Nature's Beautiful Order as 8th grade pre-Biology course

[Callista]

For a student planning on biology in 9th, how would Nature's Beautiful Order work for 8th as a pre-biology course? Too easy?

Novare Physical Science has already been completed. Looking for a good 8th-grade option, concurrently with Algebra I and with Novare Earth Science as a possibility but not a first choice.

Thoughts?

[momgineer]

Has your student completed Trees and Tiner biology (as per 7th grade plans)? If not you might consider doing all three (Trees, Tiner, Beautiful order). Beautiful Order is lovely at presently the philosophy of biology, what makes different organisms different from others. Yet it isn’t the best as systematically presenting general ideas of life science. That’s where Trees/Tiner Bio come in. Those two books together are more of a general middle school life science that preps for high school biology. All three together would make a lovely course. I can see doing a Tree/bio lesson two days a week (as per the lesson plans) and doing Beautiful Order once or twice a week.

[Callista]

Has your student completed Trees and Tiner biology (as per 7th grade plans)? If not you might consider doing all three (Trees, Tiner, Beautiful order). Beautiful Order is lovely at presently the philosophy of biology, what makes different organisms different from others. Yet it isn’t the best as systematically presenting general ideas of life science. That’s where Trees/Tiner Bio come in. Those two books together are more of a general middle school life science that preps for high school biology. All three together would make a lovely course. I can see doing a Tree/bio lesson two days a week (as per the lesson plans) and doing Beautiful Order once or twice a week.

Yes, we have completed Trees/Biology in 6th, Physical Science in 7th alongside COTR math. It seems as though Novare Earth may be the next step but I love the look of NBO. We are planning on Biology and Alg.II in 9th. I feel like we're in limbo here in 8th. Wondering if NBO would be too light as the only science for 8th.

[momgineer]

Ohhh- Earth Science is so cool and isn’t really covered later. Yet Nature’s Beautiful Order is a beautiful course. My son did Introductory Physics in 8th (he’s a math and science dude and is ahead), but we skipped labs (he will do those in trig physics later) and he learned quickly, so he finished IP with 5 weeks of school left. We filled in with NBO done as a lesson a day and only doing the questions orally with no quizzes. So we did it lightly, but it forced him to read the book and at least pay attention enough to answer questions. He is more of a physics/chemistry guy and it’s harder to get him to like life science so I’m glad I was able to fit this in.
it really is more of a semester long book or could be shortened. For my 8th grader, reading a lesson a day was pretty easy. Doing a full lesson a week will be pretty light.
Perhaps you compromise and do NBO for a semester and then read and discuss (without written work or tests) the Novare Earth Science in a semester? At least then you get some earth science exposure and get to use NBO.