There are so many things I like about this General Science curriculum from Master Books! Find out how our family used this for the first time.
Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review. I purchased this curriculum on my own, and the thoughts and opinions are my own. This review contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you.
Let me start off by saying that science has always been my favorite subject to learn, as well as teach. There are several things I look for when choosing a science curriculum. Bible-based, engaging, well-laid out for the student and teacher, and hands-on activities are the main things I look for. General Science 1: Survey of Earth and Sky fit the bill. I used it with my eighth grade son for our 2019-2020 school year.
General Science 1: Survey of Earth and Sky is a 36 week course for students in 7th-12th grades. It covers four areas of science: meteorology, astronomy, mineralogy, and oceanography. We used one book per quarter, and this worked perfectly for our traditional schedule that is divided into four quarters.
Master Books General Science -Books
I’ll be the first to admit, I judge a book by its cover. I appreciate color, high quality pages, and lavish illustrations. I get it all with these books! They are absolutely gorgeous! All are hardback, contain approximately 100 pages, and have a 24 inch pull-out poster in all four books. One thing that these books have is a unique, color coded feature. This is where the multi-age learning comes in! The books are developed with three skill levels that can be customized per the ability of the student. How cool is that?
There are three color-coded levels in each book. Level one gives introductory material and basic information for younger students in 5-6 grade. There is a different color for 7-8 graders that gives even more information and is written on a different color background than than the one used for level one. Last, level three is designed for 9-12 graders. The text has an expanded vocabulary and more advanced concepts in the subject matter. It has its own background color and students are required to read all the text in this as well as the other sections. The information is obviously well presented and is able to hold the interest of students.
Master Books General Science – Student Workbook
Master Books has made it very easy to plan lessons by including a weekly schedule to guide the student through the reading, worksheets, quizzes, and tests. The pages are all perforated and hole-punched, so the student can easily store them in a binder. General Science 1 is designed to for students to spend 30-45 minutes per lesson, five days a week.
I like that everything is laid out for you, but also allows for flexibility. Most of the time, my son worked on this independently. If we had something planned during the week, then he would double up on the reading, or we would answer the questions orally.
Most of the worksheets follow the same format. Included are words to know, short answer, and various activities. Labs are not part of the schedule. I did not like this at first, but later found that it did give me the freedom to pick and choose how I used the suggested activities. With the help of Pinterest for experiment ideas, I felt I rounded it out well (for middle school anyway). The activities are mostly research/report, so I went through all the activities at the end of each worksheet and chose several that I thought he would be interested in. I listed them on paper, along with a few of my own ideas and let him choose three per quarter. If he were older, I would certainly require more activities and reports.
Master Books General Science – Versatility
I really like that this curriculum can be used with multiple ages, although I did not use it in this way, as our daughter was taking 10th grade biology. I also like that it is biblical. The Bible showcases science, and Master Books does a fine job of reinforcing that throughout. The organization of the material is fantastic for those who love organization, but could use a little help (like me)! I also recommend this for those who enjoy science, as well as those who do not. The science lovers (like me) have the freedom of sprinkling in the fun extras, whereas those who are intimidated or who simply don’t care for experiments can be confident in using the curriculum as is and still have a solid science course.
Have you used Master Books science? Which one is your favorite? Mine would be Ocean, with the Mineral book not far behind. If you are a fan of Masterbooks curriculum, you can find General Science I as well as many other subjects on their website. They have a generous rewards program that will give you points toward their other fantastic materials! Christian Book Distributors is another great place to purchase from. I have been a long time customer with them. Choosing curriculum is so much fun, and I feel this curriculum is a fantastic choice! Happy Homeschooling!
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