8th grade Science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Really glad someone read the whole post and understands what I was saying about the textbook.
Just because school looks different from how parents learned 30 or 40 years ago doesn't mean it doesn't work.

All I know is when my child finally got a real textbook, he started doing better on the quizzes and tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

I don’t want a slide show. I’ll take a textbook that has a couple of the units for background info instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

I don’t want a slide show. I’ll take a textbook that has a couple of the units for background info instead.

Ok, the title has been given and now you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

As stated before - the FCPS curriculum is heavily lab-based. When I taught this course we did multiple labs per week (that was before block scheduling so I'm not sure how they are dealing with this now but I suspect they are doing at least 2 per week). The curriculum is based almost exclusively on the lab books (written by FCPS) that coordinate with the 4 units. They have flipped to doing some of the physics early in the year as there is a lot of physics on the SOL. There is a huge amount of Chemistry in this course. The physical science book that the county used to use (and might still but I doubt it) covers some of the basics of this course but does not go nearly as deep as the lab books and standard program of studies that the county uses.
In addition, a portion of the fourth quarter is always devoted to SOL review. The 8th-grade SOL covers 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade science, and all students who are in 8th grade (regardless of where they went to 6th or 7th) are required to take the test. Since most FCPS 6th graders are in elementary school, not middle school there is little control/coordination with what is taught in 6th grade. This leaves many 8th-grade teachers to spend a chunk of the 4th quarter playing catch-up/reviewing and teaching many of the 6th-grade concepts and reviewing many 7th grade ones so that students have a chance of passing the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

I don’t want a slide show. I’ll take a textbook that has a couple of the units for background info instead.

You'll probably have to send your kid to a private school to get a textbook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

+1 LOL. Love this. Which units are so special that only a lab book created by FCPS can be used?! Hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

+1 LOL. Love this. Which units are so special that only a lab book created by FCPS can be used?! Hilarious.

Most of them. There are no textbooks produced by any of the big book publishers that are as in-depth as the FCPS curriculum. As stated before, the 8th-grade FCPS program is higher level than most middle school text books. To get a textbook that was appropriate you would have to combine some of the units from a 10th grade chem book with a middle school physical science book. But clearly, this post is being dominated by parent experts who know way more than any experienced teacher. It's no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in droves. So many of you don't trust us, think our experience is meaningless, and figure that since you did school as a student you know everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

I don’t want a slide show. I’ll take a textbook that has a couple of the units for background info instead.

You'll probably have to send your kid to a private school to get a textbook.

Many privates are dropping textbooks too. They are so expensive and really not worth the cost when there are so many free online sources available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

DP: You don't get it--the PP is saying the 8th grade textbook is not advanced enough for what the MS students are doing--and kids are reading the lab books which are "real text."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

+1 LOL. Love this. Which units are so special that only a lab book created by FCPS can be used?! Hilarious.

Most of them. There are no textbooks produced by any of the big book publishers that are as in-depth as the FCPS curriculum. As stated before, the 8th-grade FCPS program is higher level than most middle school text books. To get a textbook that was appropriate you would have to combine some of the units from a 10th grade chem book with a middle school physical science book. But clearly, this post is being dominated by parent experts who know way more than any experienced teacher. It's no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in droves. So many of you don't trust us, think our experience is meaningless, and figure that since you did school as a student you know everything.

Somehow I seriously doubt that middle school science is as hard as a high school course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

Clearly you don’t get it, the PP is saying this is NOT an accurate reflection/resource for the curriculum. There may only be 1-2 units where this textbook would apply.

Can you or someone else tell me which of these units are so special that OP can't use a book to give themselves the content knowledge necessary to help their kid with homework? Or the ones that can't be learned from a book by a student?

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle/science/grade-8-physical-science

+1 LOL. Love this. Which units are so special that only a lab book created by FCPS can be used?! Hilarious.

Most of them. There are no textbooks produced by any of the big book publishers that are as in-depth as the FCPS curriculum. As stated before, the 8th-grade FCPS program is higher level than most middle school text books. To get a textbook that was appropriate you would have to combine some of the units from a 10th grade chem book with a middle school physical science book. But clearly, this post is being dominated by parent experts who know way more than any experienced teacher. It's no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in droves. So many of you don't trust us, think our experience is meaningless, and figure that since you did school as a student you know everything.

Somehow I seriously doubt that middle school science is as hard as a high school course.

DP. Nah, I think you're overestimating a high school course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

DP: You don't get it--the PP is saying the 8th grade textbook is not advanced enough for what the MS students are doing--and kids are reading the lab books which are "real text."

DP. Fwiw, DC is a rising 8th grader so I can only speak to 7th grade science. It's a lab based class that uses the lab notebook - but the teacher was checked out and he didn't learn much.

[Anonymous]

If 8th grade science is advanced, a prepbook for AP Physics should be more than enough to serve as a reference or something to read to prepare.

Example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593450833/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=0593450833&pd_rd_w=5cqQl&content-id=amzn1.sym.f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_p=f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_r=E9AA2FZJ280ZS1BKE5PZ&pd_rd_wg=IY1fV&pd_rd_r=aae51a97-26dd-42f1-8921-90fb14c503fb&s=books&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I should have said "officially the county MIGHT still use the Holt Physical Science book" but when I left the county in 2015 we were already to the point of only using it as a classroom supplement at many schools.

There are a couple different editions. Does it matter which one? Thanks.

Yes it does matter. There are multiple editions and levels of this book. If you really want to know what book they are using contact your middle school and ask to speak with the chair of the science department. Given that it's summer you might not get an immediate response but at least you will know who to email.
As I said though, having this book is really not all that helpful. The bulk of this course is really based on the lab books and curriculum that the county produces. There is no way to get these books before your kid is in the course (or after they would have been enrolled if you missed 8th grade). You cannot learn this curriculum from a Physical Science textbook.
I'm still curious what your rationale is for wanting this book.

I’m a DP from the OP who is also interested in obtaining a text book. We prefer hard copies of textbooks at home to use as reference. Really helps me (parent) with background knowledge so I can re explain stuff to my kid before a quiz or test. He doesn’t absorb everything from the verbal discussions and slide shows.

the issue here is that the Holt Physical Science book (if they even still use it) doesn't really follow the curriculum that FCPS uses. You are better off looking at their program of studies. The FCPS 8th grade curriculum is quite advanced - I would argue that it matches a 10th grade chem class in a lot of schools. 10 years ago we were covering topics that were beyond what is necessary for 8th graders and based on what my kid did in his class just a few years ago I would say that hasn't changed. The lab books that the county issues have a lot of information in them and your child's teacher will likely give them full access to any slide shows. More and more, textbooks are simply a thing of the past.

You don’t get it. Kids don’t learn well from online slide shows. We need real text.

DP: You don't get it--the PP is saying the 8th grade textbook is not advanced enough for what the MS students are doing--and kids are reading the lab books which are "real text."

DP. Fwiw, DC is a rising 8th grader so I can only speak to 7th grade science. It's a lab based class that uses the lab notebook - but the teacher was checked out and he didn't learn much.

I'm the PP in a STEM profession and I was really impressed by the quality and level of what my 8th grade DC was doing in FCPS science honors (at Robinson). The level of Chemistry is what I would expect from a high school chemistry class (though obviously it was only a portion of the course and didn't cover the entire curriculum) and I appreciated the integrated approach they took to the sciences. I also appreciated the amount of labwork done and that these labs involved thinking and observation--not just canned activities. Overall it is such an improvement on ES science. I absolutely resist these notions that students would somehow be served better by following along a textbook. Sure, grab a textbook if you have very little science background and need a refresher--but these textbooks are written to suit the nation's standards, not a particular district--regardless of all the complaints lately, FCPS (and many other UMC/highly educated areas) need to go far beyond what a textbook publisher is going to write to serve the nation's 8th graders which include a wide variety of levels and backgrounds. Plus to be honest, whenever I have looked at any, they are so generic to often be meaningless, contain some outdated conceptions. You are honestly better off reading Wikipedia on any topic in them.