Installation Guide
4 INTRODUCTION
TEACHING
METHOD
CORRESPONDING NOEO SCIENCE
CURRICULUM QUALITIES
Classical
• Emphasizes vocabulary development, especially in the younger years.
• Develops critical thinking skills and logic through the use of the
scientic method.
• Incorporates the classical stages of learning, i.e., the Trivium
(grammar, logic, and rhetoric).
Charlotte
Mason
• Provides the best books available (including “living books”).
• Utilizes a child’s natural curiosity to acquire knowledge. “Studies
serve for delight”.
• Uses narration and notebooks rather than worksheets, tests, or
repetitive drills to evaluate learning.
We think it is important to learn science from a variety of sources, using a variety
of teaching techniques. Our curriculum does not use the traditional, single textbook
approach to science education. We think variety will encourage more interest in sci-
ence, particularly with younger students. All of the books are carefully selected to
allow children to discover the beauty, complexity, orderliness, and wonder of God’s
design. While some written work is expected, many hands-on activities are includ-
ed within the bright, colorful, and well-written books. Living book biographies of
many important scientists are included to provide a practical perspective.
Occasionally, a book may introduce a particularly secular viewpoint. We view these
times as an opportunity for discussions and encourage you not to skip over or “cover
up” this information. We do not provide “canned” answers for these discussions, but
encourage instructors to study the issues for themselves and to pray for guidance and
understanding in providing answers to each student’s unique questions.
Just as creation is orderly and well organized, we think a good science curriculum
should follow an orderly design. Each year of the curriculum will focus on biolo-
gy, chemistry, or physics. Each of these three foundational sciences is studied inde-
pendently for an entire year rather than jumping randomly from one subject to an-
other without reason. The study of biology, chemistry, and physics is then repeated
at a higher level and in more detail upon the completion of each three-year course of
study (e.g. biology in 1st and 4th grade, chemistry in 2nd and 5th grade, etc.). Subjects
that overlap multiple science disciplines, such as geology, weather, and astronomy,