Apologia Science - like it or not? need opinions for 8th grade son for next year....

[Tami in CA]

I am needing a science for my son for next year. Need opinions on Apologia - was thinking General Science. If not, what else to use? Opinions on Abeka?
Thanks,
Tami

[Kendra]

We love it. Neither of our oldest children (9th, 7th grades) are particularly science-lovers, but they are learning at a rigorous pace and enjoying the format.

[eight_gregorys]

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Apologia science. I have only used the Elementary Botany and Zoology 1, but I do own the General Science (I have to peruse everything we use thoroughly.). We are planning to use it in 6th or 7th grade. I have not used Abeka or Bob Jones so I'm not any help there. Happy choosing!

Andrea

[kortney in AL]

My first three kids have all used Apologia. My 8th grader will be using the physical science text this fall. I have found the General Science text on the dry side, but I do think it's thorough. As of yet I haven't seen a better alternative.

[Kate CA]

I am needing a science for my son for next year. Need opinions on Apologia - was thinking General Science. If not, what else to use? Opinions on Abeka?
Thanks,
Tami

We love it. I have heard some very positive things from people in science fields regarding Wile's programs. We are very pleased with the way things are going here. :)

[Frontier Mom]

Love it hear and the one thing my oldest ds does successfully on his own. He really likes it and gets through it without a great deal of my time. My biggest time expenditure was typing the lesson plans into HST+.

[Carol in Cal.]

I sat and skimmed it for quite a while, and have looked at it more briefly twice before, but have not actually used it.

It is written pretty conversationally, almost like reading a lecture. DD loves that about it, because she likes that style--kind of like SOTW for history. It does use the proper scientific terms for things, and explains scientific language well.

It is written from the perspective of a young earth creationalist, I think. Certainly in the treatment of archeology and the fossil record and things like that, it spends a lot of time making the case for catatrophism and other creationist thinking. It also presents the old, gradually eroding earth case, but as something to be refuted. But, I would say that it refutes it more mildly than polemically. It seemed pretty clear that the author is trying to familiarize children with more mainstream views while pointing out problems with them as well as the case for his view.

It spends a fair amount of time on human anatomy, which makes it quite attractive to me as we have not spent enough time on this.

I am thinking about it for 7th grade, and the level of difficulty seems appropriate. There is an available CD with the text read to the student, and also reference in the text to supplemental video that is on a CD Rom or DVD that you can also purchase.

I really went to the conference intending to buy it, and the only alternative that I have been seriously considering is Rainbow--which was not available for review there. During the 'tour' I spent a lot of time at the Exploration Education booth. Although I was much more impressed with that than I had been with its online demos, I think we need to spend more time on biological science this year, and EE is mostly the hard sciences. It's a solid program, but doesn't push the science language as much as Apologia does, as best as I could tell in my studies just today.

I am kind of flustered about Apologia. I really expected to purchase it, and just didn't feel quite at peace about this, which is really weird. I guess that I am really conflicted about how to approach the Bible vs. science debate. I have sailed through it pretty easily so far, but it has not impacted the texts that we have used so far one way or another until now. So now I really have to decide what to do.

In other news, I picked up the Tiner book about physics to complement Real Science 4 Kids Physics Level 1--the analogous complement in chemistry has been outstanding, and at least this will tide me over for a while.

[emelsha]

I am also considering Apologia Science for my soon to be second grader. The question I have, is do they do experiments, and what other materials other than the book do you need?

[Christine]

I guess that I am really conflicted about how to approach the Bible vs. science debate.

I have to admit this is an issue I suffer through too. That and the whole old / young earth creationist view (I'm "old earth").

My oldest son is finishing Chemistry, having started at Gen. Sci. He was just talking to me about this last week, and kind of set me at ease. He told me one thing he truly appreciates about the High school series is how "even-handed" Dr. Wile tends to be regarding "biblical ideas". He (son), likes the fact that if evidence is given for young earth ideas, opposing evidence is also given, etc.

This is not so true at the elementary ages with Jeannie Fulbright's books which we have also used. She is very strongly "young earth" and sometimes says things that I take offense to. However, as a rule, I can and do work around that, and I find it worthwhile to use her books as I like her writing style and the science presented.

[Tami in CA]

I am still undecided about what to do for Science for 8th grade, but am still leaning towards Apologia General Science.
Thanks again,
Tami

[Carol in Cal.]

I have to admit this is an issue I suffer through too. That and the whole old / young earth creationist view (I'm "old earth").

My oldest son is finishing Chemistry, having started at Gen. Sci. He was just talking to me about this last week, and kind of set me at ease. He told me one thing he truly appreciates about the High school series is how "even-handed" Dr. Wile tends to be regarding "biblical ideas". He (son), likes the fact that if evidence is given for young earth ideas, opposing evidence is also given, etc.

This is not so true at the elementary ages with Jeannie Fulbright's books which we have also used. She is very strongly "young earth" and sometimes says things that I take offense to. However, as a rule, I can and do work around that, and I find it worthwhile to use her books as I like her writing style and the science presented.

I don't feel that you have to argue for catastrophism to believe in Genesis. I think that, just as Adam was created with the appearance of age, so was the earth. So when the fossil record and geology and archeology seem to indicate an older earth, I don't care. I just figure that God set it up to look that way, and why wouldn't He be good at that? And if someone finds something out that shakes the foundation of the belief in geological continuity, I think it's interesting, but I don't jump all over it and go, "See! See! It IS a young earth!"

So I want Dd to be exposed to the catastrophic theory, but I also want her to learn the standard secular views and understand that science changes and will always change, and that probably a lot of what scientists believe will change by the time she has kids of her own, and that that is OK. It's just the nature of things.

Apologia seems pretty good, but I don't think it will accomplish the good teaching of mainstream science that I want for DD. I could do just General Science, but DD benefits from picking a curriculum and sticking to it, year after year, so if she becomes accustomed to Apologia, changing to another series for later junior high and/or high school science will be a problem. I will do it if I have to, though.

What to do, what to do...

[Kelli in TN]

My 4th child has just started using it. We have liked the series every time we have gone through it. We have used general, physical, bio and chem.

[Susan in Central Texas]

[quote=Christine;164237]I have to admit this is an issue I suffer through too. That and the whole old / young earth creationist view (I'm "old earth").

(quote, quote, My oldest son is finishing Chemistry, having started at Gen. Sci. He was just talking to me about this last week, and kind of set me at ease. He told me one thing he truly appreciates about the High school series is how "even-handed" Dr. Wile tends to be regarding "biblical ideas". He (son), likes the fact that if evidence is given for young earth ideas, opposing evidence is also given, etc.)

Wow! Your son sounds so reasonable and open-minded! :001_smile:

What I like about Dr. Wile's approach is that while he does make a case for his views, he also reasonably presents the other views. You generally do not find the young earth view presented with anything less than sarcasm and scorn in the "academic" world or in the world at large. Additionally, our children are generally bombarded with the 'old earth' veiw presented as fact in most texts, on television, etc. even speaking of it in a very casual way as fact. What I like about Apologia, is that it opens up for discussion those things about which reasonable people often disagree without forcing down either as a fact. On the other hand, it is sort of an "apologetic" for its views, thus the name Apologia.;)

[Lizzie in Ma]

I put it away for this year and may try again in 7th with the lap book I bought for it. The first two modules were hard going, we did them again together and she was miserable. As science is really important to me and I want her to at least like it, I may try to find something else. I am looking at BJU at the moment.

[Carol in Cal.]

I put it away for this year and may try again in 7th with the lap book I bought for it. The first two modules were hard going, we did them again together and she was miserable. As science is really important to me and I want her to at least like it, I may try to find something else. I am looking at BJU at the moment.

Weren't the first two modules on scientific history and on the philosophy of how you know what you know?

Those are not as integral to the core program as the rest, IMO. I would take her reaction with a grain of salt, and see if it changes when you get to the actual presented material.