Customer Reviews

The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This curriculum takes students from 400 B.C. through the year 2000 by studying the lives, culture and work of famous scientists including Pythagoras, Archimedes, Aristotle, Newton, and Einstein. As the students progress through the series, they create a timeline of historical events and famous people related to their studies. The students create the timeline pieces from their own drawings and graphs.

Each lesson starts out with a lesson summary, a famous quote, goals (what the students will learn), a list of people that will be studied, terms and topics that will be studied, and timeline information. The lesson summary is an excellent explanation of what the students will learn and, unless you are well versed in the subject matter, essential to understanding the material.

This is NOT a self-teaching course. You will need the teachers' and students' guides to use this curriculum. The teachers' guides explain how to use the books and student guides. They provide a supply list, transparency masters, handouts, and quizzes. Suggestions for science fair projects are included in the teachers' guides, as well as enrichment activities that cover other topics (math, history, geography, language arts, drama, art and music).

The student guide includes fill-in charts, short answer, essay questions, and some diagrams. This is not an easy multiple choice/true false curriculum! Most students will be challenged because of the reasoning, lab activities and assessment methods used in the curriculum. For instance, in Aristotle Leads the Way, students have to compare the cosmology of Pythagoras and Aristotle. In Newton at the Center, students must identify which Law of Motion a particular scenario represents.

The lessons are directed to classroom learning and include a lot of group activities; however, they are easily adapted to a homeschool situation. Most of the supplies needed for the labs are obtainable locally; however, you will need to purchase some basic lab supplies such as bar magnets, spring scales, thermometers, and graduated cylinders that can be purchased online.

This is a secular curriculum. It treats all religions the same and in a literary and historical context. Christian homeschoolers may be offended by statements made in the text that creation stories, including those in the Bible, are considered a myth, as well as by the use of Common Era (B.C.E. and C.E.), rather than B.C. and A.D. The explanation for the usage of Common Era is covered in the beginning of each of the first two books. Christians may want to add supplemental material that explains an alternative viewpoint.

Homeschool parents who want to give their children a challenging, classical, science education; who enjoy a historical approach to teaching science; and who are preparing their children for mathematical and scientific careers will benefit most from this series. I would not recommend it for students with learning difficulties, students who need only a general education in science, or students who have trouble staying on topic. The layout of the books is similar to the Usborne books with lots of sidebars, photos with captions, and graphs interwoven throughout the text. For some students, this type of layout makes it difficult for them to focus. However, students who enjoy lots of pictures, charts, graphs, and sidebars will love it.

If I were still homeschooling, I would enjoy using this curriculum to give my children a historical background on the evolution of scientific thought, introduce them to the scientists and their contributions to science today, and challenge my children's reasoning skills.

When I began the homeschooling journey, I kept hearing about this wonderful set of United States history books by Joy Hakim. I know a lot of homeschoolers are very religious, and I really wanted secular, scientific educational materials. I was intrigued by the historical knowlege of these kids though, so I kept an open mind. I am so glad that I did.

That series is called The History of US. I found a cheap copy of the first book at a book sale, and thought I'd check it out. I was amazed at Joy Hakim's gift at story telling and approach to history. I found myself learning more than I EVER learned in school, OR in colllege US history for that matter. WOW. Not only was I learning and remembering it, I was loving it!

So it is no doubt that I RAN to the bookstore to order a copy of THIS new series, The Story of Science. I tore into it with the same enthusiasm that I have for new Harry Potter books, and new Anne Rice books- books I LOVE to read. That's the key to the big draw - Joy Hakim's writing is wonderfully entertaining.

Indeed, she has done it again! Older children and adults alike that love science will enjoy her unique approach to the material. The books have lavish illustrations and full cover photographs and graphics. She's included beautiful pictures by the great masters of art as well, recognizing that artists contributed much to science as we know it today.

This series is a journey through the history of man's thinking about science. Along the way, there's plenty of science to be learned, even for someone with a science degree, as well as mathmatical concepts and applications, all set against a backdrop of world history, and sprinkled with sparkling humor, which is a vital ingredient in making learning fun. There are some suggestions for experiements in the book as well, but they are there for for interest and enrichment.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that these books are textbooks; these books are treasures. I am pleased that I bought the hardcover editions and look forward to the other 3 volumes that are out. She plans 6 of the books in total for the series. These will be books that are read and re-read.

Joy Hakim has done it again! She has written a world history book through scientific discovery in a readable attractive form that makes this information available to everyone. I picked my copy up yesterday and can bearly put it down. And to think there are 5 more in this series to come, as a librarian I am shivering with excitement.

Eileen Vernon, Librarian
Virginia Beach Friends School (PreK-12)

Length:: 5:29 Mins

Hi, this is Joanne, a bioengineering instructor at the University of Illinois. I read science books and review them. See more at my youtube site http://www.youtube.com/user/joannelovesscience

If my brain is tired from reading all those high level science journals, I take a break and read about science in a fun, lighthearted but still informative way with Joy Hakim's The Story of Science Series. Great for educators and homeschoolers, too! Covers the basics of physical sciences thoroughly but at a middle to high school level.

This is a book I would have loved to read when I was 12 years old. The author's purpose is extremely ambitious: nothing less than to tell whole story of science in just three volumes of less than 300 pages each. And, amazingly, she succeeds! As a matter of fact, I had the chance to read only the first volume, but it was enough to have a good idea of the whole set. The language is clear and incisive, almost colloquial, which should appeal to youngsters. There are lots of illustrations, lively and informative. A great work, not doubt, that I recommend to readers of all ages!

I enjoyed Hakim's Story of Us, so naturally i was looking forward to getting my hands on this series. I have enjoyed reading this book. I love how she shares what the different cultures beliefs were regarding different areas of science, and of course with time some of their ideas were proven wrong. I really learned through this book to appreciate Science for what it is . . . . a way of thinking, questioning, and testing. Its trying to understand ideas and concepts bigger than oneself. I've enjoyed the sidenotes- yes it does mean you have to turn the pages back on occasion to read it all but it is great. It's kind of like reading a magazine in that respect, with more than one story on a page. You read one and go back to the other. This is an interesting approach to science - learning the who, and why part of how. I recommend it highly.

I can't sing Hakim's praises enough - from her History of US series to the The Story of Science, all three volumes so far. I've been an avid science fan my whole life, but not a hard science major, and I gasped all the way through these books as I learned things I never knew, but thought I'd known, or finally understood things I'd known about but that had puzzled me. Get over the "distracting" sidebars - they didn't bother me at all and they were full of great stuff. I ate these books up and I was only reading them to preview for my homeschooler who hates math and is bored by science, but loves history. Joy Hakim has a wonderful ability to take a huge subject (all of US history, for instance, and the development and progress of scientific thought in this case) and make it manageable, new and a fun read. I have a new respect for Mathematics after reading this book. My daughter is discovering that science and math really are amazing and play a critical, pivotal role in the unfolding of human history.

As a teacher and curriculum writer, I have to say that this is just a superb book from many, many angles. Joy Hakim is warm, compassionate, and passionately interested in her subject, and in making it attractive and accessible not only to younger readers but to adults as well. I should really say "subject(s)" because she weaves history, mythology, science, math, philosophy and religion together in a way that was fascinating enough to keep this long-in-the-tooth reader fully engrossed throughout.

I was more than a little surprised to find that her overall rating here was only 4 stars--how could anyone rate it as less than 5? I read some of the less positive reviews, though, and was able to see their point.

One 3-star review complained of anti-Christian bias and actually had some reasonable points to consider, most of which would be of interest mainly to those of a more fundamentalist slant--but also as a fruitful source of legitimate discussion for those of us who are religious, but not necessarily Christian or fundamentalist. I do get very tired of adolescent PC material that comes dripping with antagonism towards any and all religious belief. Personally, though, I found Ms. Hakim's text remarkably even-handed on the issue of faith vs. religion, and felt that she succeeded admirably in making the point that one does not preclude the other.

Then I read a 1-star review asserting that her 6th-grader complained that the text was confusing and difficult to follow. Surprisingly, I could see that reviewer's point also: 6th grade is too young for this book, and even at 8th or 9th grade, it would be read far more fruitfully in the context of a supervised seminar where the teacher went to some pains to be sure students understood all of the terms, were able to follow all of the math that was covered, did any additional research necessary to get more reality on areas not fully assimilated, and got whatever assistance they needed to do the various hands-on experiments and demonstrations (of which there are many, glory be!). Though this text is a wonderful tool, it's only a text: it's the individual teacher who needs to create the value-added portion here.

All of that aside, I strongly recommend this book for any human from 13 to 103. (I'm about to buy her other two science texts.) If you're at all interested in life and ideas, it's hard to see how you could go wrong. At my school we also use Joy Hakim's History of US series, but I've never read them. Be sure that now I will!

I am going to college to major in science education, and i just read this book. It is a fantastic read, and i can't wait for more in the series to come out!!! It will challenge younger readers in understanding the basic mathematic principles that influenced science. Also, it provides a look into the history of the world. I would recommend the book for older readers, also, because it gives an enlightening refresher course in the basic principles of our scientific society!

I will organize my review into 4 parts: 1. What I was looking for, 2. The ideal audience for this book (just my opinion), 3. Strengths and weaknesses of this book, 4. Who could benefit by owning this book.

1. People of a certain age may remember the Time-Life series of science books. I especially loved the volumes devoted to physical science and math. Those books were written for kids in the upper grades but, in fact, the text was at an adult level. Even today, I enjoy actually reading them, not merely browsing, as the text is sophisticated enough to "pull me in". The photo essays were also magnificent: dramatic, human, entertaining and adult. I was looking for something like those, but of more recent vintage, when I came across "The Story of Science". Did I find it? No, not exactly. But I bought the book anyway. Read on.

2. This book is written for 5th-graders. Period. End of story. I will not negotiate that point. The evidence: words such as "ratio" and "circumnavigate" are defined for the reader. I clearly remember "ratio" being introduced in 5th grade. The other words which are defined are of similar level. Also, the book, while not thin, is built for small hands in terms of height and width. Finally, there is a general lack of sophisticated vocabulary and a peppering of the text with leading questions, meant to induce thinking. These are all hallmarks of a book written for children who are still rather small. The constant interruption of the narrative by questions would be annoying to an older child or adult. If your 7th-grader is still reading this book, you need to push her to move on; she will fall behind in reading skills. Trust me on this; I have taught alot of kids.

3. Weaknesses: None. This book is superb in every way.

Strengths: The text is well-written, lively, questioning, just like the topic it explores.

Words are defined, pronunciation is indicated.

There are numerous side-bars to explain even off-topic issues which have been briefly touched upon.

Example: the King James Bible is quoted at the beginning of chapter 1 (as are other mythological texts; this is not a narrow-minded book). Will a Junior High School student know who King James was? I hope so! An adult? Uh, if you have to ask.... But, normally, a 5th-grader will not. So, Ms. Hakim explains a bit about him in a side-bar. Very nice! It is this, "no stone left unturned" approach that makes this book so excellent.

The graphics are great to look at, informative, and add a delightful dimension. They are sophisticated enough to give this book an adult feel. Only the text, really, clues us in to the target audience.

4. Anyone can benefit by owning this book. I find the text too simple, and too frequently interrupted by simple-minded, kid-type questions, to be really engaging. It doesn't pull me in the way the Time-Life books still can. But, the text is certainly "browsable": read a bit, and then pore over the great, informative graphics and side-bars and, in general, just delight in the lively, colorful presentation of the material.

So, finally, I am still looking for those elusive updated versions of the Time-Life books. But, this book is great on its own level. Give it to a 10- or 11-year old and watch her take off! But, be wise. Unless your kid is remedial, snatch it away when they enter Junior High. Replace it with what? Well, you can always get the Time-Life books at an online auction. They will complete your child's science and literacy development to the intelligent High School level.