Resources for Parents of College-Bound Students Challenges for the college-bound student

 

 

SCIENCE ONLINE & INTERACTIVE

Science Intensives

For late middle-school-level & early high-school-level students

The earth from space.Our online science intensives are eight weeks long, and each delivers in-depth, focused study of a particular topic in science. Over the next year instructor Diane Speed will deliver the following intensives:

  • Botany: March 26 – May 24, 2024
  • Ecology: September 25 – November 22, 2024
  • Genetics: January 15 – March 14, 2025

 


EcologyBotany (Spring 2024)

March 26 – May 24, 2024

This course will provide in-depth information and labs on topics foundational to understanding botany — among them:

  • Plant groups: nonvascular (mosses), vascular seedless (ferns), vascular seed-bearing — gymnosperms vs. angiosperms;
  • Monocots vs. dicots;
  • Plant cells & special structures of plant cells — central vacuole, chloroplasts, cell wall;
  • Stems & roots;
  • Labs in "Botany"

    Labs will be used to explore ways the issues listed above left overlap and interrelate. Among our labs:

    • Observing roots & root hairs;
    • Importance of light in photosynthesis;
    • Measuring transpiration;
    • Flower dissection;
    • Fruit dissection.
  • Movement of materials — xylem & phloem, transpiration;
  • Leaf structure — cuticle, stoma, mesophyll, petioles;
  • Photosynthesis & visible light;
  • Structure of chloroplasts;
  • Plant reproduction;
  • Alternation of generations;
  • Reproductive anatomy — pollen, ovary;

RESEARCH REPORT
Students produce a research report based on either a great mind or a great discovery in the history of science. All students present their results to the class.

MATERIALS
Your student will need:

  • Biology, 10th edition, by Neil Campbell & Jane Reece
    ISBN-10: 0321775651 | ISBN-13: 978-0064603027;
  • The Biology Coloring Book — Robert Griffen & Cinthea Vadala, First edition
    ISBN-10: 0064603075 | ISBN-13: 978-0064603072;
  • Ecologya three-ring binder — with loose leaf paper and section dividers.

HOMEWORK & TESTING

  • Students will be expected to complete approximately 2 – 3 hours of homework each week. Homework consists of reading, annotating text, watching videos, completing worksheets and labs, and studying.
  • A final test is provided to parents to administer at home as they wish — e.g., open-book, closed-book, as a learning tool, as a grade generator, or some combination of these.

Instructor:
Diane Speed
Fee:  $ 295.

Two classes per week:
Tuesdays & Fridays
12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
(total of 16 sessions)

To register a student
for
Botany, click here:
Register for Ecology

 

 


EcologyEcology (Fall 2024)

September 25 – November 22, 2024

This course will provide in-depth information and labs on topics foundational to understanding ecology — among them:

  • Populations
  • The Food Chain
  • Biomes
  • Labs in "Ecology"

    Labs will be used to explore ways the above issues overlap and interrelate. Among our labs:

    • Case study: Wolves in Yellowstone
    • Simulation: Animal behavior
    • Observing decomposition
    • Simulation: Forest succession
    • Life or Death Food Chain Decisions
  • Chemical Cycles: Water, Carbon, & Nitrogen Cycles
  • Humans and the Biosphere

RESEARCH REPORT
Students produce a research report on a biome or ecosystem. All students present their reports to the class.

MATERIALS
Your student will need:

  • our textbook — a free download, using a link the instructor will provide;
  • The Biology Coloring Book — Robert Griffen & Cinthea Vadala, First edition
    ISBN-10: 0064603075 | ISBN-13: 978-0064603072;
  • The Nitrogen Cyclea three-ring binder — with loose leaf paper and section dividers.

HOMEWORK & TESTING

  • Students will be expected to complete approximately 2 – 3 hours of homework each week. Homework consists of reading, annotating text, watching videos, completing worksheets and labs, and studying.
  • A final test is provided to parents to administer at home as they wish — e.g., open-book, closed-book, as a learning tool, as a grade generator, or some combination of these.

Instructor:
Diane Speed
Fee:  $ 295.

Two classes per week:
Wednesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
Fridays, 1:30 – 2:30 pm EST
(total of 16 sessions)

To register a student
for
Ecology, click here:
Register for Ecology

 

 


EcologyGenetics (Winter 2025)

January 15 – March 14, 2025

This course will provide in-depth information and labs on topics foundational to understanding genetics — among them:

  • Chromosomes & nucleic acids
  • Central dogma
  • Mitosis & meiosis
  • Labs in "Genetics"

    Labs will be used to explore ways the issues listed above left overlap and interrelate. Among our labs:

    • Extraction of DNA from bananas
    • Simulations: 1) Mitosis; 2) Meiosis
    • Simulation: Mendel's Pea lab experiment
    • Punnett square analysis
    • Analysis of the Romanovs by using DNA to identify human remains
  • Genes
  • Homologous chromosomes
  • Dominant vs. recessive
  • Homozygous vs heterozygous
  • Genotypes vs. phenotypes
  • Incomplete dominance & co-dominance
  • Polygenetic traits & linked genes
  • Genetic disorders
  • Effect of environment on gene expression

RESEARCH REPORT
Students produce a research report on a topic of their choosing in genetic engineering or bioengineering. — Examples: Using bacteria to produce insulin; insects genetically modified to combat disease; genetically modified foods; designer babies; reanimating extinct species; 3-D printing of biological matrix; and other. All students present their reports to the class.

MATERIALS
Your student will need:

  • Biology, 10th edition, by Neil Campbell & Jane Reece
    ISBN-10: 0321775651 | ISBN-13: 978-0321775658;
  • The Biology Coloring Book — Robert Griffen & Cinthea Vadala, First edition
    ISBN-10: 0064603075 | ISBN-13: 978-0064603072;
  • Ecologya three-ring binder — with loose leaf paper and section dividers.

HOMEWORK & TESTING

  • Students will be expected to complete approximately 2 – 3 hours of homework each week. Homework consists of reading, annotating text, watching videos, completing worksheets and labs, and studying.
  • A final test is provided to parents to administer at home as they wish — e.g., open-book, closed-book, as a learning tool, as a grade generator, or some combination of these.

Instructor:
Diane Speed
Fee:  $ 295.

Two classes per week:
Wednesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
Fridays, 1:30 – 2:30 pm EST
(total of 16 sessions)

To register a student
for
Genetics, click here:
Register for Ecology

 

 

 

Our approach to ...

Science

Each of our intensives includes labs, lecture, and discussion. Students also write research reports and present their findings to the class.

For your homeschooling, our science intensives will prove versatile: you may use them as standalone enhancements to your at-home curriculum, or you may combine them to create a robust year-long course with labwork.

What's more, our science intensives aim high: they employ high-quality texts, university websites & resources, AP-level labs, and in-depth exploration of the topics we address. What's more, our intensives are taught by subject-matter experts who are passionate about their disciplines.

At the same time, we address the needs of two quite different kinds of students:

  • those new to the formal study of science;
  • those who have already studied science deeply for years.

Students with more science acumen, accordingly, can learn deeply, while students new to the discipline learn comprehensively.

A more detailed look at our methods:

  • All courses are taught through class lectures, readings, video, images, animations, in-class note-taking sheets, worksheets, and beautiful printed materials.
  • Students are assigned in-depth research projects to deepen their understanding of not just science, but the history of science and the development of scientific knowledge. All students are required to present their findings to the class.

[This instructor] runs a fantastic biology class. Her enthusiasm is readily passed on. The material can be challenging, but she takes the time to explain things in a way that the student understands, even on her own time before or after class. She uses a wide variety of printed materials, videos, PowerPoint slides—all together they paint a clear picture that really facilitates learning. I have found that my 13-year-old son had not just memorized the material but actually understood it. For instance, when he came across unfamiliar questions on a practice test, he was able to reason his way with confidence to the correct answers.

—Mom of 13-year-old son, homeschooler

 

  Copyright © 2015 - 2023 Diane and Roy Speed. All rights reserved.

Email us at info@hscollegebound.com