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Year 9 Science - Printable Version

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Year 9 Science - AO Advisory - 09-11-2016

AO Year 9 Science

We are so sorry, but a full version of the new science for AO Year 9 isn't going to be ready for a debut when we had hoped. We have hit a few glitches. However, do not despair, we have some ideas for you! (Links for the suggested resources are on our website

Option 1:
While a full new science for AO year 9 would be ideal, sometimes we have to settle for 'good enough.' We formerly recommended Apologia, and using a standard biology text this year is still a viable option. Apologia's Exploring Creation with Biology, CK-12 (which is free for Kindle) are two choices. Using a biology text and doing the labs is a traditional school approach which is 'good enough.'

Option 2: Help us by providing feedback on Year 9's science and reviewing other science books:
Illustrated Guide to Home Biology by Thompson (pdf): For a more living science approach, plan to use a standard biology text along with The Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments and spread it out over the next four years. On the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology website, the authors have kindly provided a key matching up experiments to the corresponding pages in several popular biology texts, including Apologia, CK-12, and Bob Jones:
"The lab sessions in Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments are easy to coordinate with the lecture material in any standard homeschool biology text, including the two texts we recommend, Miller and Levine Biology and CK-12 Biology."
Miller and Levine Biology correlation (pdf)
CK-12 Biology correlation (pdf)
Biology, 4th edition (Bob Jones University Press) correlation
Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd edition (Apologia) correlation" (pdf)

You, the parent, will definitely want to read the introduction to the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology, and happily if you go to Amazon and read the free sample provided, the intro is included (if you have younger children, say, years 7-8 especially, you should read the intro in the free sample as well. It will help you overall).

Other books:
Signs and Seasons by Jay Ryan - continue from previous years, Ch 6-Epilogue, and do the observations.
Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball - continue from previous years, reading the chapters on Flamsteed and Laplace where they fit historically.
The Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif only the chapter on Spallanzani this year where he fits historically.

Body by Design: An Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body by Alan L. Gillen we suggest scheduling this for Term 1.

First Studies of Plant Life, by George Francis Atkinson - Continue from last year (pages and experiments to be announced)

Longitude by Dava Sobel - assign as Geography; we suggest term one. There is also a movie which some of us have enjoyed. We don't ordinarily recommend movies, but the upper years can be hard and crunched for time.

The Periodic Kingdom by P.W. Atkins
Reactions: The Private Life of Atoms by Peter Atkins - If you want a Lite year, just use The Periodic Kingdom. Key experiments to the material in these books (see below).

The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry by Thompson, with experiments matched to topics in the chapters of the Atkins books OR Chemistry for the Logic Stage. Link These books may or may not be in our final line-up later, but if they are, Chemistry for the Logic Stage would probably be used just for Year 9, as a transitional book, and the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry would be spread out over at least 2 of the higher years.

Optional: The Biology Coloring Book by Robert Griffin and Cinthea Vadala
Gray's Anatomy Coloring Book by Freddy Stark

Keeping a lab book for high school science is truly not optional. See the free foreword samples provided at Amazon for the Home Biology and Home Chemistry books for more information on lab-books for science.

If we use Illustrated Home Chemistry, for most students we would plan the following experiments (and corresponding chapters in a basic chemistry text) over 2-4 years
Illustrated home chemistry:

separating mixtures
solubility and solutions
colligative properties of solutions
intro to chemical reactions and stoichiometry
reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions
acid-base chemistry
chemical kinetics
chemical equilibrium and le chatelier's principle
gas chemistry
thermochemistry and calorimetry
electrochemistry
photochemistry
colloids and suspensions
qualitative analysis
quantitative analysis
synthesis of useful compounds
forensic chemistry

Your young scholars who want an AP course, or are interested in science fields will want to do more.

Those using the Illustrated Home Biology book for this year will want to do these 15 experiments (and read the corresponding chapters in a text):

building and observing microcosms
observing succession in aquarium microcosms
observing the effects of pollution on microcosms
acids, bases, and buffers
carbohydrates and lipids
proteins, enzymes, and vitamins
coacervates
extracting, isolating, and visualizing dna
build a gel electrophoresis apparatus
simulated dna separation by gel electrophoresis
chlorophyll and photosynthesis
investigating osmosis
investigating cell division
sampling plant populations in a community
observing the effect of rhizobia on plant growth
air pollution testing
soil and water pollution testing
exploring mendelian genetics
observing specialized eukaryotic cells
preparing culturing media
culturing bacteria
investigating bacterial antibiotic sensitivity
investigating protista
investigating fungi
investigating simple plants: mosses and ferns
investigating seed plants
investigating porifera and cnidaria
investigating platyhelminthes, nematoda, and annelida
investigating arthropods
investigating vertebrate tissues

If you are working with us on testing year 9's living science program, we would be spreading the above labs over 3 or 4 years, recommending additional labs for those who want AP science or are interested in science fields.

We regret a settled year 9 is not ready for release, but we have an invitation which may also help. We need to test the above year, as well as read and preview some other books for consideration. We invite those willing to use the above living science program this year and test it out together, asking questions, sharing ideas, problems you discover, offering support, suggestions, advice and so on. We could also use a few people who would not be using year 9, but are willing to help us preview books and offer suggestions in a private subforum. If you are part of a curriculum creation team for another curriculum, please understand that is a conflict of interest. We'd love to hear your ideas about a great science book, but we'd prefer you shared them here in the open area of the forum.

If you would be interested, please let us know you would like to join us in a private forum for this purpose, and explain why ('I'm testing year 9 with my students; I love science and AO and want to help and I have time to read and review. . .' 'I have a degree in a science field and want to help. . .' ).

This will be a working group. Our purpose is to support members trying out year 9's science and to build the living science program for AO, so we will be periodically removing inactive members from the private science group. We understand (believe me, we really understand) that sometimes real life means we cannot complete what we wanted to complete, so if something urgent arises that prevents your participation, we will understand and lift you and your family up in prayer during one of our Advisory prayer meetings.

Thanks for reading!

This page can be accessed on our website at http://www.amblesideonline.org/Year9Science.shtml


RE: Year 9 Science - Burlygirl40 - 09-11-2016

I have a bachelor's in health science and took Chemistry and advanced Biology in College. My question is would that all be in year 9? If so I'd probably cover half of those experiments. Those concepts aren't always the easiest to grasp and no kidding even having a single lab a week in both high school and college was pretty overwhelming. Every other week would have helped a lot.

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RE: Year 9 Science - suzukimom - 09-11-2016

(09-11-2016, 07:28 AM)AO Advisory Wrote: AO Year 9 Science


If we use Illustrated Home Chemistry, for most students we would plan the following experiments (and corresponding chapters in a basic chemistry text) over 2-4 years

[snip]

If you are working with us on testing year 9's living science program, we would be spreading the above labs over 3 or 4 years, recommending additional labs for those who want AP science or are interested in science fields.

(09-11-2016, 07:37 AM)Burlygirl40 Wrote: I have a bachelor's in health science and took Chemistry and advanced Biology in College. My question is would that all be in year 9? If so I'd probably cover half of those experiments. Those concepts aren't always the easiest to grasp and no kidding even having a single lab a week in both high school and college was pretty overwhelming. Every other week would have helped a lot.

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The labs are spread over 2-4 years - see above quotes...


RE: Year 9 Science - MaggieAnnie - 09-11-2016

I am sort of stunned that the Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments is offered free on the site as a pdf...it has been on our amazon wish list for ever for this year. I am so glad you linked the author site.

With just a few exceptions/additions this list is almost exactly what we are attempting this year since dd is shooting for an AP credit that she needs for her college program so I am glad to see I am on the right track!

I am in no way a science professional but we could offer our 2 cents on some of the books if needed. Dd always has strong opinions ha!


RE: Year 9 Science - Purposeful Abnegation - 09-11-2016

I love AO and science and would love to give back. My grandfather was a doctor and we loved talking about human anatomy. So if you think I may be of help let me know how I can be of service!


RE: Year 9 Science - Jenna Dilts - 09-11-2016

I love AO and would love to help. I have a degree in neuroscience (so lots of biology!) as well as a minor in chemistry. Additionally, I was a lab TA in chemistry for a couple semesters.

I don't have Y9 students at all yet, they're all young Y0ers, but I can probably help do some previewing!


My husband is falling in love with AO through me, as well, by the way, and he says that if you ever need someone to help previewing things in math or physics, he can help. He's a math Ph.D. His specialty is in general relativity (yay, Einstein!) so he's fairly knowledgeable in physics as well.


RE: Year 9 Science - farmgirl4 - 09-11-2016

I would love for my students(sons), to test the year 9 science. I already own the books as I ordered them after seeing them at the conference.


Year 9 Science - rescue25 - 09-11-2016

I have a bachelors degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. It's been a few years, but I'd love to help. My oldest is only 6, but I could preview some books.


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Year 9 Science - rescue25 - 09-11-2016

And my husband is in the health care field (physical therapist).


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RE: Year 9 Science - Tupelosun - 09-12-2016

I am so excited about AO science! I have a bachelors degree in biology and would be happy to help review books. My oldest is only year 7, so we won't be able to test drive year 9 science yet.