If you are buying glassware for your chemistry class, the terms can be confusing. Pyrex and Kimex are brand names. The generic name is borosilicate glass. Yes, by all means buy borosilicate test tubes and a 250- mL beaker for your labs. They are heat tempered and much safer. BTW you are unlikely to need glass, graduated cylinders or volumetric flasks for a high school level chemistry class.
Update: More temptation…
I have to remind myself that I don’t really need a planetarium projector. Actually, I loathe teaching Earth Science; I would rather have a root canal. I am, however, sorely tempted by several interesting listing at Good Will, especially the nursing clipboard lot. I could have eight nursing clipboards I don’t need! Take a look!
Try to do as I say. We toured the Museum of Industry and the Alexander Graham Bell site. Both are fun! Like many museums, both have scavenger hunts for kiddos. You should go!
Teach an introduction to light with Rainbow or Diffraction glasses. Here is Flinn’s lesson. Purdue has a lesson appropriate for a physics lesson. Try the rainbow glasses at the library where they have different light bulbs. Here is a bit of information about diffraction lenses. I love inexpensive lab equipment! Paper diffraction glasses fit the bill!
We’re visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia. My parents dragged our family all over; my dad is a history buff, but interested in nearly everything. My husband’s mom disliked educational stops; he, his siblings, and mom outvoted his dad. Our little family is open to new experiences. Peggy’s Cove has enormous rocks as a result of plate tectonics. Peggy’s Cove has gigantic rocks. It’s fun to visit. There were both accordion and bagpipe buskers. This summer, make the stop! Go picnic somewhere educational before you hit the playground!
We went to the Topsham Fair. What a delight! It’s authentic: farm animals, carnival rides, and loads of traditional entries, such as quilts and jam. Do you want inspiration for next year’s family project? Visit the local fair! When we lived in Winchester we could tour Clarke County Fair, Frederick County Fair, Berkeley County, Jefferson County, and Warren County Fair. (The fair in Spotsylvania has loads of rides and nearly no animals. Booooooo!) Topsham had a booth about Bee Keeping. Often there are educational booths. (Usually, there are commercial booths offering free water tests to sell conditioner units, too.) The fair is an opportunity to discuss animal husbandry with experts. Look for inspiration inside pavilions displaying jams, garden vegetable, flowers, quilts, etc. Topsham had a pickled goods category with infused oils and all sorts of pickled veggies. Go the fair, have a blast, and get inspired.
Do you have a four-year college degree? You’re qualified to teach. Yes, I have certification credentials and my master’s. I’m not convinced you need them to teach. Right now, public schools are slapping provisional licenses on many, many teachers without credentials to fill slots in the classroom. Many private schools do not require professional teaching credentials, just a bachelor’s degree.
If you have a college degree, you took a number of classes. You can teach science. My undergraduate degree was in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry. None of the classes in college really resemble high school Biology or Chemistry. They were helpful, not critical. Instead, do you have a desire to learn? You might be one chapter or module ahead of the kids. The first time you teach, you may be married to the textbook. Plan on a few panic attacks when you first cross an unfamiliar topic. Guess what? Even with a degree in Bio, my first classes, especially in Chemistry, were daunting and full of panicky moments of self-doubt.
Here are a few tips. Pick a science class you like. Start with elementary topics from Apologia’s Young Explorers, which have loads of hands-on activities. At least the first time, follow the textbook. Go ahead and supplement—but stick to the modules. Stay one chapter or module ahead. Tell the kids, ‘I don’t know’ when you don’t. Go ahead and look up a question right there with the kids. This still happens to me. I give the kid my best guess as an answer and tell the child, ‘I’m not 100% certain. Let me check.’ Don’t try to fake it. What happens when a lesson is just terrible? Start over. Every so often, a lab or activity just bombs. Start again the next class and move on. Tell the kids that the lab was an unmitigated disaster which we won’t repeat. We’ll go on and make new mistakes. In other words, be fearless. Expect both victories and defeats. Science is probably outside your comfort area. Good! This will be an adventure for all of you!
I just added two more modules. These are rough. I’ll add as I go. I’m not monetizing any slide deck and am an educator. As as educator, I have greater license when I copy an image to use in class, if it isn’t being sold or represented as my own work. Neither apply. I’m trying to outline the module to present in class.
What is POGIL. POGIL is a type of inquiry learning. Yes, that is rather vague. I first encountered POGIL at a College Chemistry workshop promoting the program. The idea is that groups of four student work together on exercises, such as Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes to learn the topic. There are different levels for high school and college. I don’t think I would love to teach exclusively with this approach. However, I have use individual activities with students for years. Do students love these exercises? Not really. However, they make kids think. I know they will be invaluable for Anatomy.
Update: I added POGIL Anatomy and Physiology content. One example is The Sliding Filament Theory and answer key. POGIL activities are life-savers when it comes to clarifying complicated concepts. Yes, we’ll use our textbooks to complete these POGILS.
Let me share the slides I made for the first four modules in Apologia’s Advanced Biology, or Anatomy. Are these complete? Probably not. However, I am following the text book. (I’m surprised, too.) The teens are using a coloring book (below), doing the slides and labs in the textbook (in class), and working on study guide questions and tests at home. We’re supplementing with videos and online histology slides. I posted links with the slides; my plan is to use 20 minutes at the beginning of class for direct instruction before we launch into labs, activities, or questions. Here are the links. I hope this helps!
Update: I completely forgot one important Co-op function: social events. Local Co-ops in our area schedule dances, swimming lessons, locate discounts, etc. Home-school families have huge networks and pass along discounts to the bowling alley or roller skating. See about art classes. Home-schoolers can do events in off-hours; consequently, many small businesses offer discounts to attract home-schoolers.
Co-ops vary enormously. Our Co-op originally met Fridays at space rented from a local church. The space had enough rooms for several classes, including a nursery. The Co-op families met after Mass, at 10 am; classes were held until around 2 pm. Moms taught different subjects based on demand. This model worked well for kiddos 6-12 years old. Older teens in the same Co-op met Tuesdays and Thursdays at the library. Subjects taught varies from Economics to Chemistry.
Another friend attends Classical Conversations, which meets for 24 weeks, one day a week. (This program can run over $1000. Other Co-ops divide insurance and lease fees among the members.) Another example is Classical Cottage, a consortium. This group runs more like a private school, but is oriented to home-school families. Locally, the scope for each Co-op varies. Younger groups might run play dates, LEGO clubs, or park days. Other groups focus almost exclusively on field trips.
Different Co-ops even teach the same subjects differently. For example, I teach science classes twice a week. Class is 1 1/2 hours and includes instruction, labs, projects, and activities. Tests and reading are done at home. Another local instructor teaches using only the textbook. Still another Co-op nearby meets once a week to do the labs, exclusively. All of the instruction, questions, and tests are completed apart from Co-op.
Ask some questions before you join a Co-op. What does the Co-op offer? Classes? Field trips? Performing arts? Debate? How often does the group meet? Where do they meet? What are the parent responsibilities? What are the fees? How does your family hope to benefit from a Co-op? Ask all manner of questions before you join.
