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Science for 8th and 6th Grade for new CM family
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We are new to the CM method and are loving the little bits we are implementing. I can tell my children are gaining a deeper knowledge and growing their love of learning. I’m trying to plan my upcoming year, and science is always a struggle. We have changed curriculums every year: 4th grade Abeka science (daughter was 4th, son was 2nd), then Berean’s Science in Ancient Times, then unit studies from The Good and the Beautiful, and now 7th grade Abeka and 6th grade Abeka (kids are 7th/5th grade). I am pretty sure I want to move to either Berean or Apologia for high school. Unless it’s nature study, my daughter has a hard time remember what she is studying, and both kids don’t know how to take notes or do labs. I want to keep the kids in their own separate levels from now on. My question is, what books should I start with? Should my daughter jump right into Berean’s Earth Science for her upcoming 8th grade year, or should she do Atomic Age. Does it matter if she has her 12th grade year open for a science study of her own choosing (like a ornithology class). Should my son just do nature study for his 6th grade year, or should I put him in Atomic Age, or one of the younger Berean or Apologia books? I’m really at a loss of where to place him especially.
Well, the short answer for your questions is “It depends.” 🙂
For your daughter, Science in the Atomic Age is a great place to start. It is a good science course to transition your child from elementary science to high school science. Discovering Design with Earth Science can be used in 8th or 9th grade and can be counted on a transcript for high school science. There is a big difference in the workload between Science in the Atomic Age and Discovering Design with Earth Science.
As far as having her 12th grade year open for a science study of her own choosing, what science courses she completes for high school depends on what her plans are for after high school, her math skills, and what your/her goals are for her education. In our modern day, the traditional high school science courses are Earth science or physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics. However, if your child does not enjoy science or doesn’t have the math skills required for chemistry or physics, there is no reason your child can’t complete a science course that is non-traditional. There may be laws where you live that require a certain number of science credits so check for how many credits of science she needs for your location. If your child would like to study ornithology, consider having her skip physics. If she is thinking about a career in ornithology or anything in the field of biology, completing a biology course and a chemistry course in high school will be beneficial to her for college.
For your son, where to place him depends on his interest in science. If you think he can handle the workload for Science in the Atomic Age, then let him do that course. You mention a desire to keep your children in separate courses for now. I know you have your reasons for that, but one thing to consider for middle school and high school science is that having your children in the same science course can benefit all of you when it comes to doing the science labs. Having two children doing a lab together gives your children an opportunity to work together, reason through the whys and hows of a lab together, and makes it easier for you because you only have to have lab supplies on hand for one course.
If your son does not particularly like science or is not ready for a middle school course and if you want a more textbook approach for science, then I recommend that you consider Berean Builder’s Science in the Industrial Age. I would caution against just doing nature study. Nature study is only one component of science, which your children should do at least once a week to make their own connections with nature. A science course, whether that is one of SCM’s or a textbook from Berean Builder’s, Apologia, or Abeka, is the other component of science.
Let me address one more thing. You stated that your children don’t know how to take notes or do labs. Both of those things are not something that I would expect children who have only done elementary science to be able to do. Taking notes is not even necessarily a skill that needs to be learned if your children know how to narrate what they have read. Jotting down key names, formulas, and definitions is usually all the note taking that would be needed for science, and can also be a help with narration. As for science labs, Berean Builder’s middle school and high school science courses all give detailed instructions on performing each lab, as well as general instructions on what is expected for lab notes. They even have sample lab notes on the website for each course. Berean Builder’s middle school and high school courses are written directly to the student assuming there is no one in the home to help with science. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to look at the samples of Berean Builder’s courses on their website. You will find the samples in the Product Resources area on each course’s page.
Karen, thank you for your response. It gives me a bit to think about.
Both kids have been doing traditional text books, quizzes, test and worksheets this year, so that should not be an issue.
My daughter wants to attend college, but isn’t exactly sure what her degree of study will be. She has been leaning towards ornithology, but has discussed having a job that is flexible once she has her own family. I want to set her up for success in whatever she chooses, and plan on her studying Earth science, biology, chemistry and physics. I just wasn’t sure if it was wise to put that cycle off until 9th grade, or if I should start her on it beginning in the traditional 8th grade. My daughter has looked at samples from both courses, and she is excited about both. I was unable to see what the workload difference was between the two of them.
My son is currently in 5th grade. He is very bright, however his maturity toward learning has room to grow. I could put him in Atomic Age for 6th and he would probably love it, but I’m not sure he is mature enough to handle the labs. I struggle to get him to write-out his pre-algebra assignments. His 5th grade year we have been trying to get him to focus on quality of work instead of speed. It is looking like that will be a big goal for him in 6th grade as well.
The workload difference between Science in the Atomic Age and Discovering Design with Earth Science wouldn’t be apparent with the samples. Earth Science has more “meat” to it and slightly longer daily readings than Atomic Age.
Will you be attending any homeschool conventions that Dr. Wile/Berean Builders will be at? If so, stop by their booth and chat with Dr. Wile or his publisher Jon Nichols. They always have copies of all of Berean Builders science books which you can look at more fully. And they would gladly answer any questions you might have and to help you decide what is best for each of your children.
You might look at Queen Homeschool Supplies Discovering Nature Series. It really teaches the kids how to research and gives them practice with writing. You could even use it as a supplement to Berean or whatever you choose.
queenhomeschool.com
We are going to use Apologia General Science this year for my 6th and 9th grader. It is technically for 7th grade, but it has a wonderful broad science topic overview and also teaches note taking skills in the curriculum. The main con I see is how pricey it is, but it seems all science curriculum tend to be.
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