When: Spring, 2002 for 6-10 sessions

What: A “Partial Group Lab” to be done in conjunction with your textbook and other lab work you do at home

Who: Students in grades 8-12 who have taken the textbook portion of biology, are taking it this year, or who plan to take it next school year, and who have signed up by the deadline.

Credits: For a 10 credit hour course, approximately 3 hours per week for 32 weeks should be spent at home studying the “textbook” portion of the course. Individual families are free to design the textbook portion in any way they desire using either traditional textbooks, topical books, or a combination. I recommend fifty-five clock hours of lab work (in addition to the above hours) to complete a 10 credit hour course. (This amounts to approximately 150 clock hours.) You may wish to do more or less. This lab will fulfill some of the 55 lab hours.

Grading: I will not be issuing credits or grades for this partial lab. Parents may participate in the lab with their child(ren). I will provide an outline and an assessment of what we cover in the class for your records.

What will be included: The group will meet for dissections, microscope work, and possibly some experiments.
The group portion of the course will include:

At least 4 dissections
At least 5 microscope studies (not necessarily 5 different days)
Other experiments as agreed on by the parents of the participants

What other lab work will be necessary: We will meet approximately 6 – 10 times to complete our small group labs. All other lab work will need to be completed at home. Ideas for completing this work are included.

What resources will be used: Sonlight Curriculum’s Advanced Dissection Kit with Specimens includes 7 specimen in a nontoxic liquid, disposable dissection pans, tools, and detailed instructions for $25.00. Additionally, I will be using several worksheets from Lab Science: The How, Why, What, Who, ‘n’ Where Book by Barbara Shelton as references for this course. This is a great resource!

Cost: Supplies only. It is possible that 2 students may be able to share one dissection kit.

Parents/Siblings: Parents are welcome and encouraged to join us. I will not so much be “teaching” a course as facilitating an opportunity to learn together. We are considering having a siblings class on related topics in a nearby room. While we want to keep this a high school level class, we may be able to do some “show and tell” for the younger set (who seem to like those kind of things!)

Registration: Registration forms were due October, 2001

Questions?: Contact Kathy Jordan,
E-mail: lhef@juno.com

Suggestions for biology lab activities at home:

Nature sketches
Nature collections (leaves, seeds, cones, ferns, roots, flowers, insects)
Classification charts (plants, animals)
Flower dissection
Grow molds
Sprout seeds in different conditions
Germinate seeds in different soils
Garden planning and preparation
4-H gardening and plant publications (858-694-2861)
Examine bones and joints in chicken or beef
Do experiments on reflexes, the 5 senses, digestion (get a book from the library such as one of Janice Van
Cleave’s books or Blood and Guts)
Skin observation
Bird observation
Insect observation (contact Insect Lore info@insectlore.com)
Nature journals
Scientific article clippings and evaluations
Interviews with scientists (amateur or professional, i.e. teacher, hospital lab tech, friend who loves science)
Red cross First Aid or CPR course
Detailed coloring books such as Gray’s Anatomy Coloring Book


Resources:

Lab Science:
The How, Why, What, Who, ‘n’ Where Book, Barbara Shelton **
Experiences in Biology, Kathleen Julicher
Biology Fundamentals, Usborne
The DK Science Encyclopedia
A+ Projects in Biology, Janice Van Cleave
Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation (book or seminar)
The Private Eye, Kerry Ruef
Institute for Creation Research; ICR, PO Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021


**Barb Shelton recommends the following sections in your lab science notebook:
(see book for details)

Course plans and grading
Record of work done
Lab experiment records
Microscope sketches
Nature sketches
Classification records
Science article clippings
Interviews/word studies/glossary