later read/pingout.
Many kids' text books (acutally most that I have seen, but I haven't seen many lately) are rife with leftist crap.
You bring up some facinating issues. I might hold off on doing anything until you see how class discussion is handled. Is the instructor interested in encouraging independent thinking, and free expression of varying opinions? Or is he trying to push his opinion on them.
Actually I found many of the questions thought provoking. Eighth grade is the last year of middle school then the kids are off to high school. By this time they should be critiquing their instructors and questioning things they are being taught. At 13 and 14 years old kids are questioning all kinds of things, including parental wisdom.
I think this could be a path to developing critical thinking and refining their own opinions. But I'd watch it carefully. It could be the teacher is full of bunk too.
How about this link?
"The third book reviewed and approved for use was "Global Science: Energy, Resources, Environment," 5th edition, by John W. Christensen, published by Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Flanakin of the TPPF approvingly noted that the book was prepared with the help of the industry organization American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. Also, according to the New York Times, the book was partly funded by the Mineral Information Institute, a nonprofit group whose board is almost entirely composed of top mining industry officials. In his statement to the board, Duggan said he felt it was the "finest and most readable textbook" he had ever reviewed."
"Adele Kimmel of TLPJ said that it "was not an accident" that the board "ultimately chose to adopt a book financed by the mining industry over one that emphasizes the importance of critical thinking."
Also this link is interesting.
"Of concern should be the low status, to the point of irrelevance, given to traditional values and religion in textbooks and curriculum resource materials. We can see this in the typical philosophical statements that undergird curricula. John W. Christensen's textbook Global Science is a good example of the type of STS material appearing more and more frequently in secondary schools. One of the things I like about Christensen's book is that the major organizing themes are explicitly stated. You do not have to "read between the lines" to discover his philosophical position, and so his book makes for a good example. Christensen's global science themes are:
1. Humans are partners with nature. 2. The world we live in is orderly and law abiding. 3. The earth and its resources are finite. 4. The goal of society should be to achieve the highest standard of living that is compatible with our environment.
Right, See Paris last month.
Not to alarm you, but if you think it's difficult now, wait until they get into high school. You have to keep up with everything they are learning and give them your perspective. Tell them what is garbage and make them understand why they are being taught this stuff. (liberal agenda) But, be very careful not to turn your kids off by criticizing, too harshly, their teachers. Kids want to know "why"...and they need to be intellectually savvy about their arguments. I go through this day in and day out with one of my kids. He's careful how he approaches a disagreement with a teacher, but sticks to his guns. The result is, the teachers love him, despite his conservative ways, believe it or not. All of his friends are from big liberal families and for his birthday they bought him a life size cutout of George Bush! Of course they don't agree with him, but they have honestly learned to respect him. (It doesn't hurt that he's the star nose guard on the football team and he's only a sophomore! I had to get that "brag" in!lol) It's all in the approach. My other son takes what my husband and I have taught him, and keeps it all inside, but he knows the deal. He's shy and non-confrontational, so he never argues with a teacher. And my college age daughter has her ways of dealing with liberal professors. It's hard, I know. The only alternative, if you don't want to drive yourself nuts, is to take them out and go back to homeschooling. But I say, just keep on top of everything, and pick your battles carefully, and keep driving home to your kids what YOU believe. They get it, they'll be fine..good luck! It's a full time job!
Yikes! Paging Dr. Goebbels, paging Dr. Goebbels
(This is undoubtedly why a lump of molten aluminum is more useful than a frying pan.)
The actual Second Law of Thermodynamics has its own website.
Wikipedia also has some useful discussion: "The most concise statement of the second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system tends to increase over time, approaching a maximum value."
If the author doesn't know this, he doesn't know science.
They're based in Golden, Colorado. Hmmm.
Chapter 1 offers a section called "The Principles and Values of Human Ecology," which replaces some downright objectionable material that appeared in the 1991 book. The 1991 Global Science had a list of "Fundamental Laws and Principles" that mixed scientific concepts -- such as the conservation of matter, the second law of thermodynamics, and so on -- with value statements such as "All humans are created with an equal right to live in dignity and peace..." In the 1996 book, the scientific concepts and the value statements have been segregated and have been placed under separate headings, so students will not be led to confuse science with political or spiritual doctrines. (I am amused to notice that some of the value statements that were used in the 1991 book have now been revised or deleted. Perhaps this shows that even "fundamental" values are far less durable than scientific findings.)
The laughably authoritarian tone is reassuring in a way. We all know what teenagers do with authority.
"and said that she was supposed to write why she agreed or disagreed with each statement."
It sounds to me like the school is trying to teach your child to think and learn ...instead of memorize.
Let her.
As in the Balkans?
BTTT
This is offensive to American ideals on its face . . . but to be secreted into a Science text?????
Here is a review of the textbook . Click on the URL.
http://www.textbookleague.org/113glob.htm
Unfortunately, this may be the norm.
Last Spring, I gave a guest lecture to an 8th grader science class on nuclear power.
When it was over, the teacher told me that he was disappointed that I didn't spend any time discussing the political implications of nuclear power.
Fortunately, the kids were very interested in the radioactivity survey meter that I brought in and didn't care about the politics.
Absolute rubbish. I'm sure the folks who dreamed this up are the same ones who violently protest against any mention of the 10 Commandments.
Bumper sticker cliches masquerading as deep thoughts. The Brontosaurus 'law' is a real knee slapper. Utterly devoid of science or logic.
It's a cold bowl of oatmeal 'cooked' by burnouts, collectivists, and other pseudointellectuals. Of course, the danger is the widespread distribution of this tripe and the fact that it's passed onto (even forced onto) the young.
Save for later reading.
Charter schools are run by different rules than the run of the mill public school system . The charter school probably has more leeway in what it offers as a curriculum .
In the public sector, textbooks and curriculm must be approved by the local BOE. (n a chater school the curriculum can be what the school wants .)
In New Jersey, charter school students are still responsible to take the state tests at the eighth grade level and they must pass .
Therefore the curriculum has the content needed to be conveyed to the student .
My wife and I have taught Science for 35 years ( each) I would not let THAT textbook cross my doorjamb .
Material that I taught at the sixth grade level ( we were departmentalized in General Science ) was equal to and many times much more advsanced than much of the material I was taught in college 101 classes in the 60's .
I would tell the class that when we touched on a controversial issue " there are two sides to every story"
The main reason my wife and I retired is the existance of the " toilet fish principle of education" , namely
s*** floats to the top !!
BTW Holt has a good solid science curriculum w/o too much bulls***.
Diva,
Wait till you read this one...
(Don't read it if you're in a good mood, though!)
TR
A sure sign this textbook was written by a scientific illiterate. Every schoolkid knows it's really the Apatosaurus principle