In preparation for the new school year, I have spent considerable time reviewing what worked and what didn’t in our first year of homeschool. I reviewed the texts and materials we used, considered whether we would use them again, and searched available alternatives from schools, traditional publishers, and curriculum “kit” creators. The process was overwhelming, particularly as I looked for engaging, comprehensive, standards-based science materials.
We used an older edition of a Harcourt Science textbook for 4th grade. The text had a high level of detail, the illustrations were captivating, and each chapter included a wide array of review questions. However, the number of activities in the text was limited and often not very exciting. That left me constantly searching and searching for experiments. Once I found a great activity related to the topic we were studying, I often lacked the supplies to fully complete the activity. Even with quick deliveries to our metro area, our momentum would stall and the excitement around testing concepts would fade. I promised myself that we would take a different approach in 5th grade.
I began my “Search for Science” by ordering the Harcourt Science textbook for 5th grade. Although I had not been thrilled with the previous year’s text, this new next provided a baseline from which I could begin my comparisons. Next, I set out to examine the FOSS Next Generation science curriculum and determine if materials were available for a homeschool setting. FOSS NG had been used in my children’s elementary school and I was familiar with its Scope and Sequence from my days of chairing the Children’s Garden at the school. (How a home or school garden can align with Science curriculum will have to be another post.) Nothing on FOSS’s website suggested its materials were available on an individual scale, so my search continued.
An exploration of Harcourt’s online science programs was next. I first looked at HMH Science Dimensions because it looked most similar to the next I had used. Many online resources were available on an individual basis for both students and teachers. The site even allowed me to preview materials, which proved very helpful. In the end, however, I could not piece together the print and digital resources that I wanted. So, I looked at HMH Science Fusion next. I really liked how materials were available in multiple modalities, particularly how students could use a printed text as a primary resource with digital lessons as engaging supplements or deep dives. But some confusing illustrations in the text made me pass on this curriculum.
At this point in my search, a teacher at my older child’s school recommended Savvas (formerly Pearson) Interactive Science. The school used the texts, activities, and digital lessons at the middle school level, but materials were also available for grades K-5. I was excited to learn that Savvas’ curriculum is inquiry-based and NextGen standards aligned, includes both print and digital resources, and integrates critical language arts skills. I ordered my copies for homeschool but … I still needed supplies for activities and experiments.
Thankfully, I discovered Yellow Scope Science, where a wide array of science kits are available. Kits include Foundational Chemistry, DNA and Inherited Traits, Chromatography, and Acids & Bases. Each will align with topics covered in 5th grade science. Pfew! Now if I can only convince last year’s Computer Science teacher that he needs to reinvent himself as this year’s STEM teacher. Building robots and rockets just might need to be part of his curriculum come the spring.