs in the home through the teacher's manuals. I really like the way it looks.
The author of the program holds in great esteem the idea of reading of science topics through books written by authors **excited** about their topic/branch of science. I couldn't agree more. I'm wondering if she has a list of recommended reading books for a library list for each of her books???? I couldn't find it anywhere on her site. I'll probably be emailing her in the next few days. Let you know what I find out.
Anybody else? Anybody? I'd love to hear opinions.
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Bookswithtea
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I looked at this a few months ago. Somewhere on the high school forum there is a thread on this program. Its one of the options I am tossing around, too. I am not keen on extensive use of the net to find answers so I am hoping that the research portions can be accomplished with living books. I don't know anyone who has actually used it, but I did correspond with the author awhile back about the physical science program (I wanted to know how much math was incorporated into it). Fwiw, the math portion of the physical science looks much more gentle to me than the average program. That's about all I know, though.
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Mackfam
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I found a very helpful thread with some of Theresa's and others thoughts here - Living Book Science Textbook
I remembered reading your thread in the high school forum when you posted it, Books, but now I can't find it. I'm out the door for a little while but I hope to check back into this tonight.
The reviews on the above thread confirmed what I was thinking initially - that this would be a good lab course with an emphasis on research, but it will need some tweaking with significant living science books to round out some of the areas of study.
back later....
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Jen Mackintosh
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Patty
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Mackfam wrote:
I'll be using many of the living science books recommended by MacBeth - High School Science. The lab manuals MacBeth recommends are dead links now, so I'm guessing they are no longer available. |
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If you mean the Castle Heights Press lab books, they are still available, but they must not be from the dead link, or that particular site changed URL or something.
Go toCastle Heights Press
I hope I did the link right. Thanks for your reply.
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Patty
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Bookswithtea wrote:
| I looked at this a few months ago. Somewhere on the high school forum there is a thread on this program. Its one of the options I am tossing around, too. I am not keen on extensive use of the net to find answers so I am hoping that the research portions can be accomplished with living books. I don't know anyone who has actually used it, but I did correspond with the author awhile back about the physical science program (I wanted to know how much math was incorporated into it). Fwiw, the math portion of the physical science looks much more gentle to me than the average program. That's about all I know, though. |
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I did a search here on 4real with the author's name, Ardoin, and found the threads you mentioned. Hmmm...now I'm wondering if this is what I want after all. I e-mailed the author and asked some specific questions about how the program worked, and about the handling of evolution. I do *not* want a science text that preaches. I want SCIENCE. After all, God's glory is displayed through observing the natural world, right? We can see His order and beauty and goodness there without the book being sprinkled with Bible quotes or six-day creationism. I'm not trying to be harsh, just honest about the way I feel. Anyway, Bridget e-mailed me back very promptly and said that she presents both sides of the evolution question and the kids are to research and discuss with a parent. She has tried to keep her science program strictly science. I like the research and whole book aspect of the program, but am bothered by the course leaving out many topics, and focusing very heavily on the human body.
I'm wondering if I could use just the Castle Heights Press lab book plus living books from Macbeth's site and elsewhere? I mean I COULD, but am I brave enough?
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lapazfarm
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Patty wrote:
I'm wondering if I could use just the Castle Heights Press lab book plus living books from Macbeth's site and elsewhere? I mean I COULD, but am I brave enough? |
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Yes, you could. And that is what I would recommend. I would also add that you could easily get a cheap used high school or college level textbook that you like, use the table of contents as your guide to which topics to cover, and then choose living books from MacBeth's site and others to coincide with those topics, and the labs from Castle heights or other sources. Then you could also use the textbook as a resource to fill in any background or informational gaps left from the living books. I find the illustrations in textbooks to be very helpful, even if I never read the actual text.
ETA: I read over what I wrote and it sounded funny to say I never read my textbooks. That isn't exactly what I meant, but just saying that the illustrations alone are often enough to cover the meatiest parts.
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Mackfam
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lapazfarm wrote:
Patty wrote:
I'm wondering if I could use just the Castle Heights Press lab book plus living books from Macbeth's site and elsewhere? I mean I COULD, but am I brave enough? |
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Yes, you could. And that is what I would recommend. I would also add that you could easily get a cheap used high school or college level textbook that you like, use the table of contents as your guide to which topics to cover, and then choose living books from MacBeth's site and others to coincide with those topics, and the labs from Castle heights or other sources. Then you could also use the textbook as a resource to fill in any background or informational gaps left from the living books. I find the illustrations in textbooks to be very helpful, even if I never read the actual text.
ETA: I read over what I wrote and it sounded funny to say I never read my textbooks. That isn't exactly what I meant, but just saying that the illustrations alone are often enough to cover the meatiest parts. |
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Very interesting!
This was my other option. I have a college text I was thinking of using and listing as a spine for our required listing for our cover. I'm sort of excited to know that the Castle Heights lab manuals are still out there now! This has me reconsidering my approach back to MacBeth's recommended books as well as some other living books I've found and building my own courses using the Castle Heights labs. Thanks for linking back to Castle Heights, Patty! I searched a month or so ago and couldn't find anything.
Very helpful conversation, ladies! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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Patty
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Thank you, everyone, for your input.
Theresa, we do have a meaty high school text that we could use as a reference. I think that would work much better for me than trying to use it as a text. We tried that last year and it fizzled...er...bombed, for a number of reasons. I still like the book, but it's hefty and overwhelmed me. If I thought of it as a resource, I might not be so intimidated. Silly me.
You're welcome, Jennifer, for the CHP link. I'm glad I figured out how to do that.
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Patty
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I was wondering if anyone has used this:
Biology the Science of Life
Is it worth the money? I've had some Great Courses which we really liked, but not any of the science ones. This is not specifically designated as high school, so I'm guessing it is aimed at college level/adults. It's on sale but still a chunk of money.
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lapazfarm
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I have not seen this one, but just looking at the topics, the depth it goes into, and the fact that it is 72 lectures, it looks college level to me. Very meaty.
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Kristie 4
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Hey Theresa, I know you reccomend highly The Way Life Works. Are you reccomending the text or the book?? We have the books here but wondered how the text is different?
Thanks,
Kristie
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lapazfarm
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Kristie 4 wrote:
Hey Theresa, I know you reccomend highly The Way Life Works. Are you reccomending the text or the book?? We have the books here but wondered how the text is different?
Thanks,
Kristie |
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I'm not sure what you mean by the books vs the text.
The one I have seen and like is this one:The Way Life Works.
I also see now that there is a text called Exploring the Way Life works by the same author.I have not seen this one IRL. From what I can see online it looks similar in style to the previous book but more in depth, covering more topics.
They both look great to me to use as a biology spine.But keep in mind that they do not cover the systematic portion of biology--the part where you study all life forms one by one, which is typically a large portion of the second semester of a biology course.
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Kristie 4
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Thanks Theresa. Just what I was looking for!
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msclavel
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I'm going to use Exploring the Way Like Works with my ninth grade. I plan on purchasing a dissection kit in January. It has nine specimens, from a sponge up to a fetal pig. (Will this make the course count as a lab sience?)
So my question is, Theresa  , what might be good book to add in for the study of life forms? I already have a bunch of bookmarked websites and I'm thinking I can create enough reading material and pictures on my own, just wondering if a good book has done it already.
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lapazfarm
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Hmmm....Let me think on this a while. I like Five Kingdoms, by Lynn Margulis (sp???) which MacBeth links to on her site. It is a bit dry and ponderous, even for a small book, but It would make a good resource. I don't think she addresses archaea, though, at least not in my (old) edition, so you might want to check out Tree of Life Web for updated macro-level taxonomy.
Also a lot of those "biology coloring books" have a good systematics section. They usually have a nice amount of basic info, even if you don't do the coloring. That might be sufficient info, even if it isn't very inspiring.
I'll get back with you after more thought.
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Kristie 4
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Can't wait for this one!!! We have the Way Life Works and the Biology Coloring Book and the Five Kingdoms Book....now just to have the guts to put it all together with very low motivation this year
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Thanks Theresa. It looks like there is an updated and revised Five Kingdoms that does include archaea and new information. I do like the Tree of Life site too. I think this may cover us well. She is actually looking forward to dissection. Should be a good biology course. I keep underestimating her desire to learn things in depth, she keeps asking me for more for info, more grown up. She's like her father and likes to explore the depths of whatever she's learning. I might let her track what she learns as blog, then she'll really love it.
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Biology--has anyone used this?
