HHSC - Science in High School

"Can I teach 

high school science?

 NO

As your student gets older, 

your role changes from 

teacher to fellow learner."

Dr. Jay L. Wile 

I find that science is one of those subjects that people fear in the High School years and in some ways this has a valid cause but in others it need not be something to fear.

When I first started homeschooling over 15 years ago there were very few curriculum's for the high school years and the Internet was something only geeks accessed and never mind owning a computer that was unheard of. The fear of what are we going to use was huge and made science a daunting thing to think about.

We had no means of researching topics, curriculum or how do I ? We had to rely on what others were doing or what ever was recommended by the latest home school catalog or home school support group.

Today we have a multitude of platforms at our disposal from satellite classrooms to university laboratories and somewhere in between all that we have Google (a quick search on Home school High School science revealed +/- 10,600,000 hits!) . In some ways we have far to much choice and that can be a paralyzing factor in itself.

I would like to encourage you that it is not as huge a task as you envision.  There is plenty available to support you on your journey whether you choose to learn alongside your student or encourage their independent study.

Things to consider

• Research your options while they are in the primary school years so that you have a clear pathway before you.  
• Be clear on your expectations.
• Have an understanding of the level of maths required to tackle different areas in the high school sciences.
• Research and save for more expensive items such as a microscope.  Do you have to have a microscope ?  No but it is a great hands on learning tool that makes the sciences come alive in your home.
• Find out where to purchase the items you need to do the practical labs.
• Consider the scope and sequence before changing curriculum or you might end up repeating what you have already done.
• Get to know your student and what their long term study goals are and work towards those. Make it a priority to achieve what they need to accomplish their tertiary goals in the science arena.  

What did my science program look like?

• Sonlight
  Science F {Health, Medicine and Human Anatomy}
  Science G {Geology, Physics, and Origins}
  Science 250 {High School Biology}
• Apologia High Science materials.

What influenced my choices/selection?

• I really like a Charlotte Mason approach of twaddle free literature and Sonlight has always ticked the boxes on this front.  
• The subject matter was interesting and there were no textbooks until Science 250.  
• The Sonlight® Ultra Microscope was value for money that I could not pass by. I have never been disappointed with their quality and in fact this microscope has surpassed my every expectation.

What others are saying on the www

•  Kris over at Weird Unscocialized Homeschoolers has an post on Homeschooling High School Science. **** This is a very comprehensive article on the topic.
•  Harmony Art mom has put together an excellent post over at Squidoo called: High School Level Biology - Personalized for the Naturalist at Heart.
• Home Science Tools has a post on Choosing a Homeschool Science Curriculum.
• Vicki has a post called How to Homeschool High School Science where she shares on school credits.

Some Curriculum out there today

• Science over at Sonlight. This is my favorite resource for living book curriculum.
• Bridget Ardoin's Science for High School.
• Apologia High Science materials.
• Alpha Omega Lifepac Science.
• Bob Jones University
• A Beka
• Classical Conversations
• Ambleside Online
• Simply Charlotte Mason.com

I would like to encourage you not to fear but embrace the high school science years.  See it as an opportunity to learn and discover more thoroughly what you have always wanted to know.  Secondly remember you can not teach it all.  There is no A-Z list for you to tick off and say right now I have taught science and we are finished.  This is a subject that is exploding with information at an exponential rate and would be physically impossible for you to teach all there is to know.

I would love to read your thoughts on Science in high school please leave a link to your post in the comments.
Blessings
Chareen

This post is part of the Home school High School Carnival.  Don't forget to pop on over to LaPaz Home Learning (post to go up in the first week of February) to read what others are saying about this topic.



This post is linked to Ultimate Homeschool Link-up #5 over at The Homeschool Village and Featured at  Ultimate Homeschool Link-up #6