What courses count as "physical science"?

[Christy B]

Dd is coming home for high school, so I am neck deep in graduation requirements, college admission requirements, and confusion.

We're in NC, so I have pretty much total control over course selection, but I want her transcript to compare favorably with her public and private school peers.

According to the state education website, they base college prep high school graduation requirements on the University of North Carolina admission requirements (makes sense).

So, for science, she needs: A physical science course, Biology, Earth/Environmental science.

I LOVE Biology and Environmental Science, so I have no problem doing those in 9th and 10th. Dual enrollment at CC is a great option for 11th and 12th. Here's my question, though -- I notice that Physical Science seems to be the "norm" for 9th grade. Apologia Physical Science is suggested, for example, in the Sonlight catalog as 9th grade. I hate physical science and don't want to teach it. But will it be odd to not have Physical Science until 11th grade?

Or, would Chemistry at the CC fulfill that physical science requirement? (And if so, is she going to be able to do chemistry without having studied physical science first?)

I'm confused, physical science seems to be a very vague term. She's studying Earth Science right now, in 8th grade, and I would think that would be a physical science. Can I give her credit for that, or no?

[Michelle in AL]

Physical science usually consists of topics regarding how things work and the laws assoc with them:
Electricity
Thermodynamics
Light and color
Physical forces
Gravity

The most important portion of physical science for me is Chemistry. A strong Chemistry background will really help if your student takes a challenging biology course since a large portion of that class is biochemistry. For this reason I would definitely recommend taking it prior to biology, chemistry and of course physics.

We used RS4Kids Chemistry level 2 for that portion of physical science and I was very pleased with it.

[Christy B]

Physical science usually consists of topics regarding how things work and the laws assoc with them:
Electricity
Thermodynamics
Light and color
Physical forces
Gravity

The most important portion of physical science for me is Chemistry. A strong Chemistry background will really help if your student takes a challenging biology course since a large portion of that class is biochemistry. For this reason I would definitely recommend taking it prior to biology, chemistry and of course physics.

We used RS4Kids Chemistry level 2 for that portion of physical science and I was very pleased with it.

Waaaah! I appreciate your answer, but it's not the one I wanted. It sounds like we really do need to cover physical science in either 9th or 10th, before biology. I don't wanna. I wanna teach the fun stuff. Hmph.

Are you suggesting the RS4Kids Chemistry as a good introductory Physical Science course? Or am I reading that wrong?

[Michelle in AL]

Hi Christy, RS4Kids is great for the Chemistry portion, but won't cover any other topics such as electricity, thermodynamics etc. We used Oak Meadow Physical Science for that. It's self teaching and painless, but not too in depth.
We did half the year with Oak Meadow and the other half with RS4Kids which is only a semester course.

If you have Apologia, that would probably work too, I haven't used it so I'm not familiar with how in depth their chemistry section is.

[Christy B]

Hi Christy, RS4Kids is great for the Chemistry portion, but won't cover any other topics such as electricity, thermodynamics etc. We used Oak Meadow Physical Science for that. It's self teaching and painless, but not too in depth.
We did half the year with Oak Meadow and the other half with RS4Kids which is only a semester course.

If you have Apologia, that would probably work too, I haven't used it so I'm not familiar with how in depth their chemistry section is.

Love Oak Meadow -- that sounds like a good plan. Especially the self teaching and painless part.

So, would it be absolutely insane to do this:

9th Physical Science
10th Biology

9th/10th A two-year Environmental Science course as an elective (1/2 credit each year)

I just have my heart set on teaching both Environmental Science and Biology, I'm trying to figure out how to do that AND include Physical Science!

I guess I could pass Biology off to the CC -- she would probably get a great lab there, better than what I could do at home.

[Renee in FL]

No, no! You don't need to do Physical Science - you need to do *a* physical science.

Chemistry or Physics (done at the cc would be fine)

My ds is *in* hs in NC and they don't even offer Physical Science at his school.

[Christy B]

No, no! You don't need to do Physical Science - you need to do *a* physical science.

Chemistry or Physics (done at the cc would be fine)

My ds is *in* hs in NC and they don't even offer Physical Science at his school.

Okay, I like your answer better, I'm going with that. :lol:

I think what I need to do is be sure that dd has covered the necessary information in physical science to do well in biology and chemistry -- and I'm not positive that she has. Sounds like maybe she needs to do a little independent study over the summer, and then I get to teach what I want to teach. 'Cause, you know, it really is all about me. :001_huh:

Wow, it sounds like there are just a lot of ways to go about fulfilling those "requirements" -- high school could be a lot of fun! But very nerve-wracking, because I'm very concerned about getting it "right".

[Laurel-in-CA]

In CA, physical science is done in 8th grade and is not considered acceptable for a high school science even if you do labs with it. On the other hand, earth science is acceptable as a lab science. Go figure!

[Carol in Cal.]

I don't think that it is a high school level course. And it only has 10 lessons. It is really, really outstanding, but not quite 'there'.

[Alyce]

My dd took Biology, Chemistry and Physics before she applied to several schools in the UNC system. I don't know about UNC-Chapel Hill but none of the others required an earth science. They did require a physical science. When I asked about that while we were checking out UNC-Charlotte they said Physics is the typical course to cover that topic. The UNC systems do require a science with a lab so keep that in mind too. If you really want to know the requirements go straight to the source. All the schools in the UNC system have websites and they have the admission requirements on them. They don't differ too much in the science area but if you know which ones your dd is going to apply for, you can check them out and school towards the one with the most requirements. My dd only had 2 choices, because of her major, and that's what we did. She's going to UNC-Charlotte by the way. Very homeschool friendly but that makes sense since they have the largest group of homeschoolers in the Charlotte area.

[Christy B]

My dd took Biology, Chemistry and Physics before she applied to several schools in the UNC system. I don't know about UNC-Chapel Hill but none of the others required an earth science. They did require a physical science. When I asked about that while we were checking out UNC-Charlotte they said Physics is the typical course to cover that topic. The UNC systems do require a science with a lab so keep that in mind too. If you really want to know the requirements go straight to the source. All the schools in the UNC system have websites and they have the admission requirements on them. They don't differ too much in the science area but if you know which ones your dd is going to apply for, you can check them out and school towards the one with the most requirements. My dd only had 2 choices, because of her major, and that's what we did. She's going to UNC-Charlotte by the way. Very homeschool friendly but that makes sense since they have the largest group of homeschoolers in the Charlotte area.


Thanks, that is SO helpful! Dd actually has her sights set on Alamance Community College, for their Associate of Nursing Degree, and from there she will probably try working for a year and then apply to a BSN program. I've checked out the requirements for UNCG (since they have a nursing school) just in case she changes her mind and wants to go apply directly to the BSN program there.

Of course, the next step is to call both ACC and UNCG and speak to them directly -- I felt like I needed to get some information so I would know what questions to ask. Hmmm . . . I think I'll check out UNC-Charlotte while I'm at it -- can't hurt!

I'm also intrigued by Guilford College (not the tech school, the small Quaker college in G-boro). Do you know anything about it?

[LoriM]

My daughter took Biology, Chemistry and Physics at home, then Chemistry and Physics at the CC to complete her science sequence for her associate's/bachelor's requirements.

[Alyce]

I would recommend she go ahead and get her Bachelors Degree. Not all schools will give her credit for all her nursing courses. She will have to take some over. She will also still need to complete the basic college courses that others are required to take so she will really be wasting a lot of time going the route you're describing. It won't be just the 2 years you might be thinking it is. So instead of being in school for 2 years in addition to her AA training she'll be in school for about another 3 years. Also as an AA she will get less pay than a BSN and in many places she won't be given a leadership role. The only advantage to doing an AA first is that some hospitals will sponsor you to get your BSN but you have to continue working there both while you're earning your degree and after you've earned it for a set period of time. I went the BSN route instead of getting my AA and I'm very happy I did. After talking to others that went the way you are proposing I discovered my way was so much easier and much less time consuming in the long run. If money is a concern. Have her take her basic courses at the CC and then transfer to the college she wants. You can find what the colleges basic courses are and which CC course transfers to meet that basic requiremtnt by going on colleges website as well. I know I"m talking a lot about UNC-Charlotte but it was so easy for me. That's what we did with dd. She ended up with a semester of credit under her belt before she got to college. She could have done more as a dual-enrolled student but we didn't want to push it. UNC-Charlotte also has a pretty good nursing school. My dd's roomate is in the program. They make it very easy for homeschoolers to apply. We are treated just like any public school kids, no hoops to jump through just because we homeschool. And they have a high rate of giving out financial aid which really helped us.

[Christy B]

I would recommend she go ahead and get her Bachelors Degree. Not all schools will give her credit for all her nursing courses. She will have to take some over. She will also still need to complete the basic college courses that others are required to take so she will really be wasting a lot of time going the route you're describing. It won't be just the 2 years you might be thinking it is. So instead of being in school for 2 years in addition to her AA training she'll be in school for about another 3 years. Also as an AA she will get less pay than a BSN and in many places she won't be given a leadership role. The only advantage to doing an AA first is that some hospitals will sponsor you to get your BSN but you have to continue working there both while you're earning your degree and after you've earned it for a set period of time. I went the BSN route instead of getting my AA and I'm very happy I did. After talking to others that went the way you are proposing I discovered my way was so much easier and much less time consuming in the long run. If money is a concern. Have her take her basic courses at the CC and then transfer to the college she wants. You can find what the colleges basic courses are and which CC course transfers to meet that basic requiremtnt by going on colleges website as well. I know I"m talking a lot about UNC-Charlotte but it was so easy for me. That's what we did with dd. She ended up with a semester of credit under her belt before she got to college. She could have done more as a dual-enrolled student but we didn't want to push it. UNC-Charlotte also has a pretty good nursing school. My dd's roomate is in the program. They make it very easy for homeschoolers to apply. We are treated just like any public school kids, no hoops to jump through just because we homeschool. And they have a high rate of giving out financial aid which really helped us.

I understand exactly what you're saying, and I agree that the direct route to the BSN is more efficient (and I agree that the BSN opens more doors, career-wise). However, I have known too many people who have gone through the four or five year BSN program only to discover that they hate nursing! I'd rather her go ahead and get her RN -- work for a while -- if she decides she doesn't like it, it's not too late to change to a different major for her bachelor's degree. Part of the reason I am so excited about dual enrollment is that her "head start" will allow her more time to grow into what she wants to do.

[Alyce]

If you just want to get her shoes wet, have her take a couple of nursing assistant courses through her CC and maybe work as one part-time while she goes to school. In NC they have a CNA I which is basic and then they have the more advanced CNA II. She'll get a pretty good idea of what nurses go through and what it's like working in the health field. It won't be as intensive as an RN degree but she'll get a pretty good idea of what a nurse does. Her training will require her to do many of the same things she'll be taught in her RN courses. She'll also get a chance to talk with nurses that she meets. If she can handle a CNA course you'll have a better and even quicker way of seeing if the health field is for her.

[Christy B]

If you just want to get her shoes wet, have her take a couple of nursing assistant courses through her CC and maybe work as one part-time while she goes to school. In NC they have a CNA I which is basic and then they have the more advanced CNA II. She'll get a pretty good idea of what nurses go through and what it's like working in the health field. It won't be as intensive as an RN degree but she'll get a pretty good idea of what a nurse does. Her training will require her to do many of the same things she'll be taught in her RN courses. She'll also get a chance to talk with nurses that she meets. If she can handle a CNA course you'll have a better and even quicker way of seeing if the health field is for her.

Oh, that's a really good idea, Alyce! I have a piano student who is taking the CNA at the cc right by our house . . . maybe we could even work out a visit for dd to one of her classes.

[Renee in FL]

Oh, that's a really good idea, Alyce! I have a piano student who is taking the CNA at the cc right by our house . . . maybe we could even work out a visit for dd to one of her classes.

Many cc nursing prorgrams require the CNA I certification before admission anyway.:D