Tutor – Dr. Sara Fouts, DVM
I am excited to be using Dr. Jay Wile’s curriculum this year as he is the original author of the upper level Apologia sciences. This laboratory-based, junior high science course covers a wide range of topics that are of interest to modern scientists and will be a great way to prepare students for any of the other science courses taught at RTA. In Middle School Science we will learn about atoms, molecules, the chemicals that are necessary for life, DNA and cells. We will learn the levels of organization found in creation, how cells work together to make tissues, how tissues come together to make organs, how organs form organ systems, how these organ systems produce organisms, and how those organisms relate to one another in populations and communities. The student then learns how those communities interact with the physical environment to form ecosystems, which then form biomes. Along the way, students learn about fascinating new discoveries such as the function of the human appendix, the human microbiome, and soft tissue found in dinosaur fossils. These topics are all discussed in the context of history, explaining how specific scientific advances led to the scientific explanations that the students are being taught. Throughout the course, God’s design in nature is highlighted, and topics in the creation/evolution debate are discussed.
This course is focused on learning through experiments and other hands-on activities. I will do all the labs we can possibly do together in class time on Mondays. Other hands-on activities can be done at home with household items if desired. Most students will need to work an average of about 45 minutes every day of the week to cover the course in a school year.
Title: Science in the Atomic Age by Dr. Jay Wile
Format: Hardcover
Vendor: Berean Builders Publishing, Inc. (2020)
ISBN-13: 9780996278409
Required summer Assignment:
Read all of Chapter One in the textbook and complete the Chapter Review for Chapter One before the first day of class.
Title: Answer Key and Tests for Science in the Atomic Age by Dr. Jay Wile
Format: Paperback
Vendor: Berean Builders Publishing, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9780996278416
Title: Student Workbook for Science in the Atomic Age
Format: Spiral Bound
Vendor: Berean Builders Publishing, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9781735029108
Recommended for 7th and 8th Grade
This class is at an “average” difficulty level. Average study time for this class will be approximately 3-5 hours per week.