Is Apologia Chemistry rigorous (or how does it compare to public school chemistry)?

[Barb]

Hi,

My dd is questioning Apologia Chemistry because a public schooled friend took a look at it and said it looked "easy" and they had already done certain things my dd was working on, etc. It seems pretty challenging as far as I'm concerned esp. since math is not my daughter's strong suit. And she won't be pursuing any kind of science related field.

 

Thanks!

 

Barb

[Chris in VA]

After comparing it to my public schooled son's chem, no, I wouldn't say it is rigorous. But it is appropriate for what we want--an overview of very basic chem principles, experiments we can do at home, and some math (but not a lot, and it isn't super hard). So, for us, it fits. ymmv!

[NCMom]

and I don't think it is "rigorous". I also question the lack of practice - I mean I'm only on Chapter 6 but I do not feel that there are nearly enough problems to cement the concepts. I did a lot more work in my first basic high school chem class way back in the day...:)

 

I took 2 chem classes in high school and 4 in college (and worked in a lab for 10 years, lol) so it's pretty easy for me but I won't be using it for for my science oriented child unless I am sure the child also has time to get through an upper level course. It might be an option for my last child who definitely has a humanities bent but we would have to supplement with something else for the concepts to stick.

 

I do like the way it is written and so far the explanations for most of the concepts are well done.

 

 

hth,

Georgia

[Trina in TX]

Probably a stupid question, but how do I decide if Apolgia is rigorous enough for my ds? He likes science, but I don't anticipate him going into a science field. If that's the case, is Apologia enough?

 

What biology and chemistry programs would you recommend that are more rigorous?

 

Thanks,

 

Trina

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Many say yes, many say no. It will just come down to what you want and what works for you.

 

My ds did Chem I/II and loved them both. He is extremely science oriented, and went on to take the AP Chemistry exam, scoring the highest score possible. So we thought it was rigorous enough. :)

[coopers5]

My pretty advanced 10 gr. daughter was challenged, AND found that she was assisting her public and private school counterparts (that she is friends with and sees throughout the week) in many of the concepts, which apparently weren't being covered well in the students' respective settings.

[FloridaLisa]

You will always get very mixed (and opinionated) results with this question. I do not have an extensive science background, so I couldn't judge the rigor of Apologia chemistry independently. However, experientially, I'll relay the following:

 

1) a good friend of mine (and honors ps chem teacher) uses Apologia with her homeschool classes;

 

2) another friend (and chem major) uses Apologia with her homeschooled dd and to tutor her publicly-schooled dd (because the chem class/text was so confusing);

 

3) my ds's teacher (a chem senior) used Apologia with no reservations. He said it was excellent prep for all of his chem classes.

 

 

YMMV. :) Also, my ds took chemistry in 9th grade and, since he's bound for the sciences at this point, we figured he'd take AP Chem down the road. Guess that will be the true test!

Lisa

[MelodyInTx]

I have read at multiple sites that taking Apologia Chem 1/2 is prep for the AP Chem test.

 

I too took a couple chem classes in HS and another year in college. To judge Apologia on what I learned in college would be unfair, as my kids are not college students.

 

For their first year of chem I looked for a solid understanding of concepts, a well laid out plan and organization of thought. I also wanted them to enjoy chemistry not be bogged down by the class. IE I want them to LOVE learning, not be beat down by hard concepts and RIGOR. Apologia delivers on all of this.

[Brindee]

I've been looking for what Chem. class to do with my ds who will be in 10th grade next year. He is not a science person neccessarily, and I too want him to enjoy it as much as he can. Thanks for your post Melody, it helped me understand MY thoughts better. I've been leaning toward the Apologia Chem....

[Michelle in MO]

others have said, you will read some very strong opinions about Apologia one way or another.

 

However, I did take chemistry in high school and two quarters of chemistry in college, all of these up in Minnesota, where I grew up. Our high school was considered one of the better high schools in the Twin Cities. As I've read sections of the book with my daughter (I've read the first six modules and portions thereafter) I would say the explanations were far better than anything I received either in public h.s. or college.

 

All of this would, of course, depend upon the school system someone is in, and that person's background. I can honestly say, though, from what I remember of high school chemistry, that Apologia is far more comprehensive than anything we studied in high school and far more understandable than anything we covered in college.

 

Apologia has been working well for my oldest two girls, who will probably not be science majors.

 

One thing to keep in mind, when reviewing textbooks, is that just because a particular high school uses another text that is considered more rigorous (and no, most high schools wouldn't use Apologia because it's Christian and creation-based) doesn't mean that that high school is going to cover every chapter, every concept in that book. What concepts are being covered? You might be surprised at some of the answers. If you have a copy of the text and the test booklet, too, you might bring them to a high school chemistry teacher and ask his or her opinion.