Science Dilemma

[Tiffini]

You gals always have so many good ideas - so I thought I would run this by you and ask for some advice. I think I have messed up my oldest daughter's science path and I need to fix it. Here is what it looks right now:

9th grade - Rev2Rev Science package with lab kit - Physical Science credit (in my state, this is not counted as a Science credit, but as an elective)

10th grade - I started out using the IPC course and then decided mid-way through to cut out the rest of the Physical science workbooks and just finish all of the Chemistry workbooks and added in Chemistry 101 DVDs with quizzes so that I could count this as a Chemistry year. She also did almost all of the Labs that come with this year, but eliminated a few of the Physical labs and concentrated more on the Chemistry labs. My thought was this would be a Chemistry credit. I'm wishing now that I would have just stuck with it as written and done a full-blown Chemistry her senior year.

11th grade (coming up now) - I will be doing the Biology as written in the WH guide.

12th grade - ??? She does not want to do a full-blown Physics.

So, my dilemma is this:
She is not science-minded and will not be pursuing a career in a STEM major. So, as it stands, she will have just Biology and Chemistry credits. However, I'm not totally confident that this past year should count as Chemistry credit without adding anything else to it. I'm wondering if I need to do more her senior year in the way of Chemistry. Is just the IPC chem workbooks plus Chemistry 101 DVDs and the labs from the kit enough? Should I put together a Physics course for her senior year and could I do that by finishing up the IPC workbooks that she didn't do yet and adding Physics 101 DVDs to that along with some labs? I know that's not enough.

In our state, 3 years of science are required. I just feel like I've messed her up by switching things around this past year. I need some clarity as to the future for her senior year and about counting Chemistry credit for this past year.

If you have any advice, I'd like to hear it. Thanks!

[LynnH]

Tiffini here are my thoughts for what they are worth. I think what you did for Chemistry will work fine for a non-STEM major. Considering that people count the IPC chemistry as a credit even without the lab, you added the lab and the Chemistry 101 DVDs. You don't have to do Physics her senior year if there is something like Earth Science she would like more. If you do do Physics I do think you could have her do the Physics books, some physics labs and some of the extras the Physics 101 DVD's recommend. If you don't want to do that then I would do something less rigorous like Hewitt's Conceptual Physics.

[MelInKansas]

When I was in high school I took 2 years of Biology in high school. So, could she do another Chemistry or Biology? Maybe this would be too "hard" if she's not really into science, but if she liked either of those, that would definitely count for her 3 years of science for graduation and college entrance. Maybe even Biology 101 credit in college?

I am all about the different path. I think I just took Chemistry and 2 years of Biology in H.S. (got credit for Biology 101 for college this way) and then 2 Physics and an upper-level Biology in college (I was in a STEM major and got off pretty easy this way IMO, I did not want to take college Chemistry).

[Tiffini]

Thanks for these ideas. It helps to hear some reassurance from others that what we are doing is okay and will work out. And also others' experiences who have taken the road less traveled. I like the idea of doing Biology 101 for college credit. Out of all the sciences, Biology is definitely the most interesting to her. We'll see how she feels about that idea after doing Biology this year. Thanks!

[MelInKansas]

Of course I have not researched current requirements in your state so you would want to do that before taking that route. H.S. graduation requirements, etc. This was back in the 90s...