Focus on Middle School Geology Text (softcover)

Each 70-page student text is formatted similarly to a high-school text, with each chapter broken down into smaller segments on more specific topics. Although the text introduces concepts most children won't encounter in their elementary science curriculum, the explanations are clear and are presented in a way that they can understand. To give you an example of the types of topics covered, in Chemistry, chapters discuss matter, molecules, types of chemical reactions (including combination, decomposition and exchange reactions), acids, bases, neutralization, polymers, DNA, and more. Biology covers taxonomy, cells, photosynthesis, plants, protists, life cycles of the butterfly and frog, the water cycle, and more. Physics includes chapters on: force, work, potential and kinetic energy, motion, electrical energy and charges, electromagnetism, conservation of energy, and so on. Astronomy is the newest edition in this series and its 80+ pages include chapters on: What is astronomy, astronomer's toolbox (telescopes, Mars Rover, Hubble, etc.), earth, moon and sun, planets, solar system, other systems, our galaxy, other galaxies, and the universe. Each text contains ten chapters in all, split up into smaller segments on more specific sub-topics. Each segment focuses on one topic, and is short enough to read at one sitting without taxing short attention spans. The pages also incorporate colorful graphics and simple diagrams, and important words in the text areprinted in red. A summary wraps up each chapter, recapping the main points kids shouldtake from the reading, and a combined glossary index is included at the end of each book.

Over the years, I have looked at quite a few science programs, and I have to say that overall, I am very impressed with the scope and depth of this program. Author Rebecca Keller, Ph.D. has designed a unique science program, incorporating concepts of biology, chemistry, astronomy and physics you won't find in many other science programs - especially at this level! I've had the opportunity to use this course with Stephen and Janine, and I was impressed with the quality of the information, the organized approach, the thought-provoking discussion questions and the relevant, home-friendly experiments. Four complete units are available, each focusing on a different branch of science. Every unit is made up of a student text, set of lab worksheets, and a teacher's manual. Student/Teacher bundles combine all of these components for each unit; these contain the student text (your choice of hardcover or paperback), teacher's manual and lab worksheets (Chemistry also includes a Periodic Table).

Each 70-page student text is formatted similarly to a high-school text, with each chapter broken down into smaller segments on more specific topics. Although the text introduces concepts many children won't encounter in their elementary science curriculum, the explanations are clear and are presented in a way that they can understand. The content is neutral, neither religious nor secular, and origins are not discussed in any depth, even in Biology. To give you an example of the types of topics covered, in Chemistry, chapters discuss matter, molecules, types of chemical reactions (including combination, decomposition and exchange reactions), acids, bases, neutralization, polymers, DNA, and more. Biology covers taxonomy, cells, photosynthesis, plants, protists, life cycles of the butterfly and frog, the water cycle, and more. Physics includes chapters on: force, work, potential and kinetic energy, motion, electrical energy and charges, electromagnetism, conservation of energy, and so on. Astronomy is the newest edition in this series and it includes chapters on: What is astronomy, astronomer's toolbox (telescopes, Mars Rover, Hubble, etc.), earth, moon and sun, planets, solar system, other systems, our galaxy, other galaxies, and the universe. Each text contains ten chapters, split up into smaller segments on more specific sub-topics. Each segment focuses on one topic, and is short enough to read at one sitting without taxing short attention spans. The pages incorporate colorful graphics and simple diagrams, and important words are printed in red. A summary wraps up each chapter, recapping the main points, and a combined glossary/index is included at the end of each book.

The lab workbooks include ten experiments and ten reviews, each intended to be completed at the end of the corresponding text chapter. Each experiment contains an objective, a materials list, a step-by-step procedure, charts and blanks for students to record data, and a space for them to write up a conclusion. The experiments have been selected to reinforce concepts covered in the text, require only ordinary,

around-the-house items (including food, household cleaners, iodine, toys, and other objects) and are usually a lot of fun. Stephen and Janine especially enjoyed extracting the DNA from an onion at the end of the chemistry unit! Review sheets are composed of short-answer questions, which touch on the main topics from the chapter. Please note that worksheets are consumable, but are not reproducible. Worksheets are perforated and and 3-hole punched so they can be removed and placed into a binder if desired.

The teacher's manuals are laid out to correspond to each chapter in the text, and cover the experiments as well. The beginning of each chapter in the teacher's manual contains a list of objectives, an estimate of the amount of time the reading and the experiment for the chapter will take, notes on experiment set-up, and a list of additional materials needed. Teaching information is keyed to the sections of each chapter, with chapter recaps and additional information for you. This allows you to read both the teacher information and the text ahead of time, to provide you with a broader knowledge base on these topics than is taught in the text. This information would be especially helpful if you do not have much of a high school or college level science background. Lab worksheets and review sheets are reprinted in the teacher's manual in a reduced format (with answers), so you can follow along during the labs. Each reduced experiment page is accompanied by additional teacher information for each step of the lab, prompting you to discuss concepts, to demonstrate an activity, or offering you examples or tips on the activity. Suggested conclusions to each lab have been included, so you can help students draw their own, or give them hints as to what they have learned from the activity. The last page of the teacher guide for each chapter includes a reduced copy of the student review sheet with answers, and a space for notes. There is no recommended schedule included; you are free to complete the units in as much or as little time as suits your student's pace. It seemed to work well for us to complete one chapter per week. We would read each chapter between Monday and Thursday, and finish the week with the experiment and review. The publisher suggests spending 11-16 weeks per topical course, or completing two a year. Although the entire program is somewhat expensive, this course is excellent. It is able to communicate more compex, advanced scientific concepts at a level that middle schoolers can understand, and the experiments are well chosen.

The newest addition to the Gravitas Focus on Middle School series is Geology. If you have a child who loves earth study, rocks and minerals, Dr. Rebecca Keller has written this study just for you. It's filled with fun and informational hands-on activities and solid, fact-based information. The Geology books define the subject of geology, tools that are used by the experts, rocks/minerals/soils, earth's layers, earth's dynamics (plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.), atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, magnetosphere, and the earth as a system. Done in the same engaging style as the other books in this series, your young geologists will love this!

If your students are possibly looking down the road at a career in science, or if other more "bland" courses are boring your students, these are an excellent alternative.

This level is the revision of Real Science 4 Kids Level 1. The grade range is now for grades 5th - 8th, rather than the original 4th - 6th. Typographical and grammatical errors have been corrected in all 4 courses, and there is one additional new graphic in the Biology course (pg. 3) along with one additional sentence which explains a 6th kingdom in taxonomy. The student workbook for Biology has a revised table to incorporate the 3 different cell types for domains, and the teacher's manual has an explanation about the changes. Packages include the teacher manual, lab workbook, and either soft- or hardcover text, as noted. - Jess

While the program is currently set up as topical courses, the publishers are coming out with grade-level courses which incorporate all topics. These should be out by the end of 2013.

The newest addition to the Gravitas Focus on Middle School series is Geology. If you have a child who loves earth study, rocks and minerals, Dr. Rebecca Keller has written this study just for you. It's filled with fun and informational hands-on activities and solid, fact-based information. The Geology books define the subject of geology, tools that are used by the experts, rocks/minerals/soils, earth's layers, earth's dynamics (plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.), atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, magnetosphere, and the earth as a system. Done in the same engaging style as the other books in this series, your young geologists will love this!

Items listed in this section tend to be complete science programs with a teacher and student component, requiring few supplements besides science supplies.