Apr 9, 2013

TOS Review: Supercharged Science

Supercharged Science

I've had the privilege of reviewing SuperCharged Science for the past month or so.  I reviewed the k-8 program.  When we found out we would be reviewing the e-Science program from Supercharged Science, Princess Belle was really excited.  She loves all things science so this was really up her alley. 

Supercharged Science is a company started by Aurora Lipper, a mother, NASA rocket scientist, pilot, university professor and enthusiastic teacher. When teaching at Cal Poly, she realized that her incoming students did not have a solid science background, and worse, had no passion or excitement for science. Her love of, and passion for, science led her to create a program designed to get kids excited about science. Her e-Science program is a complete online science program for grades K-8.

For review purposes, I was given access to all the Study Units available in the e-Science program. Study Units contain overview videos, text to read, and many experiments for the child to complete. The idea behind e-Science is to get the child’s interest first, so you’re encouraged to start with the demonstrations and experience to hook the child and get them interested, and then dig deeper into the subject matter.  If you have questions, you can call or email for help and they’ll get right back to you.

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Vendor Information
Vendor: SuperCharged Science.
Program: e-science
Cost: $37.00/ month for the K-8 section and $57.00/month for the 9-12 section.
What it contains:
  • Access to self-guided lessons
  • Detailed video instruction taught by a real Rocket Scientist
  • Step by step videos to show how the experiment is to be done
  • Comprehensive parent/teacher guides
  • Textbook readings
  • Exceeds most K-8th State Standards
  • Exercises and Quizzes
  • Unlimited support for teachers and students 
Nine steps the e-Science program provides in their detailed lesson plans:
  1. Unit Description: This answers the “What is it?” and “Why should I care?”
  2. Outcomes/Goals: What do you want the students to learn?
  3. Objectives/Highlights: Detail the key concept and topic into chunks.
  4. Introduction: How will you present the topic to the students?
  5. Development: This stirs up interest and gets students motivated to learn.
  6. Practice: Bringing the key concept to life.
  7. Further Study: Answering questions and gaining momentum.
  8. Evaluation: How well did you teach and how well did they learn the material?
  9. Closure: Before moving on, celebrate your success!
(Note: The e-Science program does not cover creation nor evolution so all families may participate. The focus of the program is on how to launch the rocket, build the robot, use a microscope, take measurements and data, etc.) YAY!

SuperchargedScience
All units currently available from Supercharged Science
 
We had a lot of fun with this.  We didn't actually complete any one unit completely but we did go in and enjoy quite a few of them.   When we were ready, we would go to the site, check out the listings and then make a choice.  The lessons are designed to work with how your child learns best, which is perfect for Princess Belle.   Sometimes we read the facts before we did an experiment and sometimes we just did the experiment and learned some facts and at other times the lad just wanted to DO stuff and figure out the whys as he went.    This aspect of the program is probably what I like best.    It's not a "you have to do this step in order to go to that step"  you can go back and forth in whatever way suits you best. 
 
I really like this program.  Belle had so much fun with it and I love any program that gets her excited and involved with learning.  My biggest goal in her education is to instill a love of learning new things and this program really fosters that goal.
 
You don’t have to take my word for how cool this program is! Supercharged Science has been kind enough to offer my readers a chance to see the program in action before you buy. Check out this complete mini-program with activities and projects from the e-Science program.
Many people have touched on different aspect of this program, so please, go check them out by either clicking here or clicking on the image below
Photobucket
 
 
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