When I teach a science class, this is the questions I get asked most: “What science stuff does my child need to learn?” Parents are wondering exactly what bases they should cover for their kids to understand science before they hit the high school or college scene.
This is a difficult question to answer, partly because it depends on what your ultimate goals are. If your child wants to just get his feet wet and see what all the fuss is about, then grab a couple of science kits and just play. On the other hand, if your kid reads every science text on the planet and is still thirsty for more, there are a few basics you can cover to be sure she is both well-rounded and happy about learning.
There are 18 main principles in science, ten of which kids need to know and understand before they hit college. (As a college professor myself, I’ve seen senior students struggle with these basics that they should have mastered years ago.) And these principles are…
Please login or register to read the rest of this content.
Thank you for your feedback and letting me know your perspective, I appreciate it. There is a list that shows where each of these points is covered in the science program. I kept the tites as standard as I could while still being descriptive and accurate, for example, “Unit 10: Electricity” and “Unit 4: Energy”. If you need help finding a specific type of content, please let me know so I can be helpful. Thanks for being part of our science program!
Dear Aurora,
I have a thank you, a big one, and a request. First the thank you. This list of 10 (11!) essenstial science prinicples for college prep is priceless for us. Thank you for providing it. We have two dyslexic, dysgraphic ADHD boys. Cutting through the details to the essentials is unbelievably helpful for our learning styles and needs. Is there a more user friendly interface for using this material as ones science class for a year? (I am envisioning this material being accessed as any of your other science topics are, with their respecitve headings of “Chemistry I”, “Biology,” etc. I think you could call this one: “College Prep.” Or borrow Stephen Hawkings title: “The Universe in a Nutshell.” (My teen boys would get a kick out of that!) As a homeschooling mom of 10 years with learning disabled kids, I can’t help but suggest you make this a core unit, or formal years worth of study on your site. There are nerotypical kids who need this when they find you in their junior and especially their senior year. And there are kids who need this because they are just not going to get through detailed science curriculum and retain the information as well. I would have put my students through classes addressing these 10 – 11 points in this focused way every year for all of highschool. Thats the best chance some learning differnt kids have of retaining the information. Also, if kids stumble upon a course like this you may find that as they go through these 10 points it will strike an interest in one area of science and they will choose to take a deeper dive into that topic (chemistry for example like my boys.) I just wouldn’t hide this course of study. I would make it beautiful and enticing and fun. The bate on the hook if you will. I think its your best teaser for kids to get interested in science who might not otherwise have. And its your best option for families who come to science late or have learning challenges. I know many homeshooling families who choose not to do science at all. I think if they knew a class like this were available, they would jump on it. I know as a homeschooling consultant I would recommend it highly. Please make it an established offering with a (gentle and exciting) years worth of material including options at the end of each lesson to dive deeper if interest has been ignited. Thank you. A homeshooling mom.
Please ignore my question on not seeing other people comments. I now see that your response is beneath their comments. Sorry!
Hello, I was just wondering why I can not see the comments that other people have placed. I can only see your response.
I know I have listed 11… I just added the conservation laws (“stuff in = stuff out”) because so many science textbooks are tackling this one before college…
Sure – you can read in depth on them here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_science
you listed 11 principles to teach here…
can you tell us what the other 7 are, that we won’t cover in e-Science…
sometimes it is good to just simply know what you won’t know…
Yes, great questions. I’m writing a post right now that will be up shortly that outline experiments you can do to illustrate these principles. If you do have our Science Mastery program (SMP), those ten principles are what the SMP is wrapped around. Note that you do not need fancy equipment to drive home fundamental basics… keep it simple and concise so your student is not lost in the details. I’ll tell you more soon, including how to show the particle-wave duality behavior of light… more soon!
I have a son who is going to be a senior. In light of the 10 things a kids should know, I’m wondering the best approach to getting him up to speed. We’ve homeschooled the last two years with SOS and I’m not sure he’s gotten a great grasp on all 10 things. Do you cover those in your materials for a senior in high school?
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thanks for this great summer course. And also thank you for the 10 things the kids (and I) should know. I look forward to your class next week.