Middle School Science Education: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Vol. III, Grades 6-8

Amamos este libro! Súper útil! Y da para muchos más grados que lo que marca aquí. Incluso útil para high school.

I have been homeschooling for over a decade now, and have tried or seen many, many disappointing science curricula. This is the resource I have come back to again and again, because it lays out clearly what the ideas are that we want our students to grasp and how these ideas related to one another. It has allowed me to get a clear grasp of where we are trying to go so that I can effectively steer the ship. If most elementary middle school curricula are the equivalent of a bus trip across Europe where you can get off just long enough to take a picture of each famous site, this is more like a trip you plan yourself, figuring out the local transit system and following a street map as you go. You might not cover as much ground, but the places you do go you will never forget. There is no busy work, no filler and no fluff. Each of the three volumes (Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) include four sections: Earth Science, Physical Science, Life Science and the Nature of Matter. The beginning of each book has a diagram showing how these different strands related to each other, as well as how they related to the ideas in different volumes. Then each section has a series of lessons, which includes a list of learning goals, an explanation for the parent/teacher of scientific principles for that lesson, as well as helpful reminder of what background knowledge is necessary to understand the concept. There are many different suggestions for experiments using mostly household items, as suggestions for questions to help lead the students through the process of making connections for themselves. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers will appreciate the fact that the strands of science are woven together, rather than treated as separate topics and that much of the learning is based on real-world observations. There is also a bibliography of books on each topic for students to extend the work of each section. Parents of large families will appreciate that it is very doable to combine students at different levels, because you can simply choose related threads from different books. Because it does take a little more work to plan these lessons out there is a user forum if you look for bfsu forum.

I haven't found a more comprehensive curriculum for science. Teaches to a very high standard and is great preparation for GCSEs.

Great source of information. Helpful for homeschooling parents and teachers.

This continues to be one of the most comprehensive and thorough science guides that I have seen for younger grades. Learning science sequentially was a new concept for me, but my kids have really enjoyed it. Now science makes sense to them instead of just being a random collection of facts that don't build on each other. The authour also moderates a yahoo group where he participates in discussions and answers questions. Very helpful. The book itself is not colorful or illustrated but every chapter provides lots of ideas for supplementary books and activities.