Dr. Rodriguez earned her Bachelors degree in Geology in Los Angeles, California. Following her graduation, she briefly taught as a substitute teacher, teaching K through 12 and special education classes. She then worked for private industry as a staff Geologist with an environmental consulting firm, where she headed groundwater monitoring. Dr. Rodriguez worked with local and state regulatory agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency on many projects. Later, she resumed her education by moving to Miami, Florida, to pursue a Ph.D. in Geology at Florida International University. Dr. Rodriguez completed her Ph.D. in 2006. That same year, she was offered a position as a Post Doctoral Research Scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York, where she worked for the next three years. Dr. Rodriguez studied and conducted research focused on the geology of the planet Mars.

Dr. Rodriguez is an Igneous Petrologist and Geochemist, who is passionate about volcanoes. Dr. Rodriguez travels to different volcanoes around the world as her favorite activity. She not only enjoys the geology offered by these fascinating structures, but also enjoys learning about the cultures that surround them. In addition to teaching at the grade school level, Dr. Rodriguez has been a College Professor, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. Dr. Rodriguez strongly encourages open communication with her students, and thoroughly enjoys teaching and interacting with her students.

Dr. Rodriguez will be teaching Level I Astronomy and a specialty class on volcanoes for all ages.

Dr. Rodriguez at Mt. Fuji

Dr. Wilson will be teaching Pre-Level I Biology and a specialty class on neuroscience.

In 1984, Dr. Calbreath and his family moved to Spokane, Washington, where he taught on the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Whitworth College (now Whitworth University). His course assignments ranged from classes for non-majors up to senior-level biochemistry. During that time he was the pre-medicine advisor for the college. His research interests were in the relationship between biochemistry and behavior and issues in mental illness, particularly depression. Other writing and teaching focused on questions in medical ethics. Dr. Calbreath retired as an emeritus associate professor of chemistry in 2006. He now enjoys writing science materials, traveling with his wife, playing traditional Southern music on his two guitars, and spending time with his two daughters and four grandchildren.

From our Mailbox

Dear Dr. C, Thank you so much helping me learn biology. You were such
a great teacher and you taught everything so well. I loved your class
so much. I also wanted to thank you for all the work and effort you
put into this class. it was great and i wanted thank you for being so
encouraging and thoughtful.
Thanks sooooo much, Hannah

Dr. C, Thank you for another wonderful semester.

Jarrett has really enjoyed your class, getting to know you and his classmates too. Will their be any summer classes and/or will you be teaching any other classes that he could take? Thanks so much for being so interested (in Jarrrett, his classmates, and science) and inspiring!

There will be a live class demo on August 1, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. MST. If you would like meet our teachers and get a feel for how an online class works, sign up below and we’ll get you on the list. If you can’t make the class – sign up anyway and you can watch the recording!

Does your student need a challenge? Kogs are workbooks that show students how to connect science to other disciplines including history, technology, the arts, language, philosophy, and critical thinking. By using the Kogs, students gain richer insight into how science is done by real scientists.

SEE EACH FULL TEXT

Kog Workbook (Biology-Language)	Print
	$19.95 Buy

Kog Workbook (Physics-Language)	Print
	$19.95 Buy

What are Kogs?

Kogs are a supplemental workbook set that helps students form “cognitive connections” between science and other disciplines. By making connections to other disciplines, students gain a deeper understanding of the material they are learning.

Why did Dr. Keller write the Kogs?

Dr. Keller developed Kogs in part because she found that her own learning and understanding grew by making important connections to disciplines outside of science. Being an experimentalist at heart, she taught her own children in the same way. Instead of presenting science as disconnected, isolated topics, she helped her kids see how science connects to history, philosophy, the arts, critical thinking, language and technology. Using this method of “interdisciplinary education” she discovered that not only did her kids understand the subject matter better than she had at their age; their test scores skyrocketed! Today, her kids (now in college) have no problem mastering difficult college level material (both are straight A students). As a “habit of mind,”  they intuitively make connections and draw from a broad base of knowledge. This is the advantage of interdisciplinary learning and what the Kogs are all about.

Better learning through cognitive connections is backed by research

In 2000 the National Research Council published an important study summarizing years of research. (How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (See all Cognitive Psychology Books). They determined that students develop “competence in an area of inquiry” by:

1. having a deep foundation of factual knowledge
2. understanding those facts in the context of a conceptual framework
3. having the ability to organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application

Real Science-4-Kids plus Kogs covers all three of these important findings. The student texts provide a deep foundation of factual knowledge (1), the Kogs create the context of a conceptual framework (2) and all together the student text, experiments and Kogs help kids organize knowledge in a way that facilitates retrieval and application (3).

Using Kogs is simple

When your student reads a chapter in the student text have them read the corresponding Kogs chapter. For example, Chapter 1 in the student text for Chemistry Level I is about atoms. Chapter 1 in each of the six Kogs are also all about atoms.

• The History Kog covers the history of the atom and the major players who developed our current understanding of matter.
• The Philosophy Kog covers  the philosophers who struggled to define matter.
• The Arts Kogs connects the visual arts, music, and language to science by showing how all start with a single unit (the point, the note, or the letter)
• The Technology Kog discusses the Scanning Tunneling Microscope – a microscope that can “see” atoms.
• The Language Kog introduces the root word for atom (tom) and five other English words that share the same root.
• The Critical Thinking Kog walks kids through the steps they need to critically evaluate what they are learning. Instead of just “believing” in atoms, students explore how to challenge the information they are being taught. How do we know atoms exist? What is the proof? Is this a valid conclusion? etc.

By making connections to different disciplines student learning goes below the surface resulting in a deeper understanding and “competence in an area of inquiry.”

Truth matters. The best way to get to the truth is to allow a serious and open contest of ideas.

John Stuart Mill 1859

People call our office asking if Real Science-4-Kids is a Creationist curriculum, an Evolution curriculum, or an Intelligent Design curriculum.

The short answer is “No- it’s not any one of these although, it is ‘friendly’ to all three.”

The answer often confuses people because the assumption is that one of these perspectives is “true” and the others are “false. ” It is assumed that science (and a science curriculum publisher), must pick one. Yet nature and the science we use to study nature is complex and layered. One perspective simply won’t do.

In order for science to be “scientific” it must not commit itself to any one worldview, ideology, philosophical or religious perspective. Science and scientists must be free to follow the evidence where ever it leads. Anything short of this is not real science.

Real Science-4-Kids is…

“worldview-neutral” and “worldview-friendly.”

Real Science-4-Kids does not choose a particular ideology, philosophy, worldview, or religion for the student. Students learn how to explore scientific facts “as we know them today” and are encouraged to interpret those facts from their own viewpoint or, preferably, a variety of viewpoints.

• Because Real Science -4-Kids does not come from one particular viewpoint it is “worldview-neutral.”
• Because Real Science-4-Kids does not limit the kind of framework a student can choose to interpret science, it is “worldview-friendly.”

Scientific data can be interpreted from a creationist frame, a materialsist frame, or a design frame. All three frames give us some information when it comes to understanding the world around us. Conflicts erupt because the conclusions one derives depends upon the frame used. Yet, these conflicts only enrich our understanding of the world around us, rather than diminish it.  Real Science-4-Kids encourages students  to interpret science through a variety of frames which deepens their understanding.

Real Science-4-Kids focuses on real science

Real Science-4-Kids introduces students to the foundational subjects that encompass all science; chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, and geology. Students learn about atoms, energy, molecules, molecular reactions, forces, photosynthesis, the Calvin Cycle, hybrid orbitals, nebulae, minerals and all the “stuff” of real science. Real Science-4-Kids presents the “facts- as we know them today” and helps students understand that as more science is discovered “facts” can sometimes change. Dr. Keller, having been in all three camps, is very careful about how she chooses the language for science. She, and her other authors, make sure that terms are either neutral or balanced (e.g. creatures, living things, and organisms are used interchangeably).

Evaluate for yourself

The best way to judge a curriculum is to look at it for yourself. Peruse our website and visit the the product page. On the product page, and below each subject you will see a link that says SEE EACH FULL TEXT. Click this link and you can see every page in each book. This way, you can make an informed decision about whether or not Real Science-4-Kids is right for you and your family.

Would you like a free sample of our new Super Simple Science Experiments?

Just fill out the form below and you will receive two experiments per week for five weeks.

Truth matters. The best way to get to the truth is to allow a serious and open contest of ideas.

John Stuart Mill 1859

People call our office asking if Real Science-4-Kids is a Creationist curriculum, an Evolution curriculum, or an Intelligent Design curriculum.

The short answer is “No- it’s not any one of these although, it is ‘friendly’ to all three.”

The answer often confuses people because the assumption is that one of these perspectives is “true” and the others are “false. ” It is assumed that science (and a science curriculum publisher), must pick one. Yet nature and the science we use to study nature is complex and layered. One perspective simply won’t do.

In order for science to be “scientific” it must not commit itself to any one worldview, ideology, philosophical or religious perspective. Science and scientists must be free to follow the evidence where ever it leads. Anything short of this is not real science.

Real Science-4-Kids is…

“worldview-neutral” and “worldview-friendly.”

Real Science-4-Kids does not choose a particular ideology, philosophy, worldview, or religion for the student. Students learn how to explore scientific facts “as we know them today” and are encouraged to interpret those facts from their own viewpoint or, preferably, a variety of viewpoints.

• Because Real Science -4-Kids does not come from one particular viewpoint it is “worldview-neutral.”
• Because Real Science-4-Kids does not limit the kind of framework a student can choose to interpret science, it is “worldview-friendly.”

Scientific data can be interpreted from a creationist frame, a materialsist frame, or a design frame. All three frames give us some information when it comes to understanding the world around us. Conflicts erupt because the conclusions one derives depends upon the frame used. Yet, these conflicts only enrich our understanding of the world around us, rather than diminish it.  Real Science-4-Kids encourages students  to interpret science through a variety of frames which deepens their understanding.

Real Science-4-Kids focuses on real science

Real Science-4-Kids introduces students to the foundational subjects that encompass all science; chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, and geology. Students learn about atoms, energy, molecules, molecular reactions, forces, photosynthesis, the Calvin Cycle, hybrid orbitals, nebulae, minerals and all the “stuff” of real science. Real Science-4-Kids presents the “facts- as we know them today” and helps students understand that as more science is discovered “facts” can sometimes change. Dr. Keller, having been in all three camps, is very careful about how she chooses the language for science. She, and her other authors, make sure that terms are either neutral or balanced (e.g. creatures, living things, and organisms are used interchangeably).

Evaluate for yourself

The best way to judge a curriculum is to look at it for yourself. Peruse our website and visit the the product page. On the product page, and below each subject you will see a link that says SEE EACH FULL TEXT. Click this link and you can see every page in each book. This way, you can make an informed decision about whether or not Real Science-4-Kids is right for you and your family.

Would you like a free sample of our new Super Simple Science Experiments?

Just fill out the form below and you will receive two experiments per week for five weeks.