Can students and parents please share their thoughts about the science sequence at BS. I know Hotchkiss was reviewing their science sequence and planned on changing it for Fall 2019. Anyone else know of other schools changing their science sequence or requirements for graduation? Are most schools offering Physics (9th), Chem (10th), Bio (11th and specialty science after that?
Most schools are still bio–>chem–>physics. As small (but growing) number are starting with physics.
Thacher is Physics first, too.
Whether schools start with Physics (or not) often depends on the Math backgrounds of the majority of their freshmen.
Choate is physics first.
From the course catalog:
We found about half with bio-chem-physics and half ( and seemed to be recent) with physics first. This differed from public school curriculum. Most public schools seemed to force earth science in 9th. I say forced as it didn’t seem to build a foundation as much as other sciences did. And there was no way to avoid it. This was particularly sad if kids had no interest in astrophysics, global temperatures and geology. They had no choices.
One thing that was apparent, knowing the science sequence and plugging it into the math sequence makes sense. Would be terrible for a kid not to have the right connection in grades 11/12.
SMS is physics-chemistry and then the kids get to choose if they want to go the biology route or advanced physics/chemistry route. 3 lab sciences are required for graduation
Public schools in our area start with biology…
Wow, more BSs are physics first than I thought.
@skieurope Was really starting to change last year. Many had just switched over.
Anecdotally, I had heard that schools that started with (less math based) physics found more kids actually learned physics and liked it (rather than getting lost in the math).
I think ours is still Chem for freshmen with sophomore options including physics, bio, AP Chem, etc. No matter which is first, there is possibly a gap between the first exposure and a higher level class. This is more of an issue if the gap is several years and the expectation is that you have remembered everything from the foundation class but I am not sure how this is avoided.
Our kids could choose which subject to start with at PEA. All 4 year students must take 2 years of science. One year must be biology and then they can choose chem or physics.
^DS is glad he can choose a non-life science route…although I know both local public and private schools in TX require biology, as well as chemistry. I think locally, physics is still an option (as it was in the horse and carriage days of my high school experience).
@gardenstategal Interesting to note why they introduced physics first. Actually many of the concepts can indeed be learned outside of math. Then kids can explore them later in a more advanced capacity.
I loved science but hated physics - too much math even though I had taken calculus. I think physics would have been much better without all the math.
A little aside, but I was told during my tour at Choate that 5th formers and above are placed in physics courses with other upperclassmen (new and repeat 4th formers are placed with 3rd formers). It was something I thought was interesting.
Stevenson (CA) is trying an integrated science curriculum for freshman and sophomores. Beginning this year, all freshman take a science course which incorporates biology, chemistry and physics (without the heavy math component), and will finish sophomore year with the second half of all 3 disciplines. In theory, kids will be prepared to take AP level courses in any of those 3 silos as juniors. In reality, I am unsure this will adequately prepare students to make the leap to AP, as teaching 3 full courses in 2 years seems unrealistic.
@Hopeful0304 That’s interesting about Stevenson since I believe that the new head there was the old head at Hotchkiss and Hotchkiss has (had?) an integrated science curriculum for Freshmen but allowed a choice in Sophomore year. My son took AP Bio as a Sophomore but that was a a bit unusual. He followed junior year with AP physics. His first year course provided enough of a foundation to handle it. Of course, if Hotchkiss is moving away from that model then there’s likely a good reason why.
You are correct @Temperantia about Stevenson’s new head coming from Hotchkiss. It is encouraging to hear that your son was prepared for APs following the integrated curriculum - I am hoping that our very science/math-minded son will feel the same way (big assumption of course that the scope and sequence of the integrated curriculum is similar).
Hmm . I have two thoughts about an integrated science curriculum. The first thought is, you don’t have a chance to get accustomed to a single subject and dive deeper. From experience I have found that teachers have strengths and weaknesses. And they tend to teach what they like. Almost guaranteed a teacher is going to focus on one subject over the other. This comes to point #2, grading. What if I love physics but detest chemistry. Colleges won’t be able to see that nor will I have a good year and a year In which I struggle. Nope I’d have two so-so years. And what happens if a kid leaves the school?
That would make me pass on the school and we have science kids.
My understanding is that Thacher kids get two trimesters of Physics, two trimesters of Chemistry, and two trimesters of Biology, so they get a strong foundation in each by the time they finish sophomore year…