Sharing Noeo with families, co-ops, and charters
Yes. A single package can be shared between multiple students and with various ages of children.
Each student will need their own lab manual to document their own scientific discoveries. The Experiment Kits can be easily shared between 2–3 students if they complete the experiments together. Additional Experiment Kits would need to be ordered if each student wanted to complete the experiments on their own.
Yes. Noeo can be used in the kitchen, the co-op, or the classroom. Here is what an instructor will need to use Noeo with their students in a co-op or any group teaching situation:
- One full package of the appropriate level and your choice of subject (if you plan on doing the Living Book reading together).
- An extra experiment kit for every 2–3 students so that everyone can get hands-on (you will need an experiment kit for each student if you plan on having the students complete the experiments separately).
- An extra Lab Manual for each student to document their science discoveries.
Depending on your group’s schedule, you may want to have the parents cover some of the material at home (for example, you could purchase an extra Instructor's Guide for every parent to allow them to review the lessons and complete the Lab Manual questions separately).
Our Level to Grade recommendations are:
- Level 1 for Grades 1–3
- Level 2 for Grades 4–6
- Level 3 for Grades 7–8
If you have students of widely varying ages, then you may want to consider purchasing separate levels according to their age/grade bracket. However, many instructors have successfully used our curriculum by having the younger student(s) “listen in” on the Level 2 or 3 study. This is typically done with the understanding that the younger children will hear the information again at a later date.
For extra assistance, message our science curriculum advisors on Facebook by clicking here.
Yes.
Charter editions for Noeo have a different introduction to the curriculum while preserving the whole curriculum. Some charter schools reimburse their members for curriculum purchases, but not for “religious” purchases. We are a Christian publisher, but, if your charter school reimburses for curriculum purchases, Noeo is still reimbursable according to the Department of Education’s guidelines for the Charter Schools Program under Title V, Part B.
§D-2 describes how charter funds may be used:
“However, to the extent that their [religious organization's] involvement promotes academic learning and the mission of the charter school, religious organizations and their members may partner with and be involved with charter schools so long as the charter school’s decision to partner with the religious organization is made without regard to the religious character or affiliation of the organization and is not otherwise reasonably perceived as an endorsement of religion.”
More positively put, see §D-3:
“Charter schools may not limit participation in the partnership to religious groups or certain religious groups, and they may not select students or encourage or discourage student participation with particular partners based on the religious or secular nature of the organization.”
See the full guidelines at this link and contact us with any problems.
Other districts reimburse for some items but not others. If you need an itemized invoice, let us know and we will accommodate your Charter School's needs.
Curriculum Contents
The Noeo Packages (Bio 1 & 2; Phys 1, 2, & 3; Chem 1, 2, & 3) contain everything you need for a year of science: a lab manual, experiments and their materials, books, and an instructor's guide. The packages do not contain common household materials, such as baking soda or cardboard.
You can find a comprehensive list of the household materials which will be used in the experiments for the entire year. Choose a product from any of the packages, then at the bottom of each page, click on Curriculum Samples to view the common household materials.
Instructor's Guides provide minimal commentary but coordinate books with experiments by giving you an easy-to-tweak schedule. They also provide an answer key to all the reading and experiment questions students will answer in the Lab Manual so you can confirm comprehension.
Our Instructor's Guides are designed to provide a logically organized structure to reading assignments, experiments, and activities. They allow you to use multiple books and experiment kits concurrently, rather than simply “read this book, then this book.” The books and experiment kits provide the substance of the program. The experiments relate closely to the reading, and multiple books add variety.
No. The student Lab Manual is included in the full package. It has the weekly schedule so the student can work independently. After completing the reading and experiments for the day, there are questions to answer that improve understanding and retention. The Lab Manual sometimes has space to draw something being read about or the results of an experiment.
A parent could decide not to purchase the Lab Manual, but would then need to guide daily work and spend time reading the books and working through the experiments to guide the student’s comprehension.
Yes and no. To accommodate those who use their library or already own some titles, we list individual titles for each package. However, we do not sell the Living Books independent of the full package. To purchase these books separately, we recommend other retailers like Amazon. Only the Experiment Kits, the Instructor’s Guides, and Lab Manuals are available individually.
Keep in mind that our curriculum is intended to be used as a complete program. It will not be nearly as effective if only a few books are used or the experiments are excluded. If you have a great library nearby and can organize your checkout times to match your schedule, you can use the program successfully.
We have no plans to create a Bio 3 and suggest you check out Riot and the Dance Foundational Biology. This curriculum, published by our sister company, functions as our high school “level 3” Biology offering, which is eligible for high school credit.
Teaching Style
Our curriculum is written to provide a framework for an organized study of science, not as a tool to provide our own commentary. If science is viewed from a Christian perspective, then His invisible qualities will be clearly seen without any need for comments from us.
We have chosen not to include Scriptural references in our materials outside of the introduction. Many science programs are marketed as Christian homeschool science because they include Bible verses. Noeo takes a different path. We provide high quality literature, experiments, and lessons and leave religious interpretation up to the instructor.
While a couple living books in the curriculum are Christian, and a couple others have evolutionary commentary, the Instructor’s Guide informs you when those books are scheduled so you can choose what to include or exclude.
Evolution and other secular ideas are occasionally presented in the books that we provide. However, we do not include books that are overly dogmatic in their presentation of these ideas and the instructor is informed when the books are in the schedule for the week. We think it is important for children to learn differing views and to have meaningful discussions about these topics with their parents.
Covering up or hiding these ideas only creates confusion for the child who hears and sees this information presented elsewhere (e.g. social media, the internet, television, co-workers, college, etc.).
We also believe it is more important for children to hear what their own parents believe about these issues than to hear what we believe. For this reason, we have not included commentary for these discussions.
We do not have quizzes and tests. Our student Lab Manual offers daily questions about the reading and experiments to further understanding. We provide teachers with the answer key in the Instructor's Guide so they can make sure the student is comprehending the material. The Lab Manual, coordinated with weekly lessons, offers hands-on learning that helps retention.
We are a Christian company that designed Noeo as a tool for homeschoolers, secular or Christian, to teach science to their kids. Our policy is to leave worldview control to the parents. Many secular homeschoolers use and appreciate the curriculum, as there is no religious dogma in the living books or kits. The pedagogy and light schedule leave you time to teach your kids what is important to you.
Some states advise following NGSS standards for science education. Noeo Science meets all NGSS standards for Grades 1–5. For Grades 6–8, Noeo Science meets all standards for physical science and exceeds NGSS standards for chemistry, but does not submit to all NGSS standards for life science, earth systems science, or engineering design.
If you are passionate about those three subjects, Noeo’s doable schedule allows room for additional reading in those subjects.
First-timers
The recommended ages for our courses relate more to a child’s current reading level than prior knowledge of science.
Level 1 courses are not required before Level 2 or Level 3. If Level 2 reading would frustrate your child, start with Level 1. Age and grade levels are recommendations.
You are the best judge of your children’s reading levels and needs. For extra assistance, message our science curriculum advisors on Facebook by clicking here.
No. Select the course most interesting to your child. Our goal is to promote an interest in science.
A child may start at any point without prior knowledge. There is no required order, and subjects do not depend on each other.
Usual go-to sequence for new Noeo Instructors:
- Bio 1 for 1st Grade
- Chem 1 for 2nd Grade
- Phys 1 for 3rd Grade
- Bio 2 for 4th Grade
- Chem 2 for 5th Grade
- Phys 2 for 6th Grade
- Chem 3 for 7th Grade
- Phys 3 for 8th Grade
If it’s your first time and your 2nd grade child is especially interested in animals and backyard nature, start with Bio 1. If they like rocks, materials, and mixing things, try Chem 1. If gadgets and motion, try Phys 1. The goal is to develop interest in science. For extra assistance, message our science curriculum advisors on Facebook by clicking here.
Yes. Coordination is a core feature.
We understand how frustrating it is to be asked to complete an experiment that is completely unrelated to the subject matter being studied or to buy a "complete" curriculum that includes a scavenger hunt for materials.
Our Instructor’s Guides provide a logical order to the reading assignments and experiments so activities align with the subject matter.
However fast or slow your family can take it. Most days, the times below include reading, illustration, experiment, notebook, and clean-up.
| 4-Day Schedule | 2-Day Schedule | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 1–3 | 15–20 minutes | 30–40 minutes |
| Grades 4–6 | 20–30 minutes | 40–60 minutes |
| Grades 7–8 | 30–40 minutes | 60–80 minutes |
Each Noeo Package is intended to take an entire school year (36 weeks) to complete. For example, you may decide to do Chemistry 1 in grade 1, followed by Physics 1 in grade 2, followed by Biology 1 in grade 3 (also see the related question concerning order of study). This assumes you follow our scheduled outline.
Yes. As per PayPal regulations, your receipt will be emailed from the official name of our parent company, The Amazing Dr. Ransom's Paper Diet. This is similar to how HarperCollins is the parent company of Zondervan.