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My freshman daughter is taking it this year. She is not naturally mathy, & the class has been really good for her. The teacher provides daily assignments, problem solving practice, quizzes, tests, labs, quarterly projects, and periodic live class meetings. She responds quickly to questions, and the class is well organized. I am planning to have my other child take the course in 9th grade as well.

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 Just realized that my saying dd is not naturally mathy may be taken to mean that I think the class is easy. I don't mean that at all. At the beginning of the year dd cried over tests, but Mrs. Jetta helped her when she had questions and gave excellent feedback on tests.  The class has stretched dd mightily and has increased her ability to think mathematically. 

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My dd 14 is taking this physics class also. I agree with Lostinabook. The class is very well organised and Jetta is an excellent teacher. My dd is having to work to do well in the class, but is really enjoying it too. The labs are well planned and all supplies are clearly listed. I got our supplies from Home Science tools - the item numbers were provided on the list so easy to make sure you're ordering the correct thing. Communication is excellent. Jetta responds quickly to questions, both on the forum and in emails. Expectations are clearly stated. The live classes are good too - the teacher uses a white board and the students can hear her talking and type their questions or comments. It has been a really good learning experience for dd and I am definitely going to enroll my younger dd when the time comes.

As far as grading goes - Jetta grades all labs, projects, quizzes and tests. The students check their problem solving practice sheets and the chapter review questions with the keys provided. The parent just does the periodic note book checks with the rubric provided.

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i like the idea of her 'morning message' with daily assignments and problems--my son is more likely to stay on pace that way than with me nagging him--and hey, outsourcing the grading isn't a bad idea either ;)

 

Yes, some of the PA Homeschoolers classes do this.  Sounds good to me!

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Guest thevierras

My son is taking this class this year.  He is in the 8th grade and taking Alg. I.  It has been an awesome class for him.  It has challenged him in a positive way, and has helped his math grade.  (I think Alg. I seems a lot easier to him now, maybe because he is applying it?)  It has been his 'aha' class and teacher, he looks forward to it!  The labs are very hands on and help them to have a deeper understanding also.  He also does an online class once a week and that is another highlight of his week :).  I have a sixth grader and I'm definitely signing her up as soon as I think she's ready (probably her 9th grade year).  I would recommend this class to anyone looking to take an online high school physics. 

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My dd is also in the class this year. It is the best online class we have done so far. Jetta is very organized and quick to get things back. We have also been happy with the labs. The live class part has been helpful and dd says she understands everything better after class. DD was surprised at the amount of work at the beginning of the year, but since she adjusted, she has done well. If only I could find an equivalent chemistry for next year . . . 

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A little late to the party, but another strong endorsement here.  This has been my daughter's best science year yet.  The class is very well organized, the labs are great, and the teacher is super nice and responsive.  My younger, seeing how much my older has been learning, is asking to do it next year.  And don't be fooled by the "conceptual" in the textbook title: this is physics with algebra, the way she teaches it.  A good, meaty, but friendly class.

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Looking a little more at this now, and I like her approach a lot.  I won't need it until 2016-2017 though.

 

How are the labs handled?  Do you do them, or....?

 

My older one is using the college-level Conceptual Physics book though, so that might be an issue for us because we do physics in 12th.  I'd have to look at the content a little more.

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The teacher provides daily assignments, problem solving practice, quizzes, tests, labs, quarterly projects, and periodic live class meetings.

What is the time commitment like for daily work and for the labs? My older have outside classes on two weekdays so wondering if this would work for August since he writes better for teachers :P

 

Does the quiz only works on laptops or can they work on tablets? I know Blackboard live class works on my laptop only.

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Wow, thanks for all the great reviews everyone!  It is really encouraging to hear since we are also planning on taking it this Fall.  Jetta has been super helpful in answering all my questions (laundry list).  I typically ask about many aspects of any class before signing up.  It sounds like it will be a really good fit for ds13.  I guess there will be quite a few of our kids taking it together this Fall.  See you then.  :hurray:  :thumbup:

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Wow, thanks for all the great reviews everyone!  It is really encouraging to hear since we are also planning on taking it ithis Fall.  Jetta has been super helpful in answering all my questions (laundry list).  I typically ask about many aspects of any class before signing up.  It sounds like it will be a really good fit for ds13.  I guess there will be quite a few of our kids taking it together this Fall.  See you then.  :hurray:  :thumbup:

 

Derek,

 

I'm super excited about this class as well!! My ds15 will be taking it in the fall too!!

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Wow, thanks for all the great reviews everyone!  It is really encouraging to hear since we are also planning on taking it ithis Fall.  Jetta has been super helpful in answering all my questions (laundry list).  I typically ask about many aspects of any class before signing up.  It sounds like it will be a really good fit for ds13.  I guess there will be quite a few of our kids taking it together this Fall.  See you then.  :hurray:  :thumbup:

 

 

woohoo! ds will likely be in it too.

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What is the time commitment like for daily work and for the labs? My older have outside classes on two weekdays so wondering if this would work for August since he writes better for teachers :p

 

Does the quiz only works on laptops or can they work on tablets? I know Blackboard live class works on my laptop only.

 

Dd says it takes around 60 min when there's a problem solving worksheet. Other days only take about 30 min. At the beginning of the school year, it took her much longer, but it was the first time she'd worked from a textbook & had had outside accountability. It does take dd much longer than an hour to take tests.

 

I don't know if the class works on tablets. She always uses a laptop.

 

Edit: Oops, forgot to answer re: labs. Usually she does the lab on the weekend and writes the report on the lab due date. They do take longer than an hour, but it's not an overwhelming amount of time.

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My dd is taking the class at the moment so I thought I might try and answer some of the questions also. I have dd take notes as she reads the text book sections for the day and the morning message, so for her it takes an hour a day, especially on days with  problem solving  practice questions. Labs are usually longer than an hour, including writing them up, but my dd, and the other student she does labs with, do them independently. The labs are well planned and instructions clear and have been a really good learning experience. The days with live classes are an hour for the class and then the reading assignment etc. I think the time needed depends on the student, but it is what I would expect for a high school class.

 

I bought all lab supplies from Home Science Tools and spent $70 the first semester and $30 the second. We did the full labs though, there is also the option to do alternate labs that use more readily accessible household items. I'm not sure of the cost of those, but I think it would be a lot less.  Also, you may already own some of the things needed, I didn't, so got absolutely everything. I'm really glad we are doing the full labs, they are very good and good practice with write-ups, graphs, calculations etc. The lab equipment will also be able to be used by my other dd so that decreases the cost. Otherwise there have been very few expenses. The projects are good but use mostly household stuff so minimal expense, and I was able to get the book used and very cheap.

 

Quizes and  part of the tests are online. My dd takes them on a laptop so don't know about tablets. The second part of the test,  problem solving, is down-loaded and then scanned, once completed, and emailed to Jetta for grading. She is very quick with grading and feedback.

 

I think I got most of the questions above. I have to agree with g1234 that this is a "good, meaty, but friendly class" - sums it up really well.

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My dd is taking the class at the moment so I thought I might try and answer some of the questions also. I have dd take notes as she reads the text book sections for the day and the morning message, so for her it takes an hour a day, especially on days with  problem solving  practice questions. Labs are usually longer than an hour, including writing them up, but my dd, and the other student she does labs with, do them independently. The labs are well planned and instructions clear and have been a really good learning experience. The days with live classes are an hour for the class and then the reading assignment etc. I think the time needed depends on the student, but it is what I would expect for a high school class.

 

I bought all lab supplies from Home Science Tools and spent $70 the first semester and $30 the second. We did the full labs though, there is also the option to do alternate labs that use more readily accessible household items. I'm not sure of the cost of those, but I think it would be a lot less.  Also, you may already own some of the things needed, I didn't, so got absolutely everything. I'm really glad we are doing the full labs, they are very good and good practice with write-ups, graphs, calculations etc. The lab equipment will also be able to be used by my other dd so that decreases the cost. Otherwise there have been very few expenses. The projects are good but use mostly household stuff so minimal expense, and I was able to get the book used and very cheap.

 

Quizes and  part of the tests are online. My dd takes them on a laptop so don't know about tablets. The second part of the test,  problem solving, is down-loaded and then scanned, once completed, and emailed to Jetta for grading. She is very quick with grading and feedback.

 

I think I got most of the questions above. I have to agree with g1234 that this is a "good, meaty, but friendly class" - sums it up really well.

 

Sounds like a meaty class.  As I said earlier, this is not for next year but perhaps the following year.  Having a schedule to keep up with might be a big positive.  This would be for an older high schooler, but I might be OK with the level.  I own a lot of science equipment, so we might not need to buy a lot.  And this kid loves experiments.  Having meaty experiments with write-ups would of course bring up the level.

 

I'm borrowing the book from a friend and plan to compare it with my college-level version.

 

A lot will depend on the overall picture a year from now, but a possibility for sure!

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This is the reply I got from her regarding lab supplies. So 1st list would be back to school supplies sales time and 2nd list would be Christmas sales time :)

"I will send the first semester lab supplies list out by early June and the second semester list by early December. "

I am just happy to outsource marking of lab reports and free response questions.

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Is the minimum requirement only finishing algebra? It seems like most of the kids here are at a higher level of math. DD will only be done with Chapter 13 of AOPS by the end of summer. We've never actually done any systematic study of science, no lab reports, not many experiements - just reading books here and there. Enrolling in this class would be to help her branch out beyond her favorite field, zoology. And, I think she would really enjoy it knowing that other forum kids are in her class. But could she be considered ready for this class by September with just algebra? I know it's algebra-based physics, but....

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Is the minimum requirement only finishing algebra? It seems like most of the kids here are at a higher level of math. DD will only be done with Chapter 13 of AOPS by the end of summer. We've never actually done any systematic study of science, no lab reports, not many experiements - just reading books here and there. Enrolling in this class would be to help her branch out beyond her favorite field, zoology. And, I think she would really enjoy it knowing that other forum kids are in her class. But could she be considered ready for this class by September with just algebra? I know it's algebra-based physics, but....

 

Hi Crazyforlatin,

 

Yes, according to the website "It may be taken any time during the high school years provided the student has completed Algebra I successfully (with at least a B average)." http://www.clovercreekscience.com/physics/  If your DD finishes AoPS 1-13 and comprehends the material well she should have a good grasp of Algebra 1.

 

That said, I do think we'll have a range of students with differing levels and abilities, mathematically speaking.  But Jetta is also aware of this based upon our conversations.  It does seem like it is 'not' a good fit for students without this minimum requirement.  I recommend asking her more about it if you are concerned.  She wants it to be a good fit for her students as well as their parents.  I know similar High School level Physics courses have the same algebra requirement, like Derek Owens, for example.  DO also includes some Trig in his class.  But he doesn't require Trig as a prerequisite since he includes math lessons on the parts which he incorporates.  

 

I think it will be a lot fun having our children taking this class together if you decide to give it a go.   ;)

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. But could she be considered ready for this class by September with just algebra? I know it's algebra-based physics, but....

When I asked Jetta regarding textbook, she said that she would mail the textbook out in late May/early June so we would have the summer to read through the textbook. I'll probably revise sine, cosine, tangent for those free body diagrams because my older haven't touch those for more than a year.

 

OT: the library's copy of Zemansky's physics 12th edition is a fun reference text for my boys.

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When I asked Jetta regarding textbook, she said that she would mail the textbook out in late May/early June so we would have the summer to read through the textbook. I'll probably revise sine, cosine, tangent for those free body diagrams because my older haven't touch those for more than a year.

 

 

Jetta's providing textbooks?? I was starting to hunt around for the 3rd edition.  

 

Also, you're making me nervous - sine, cosine and tangents are in Algebra 1?  We've been using Singapore Math's Discovering Math curriculum so it's not as

clearly defined as Alg 1,2, geometry, etc.  But in looking at the scope & sequence, I figured if we completed DM1 and 2 (CC 7/8) we would have covered Alg 1 content.

 

Hmm, I guess I better double check.   

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I was going to place an order for the 3rd edition. I do have the 9th edition plus practice book. Oh well, I think that's a college text. We do have a few online classes next year, so before I sign up, I need to see what day/time WTMA will offer WWS.

 

Did the teacher mention when she will post a class schedule? I don't want to ask the same questions that I'm sure all of you have already asked.

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Jetta's providing textbooks?? I was starting to hunt around for the 3rd edition.

 

Also, you're making me nervous - sine, cosine and tangents are in Algebra 1?

 

Jetta is renting us the textbook which is why she collects a deposit of $30 when we register for the class. She say registration is in May.

 

The trigo functions was in K12's 6th or 7th grade textbook. It's also in DM3 or NEM2 looking at the scope and sequence. All his K12 math covered was

 

sin θ= opp/hyp

cos θ = adj/hyp

tan θ = opp/adj

 

The trigonometric identities weren't covered in K12 6th & 7th grade math.

 

It's on Chapter 10 of New Additional Math 2005 edition.

 

ETA:

Sine, cosine and tangent can be learn on the spot when you reach the unit on free body diagram (resolution of forces) in any physics textbook.

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Hello everyone! :-)

 

I have tried to stay completely away from this thread because I do not want to personally advertise or market my course on the WTM forums (other than in my signature). I have far too much respect (and admiration) for Susan and what she has provided for us through these forums to abuse her generosity in any way. 

 

You all, on the other hand, may discuss it to your heart's content...just as I am reading and posting about courses such as PAH AP Econ or WTMA's writing courses on other threads. That is the beauty and value of our forum! 

 

I did feel, however, that I should squash the trig thing. My course is purely algebra-based.  When we cover such topics as projectile motion and resultant forces, we will work separately in the x-plane and in the y-plane...only combining with the Pythagorean theorem. We may "dabble" with some trig functions at times, and we will use the sine function in optics...but only via the calculator. If your student can manipulate standard algebraic equations (including those with square roots), then he or she is prepared for my course. I do not want to "muddy" the course with more difficult math. Instead, I want the students to thoroughly learn the physics concepts so that they are completely prepared for further mathematical-based work in physics (if that is what they want). OR if the student is more humanities-inclined, I want that student to have an understanding of the physics in the world around us...so that his or her appreciation of our world is increased. :-)

 

Please...if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me via email. I will do my best to answer your questions quickly and thoroughly. I have to add that I am thrilled to see the camaraderie among the parents on this thread. Hopefully, that will spill over into the class so that we have a lively, interactive group.

Thanks! Jetta 

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  • 11 months later...

This thread provided great reading, as we're considering Oak Creek Physics for our daughter this upcoming school year.  I'd love to hear your thoughts a year later. 

 

Thanks so much.

 

It's my son's favorite class.  He loves physics.  Plus, Jetta is a truly caring and gifted teacher.  Bottom line is its a great opportunity to learn physics.

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This thread provided great reading, as we're considering Oak Creek Physics for our daughter this upcoming school year. I'd love to hear your thoughts a year later.

My oldest is taking the class while my youngest is happy being the lab assistant. The class is very manageable in terms of time and content. Daily work is doable in an hour barring perfectionistic tendencies and/or rabbit trails. Lab takes about an hour or less.

 

Jetta is a caring and accomodating teacher :)

 

Lab materials are very easy for us to get even if we don't want to buy online as we are surrounded by RadioShack, Lowes, Home Depot, Hobbytown, Michaels ... Lab materials cost is affordable and most things are reusable by my youngest.

 

ETA:

My perfectionistic oldest is able to rein in his perfectionism much better now. He does rabbit trail after all the urgent and/or important tasks of the day are done. This would be his 5th year of online classes.

Edited by Arcadia
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Just what Derek and Arcadia have said - DD loves Jetta's class and has become a pro at writing lab reports, just one of those things I was worried about when enrolling her. DD had a great time with the semester project, but it was even more fun looking at pictures and videos of her classmates' projects. And, Jetta is a kind, caring, and inspiring teacher.

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From the sounds of it, this class has been such a success.

 

Did Jetta offer guidelines for submitting lab reports?

Yes, it's very clear what she expects from the sample lab report she provides in the beginning of class. It's actually the easiest part of the class at this point from what I can see. I'm actually really hands off with this class. I give DH a list of materials, and he gets them for DD. I was worried about experiments and lab reports because I don't like labs and we've never had a formal science class. Jetta is highly organized with her weekly email messages to the parents/students (you know what's coming up during the week) and her morning messages. The student should know exactly what to do for that day and for that week. And, most importantly, Jetta responds very quickly to email messages. She corrects labs and tests very quickly so the wait time is only about 1-2 days, more like 1 for most things.

 

I really hope our next science class can be similar to Jetta's.

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One of my kids is taking the class this year and says it's their favorite class.  Jetta is SUPER organized, communicates very well, and has a great sense of humor too.  Assignments, tests, labs, and due dates are very clear.  IMO the workload is appropriate for a high school class.

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How important do you think the live class part of this class is? Because of our time zone my student would miss out on it.

 

My senior is in the class this year. It's her only non dual enrollment class. Because of her schedule, she can't make the live class times for the most part, but it doesn't seem to have been an issue for her. I'm pretty much out of the loop though, since at this age, she's almost completely independent.

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It's my son's favorite class.  He loves physics.  Plus, Jetta is a truly caring and gifted teacher.  Bottom line is its a great opportunity to learn physics.

 

Completely agree with this. Jetta is a fantastic teacher. My dd and her friend took this class last year,  and they still reminisce often about how wonderful it was. Dd learned a huge amount and loved the class. Would wholeheartedly recommend it. Definitely having my youngest take this class in 2018 - already asked to reserve her spot!!

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