Discovering Design with Earth Science Set

This laboratory-based earth science course can be used for either eighth or ninth grade.  Most homeschooled students should be ready for it in eighth grade, but privately- and publicly-schooled students will be more comfortable with it in ninth grade. 

Topics covered:

• general properties of the earth’s geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.   
• sections of the geosphere (such as core, mantle, crust, etc.) 
  • minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle 
  • plate tectonics
  • seismic waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes 
  • fossils and how both uniformitarians and catastrophists interpret those fossils as well as the sedimentary rocks in which they are found.  A discussion that compares uniformitarianism and catastrophism follows, in which the strengths and weaknesses of each view are covered.
• hydrosphere
  • properties of water, hydrologic cycle 
  • waves, currents, and tides in the ocean 
  • ice reservoirs and freshwater reservoirs
• atmosphere
  • composition of air,
  • sections of the atmosphere,
  • temperature gradients
  • pollutants 
• weather 
• space – one chapter on the solar system and one chapter covers the universe as a whole.

There are roughly 55 hours of laboratory instruction in the course. We have two options available to assist your student through these labs:

• Lab Kit by Cornerstone Educational Supply
• Lab Kit by Home Science Tools.

This set consist of both the textbook and one solutions and tests booklet.

Also available: 

• Extra Tests 
• If you have an auditory learner, there is a companion audio book
• Bundle with a student workbook