Science I - SCIENCE BASICS

The first home school science course in Connect The Thoughts , for students ages 11-adult. What is science? What must the student understand to really grasp science, before embarking on a profound study of its details? Learn the basics which most science studies never cover, while performing many hands-on experiments, and answering thought-provoking questions. Take the first step into a true understanding of science! A self-contained course, no text book needed. Tests, answer guides, and a comprehensive teacher's guide are included! A remarkable, creative starting point toward a real understanding of science.

How can a student be expected to study a subject if he has no idea what that subject is supposed to cover? How can he study a subject, unaware of its most basic ideas and rules, the ideas that later, complicated concepts will be based on? The answer is that they CAN'T be expected to study such a subject with any great success. This may be more true of science (and the arts) than other subjects.

Can a student afford to not understand science, in today's world? We recognize that there are conflicting belief systems out there, some at odds with the assumptions made by the scientific community. At Connect The Thoughts , we think it's a good idea for the student to understand all of the great forces shaping modern life, which include politics and religion, covered with great care and thoroughness in our history courses, and science. We feel that such information is indispensable to a student's well-being.

Our science courses are painstaking, filled with fun and informative exercises in nearly every lesson plan, providing the student a greater sense of science and how it works every day. Science Basics sets the student up for college-level studies in Geology, Oceanography, Meteorology (weather), Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, using simple, easy-to-do, but profound exercises and ideas. The course utilized the unique methods consistent to all Connect The Thoughts Courses, which assist the student study and master materials often believed to be too complex for students at the given age level (Upper School is ages 11-adult, who read fairly well.)

This course helps the student understand science and its value in today's world. Connect The Thoughts Science for Upper School is a three-four year program, comprised of eight courses. This Science Basics Course is the first in the program. These courses are BEST done in sequence, but do not need to be. A student requiring a particular course to round out curriculum could use any of our courses. These cover science basics, biology, oceanography, meteorology (the study of weather and of the atmosphere), biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and space exploration, and a science review and project course which is best done after considerable study in science.

In Science Basics , the student is given a complete grounding in the essential principles of the Scientific Method and the Law of Cause and Effect, and develops the tools he will need to experience the adventure of science. The student is provided an overview of science. The student is shown, through the information offered and by his own experience, that all science is based on the ability to categorize ideas and objects, grounded in observation and measurement. He learns the difference between pure and applied science. He is shown the strength and weakness of logic as a scientific tool. The student studies the principles of structure, form and function as methods of classification.

Once these concepts have been thoroughly experienced by the student through dozens of exercises, the student is ready to look at the "Tree" of science, and investigate its main branches; Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physics and Astronomy. This course thoroughly sets up an Upper School student for their future studies in science, providing the needed tools to approach this sometimes daunting subject with authority and confidence.

Tests are provided after significant areas have been studied. Answer Guides come with the course, for the teacher's use, as well as a teacher's guide to assist teacher and student in this first serious approach to science. This course requires no additional materials.

Our courses often include films and documentaries (which are NOT provided with the course, but are easily secured in libraries or over the internet.). Additionally, the student will perform literally hundreds of experiments and exercises, as the world he lives in, and the Universe which surrounds it, becomes increasingly comprehensible.

Science II - GEOLOGY

For science students, ages 11-adult. A very detailed, hands-on, creative and comprehensive study of the Earth we live on. Using Connect The Thoughts 's unique and powerful educational methods, college-level materials are made rapidly understandable and workable for younger, eager students! Our very lives depend upon the processes and functions of the planet we live on. Discover the Earth's secrets and wonders, from tectonic plates to the cause of volcanoes, earthquakes, and the forming of mountains. Tests and answer guides are included!

The first Upper School Earth Sciences course, Geology covers in a creative and complete manner all of the essentials of this subject. Built around the college level text, Geology, A Self-Teaching Guide (not included), and the documentary, Amazing Earth (not included), the student learns rapidly about such important concepts as how the planet came to be, plate tectonics, the mechanics of earthquakes and volcanic activity, the various sorts of materials in the Earth and how they differ from each other. Vital concepts in this area of study, such as erosion and weathering, radioactive dating, elements and isotopes, and the commercial uses that geological products and principles are put to, are also explored.

As in all the Connect The Thoughts courses, definitions are covered, then the written or viewed material are studied, and then many exercises and experiments are done to make this subject far more fun, interesting and useful for the student. An Upper School student should get this course done in a semester. A student must have completed Upper School Science Basics , before taking this course. Tests and answer guides provided. This course requires additional materials not provided by Connect The Thoughts , including a book or books, and possible DVDs or CDs.

Science III - OCEANOGRAPHY

For science students, ages 11-adult. Discover the hidden mysteries of the world's oceans, bursting with history and life! A detailed and magical study of "the last frontier." This course uses Connect The Thoughts 's unique methods to make the most complex scientific ideas easily understood and mastered. An intensive science course focused on the "landscape" of the world's ocean, providing a comprehensive understanding of oceanic processes including a study of undersea tectonics and the mass currents which create our weather. This is followed by a complete study of the marine food chain in eight parts of the world, utilizing a strctured view of the amazing documentary, "Blue Planet - Seas of Life". (The documentary must be secured by the student, and is easily found in many libraries, etc.) Tests and answer guides are included!

Intended to be done immediately after Geology , this course provides the student a thorough understanding of what oceans are, and how they function as a part of our planet. The mechanics of oceans, currents, waves, and tides are covered thoroughly. The structure of oceans is investigated. The life cycles and food chains of our global oceans are detailed graphically, with the aid of the eight documentaries entitled Blue Planet – Seas of Life (not included), which contain visual images certain to thrill and entice almost any student. The history of oceanography and underwater exploration is also explored.

This course makes good use of a book the student already has in his possession, Geology, A Self-Teaching Guide (not included). As with every Connect The Thoughts Course, all materials, including the documentaries, are broken into small sections with words carefully defined in the study guide, guaranteeing the student the optimum learning experience. Additionally, the course is filled with interesting and vital exercises, to provide the student a real sense of control over the subject and its particulars. Tests and Answer Guides provided. About ten weeks of study. This course requires additional materials not provided by Connect The Thoughts , including a book or books, and possible DVDs or CDs.

Science IV - METEOROLOGY

For science students ages 11-adult. Using Connect The Thoughts 's remarkable educational tools, college-level science materials are mastered every day, easily and by younger students! Taking a totally hands-on approach, this creative course is filled with fun experiments and exercises which help "make real" this fascinating scientific study. The story of the air we breathe. Rain, lightning, tornadoes, storms and hurricanes, what they are and why they happen. Learn about the atmosphere you walk through and live in. Master an understanding of the planet we call "home"! Tests and answer guides are included!

The last Earth Science course for Upper School, Meteorology provides the final piece to the puzzle of the planet we live on. Having come to grips with our lands and seas, the student now conquers our atmosphere. Developed around The Idiot's Guide to Weather (not included), written by an expert Meteorologist and working forecaster, the student masters an understanding of the mechanics of atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, storms of all sorts, cold and warm fronts...all of the elements that make our planet's weather. The student develops skills which will allow him not only to thoroughly comprehend weather forecasts made by others...but to do some forecasting himself.

The result of having completed these Earth Science courses will be a student with a very firm grasp of what our planet is, why it is the way it is, and how it's likely to change. Earth Science courses should be done back-to-back. This course will take about 10-14 weeks. Tests and answer guides provided. This course requires additional materials not provided by Connect The Thoughts , including a book or books, and possible DVDs or CDs.

Science V - CHEMISTRY

For Upper School Students, ages 11-adult. A comprehensive, highly creative course covering key theories and concepts of chemistry, without any serious mathematics. A home school course presenting college-level materials, using Connect The Thoughts 's powerful learning tools to make fully understandable the detailed concepts, theories and practices of one of the most complex sciences of our day, opening the door to real understanding for younger students. The full scientific story of the atom, sub-atomic particles, and how these combine to create the universe we live in. Start your discovery of this vibrant, living science today! The course is self-contained, and no text book is needed. Tests, and answer guides are included!

What are the building blocks of the physical universe? What, per science, is matter? What is energy? How does matter and energy function? What is soil, water, air? What is gold, silver, uranium? What is an atom, how is one structured, and what do atoms do? Chemistry is the study of the basic building blocks of the Physical Universe. This comprehensive course covers atomic theory in detail. It covers the various ways atoms bond to create all physical things. The course explains solids, liquids, gases, and kinetics. Detailed, but with practical and fun exercises which help make chemistry interesting and "real" for the student, and with the math of chemistry de-emphasized in favor of a conceptual understanding. A full semester. This course requires no additional materials.

Science VI - BIOLOGY & HUMAN HEALTH

For science students ages 11-adult. A comprehensive, hands-on science course which creatively makes use of Connect The Thoughts 's unique educational methods to make the most complex ideas understandable for the student! Biology - the study of life. How does biology work? What is the essence of catagorization in Biology? The first part of this course explores in detail the science of Biology, and the great scientific mystery of life. What has science done in its attempts to understand the nature of life? What does science know and not know? Start finding out today! The second part of this lengthy, creative course focuses closely on human beings. What is the human body? How does it work? What are the best ways to care for the body? Why does a body stop working sometimes? Disease and bodily functions are studied in detail. The perfect and thorough introduction to the very nature of life, the body, human sexuality and biology. Tests and answer guides are included!

How does science define life? How do we differentiate between life forms? What are the needs of living creatures of all types, as we understand them? This course continues the trend in Connect The Thoughts Science courses of focusing on the easily observed in order to master scientific concepts important to our survival on this planet.

In understanding the nature of life and ecosystems, the student takes a huge step toward understanding his own responsibilities in maintaining the planet and its systems. He also comes to an understanding of the history of this important science, and many of its most important concepts. Also contained in this course is a significant component on human anatomy and health, including several wonderful and illustrative documentaries, broken down into easily studied and understood components, as with all our courses. Sex education is covered in this component, in a manner not too ridiculous or trying for the student.

About a semester of study. This course requires additional materials not provided by Connect The Thoughts , including a book or books, and possible DVDs or CDs.

Science VII - PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

For science students ages 11-adult. From the workings of the atom and sub-atomic particles, to the vastness of the universe we live in, the detailed, college-level and intensive view of the awesome material universe, what it is, and how it works. Through Connect The Thoughts 's remarkable learning tools, the discoveries of histories greatest scientists are made understandable, from the Greeks to Einstein and beyond, for young students eager to know! What is time? What is space? How do they interrelate? What is motion, and what are it's scientific "laws"? How do scientists use their hard-won understanding to help mankind to a better life? The first part of this self-contained (no textbooks required, though there are films the student must secure) course unveils the great and exciting mysteries of physics, preparing the student for the great adventure of part two - astronomy! What are planets, solar systems, galaxies? How do they come to be, from a strictly scientific viewpoint? How are scientists researching the unthinkable vastness of the universe we live in? Get out your telescope, and join the profound hands-on adventure into the the world of Astronomy! Tests and answer guides included!

Here are the rules of the physical universe per modern science, no more, no less. This is what the student learns in Science VII . What is gravity? What are energy, force, and mass? How does everything work?

A thorough view of the history of physics, teaching the student scientific laws which are in operation in the physical universe through fun and creative (and simple) exercises...with virtually no math. Einstein is thoroughly explained. A breakdown of quantum mechanics, quarks, and the newest theories gives the student an opportunity to understand much that is currently "cutting edge". Also, there are many documentaries, each carefully broken down for words and concepts, and with many, many exercises, on the history of space exploration, and what science is currently doing to understand the universe. About a semester of study.

This course requires additional materials not provided by Connect The Thoughts , including a book or books, and possible DVDs or CDs. The student will need a telescope or binoculars to work with.

Science VIII - SCIENCE PROJECTS

For students ages 14-adult, who are ready to sum up a comprehensive study of science through several carefully constructed science projects of his own design. The perfect completion for the serious student of science.

Your student has completed their science studies. If using Connect The Thoughts , they've thoroughly studied Science Basics , Geology , Oceanography , Meteorology , Chemistry , Biology , Physics and Astronomy . Now what? This course is the polishing completion. It includes an intensive review, followed by the student's creation of three science projects, one pre-designed, but the other two of the student's own choice, and based on their interests in a given area of science of their own choice.

Science studies should serve a purpose, beyond familiarizing the student with concepts it's hard to get along without in the modern world. This course allows the student to use what has been learned, and to formulate ideas which may make this a better place to live. It helps the student to discover what he now understands, and provides a creative oulet for that knowledge. An indespensible final course.

You'll need access to the series COSMOS , by Carl Sagan.