Freshman Year Thoughts | Science

I'm planning on blogging a series with thoughts on resources and curriculum for 

courses for Zoey's 9th grade year. We are starting to think about what it is that we want our year ahead to look like and I'm hoping to create a running list of those ideas that are of interest to Zoey here. This will help us with our planning and budgeting and help me to feel a bit more organized while looking at the year ahead. 

There is a homeschooling high school group that I belong to on Facebook and I asked for thoughts and recommendations for a biology course that was at the high school level, that was secular and had lots of hands on labs. Zoey loves hands on when it comes to science. Labs are especially important now that we are talking high school. 

Right now I have requested several high school biology textbooks from area colleges through our library loan system so that we can look through them in person and see which ones we think may be the best fit. Once we find one that we like, I'm planning on purchasing the text(s) used. These books all align themselves with the biology lab kits available through Quality Science Labs. When Zoey saw the labs, she was adamant that this is what she wanted. She LOVES labs and especially dissections! Knowing that this is something she is interested in will give me the time to budget and plan, as we will also want to ensure we are able to get our hands on a better quality microscope than the one we currently have. 

In combination with the biology textbook, biology lab manual and lab kit, and microscope it was brought to my attention that a subscription to The Great Courses Plus program would be beneficial,  not just for biology, but for many other subjects/interests as well. Last year we had a subscription to BrainPop! which we have since canceled. It was interesting and we used it a lot for science and health during Zoey's 7th grade year, but I think Zoey is aging out of the content and the way that it is presented.

Recap...

Resources we are thinking about and/or interested in learning more about for 9th grade science/biology:

- Glencoe Science Biology Textbook

- Holt Biology Textbook (Oak Meadow uses this AND our local high school uses the 2010 version of this text)

- Prentice Hall Biology Textbook

- Quality Science Biology Lab Manuals, Lab Kits, Microscope  

- Subscription to The Great Courses Plus lectures

Library books to request throughout the year:

- The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
- The gene : an intimate history / Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Evolution Vs. Creationism by Eugenie C. Scott
- Science, Evolution and Creationism by Institute of Medicine

These are the ideas and resources that we are currently thinking about. This list will be added to and tweaked between now and next year, I am sure!