The study of weather, rocks and minerals, matter, elements and compounds, gravity, and the solar system are all typical components of an eighth-grade science curriculum. As in language arts and math, many school districts offer similar course work on various ability levels. Others, however, use eighth-grade science to begin separate courses of study for college-bound versus vocationally oriented students.
Whatever their assigned titles, middle school and junior high science classes are pretty evenly divided in terms of visual and auditory stimuli. Course work includes a great deal of reading and note-taking, as well as the memorization of complex vocabulary, the absorption of lecture and film material, and the utilization of lab equipment. Obviously, the
eighth grader with a bit of science background will be more interested in and more adept at science assignments and experiments. Here are some suggestions for improving your child's science knowledge and ability.
TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE SCIENCE SKILLS
■ Surprise your teen with well-illustrated, easy-to-read books on any science topic in which he shows interest. Ecology, astronomy, and oceanography are a few possibilities.
■ Dale Seymour Publications offers colorful and informative science posters (through catalogue only) that work as well as room decor as they do as science resources.
■ At gift-giving time, choose a science game like Aristoplay's Pollution/Solution: The Game of Environmental Impact (through catalogue only). This particular game requires each player to battle pollution in his or her section of a township.
■ Invest in a backyard telescope to stimulate the entire family's interest in the solar system.
■ Make it a point to include a bit of eighth-grade science in family trips. Work in a visit to a cavern, a quarry, a recycling facility, or a planetarium.
■ If you live near a zoo, find out if it offers a weekend or summer program that trains teens to work with animals.
■ Encourage your teen to make his own sketches of science terms and experiments. Besides making his science notebook more visually appealing, this habit will help develop your child's skills of observation.
■ Offer to help your child study for tests. As you quiz him on various topics, call the Listener's attention to his "inner voice" and the Looker's attention to his "mind's eye."
■ Only a very motivated teen will tackle National Geographic or other adult science magazines. However, there are several children's maga-
zines with enough pizzazz to both enlighten and hold the attention of the average thirteen-year-old. 3-2-1 Contact , Ranger Rick , and National Geographic World are three good examples.
■ Encourage your teen's interest in nature by giving him hiking gear, the materials needed to start a vegetable garden, or the components of another science-oriented activity.
■ Be on the lookout for PBS television specials on topics that might interest your teen—tornadoes, for example, or archaeological digs. A thirteen-year-old may not be too eager to watch such shows during prime time, but your creation of a tailor-made videotape will help fill those rainy weekends.