INTRODUCTION
In very broad, general terms, transcript requirements for science tend to include biology, chemistry, and physics; and/or at least one lab science. It is safe to plan for these Big Three science courses in high school, though how a family accomplishes those credits is not dictated by state or college-admissions requirements. Many families choose to outsource science via co-ops, online courses through programs like Homeschool Connections, or dual-enrollment classes. These are perfectly acceptable options. Families may also choose a more textbook-oriented approach to science if they wish. As a Charlotte-Mason-influenced program, however, Mater Amabilis is committed to offering, to the greatest extent possible, a living-books course of study for each content area, including the sciences. Parents may also opt for an integrated approach, or to schedule sciences discreetly, as institutional schools tend to: Biology in 9th, Chemistry in 10th, Physics in 11th, an advanced science course in 12th.
Charlotte Mason on science learning:
The only sound method of teaching science is to afford a due combination of field or laboratory work, with such literary comments and amplifications as the subject affords. For example, from {a good book on science} children derive a ascertain enthusiasm for crystals as such that their own unaided observation would be slow to afford.– Volume VI, p. 223
The nature note book is very catholic and finds room for the stars in their courses and for, say, the fossil anemone found on the beach at Whitby. – Volume VI, p. 223
(Form III, but can be extended.) The students.. cover a good deal of field work, and the study of some half dozen carefully selected books on natural history, botany, architecture and astronomy, the principle being that children shall observe and chronicle, but shall not depend on their own unassisted observation. Volume VI, p. 220
On completion of the chosen course, a student may be awarded one credit in science. If the family desires an integrated science, partial credits may be awarded in biology, chemistry, physics, etc., on the understanding that the student will complete a full credit in each strand of science by graduation.
note on labs
A good rule of thumb is to plan on 30 hours of lab work in a full credit course to award a lab credit. Most students will need at least one lab credit to meet state graduation requirements.
Excellent lab resources:
John D. Mays: The Student Lab Report Handbook – This is a good resource for lab reports for all subjects.
William Berman: How to Dissect
Traditional (One subject per year) Science Course Plan
Textbook/lecture option with 1 additional living book OR Living books plus labs with lectures and text as reference. **Honors includes additional living books from other science areas. Mater Amabilis Level 3-4 Science courses provide an excellent background in physical science and earth science. A student who hasn’t completed them could use a condensed version in 9th grade as Earth Science or Physical Science. Option 1: Level 5 year 1: Biology Level 5 year 2: Chemistry Level 6 year 1: Physics Level 6 year 2: Advanced Science Course / Dual Enrollment (e.g. Physics II or Anatomy or other course that interests the student) (or no science) Option 2: (Physics first approach) This article from Novare explains the physics first sequence. Level 5 year 1: Physics (introductory physics for students who haven’t completed algebra) Level 5 year 2: Biology (a student with enough math may study chemistry before biology) Level 6 year 1: Chemistry Level 6 year 2: Advanced Science Course / Dual Enrollment (e.g. Physics II or Anatomy or other course that interests the student) (or no science) Or (Integrated Biology approach): Biology 1x/week over 3-4 years PLUS one other subject course per year following either of the two options above.
Biology
Supplement with 1-3 additional living books related to Biology. (see list below)
Include a lab component. A good rule of thumb is to plan on 30 hours of lab work in a full credit course to award a lab credit.
Textbook/course options:
Biology: A Search for Order in Complexity
Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide (Wiley Self Teaching Guides) 3rd Edition by Steven D. Garber
This is a good option for those who want to add more living books.
CHC Life Science (recommended 7th-9th; a number of MA users say it’s rigorous enough for 9th grade)
Crash course lectures (videos only, would need to supplement.)
Homeschool Connections recorded or live Biology classes
Khan Academy Biology (video based) or AP Biology
Prentice Hall: Biology Student Edition by Kenneth R. Miller
Novare General Biology program – This program is designed for a student who has already studied introductory physics.
Homeschool Connections Online offers live and recorded classes using this text.
Schola Rosa General Biology (online course)
Living Books Options (see also extended list below):
Robin Marantz Henig: The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics
Geoff Hodge: Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored
Practical botany – may want to include journaling and gardening
Gina Kolata: Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It
Paul de Kruif: Microbe Hunters
Boyce Rensberger: Life Itself: Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell
James D. Watson: The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
Biology Lab Resources:
BioLeap Online Dissection Resources
Biology Curriculum & Lab Kits from Home Science Tools
The Home Scientist kits (for use with Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments, also available on their website as a free PDF)
Chemistry
Supplement with 1-3 additional living books related to Chemistry. (see list below)
Include a lab component. A good rule of thumb is to plan on 30 hours of lab work in a full credit course to award a lab credit.
Textbook/course options:
Prentice Hall Chemistry by Wilbraham, Staley, Matta, Waterman
Homeschool Connections Online offers live and recorded classes using this text.
Sarquis and Sarquis: Modern Chemistry
This text has been recommended for the student who will notice any over-generalization.
Khan Academy High School Chemistry or AP Chemistry
Homeschool Connections recorded or live Chemistry classes, either conceptual and math based
Conceptual Chemistry from Learn Science Academy Online Science Courses for Homeschoolers
Life of Fred Chemistry – Note: This is a good supplement to a less math rich curriculum, but is not a complete textbook.
Periodic Videos – not a course, but great as a supplement to any curriculum
Living Books Options (see also extended list below):
Archie Frederick Collins: Wonders of Chemistry
Michael Faraday: The Chemical History of a Candle
Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson: Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
Chemistry Lab Resources:
The Home Scientist kits (for use with Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments or Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments, also available on their website as a free PDF)
American Chemical Society Virtual Lab
Physics
Pick a good narratable textbook and/or recorded or live course with an experienced instructor, or join a class at a local co-op. Continue to practice narration and/or science journaling after each reading.
Supplement with 1-3 additional living books related to Chemistry. (see list below)
Include a lab component. A good rule of thumb is to plan on 30 hours of lab work in a full credit course to award a lab credit.
Textbook/course options:
Novare Introductory Physics program – designed for a physics first approach.
Note: The labs recommended by this program may be overwhelming for homeschooling parents. You may want to substitute other labs.
Homeschool Connections recorded or live Physics classes, either conceptual or math based
“This course is a high school physics course with lab exercises. It will cover the topics normally covered in high school physics.” This physics is math based with an honors option and includes grading and feedback.
Math Without Borders online Physics course – video based
Living Books Options (see also extended list below):
Jack Challoner: The Atom: A Visual Tour (molecular physics)
Richard Feynman: Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
Don S. Lemons: Drawing Physics: 2,600 Years of Discovery from Thales to Higgs
Walter Lewin: For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time – A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
Tony Rothman: Instant Physics: From Aristotle to Einstein, and Beyond
Physics Lab Resources:
Conceptual Physics from Learn Science Academy Online Science Courses for Homeschoolers
Sabbath Mood Homeschool plans to accompany Walter Lewin’s For the Love of Physics: Part I, Part II, Part III
advanced or topical courses
Earth Science or Physical Science:
Mater Amabilis Level 3 & 4 Science
Botany:
Guest Hollow Botany
Homeschool Connections science courses, live or recorded
Anatomy:
David Macaulay: The Way We Work and a medical anatomy coloring book
Pair with dissection labs of organs. Consider adding a dissection of a fetal pig and an exercise on comparative anatomy.
Science courses using living books:
Geology:
Dougal Dixon: Practical Geologist – Lesson Plans for Geology using Practical Geologist (single term course)
Lab: TOPScience: Rocks (lab) 1x/week
Integrated Science Option
Alternatively, students could complete an integrated science course of study (in semesters or trimesters) using less “traditional” course materials. This course of study would more closely align with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education as applied to scientific disciplines, but may be less easily conveyed to college admissions departments or on a transcript.
Semester Option
Student earns 0.25 credit towards Biology (which does not need to appear on the transcript yet), 0.5 credit of Chemistry, 0.5 credit of Physics.
Biology 1x a week
Chemistry 2x a week
Physics 2x a week
Level 5 Year 2
Student earns 0.25 credit towards Biology (which could be placed on the transcript as 0.5 credit, combined with that earned in Level 5 Year 1), 0.5 credit of Chemistry, 0.5 credit of Physics.
Biology 1x a week
Chemistry 2x a week (or 4x a week for one semester)
Physics 2x a week (or 4x a week for one semester)
Level 6 Year 1
Student earns 0.5 credit of Biology, 0.5 credit of Religion or Science.
Biology 2x a week
Faith & Science 2x a week (Christopher Baglow: Faith, Science, and Reason)
Level 6 Year 1
Student choice of science of interest (advanced or dual-enrollment) or no science.
Trimester Option
Student earns 0.25 credit of Biology (which does not yet need to be on the transcript), 0.33 credit of Earth Science, 0.33 credit of Chemistry, and 0.33 credit of Physics.
Biology 1x a week
Current events related to science 1x a week
plus
Term 1: Earth Science 3x a week
Term 2: Chemistry 3x a week
Term 3: Physics 3x a week
Level 5 Year 2
Student earns 0.25 credit of Biology (which can be recorded as 0.5 biology credit on the transcript), 0.33 credit of Earth Science, 0.33 credit of Chemistry, and 0.33 credit of Physics.
Biology 1x a week
Current events related to science 1x a week
plus
Term 1: Earth Science 3x a week
Term 2: Chemistry 3x a week
Term 3: Physics 3x a week
Level 6 Year 1
Student earns 0.25 credit of Biology (which does not need to appear on the transcript yet), 0.33 credit of Earth Science, 0.33 credit of Chemistry, and 0.33 credit of Physics.
Biology 1x a week
Current events related to science 1x a week
plus
Term 1: Earth Science 3x a week
Term 2: Chemistry 3x a week
Term 3: Physics 3x a week
Level 6 Year 2
Student earns 0.25 credit of Biology (which could be recorded as 0.5 credit of Human Anatomy when combined with the previous year’s work)
Biology 1x a week
Current events related to science 1x a week
Other science of interest (advanced or dual-enrollment) or no science.
Example High School Plan
Integrated Science using Trimester option
Note: This example is provided as a rough outline, rather than a detailed plan to be strictly followed. Parents should adjust subjects based on local options and the student’s interest. These suggestions are gleaned from a number of sources and have not all been read or used by Mater Amabilis moderators.
Level 5 Year 1 / 9th grade
Biology 1x a week (all year):
Geoff Hodge: Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored
Practical botany- journaling and gardening
PLUS
Term 1 Earth Science:
Dougal Dixon: Practical Geologist
Lab: TOPS science : Rocks (lab) 1x/week
Lesson Plans for Geology using Practical Geologist
Current events related to geology
Term 2 Chemistry:
Jean Henri Fabre: The Wonder-Book of Chemistry
Labs: The Home Scientist kits (for use with Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments or Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments, also available on their website as a free PDF)
Term 3 Physics:
Walter Lewin: For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time – A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
Labs: Sabbath Mood Physics I Guide (Part I)
Current events related to Physics
OR
Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil: Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy
Level 5 Year 2 /10th grade
General Biology – Gale Lawrence: A Field Guide to the Familiar and/or
Bernd Heinrich: In a Patch of Fireweed: A Biologist’s Life in the Field
OR
Environmental Biology with readings from Annie Dillard, Thoreau, Muir, Edward Abbey, John McPhee, Wendell Berry.
PLUS
Term 1 Chemistry
Michael Faraday : The Chemical History of a Candle
Labs: Engineer Guy guide with labs
Current events related to chemistry
Term 2 Astronomy
Winter skies are great for viewing stars and planets.
Astronomy Today ISBN-13: 978-0130935717
HSC Astronomy course (Recorded or Live ) – MacBeth Derham
Include weekly night viewing, keep journal
Br. Guy Consolmagno: Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
Term 3 Physics
Walter Lewin: For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time – A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
Labs: Sabbath Mood Physics II Guide
Current events related to Physics
Level 6 Year 1 / 11th grade
Anatomy using The Way We Work and a human anatomy coloring book
Term 1 Earth Science
Idea 1: Meteorology – Paul Douglas: Restless Skies (out of print)
Idea 2: Oceanography – Rachel Carson: The Sea Around Us OR Jonathan White: Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean OR Edith Widder: Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea
Term 2 Chemistry
Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson: Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History and Life of Fred Chemistry
and/or
Term 3 Physics
Feynman: Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
OR
Continue with Part III of Sabbath Mood Homeschool’s Physics course. Note Part III is astrophysics and requires familiarity with astronomy.
Level 6 Year 2 / 12th grade
Biology 1x a week
Special study: Continue human anatomy OR study genetics, medical ethics, ecology, environmental science/biology, animal science/bio-agriculture, evolutionary biology, microbiology, biochemistry, etc
Optional:
Additional science courses (dual enrollment, etc.)
Faith and science. Christopher T. Baglow: Faith, Science, and Reason
Living Books of Science and Nature
Biology
George Francis Atkinson:
First Studies of Plant Life
(botany, biology)
Paul Brand and Philip Yancey:
Fearfully and Wonderfully
(faith related to human anatomy)
Rachel Carson:
Silent Spring
The Sea Around Us
Paul de Kruif:
Microbe Hunters
(also history)
Alan de Queiroz:
The Monkey’s Voyage: How Improbable Journeys Shaped the History of Life
(biogeography, evolutionary biology, continental drift, history of science)
Bernd Heinrich:
In a Patch of Fireweed: A Biologist’s Life in the Field
Geoff Hodge:
Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored
Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson:
Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
Gina Kolata:
Flu
(also history, 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic; biology; epidemiology)
Clara Lejeune:
Life Is a Blessing: A Biography of Jerome Lejeune-Geneticist, Doctor, Father
Gale Lawrence:
A Field Guide to the Familiar
Konrad Lorenz:
King Solomon’s Ring
(nature, zoology, biology)
David Macaulay:
The Way We Work
(human anatomy)
Robin Marantz Henig:
The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics
(genetics, history)
Gregor Mendel:
Experiments in Plant-Hybridization
Sy Montgomery:
The Curious Naturalist
(natural history, biology)
Boyce Rensberger:
Life Itself: Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell
Rebecca Skloot:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher:
Wild America: The Record of a 30,000 Mile Journey Around the Continent by a Distinguished Naturalist and His British Colleague
James D. Watson:
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
(genetics, history, primary source)
Chemistry
Cathy Cobb and Monty Fetterolf
The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things
Jean Henri Fabre:
The Wonder-Book of Chemistry
Michael Faraday:
The Chemical History of a Candle
Archie Frederick Collins:
Wonders of Chemistry
Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson:
Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
Oliver Sacks:
Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Physics
Ludwig Boltzmann:
Lectures on Gas Theory
(Chemistry meets physics)
Jack Challoner:
The Atom: A Visual Tour
(molecular physics)
Michael Faraday:
The Forces of Matter
Richard Feynman:
Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
Paul Fleisher:
Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: Principles of Modern Physics
Stephen Hawking:
A Briefer History of Time
(also astronomy)
Alan Hirshfeld:
The Electric Life of Michael Faraday
Don S. Lemons:
Drawing Physics: 2,600 Years of Discovery from Thales to Higgs
Walter Levin:
For the Love of Physics
Tony Rothman:
Instant Physics: From Aristotle to Einstein, and Beyond
Astronomy
Great Astronomers
Br. Guy Consolmagno
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
H. A. Rey:
The Stars: A New Way to See Them
Jay Ryan:
Signs and Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy
Dava Sobel:
The Planets
Galileo’s Daughter
Geology and Earth Science
The Seashell on the Mountaintop
Dougal Dixon:
The Practical Geologist
Paul Douglas:
Restless Skies
(meteorology, out of print)
Richard Fortey:
The Earth
Henry Fountain:
The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet
William Nothdurft:
The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt
(geology; also set for Level 5 Year 1 geography)
E. C. Pielou:
After the Ice Age : The Return of Life to Glaciated North America
Jonathan White:
Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean
(oceanography)
Edith Widder:
Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea
(memoir, oceanography)
Engineering and Technology
Simon Singh:
The Code Book: The Secrets Behind Codebreaking
Nature and Natural History
The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry
The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
and others
Bill Bryson:
A Walk in the Woods
(natural history)
Rachel Carson:
Silent Spring
The Sea Around Us
Annie Dillard:
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
and others
Gerald Durrell:
My Family and Other Animals
Menagerie Manor
Bernd Heinrich:
A Year in the Maine Woods
(natural history)
James Herriot:
All Creatures Great and Small
John Muir:
My First Summer in the Sierra
and others
Gene Stratton Porter:
Girl of the Limberlost
Religion (Faith and Reason)
Clara LeJeune:
Life Is a Blessing: A Biography of Jerome Lejeune-Geneticist, Doctor, Father
Stephen M. Barr:
Modern Physics and Ancient Faith
(philosophy of science)
Vatican Observatory website: Faith & Science resources
Catholic Education Resource Center: The Galileo Affair
All Areas of Science
Bill Bryson:
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil:
Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy
Helpful Parent Resources:
MacBeth Derham:
MacBeth’s Opinion
Jennifer Mackintosh:
Wildflowers and Marbles Booklists
Bernard Nebel:
Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding
