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- Course name
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The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham
- Summary
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Join us for this fun 6th- to 8th-grade science course exploring our feline friends! Learn about where domestic cats came from, different cats around the world, common and exotic breeds, and some anatomy and genetics.
How to get the most out of The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham:
First, read the course materials below before the first class recording.
Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes.
Read assignments before class recording.
Watch the class recording.
Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that class.
Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
Total number of class meetings: 12
Duration of each class: 45 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade
Suggested credit: One full semester Life Science. For a full year credit, follow with Megafauna.
Instructor: MacBeth Derham
Course Description: Let's study the surprising natural history of the Family Felidae! Cats are hunters, and notoriously difficult to domesticate. So how did we end up with these small predators in our homes? We'll study big and not-so-big cats from around the world as we try to understand the fearsome and fluffy feline.
Course Outline:Class 1: Introduction: what is a cat? (Anatomy 1)
Class 2: Fossil cats: an evolutionary overview
Class 3: European cats
Class 4: Asian cats
Class 5: South American cats
Class 6: North American cats
Class 7: African cats (Anatomy 2)
Class 8: Island species: small wild cats
Class 9: The domestic cat (Anatomy 3)
Class 10: Common breeds
Class 11: Exotic breeds
Class 12: Recent breeds, and Genetics of color
Course Materials: Two books to be purchased: The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Turner and Anton, ISBN 13: 978-0231102292 (https://amzn.to/3uTNkRg) and Cats: The Breeds, History, and Folklore of the Domestic Cat, ISBN 13: 978-1640308763 (https://amzn.to/3gPe2lN)
Homework: Quizzes, assigned reading. Students are welcome and encouraged to share their photos of felines and tales of tigers.
If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.
©2022 Homeschool Connections and MacBeth Derham. All rights reserved. This course is designed by MacBeth Derham.
This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment)and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
- Course name
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The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham
- Instructor
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MacBeth Derham
- Semester
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Recorded
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Science ➤ Biology
- Grade level
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Middle School
- Start time
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December 16th, 2022 at 12:00 AM ET
- Course type
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Recorded, free with subscription
- Relative due dates
Honors Biology
Biology
Astronomy
To the Moon: Apollo Missions and the Future
Geology
A History of Scientific Thought for Middle School Students
Introduction to Earth Science
Planetary Science
Introduction to Ornithology
Invertebrate Zoology
Vertebrate Zoology
Cetaceans: Marine Mammals
The Dog
The Cat
- This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections or purchasers of the course. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment, and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
- You may print or download to your own storage extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
- Upon completion of the course, you must delete all copies of course materials from any storage on which you saved permissible extracts.
MacBeth Derham
About MacBeth Derham
MacBeth Derham studied biology at Mount Holyoke College and has taught natural history in the field for over 35 years. She currently teaches classes for her homeschool group, tutors math and science privately, and conducts a Marine Biology field school twice a year for local students.
From 2005-2020 she worked with The Front Lawn Players, a Shakespeare troupe made up of students ages 3-18, as both a speech coach and director. She spent the summer of 2017 in Oxford studying literature (including Shakespeare), philosophy, theology, and history. A more than reasonable amount of her time there was spent out of doors, in nature, walking the paths loved by Lewis, Tolkien, and friends. An amateur wildlife and travel photographer, many of her courses feature her own images of creature encounters from both home and abroad. Thanks to her children, she has a fine collection of animal skulls and skeletons.
Mrs. Derham speaks at homeschool conferences on the interdisciplinary need for nature study. She is a retired homeschooling mother of four very different grown children, grandmother of 4 west-coasters, and wife to Don.
Click here for more info about MacBeth Derham!
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© 2022 Homeschool Connections; MacBeth Derham. All Rights Reserved.
Violation of the above copyright policies may result in expulsion without any refund and/or legal action.