Argh at science (again!)

Homeschooling science is such a pain - not because of the subject, but because of the dearth of academically solid, interesting & easy to implement materials. It's the last that's the real hurdle.

If you want creationist fairy tale stuff - it's abundant.

If you want dry, scientifically correct stuff - it's abundant.

If you want interesting, engaging, scientifically correct materials, with lessons laid out, & clearly organized material lists so that you can just 'grab & teach' - well, good luck with that.

Last year I picked up two units of Ellen McHenry's chemistry materials. The Carbon Chemistry binder had been gathering dust all this time & I decided in Oct to crack it open for a fun diversion.

I really like lots about Ellen McHenry's materials - while it's all just a general intro, the text is not dumbed down, the little cartoons are fun, the thumbprint guys make a nice break in the text. For middle school/junior high, it's just the right touch. Here's a snap of a page from the chapter on Carbohydrates:



So we were breezing along a few chapters earlier & get to this:

Scientists guess that crude oil was formed by the decomposition of plants and animals under great pressure a long time ago. (A world-wide flood would certainly have provided the right conditions for the formation of crude oil.)

GUESS? Scientists GUESS?

No, scientists do not guess. It's not in their job description. Theorize or hypothesize - yes. Guess? No.

And don't tell me that it's just simpler say 'guess'. This is in a unit teaching alkane hydrocarbons, distillation, and isomers - I don't think we need to dumb down words for an audience that can handle this content.

I think this is part of the general attempt to weaken scientific work by introducing huge doubts into everything science does. We see it constantly in the creationist camp's perversion of the term 'scientific theory'. It's just a theory, dude! That means it's like a guess! Um, NO. It's not the same thing at all.

And the flood? Really. WTF?

It's a double shame because the paragraph where these two sentences are would stand just fine without them. I'm still trying to figure out whether they're an after thought to pander to the creationists/young earther readers or whether it's actually the author's viewpoint & she couldn't stop herself from sneaking it in.

(ETA - when I bought these materials over a year ago, there were no hints at all on her website. I have since had a look around & she mentions her involvement with the Dominion Science Center. Ding, ding, ding. First of all, any mention of the word 'dominion' now raises my hackles - & it's not even because TD Bank holds our mortgage; hang around with homeschoolers or evangelical Christians or libertarians long enough & 'dominion' will have that effect on you too. Secondly, the Dominion Science Center says: " science center that gives credit where credit is due-- to the Master Designer who has given us a world that delights and amazes us everyday, a world brimming with beauty and diversity..... We'll be on a mission to present only good fact-based science at our center. If we showcase theories, they'll be labled as theories, not facts. Now that's good science!" No, that is BS. And yes, they misspelled "labelled".)


If I had known this then, I would not have bought her materials. As it is, we will plug on & finish up because there is so much fun stuff in there. But I hope I don't have to grit my teeth & attack pages with sharpies too many more times.

p.s. Is there anyone out there compiling lists of excellent, rigorous, secular science materials?


link to Ellen McHenry's website