English
Origin of Life Credit
(2008-2009)
In my Origin of Life Credit, I started out by working on the PBS Evolution course, which was a great course and taught me about the evolution of life on this planet, how we have evolved to become thinking creatures (most of the time!), and why evolution in important. I also studied worms in the Worms Eat My Garbage course, which taught me about the habitats, biology and habits of worms. At first, I did this with a group of other students, but eventually I finished it on my own. In between these two, I studied Botany at the Pequest Hatchery and learned about flowers in fields and forests. I also attended the bird classes at Pequest, run by Liz Jackson, and created an interactice display about the evolution of birds.

Here are some highlights from my Origin of Life Credit! 

Physics and Lab Credit
(2008-2010)

In my Physics and Lab Credit, I worked with my friends in my dad's Physics classes and learned many new and fascinating facts about the main branches of physical science. We also worked on thought problems and experiments where we could see the ideas we had been studying in action. I used the books How Science Works and The Joy of Physics for further comprehension, and worked on the experiments in them with my partners. We also worked with the Physics Quest kits in the spring months. My favorite part of this course by far was our discussion of quantum theory, because it was fascinating and required me to think outside of the box. 

Here are some highlights from my Physics and Lab Credit! 

Human Biology and Lab Credit
(2009-2011)
In my Human Biology and Lab Credit, I worked with my mother on the Teaching Company's Human Anatomy and Biology Program. This program has taken me on a fantastic journey through the human body, touching lightly on all areas, and going into detail on a few. I have learned about the digestive system, the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system and many more. I also went to the Bodyworlds 2 exhibit, which was fascinating but made me feel a bit queasy at the same time, and dissected a deer heart as part of the course. I worked on the Understanding the Brain course, also published by the Teaching Company, and it taught me a lot about how our minds function. We watched Cracking the Code by PBS to help me understand DNA and how it works in our bodies. Lastly, I studied DNA using the Cell Division and Genetics lessons from Serendip.
My Mentor Karen Cook's Evaluation of My Work

Mr. Wooldridge has just completed his online course on Biology. During this time I have had the pleasure of following the course content and his completed assignments. I continue to be very impressed by the quality of content and his thoroughness in exploring the course concepts. I have enjoyed Mr. Wooldridge sharing with me his focused field trips, such as in exploration of the “Bodyworlds 2” exhibit on human anatomy.

I also particularly enjoyed the genetics’ portion of “Making your own Dragon”.

As a Nurse Practitioner I found the content a good review!

I assess his performance as an A, or a 10 on the evaluation scale.

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at my home at (908) 637-8613.

Sincerely,

Karen Cook. RN.APN-BC



Here are some highlights from my Human Biology and Lab Credit!

Environmental Science Credit
(2011)
I started out by attending our Energy class where I worked with other homeschoolers to learn about energy, energy use and how we are overusing energy. We went on several different field trips, including one to the Martin's Creek oil and gas power plant; one to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant; one to the Lakawanna coal mine and the rivers around it, to see the effects of coal pollution; and one to the Lake Wallenpaupack hydro-power plant, using the funds that PPL gave us for the project. We attended classes and lectures by various individuals, including Andy Drysdale, a local historian, and Mike Dennis, an expert on Native American tools and society, to learn how our energy use has changed from the past. We also worked with the local watershed ambassador, Chris Trainor, to learn about our watershed. I worked with Rachel Wienrich, a video editor, and other students to produce our Journey of Energy movie. I created an energy detective kit and produced an energy audit for my home, one of my objectives for this credit. We also attended the Rutgers Teen Climate Change Summit, where we learned about climate change and presented our Journey of Energy movie in front of other groups and a panel of judges. I watched several movies on energy use and pollution, including Gasland and Fuel. Lastly, we presented our project at various events, gave out free Energy Star Compact Florescent light bulbs and I attended many environmental workshops at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association summer conference.
My Mentor Alana Robert's Evaluation of my Work

Here are some highlights from my Environmental Science Credit!