Hands-On Science Class Descriptions
All courses are 12 to 13 weeks long, depending on class location.
Earth Science
Students learn about the Earth's layers and how movement of the plates have shaped the Earth's surface over the past 4.5 billion years. They will create fault models to illustrate the three fault types, perform earthquake activities, and learn how a seisomgraph is used to measure movement. The rock cycle will be investigated using Starburst candy models to demonstrate sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock formation. Students will understand the criteria used to identify minerals and perform various tests. Weathering and erosion will be investigated along with soil model building. The final class of the year will be a cupcake core sampling activity where students will learn how scientist study what is below the Earth's surface. I've compiled videos for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
Please Note: Students need to bring a sharpened pencil and colored pencils and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Students learn about the Earth's layers and how movement of the plates have shaped the Earth's surface over the past 4.5 billion years. They will create fault models to illustrate the three fault types, perform earthquake activities, and learn how a seisomgraph is used to measure movement. The rock cycle will be investigated using Starburst candy models to demonstrate sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rock formation. Students will understand the criteria used to identify minerals and perform various tests. Weathering and erosion will be investigated along with soil model building. The final class of the year will be a cupcake core sampling activity where students will learn how scientist study what is below the Earth's surface. I've compiled videos for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
Please Note: Students need to bring a sharpened pencil and colored pencils and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
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Physics - Course 1
Simple Machines, Flight, Gravity, Electricity, Magnetism
Physics - Course 2
Students will explore force, work, potential and kinetic energy, Newton's Laws of Motion, thermodynamics, states of matter, density of solids and liquids, light, sound, and air pressure by creating models and performing activities that illustrate these concepts. Here are some examples of some of the activities: create a marble roller coaster to understand potential and kinetic energy, use density cubes and a triple beam balance to calculate density of a solid, use prisms to observe components of white light. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Simple machines, flight, gravity, pendulums, electricity, magnetism
Simple Machines, Flight, Gravity, Electricity, Magnetism
Physics - Course 2
Students will explore force, work, potential and kinetic energy, Newton's Laws of Motion, thermodynamics, states of matter, density of solids and liquids, light, sound, and air pressure by creating models and performing activities that illustrate these concepts. Here are some examples of some of the activities: create a marble roller coaster to understand potential and kinetic energy, use density cubes and a triple beam balance to calculate density of a solid, use prisms to observe components of white light. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Simple machines, flight, gravity, pendulums, electricity, magnetism
Chemistry
Atoms, molecules, subatomic particles, the Periodic Table, balancing chemical equations, endothermic/exothermic reactions, acids/bases, mixtures/compounds/elements, polymers, slime, Ice, salt, & Ice cream, crime scene chemistry
Atoms, molecules, subatomic particles, the Periodic Table, balancing chemical equations, endothermic/exothermic reactions, acids/bases, mixtures/compounds/elements, polymers, slime, Ice, salt, & Ice cream, crime scene chemistry
Classical Conversations: Cycle 2
All classes are 1.5 hours.
Classical Conversations classes are hands-on labs based on the concepts and vocabulary in Cycle 2. I've compiled videos for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
All classes are 1.5 hours.
Classical Conversations classes are hands-on labs based on the concepts and vocabulary in Cycle 2. I've compiled videos for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
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Fall 2016 (topics covered in 8 classes)
Week 2 - Food webs and chains, and Energy pyramids (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, producers, consumers, decomposers) Week 4 - The Water Cycle Week 5 - Adaptations and Natural Selection Week 8 - The Sun Week 9 - The Planets Week 11 - Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids Week 13 - States of Matter Week 14 - Acids and Bases |
Spring 2017 (topics covered in 8 classes)
Week 15 - Kinetic and Potential Energy (Rollercoasters!) Week 16, 17, 18 - Newton's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Laws of Motion Week 19, 20, 21 - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Laws of Thermodynamics Week 22 - Characteristics of light (reflection, refraction, spectrum) Week 23 - Heat transfer (radiation, conduction, and convection) Week 24 - Electricity |
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Dissection Labs
Students will examine the internal and external anatomy of each specimen. Students will have their own specimen to dissect along with their own set of dissection tools to use. Labs will be offered at my home in Rescue. Maximum class size is 6 students, minimum is 4 students.
Students will examine the internal and external anatomy of each specimen. Students will have their own specimen to dissect along with their own set of dissection tools to use. Labs will be offered at my home in Rescue. Maximum class size is 6 students, minimum is 4 students.
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Class #1 - Frog and Earthworm dissection
Duration: 2 hour class Fee: $40 Day/Time: 4/19/17, 9-11 a.m. (FULL) Class #2- Cow eye and Crayfish dissection Duration: 1.5 hour class Fee: $30 Day/Time: Monday 3/13/17, 9-10:30 p.m. 4/19/17, 12:30-2 p.m. (FULL) |
Class #3 - Earthworm dissection
Duration: 1 hour class Fee: $20 Day/Time: 5/3/17, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Class #4 - Frog dissection Duration: 1.5 hour class Fee: $30 Day/Time: 5/3/17, 9-10:30 |
Class #5 - Cow eye dissection
Duration: 1 hour class Fee: $20 Day/Time: no class scheduled Class #6 - Crayfish dissection Duration: 1 hour class Fee: $20 Day/Time: no class schedule |
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High School
Biology - Year-long course
Wednesdays 11:15-12:15 Cost: $175.50 per semester (Foothill Family Co-op website - open to all homeschoolers)
Students will explore cell structure, DNA, cell division (mitosis and meiosis), bacteria, molds/yeast, protists, ecology, botany, and more. Students will learn lab techniques and how to properly use a microscope. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. No dissections will be done in these classes. I do offer dissection classes in my home on various dates throughout the school year. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Additional information about High School Biology
Class syllabus is still a work in progress. My class covers most of the labs in the QSL Biology kit (which most of the charter schools want students to do), however, we will not be doing the dissections in the 1-hour classes. Since the QSL lab doesn't align well to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), I've add some labs that correlate with the new standards (primarily ecology-related classes). I do not have a particular textbook that can be used in conjunction with my high school biology lab class. QSL provides information on how their lab kit aligns with various curricula. Scroll down to the biology lab kit section. http://www.qualitysciencelabs.com/curricula-coordination
Biology - Year-long course
Wednesdays 11:15-12:15 Cost: $175.50 per semester (Foothill Family Co-op website - open to all homeschoolers)
Students will explore cell structure, DNA, cell division (mitosis and meiosis), bacteria, molds/yeast, protists, ecology, botany, and more. Students will learn lab techniques and how to properly use a microscope. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. No dissections will be done in these classes. I do offer dissection classes in my home on various dates throughout the school year. Specific class topics by date are listed on the Class Schedule.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Additional information about High School Biology
Class syllabus is still a work in progress. My class covers most of the labs in the QSL Biology kit (which most of the charter schools want students to do), however, we will not be doing the dissections in the 1-hour classes. Since the QSL lab doesn't align well to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), I've add some labs that correlate with the new standards (primarily ecology-related classes). I do not have a particular textbook that can be used in conjunction with my high school biology lab class. QSL provides information on how their lab kit aligns with various curricula. Scroll down to the biology lab kit section. http://www.qualitysciencelabs.com/curricula-coordination
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The Human Body
Students will explore the skeletal, circulatory, respiratory, muscular, digestive, auditory, and nervous systems by labeling diagrams, creating models, and performing activities. Examples of some of the activities/models: building a pasta skeletal model and edible bone model, walking though a large heart model to understand the structure of the heart and how blood is oxygenated, examining at a cow or pig heart, using a huge nerve cell model to understand how a neuron fires. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Students will explore the skeletal, circulatory, respiratory, muscular, digestive, auditory, and nervous systems by labeling diagrams, creating models, and performing activities. Examples of some of the activities/models: building a pasta skeletal model and edible bone model, walking though a large heart model to understand the structure of the heart and how blood is oxygenated, examining at a cow or pig heart, using a huge nerve cell model to understand how a neuron fires. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
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High School Biology - Year-long course
Students will explore cell structure, DNA, cell division (mitosis and meiosis), bacteria, molds/yeast, protists, ecology, botany, and more. Students will learn lab techniques and how to properly use a microscope. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. No dissections will be done in these classes, however, I do offer frog, earthworm, cow eye, and crayfish dissection classes in my home on various dates throughout the school year for an additional fee.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Students will explore cell structure, DNA, cell division (mitosis and meiosis), bacteria, molds/yeast, protists, ecology, botany, and more. Students will learn lab techniques and how to properly use a microscope. I've compiled videos on my website for students to watch before class if they want to independently gain additional science knowledge related to what we'll be doing in class. Your student will bring something home from class each day, either a model or worksheet, to share with your supervising teacher. No dissections will be done in these classes, however, I do offer frog, earthworm, cow eye, and crayfish dissection classes in my home on various dates throughout the school year for an additional fee.
Please Note: Students need to bring a pencil, colored pencils, and a black marker or Sharpie to each class.
Complete catalogue of classes offered by Hands-On Science
| class_descriptions_spreadsheet_.pdf |
