Science and Math Mondays

Are you interested in joining a small group of other teens on Mondays for semi-private tutoring, small group projects and field trips designed to meet your math and science needs? All activities and instruction will be planned according to individual student needs




The students this is aimed at have already taken most of my science lab classes through the Homeschool Fridays program at McHenry County College or through other, similar, programs and have basic science lab techniques down. This program is a way for them to have time to hone their techniques and skills before college even though they already have the basics down.




Days will usually be from 10:00 to 4:00. On days when the weather is good we will take a few hours and head out to do field work at Volo Bog, Glacial Park, Moraine Hills State Park or any one of the other amazing natural areas in the Chain O'Lakes area. On days when the weather is poor we will stay in and work on individual or small group projects, vocabulary, and math skills (Algebra with fractions and Geometry are currently planned).




We will also have a field trip approximately once a month and it can be assumed that the hours of those days will be longer than on other Mondays. As each trip is planned an announcement of the dates and times will be made and individual students can then decide if that trip is something they want to participate in. Student input into the field trips will be highly encouraged.




Students are asked to commit to an entire season (fall, winter, spring). Students that complete three full seasons (one year) will be given a certificate indicating 1 full credit of high school science and 1 full credit of high school math completed in McHenry County, IL. The exact course names of the credits will be determined by the student because the exact topic and level of study is determined by the student.




Homework will be assigned. Homework will vary from student to student and will be based on their projects and goals.




Cost: $30 a week plus any additional costs for supplies or field trip expenses Supplies will vary from student to student and might include anything from bacteria cultures to advanced dissection specimens and can be split whenever two or more students want to do a group project. Field trip expenses might include train fare downtown or museum admission where I am unable to gain us free entry. (Note: I am very frugal and do promise to keep all additional expenses as low as I can! As many of you know, I already own a lot of science equipment!) All additional project costs will be cleared with the parent first!




If interested, please contact me directly and we will set up a time to get together and discuss your needs and goals.

Science for grades 4-8

We will spend the year using a multidisciplinary spine which includes activities and topics in science, history, math, and language arts: Joy Hakim's The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way. This text covers scientific discoveries, knowledge, and processes from the beginning of the Universe to the mid 1500s and offers our group the chance to blend science with the rest of their history based curriculum. (There are four subsequent texts in the series each covering a specific time frame.)





Each family can decide how much they want to use, or not use, the chosen text. There are 30 chapters in the text and each week we will cover one chapter so that we can complete the entire text by the end of May. Students do not need to read the text in order to participate, but the class projects and discussions will be based on the chapter. It is recommended that each family purchase a copy.





When/Where: Classes will be on Wednesday afternoons in Cary from 1:00-2:15 beginning Sept. 16th, 2009.





Cost: The cost of the entire year (30 class dates) will be $300. This averages out to be $10 a week. The cost will be payable in three installments – the first at registration, the second on Nov. 11th, and the third on February 10th, 2010. If you need to make special payment arrangements (such as paying by credit card or making smaller, but more frequent payments) please contact Kathy Wentz directly.




If interested: Email me loriannestanger@comcast.net your child(ren)'s name, age and your contact information.





To register: Mail a check to Lori Anne Stanger at 267 Deerpath Road, Algonquin 60102. Make check payable to Kathy Wentz for the $100 first installment.

High School Biology in Cary

This High School level Biology course will focus on discussion and related laboratory exercises during our class time. The class will cover cellular forms and functions including cellular reproduction and genetics, the diversity of life including protists, fungi, plants and animals, plant and animal anatomy, human anatomy and physiology, and ecological systems and how they affect life - including population dynamics. Care will be taken throughout to discuss current biological theories and methods from a Christian perspective.





Required Textbook: The spine/text we will use is Biology:Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece, 5th edition. (The 6th edition did not significantly update the text, only the available online materials.) As every textbook is at least 10 years behind current science Mrs. Wentz will encourage the reading of certain science magazines articles and other additional materials as needed to supplement.





Equipment: Students are encouraged to provide their own microscope if possible. Mrs. Wentz owns several, but it is far preferable to have only two students on a microscope and we will be doing extensive microscope work. Mrs. Wentz recommends a scope with at least 600X DIN objectives and electrical illumination. (We will not be doing a lot of bacteriological studies so do not need 1000X/oil immersion lenses at this time, however, these can be added later on most quality microscopes.)





Prerequisites: Students must have had both and understood both basic Physics and Chemistry already (as either a junior high or high school student), must be able to read and understand a high school level text, must be willing to commit to several hours of homework each week, and must be able to work cooperatively and safely in a lab situation with other students.





Cost: The cost of the entire year (30 class dates) will be $375 plus the cost of dissection specimens in the spring. (Mrs. Wentz is very frugal, she works hard to keep expenses down, but decent specimens simply cost more). This averages out to be $12.50 a week. The cost will be payable in three installments – the first at registration, the second on Nov. 11th, and the third on February 10th, 2010. If you need to make special payment arrangements (such as paying by credit card or making smaller, but more frequent payments) please contact Kathy Wentz directly.





Certificate: Students who successfully complete the entire year will receive a certificate indicating that they have earned one high school credit in a laboratory science at this McHenry County High School program. Grades will be given for those families who want grades. Grades will not be given for families who do not want a grade.






To register: Mail your check, made payable to Kathy Wentz, to Lori Anne Stanger at 267 Deerpath Rd., Algonquin 60102.