Science | heritage

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SCIENCE___________________________________________________

Big Creek: The Glacier Institute Science Camp. All Seventh Grade Heritage students are invited to attend our science camp, put on by The Glacier Institute, October 7th-9th, 2020. We will do several field sessions, including wilderness orienteering, aquatic sampling, and fire ecology. This will be a great opportunity for relationship building in a fun learning environment on the North Fork of the Flathead River. One or two Heritage teachers will attend, and we will be recruiting parent chaperones. Cost per student is $85 and chaperone is $60 which includes all food, lodging, and materials for three days. We hope that you will join us!

Elementary Science (K-6th)

2021-2022 Botany & Zoology

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. Join us for an exciting adventure into the world of living things! In class, we will take an in-depth look at the five kingdoms, with special focus on the plant kingdom first semester and the animal kingdom second semester: mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles, and arthropods. Each class will include discussion and a hands on lab. We will dissect organisms, grow bacteria, play with fruit flies, hatch chicks, observe tadpoles as they turn into frogs, sample soil, test water, experiment with plants, build a bird feeder, dig through owl pellets, and much more. You might want to order tadpoles at home or invest in an ant or ladybug farm this summer.

This class will have a strong emphasis on nature journaling which develops two of the most important scientific skills: observation and documentation. Learning to really see is a skill that must be learned and practiced. Be sure to plan time every week to get outside and look around. Charlotte Mason said, "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without."

As we study together, we will gain an even deeper understanding of our amazing Creator who has made all things well, and who has given us a role in taking care of the things He has made. We can say with the psalmist, “O Lord, how many are your works! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” Psalm 104:24.

Texts:

Exploring Creation with Botany, 2nd Edition, by Apologia
God’s Design for Life: The World of Animals by Debbie Lawrence and Richard Lawrence
science journal, provided by Heritage

*This class is part of a four year science rotation: anatomy and physiology, botany & zoology, astronomy, and chemistry & physics.

Earth Science (7th)

Texts:

Earth Science: God’s World, Our Home (Novare), $75 (may be able to purchase used from Heritage family)

“Earth Science should be about much more than learning about rocks and mountains and the seasons. Think about how huge God’s mandate to humans is that we are to steward and exhibit vice regency over creation! . . .

Within the context of the fascinating study of landforms, minerals and planetary phenomena, many other timely and important topics are covered (in this text) including conservation of natural resources, climate change, pollution, environmental justice, and the current scientific consensus concerning earth’s history. . . the narrative is in the voice of a Christian believer who loves science; the Christian worldview is integrated in a mature, elegant way.”- The Novare website

During the Monday class, hands-on labs will be completed and students will work in groups to master homework assignments. Eight to ten labs throughout the year will be used to teach the scientific method, observation, lab note booking, and an introduction to lab report writing. Students will spend a brief amount of time discussing current views on the origin of the earth including: young earth creation, old earth creation, theistic evolution, and evolution/big bang. At home each week, students will read, answer questions from the text, review previous material, and take a weekly quiz. This is a challenging mastery based program and the method and assignments are designed so that students re-encounter important concepts from the beginning of the book all the way to the end. We are sure that your student will enjoy this in-depth study of the wonder of God’s world and our role as Christ’s disciples.

Plan for 45-60 minutes per day, 3 days per week, to complete course work.

Physical Science (8th-9th)*

Texts:

Physical Science, Novare, $75 (May be able to purchase used from Heritage family). Any edition is fine.

“How beautiful it is that the more deeply I delve into the study of this world, the more evident God’s hand becomes to me. Truly, God is gracious to me in showing me these things “(Novare Physical Science, p.136).

This is a mastery based course designed to prepare the student for high school physics and chemistry. The method and assignments are designed so that students re-encounter important concepts from the beginning of the book all the way to the end. At home each week, students will read, answer questions from the text, review previous material, and take a quiz. Plan for 45 minutes per day, 3 days per week, to complete course work.

From the Novare Science website: "Mastery learning requires ongoing review even as new material is presented. It also takes culling the material down to a manageable amount that an average student can actually master in the course of a year. This means that Novare texts are serendipitously smaller than the usual 8-10 pound tomes. Better, more enduring learning takes place when the student goes deeper with a moderate amount of material rather than trying to cover too many topics too rapidly or shallowly.

*Older students are welcome to register. This can be considered a high school lab science.

Biology I (9th+)

Prerequisite: None

Texts:

Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013499 (Book has a dragonfly on the front, $3-20 used)
Reading and Study Workbook: Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013543- can use this from Biology

The ultimate goal of studying science is to bring glory to God and enjoy Him as we experience the intricate details of His creation. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

The study of biology encompasses all living things, thus making it overwhelming to study in one year. Because of the extensive amount of information covered in the Biology text, we have divided the content into a two year study: Biology I and Animal Biology (offered again in 2020-2021). Each course is a comprehensive, high school lab science class designed to expand the student’s knowledge of the unity, diversity, and complexity of living things. Students receive one lab science credit for each year. Plan for about 45-60 minutes of homework each day, 3 days per week.

Biology I content: Scientific Method, ATP and energy, Cells, DNA, Genetics and Heredity

Taxonomy, Bacteria, Protozoans, Fungi, Plants, Scientific Method

Zoology offered Fall semester 2021

Prerequisite: Biology

Texts:

Textbook: Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013499 (Book has a dragonfly on the front, $3-20 used) This is the same book used in our Biology class.
Reading and Study Workbook: Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013543- can use this from Biology (Same Workbook as biology- has a dragon fly on the front, $5-15 consumable)
Additional lab fee: $20, due in September

This one semester lab science class is a continuation of the prerequisite biology class, which focuses on the classification system and the study of the animal kingdom. The semester following will be Human Health Science. In zoology students will learn the intricacies of animals, their body systems, their ecosystem, and their comparative anatomical parts. Each class will consist of a lecture and a hands-on lab to reinforce and demonstrate the principles learned during the week. Labs will include a dissection from every animal group covered, and fish respiration. Through the study of creation, students will see the diverse variation and beautiful complexity in the amazing creation.

Human Health Science- offered spring semester 2022

Prerequisite: Biology

Texts:

Textbook: Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013499 (Book has a dragonfly on the front, $3-20 used) This is the same book used in our Biology class.
Reading and Study Workbook: Biology, Prentice Hall, by Miller and Levine, ISBN-13: 978-0132013543 (Same Workbook as Biology- has a dragon fly on the front, $5-15 consumable)

This one semester lab science class piggy backs the semester after zoology. After covering all of the animal kingdom the humans are the grand finale, made in God’s Image! Health Science will cover the body systems in conjunction with physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Topics include: bones and muscles, respiration, exercise and physical fitness, digestion and nutrition, neuroscience and personality, as well as sex education, relationships and marriage. The complexity of the Human Being, made in God’s image, shows we are “wonderfully made”.

Advanced Sciences: Geology of Northwest Montana - offered 2021-2022

Prerequisite: Biology

Course Description coming soon!

High School Chemistry (10th-12t), offered again in 2022-2023

Prerequisites: Students must have completed Algebra I with a C or higher and completion of Physical Science is highly recommended

Text and materials:

General Chemistry, Novare
The Student Lab Report Handbook from Novare, one per family.
Graph paper composition notebook
Scientific calculator
Additional lab fee: $40 per student, due in July

This is a demanding, comprehensive, college-prep Chemistry course with hands-on labs. We recommend that Physical Science be taken prior to this course, especially if your son/daughter struggled with Algebra I. Hands-on labs, demonstrations, and activities will be incorporated each week to help students learn how to implement various chemical concepts and interactions. Students will learn how to write a professional lab report, an essential component of a college science class. Homework and quizzes are given each week.

Plan for about 60-80 minutes per day, 3 days per week, to complete coursework

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Proposed 2022-2023 Science offerings:

K-6th: Astronomy

7th: Earth Science

8th: Physical Science

9th-12th: Biology I, Zoology & Human Health Sciences

10th-12th: Chemistry

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SCIENCE___________________________________________________