Middle School Science Education: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Vol. III, Grades 6-8

I have been homeschooling for over a decade now, and have tried or seen many, many disappointing science curricula. This is the resource I have come back to again and again, because it lays out clearly what the ideas are that we want our students to grasp and how these ideas related to one another. It has allowed me to get a clear grasp of where we are trying to go so that I can effectively steer the ship. If most elementary middle school curricula are the equivalent of a bus trip across Europe where you can get off just long enough to take a picture of each famous site, this is more like a trip you plan yourself, figuring out the local transit system and following a street map as you go. You might not cover as much ground, but the places you do go you will never forget. There is no busy work, no filler and no fluff. Each of the three volumes (Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) include four sections: Earth Science, Physical Science, Life Science and the Nature of Matter. The beginning of each book has a diagram showing how these different strands related to each other, as well as how they related to the ideas in different volumes. Then each section has a series of lessons, which includes a list of learning goals, an explanation for the parent/teacher of scientific principles for that lesson, as well as helpful reminder of what background knowledge is necessary to understand the concept. There are many different suggestions for experiments using mostly household items, as suggestions for questions to help lead the students through the process of making connections for themselves. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers will appreciate the fact that the strands of science are woven together, rather than treated as separate topics and that much of the learning is based on real-world observations. There is also a bibliography of books on each topic for students to extend the work of each section. Parents of large families will appreciate that it is very doable to combine students at different levels, because you can simply choose related threads from different books. Because it does take a little more work to plan these lessons out there is a user forum if you look for bfsu forum.

We homeschool 6 children grades pre-K through 8. I have tried other secular and non-secular science programs and this one by far is the best guide. It is not a textbook. I have purchased nearly every book he recommends at the end of the units to teach the material he presents and find them to be the best science books we own (in our library of over 1,000 books). The library has most of them, but with our family size it is better for us to have them in our personal collection. But the book lists are just a small part of the value of this program. The real value is the organization of the subject matter across grades and between subject matter. The author provides an exciting alternative to my past methods which lacked cohesiveness and relied way too much on absorption of facts. My youngest ones will receive the greatest benefit from these because they will get the program from the beginning. However, my rising 9th grader is completely ready for high school science (he will take AP courses at the high school here) after just one year following this guide. Buy them all!

Todo llego muy bien

Very affordable

Would give it 5 stars if it came with a current list of books because all the books listed at the end of each chapter are brilliant except scarce, used, sold by 3rd parties. Other than that, I wish schools had enough brains to adopt this as their standard because even the best private schools are completely disorganized in their science teaching.

UPDATE: I want to update homeschooling families on our post-BFSU science. I have one student who finished BFSU last year at the end of 8th grade. She is now enrolled as a freshman in AP Chemistry via PA Homeschoolers. My younger student (now in 7th grade) who was doing BFSU with her older sibling is now enrolled in high school Introduction to Biology offered by Well Trained Mind Academy. Both students made the transition easily and I feel like both are well-prepared for their advanced science classes. I hope this helps parents who are selecting their middle school science curricula. ORIGINAL REVIEW: We are close to finishing volume 3, having also completed volumes 1 and 2 already. So obviously we are fans. Volume 3 continues the structure from the earlier books. He provides the lesson plan, you source the materials and books and videos. The difference now with more advanced science concepts is that much of the material, especially chemistry, is not directly observable. So there is more discussion about things like atoms, nuclear fission, radioactive decay and less direct demonstration. The big picture continues to be relentlessly presented here. We don't just learn about metabolism, without an understanding of the similarities with all life on this planet and how all organisms interact. There is a lot more science history here, particularly in the genetics units. We aren't just told what chromosomes are made of, but we share in the mysteries of heredity with the scientists who were trying to figure it all out. I feel like bacteria is given short shrift in this book, in light of its importance in our ecosystem and our health. I found I relied heavily on the internet to illustrate physics concepts. As others have noted, there are no illustrations in Nebel's books. While there are plenty of websites devoted to how lenses work, I did find it confusing to correlate what Nebel was explaining, with sometimes misleading internet diagrams. Finally, I really would have appreciated the addition of worksheets and exams with this edition. By the time they reach middle school, I think it isn't asking too much for them to demonstrate their knowledge. I know, I know, I could create exams and quizzes myself. But I didn't make it a priority and we ended up sticking to editing our science notebooks. If Nebel writes a new edition, I'm sure future homeschoolers would appreciate an appendix of tests and worksheets. We move on now to AP level coursework, confident in my students' broad big picture knowledge of science.

I haven't found a more comprehensive curriculum for science. Teaches to a very high standard and is great preparation for GCSEs.

I've been using BFSU for nearly five years, and today we finally completed the last topic from Book 3. Looking back on our science learning journey, I can see how much my child has gained from this program. He’s developed a solid understanding of conceptual physics and a strong grasp of how things work in the world around him. Thanks to BFSU, he’s now well-prepared to take on entry-level college science courses with confidence.

Amamos este libro! Súper útil! Y da para muchos más grados que lo que marca aquí. Incluso útil para high school.

This continues to be one of the most comprehensive and thorough science guides that I have seen for younger grades. Learning science sequentially was a new concept for me, but my kids have really enjoyed it. Now science makes sense to them instead of just being a random collection of facts that don't build on each other. The authour also moderates a yahoo group where he participates in discussions and answers questions. Very helpful. The book itself is not colorful or illustrated but every chapter provides lots of ideas for supplementary books and activities.

El producto fue para regalo. Llegó en buen estado y en el tiempo estimado para que mi familiar pueda continuar con sus estudios.