Yes! After researching what (Georgia) colleges expect and looking at many
other typical tracks (ABeka, BJU Press, Alpha and Omega), I've learned that Physical Science is often taken
in 9th grade. If you look at what college admissions officers are looking for from homeschoolers (see College Admissions for Homeschoolers) you will mostly see the typical sequence listed as: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry and a 4th Science.
Other schools in our area are also teaching Physical Science in 9th Grade:
And many more!
Also,
according to the University System of Georgia (USG), they expect to see a "physical" science on
high school transcripts whether that be "Physical Science" or "Physics." See the USG's "Staying on Course PDF" for this information.
If your child takes Physical Science in 8th grade, as Apologia
recommends, it might count toward high school credit as it is a high
school level course. The Apologia website specifically states their Physical Science is for 8th or 9th grade. Apologia says,"This course is designed to be the last science course the student takes
before high school biology. Thus, we generally recommend it as an 8th
grade course. However, your student can also use it for their 9th grade
course work."
If your child takes Physical Science in 9th grade the track might look like this:
8th- Pre-Algebra and General Science
9th- Algebra I and Physical Science10th- Geometry and Biology
11th- Algebra II and Chemistry
12th- Pre-Calc/Trig or Statistics and a 4th Science
Along these lines, lets look at a couple of possible tracks for students taking Physical Science in 8th grade:
According to Apologia and Dr. Jay Wile, when the student
begins Algebra I, that's when Biology begins. That particular track might look something like this:
7th- Math 7 and General Science
8th- Pre-Algebra and Physical Science
9th- Algebra I and Biology
10th- Geometry and Chemistry
11th- Algebra II and Physics
12th- Pre-Calculus and Marine Biology
*If taking Algebra II and Physics at the same time is too much math at once, consider this track:
7th- Math 7 and General Science
8th- Pre-Algebra and Physical Science
9th- Algebra I and Biology
10th- Geometry and Marine Biology
11th- Algebra II and Chemistry
12th- Pre-Calculus and Physics
You may also be interested in: BJU vs. Apologia (7th - 12th)
| SCIENCE TIMELINE: Knowing which science courses to offer your student at the secondary level and when to offer them can seem difficult. In reality, course sequencing for junior high and high school isn't that hard when you know one important fact: A student's mathematics level is the key factor for his or her success or failure in the high school sciences. If you make sure that your child is well prepared mathematically for the science course he or she will take, you will have gone a long way toward assuring your student's academic success. Here is Apologia's recommended timeline for science courses:
These OPTIONAL supplemental readings for science-oriented students do
not replace the main courses listed. They merely give your student
additional science material to learn if your student is interested.
Here are some suggestions:
Supplement I
Supplement II
Supplement III
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Thank you so much for providing this science time line. The suggestions contained in it are similar to the ones we will follow through Time4Learning Interactive High School (http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/high_school.html#high). I'm really glad to know our choice of science curriculum is comparable. Thanks again!
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