Objections to Apologia

[jld]

Are the main objections to Apologia science courses that they are creation-based, and they are not as challenging as other texts? Is that basically it?

 

We use them because dd likes them and they seem to teach the basics of the course. I've been struggling with this over the past months, and I think I've come to the conclusion that it's good enough for us, for now at least, and we'll just keep going with it.

 

It seems like a lot of people, very talented people here, are able to teach their teenagers from college-level textbooks. I am in awe of you, but I cannot do that, and dh has no time. So we are settling for a high school level science education, which I think is an accurate description of Apologia. Is that correct?

 

As far as the creation base, our kids get secular science magazines that present evolution-based science, and we will supplement with more in that area.

 

I am really impressed with the number of kids here that do AP courses. I have a feeling that dd will just do college courses in college. Is the main objection to that that we will be losing money paying college tuition when we could have done the courses ahead of time at home?

 

I'm sure these seem like basic, no-brainer questions to the experienced moms here. Thank you for your patience, and any comments you would like to make!:)

[creekland]

I think the main objection is that they are creation-based period. That topic sets many people off and clouds their judgment of anything else. They throw it all out.

 

Otherwise, my boys use them and tend to tutor their ps counterparts - esp in Chem - so I don't know that I agree that they are lighter material (OTHER than Physics). I do know one needs BOTH years of each subject for more thorough coverage, but that's identical to how our ps works now and how it worked back when I was in high school. (Bio is one year, Advanced Bio is a 2nd year). Physics - when both years are considered - might not be lighter either. I haven't looked at the 2nd year as we haven't needed it. Light (one year) is good for my boys.

 

If one wants one year of solely an advanced course they would either need to use both Apologia books or a college text I think.

[In The Great White North]

What really bothered ds were the labs. He felt they weren't "real" labs.

[MyThreeSons]

If you're doing high school science alone at home, I think the Apologia texts are excellent. However, in a co-op or other group setting where there is more money for more traditional lab equipment and an instructor who is more experienced with the subject, there may be better options.

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

Are the main objections to Apologia science courses that they are creation-based, and they are not as challenging as other texts? Is that basically it?

 

 

 

I think it's mostly that they are creation based. Not as challenging? I would definitely question that statement. Apologia are math based and some levels, such as Biology are college level material.

[emubird]

As far as the creation base, our kids get secular science magazines that present evolution-based science, and we will supplement with more in that area.

 

I am really impressed with the number of kids here that do AP courses. I have a feeling that dd will just do college courses in college. Is the main objection to that that we will be losing money paying college tuition when we could have done the courses ahead of time at home?

:)

 

1- What magazines are you using? My kids like Natural History.

 

 

2- My daughter did a couple AP tests on her own. She learned a lot, but then she went on to take some dual enrollment college classes. She really preferred the classes. She found that her professors (most of them, anyway) were always throwing in interesting tidbits of information. This was not the report she got from kids taking AP classes at the local high school, though.

 

A few AP courses may be helpful for admissions, but it's not the end of the world if your student doesn't do them.

 

By very judicious choices of an AP test (calculus) and some dual enrollment classes (physics), my daughter is going to be able to enter into the 2nd year of the physics program when she goes to college. But that took some planning over several years. And she probably won't graduate in 3 years because she wants to do a 2nd major (ok, maybe we will have avoided having her do 5 years, so that might be a savings). She might not have been able to graduate in 3 years even without the 2nd major as she will still have a lot of general ed requirements to finish. She could have done a couple more AP tests and maybe chosen her dual enrollment courses more wisely to have gotten out of more gen ed classes, but then she wouldn't be able to do the honors program at college, which she wants to do. Or she could have done the "right" courses, but then ended up repeating them in the honors program. The reality is that many times those pre-college courses don't do what you thought they'd do for you.

 

Anyway, I think most kids would really prefer to stay in college 4 years, if they're having an ok experience. There is a lot more going on in college than just the coursework. Where I work (with a lot of physics students), some of them are in a program where they could do 3 years at the college, then 2 at the local university, and finish with a bachelor's in physics and a master's in engineering. The reality is that no one actually completes this option. They all decide to stay at the college for 4 years for the bachelor's and then go to the university for the master's after that. Their reasons are that they want to stay for the extracurriculars like band and theater and sports and research projects and internships and volunteer work -- some of which is going to be very important for getting a job after college.

[J-rap]

I was sad to give up Apologia because I really liked them, and I liked how they were clear and interesting and the labs were so clearly described and home-friendly. However, in the end, I felt I just could not support a science curriculum that began with the conclusion and then picked out the evidence to support it, instead of beginning with observing the evidence to form a conclusion. Even if it is mostly in the creation area, it just bothered me too much. Plus I felt the author had a little bit of a whiney approach regarding it (poor me -- everyone used to pick on me because I held this view), which bothered me as well.) We are a strong Christian family so it's not even that the Christian emphasis bothered us.

[jld]

Wow! Thank you so much, ladies! I really appreciate every reply!

 

We get Muse and Odyssey. We also get Appleseeds and Ask, but those are elem./jr. high level. Ds11 also gets Ranger Rick.

 

I've read here that many people feel Apologia is too light. We plan to do all 7 courses, so even if it's light, it should still bring something.

 

Once again, thank you for every comment!:)

[NCMom]

My objections are not about the creationism. My issues are mostly the labs and that you need to do two bio books to get anatomy... Plus around here people don't.finish.the.books. (and then wonder why science classes at the CC are so "hard") :glare: Apparently they do not get that a 30-40 chapter public school science text isn't meant to be finished but a 16 module book written specifically for homeschoolers probably is... lol

 

I find that the labs in Chemistry especially are for the most part, much too simple. Some of them are the same labs in the Physical Science book. lol. The Chemistry book has a serious lack of practice also. I have tutored 2 people through it and had to supplement each time.

 

I think you will be fine if you do all of the books. If I were in your shoes I would continue what I was doing and assign outside reading, beef up the Chemistry labs, and consider prepping for SAT II or AP tests for validation.

 

hth,

Georgia

[Brindee]

I've heard that too, jld, but the Biology didn't seem light to me! DS did fine with it, but it took a lot of work and study. I felt it was a great intro. to highschool level studying and time allotment!

[krstbrwn]

The Chemistry book has a serious lack of practice also.

 

Georgia

 

I second this statement about the Chemistry course. I plan to stick with Biology for my other two kids, and I will probably still use Apologia Chemistry, but I will HAVE to dig up more practice problems. There is a serious lack of practice in order to master the concept, just my opinion of course.:)

Kristi

[LizzyBee]

Plus around here people don't.finish.the.books. (and then wonder why science classes at the CC are so "hard") :glare:

 

I seem to hear the opposite... people saying they wish they had tested out of the introductory college courses because they didn't include anything not already learned in Apologia. But then, these are probably kids who did finish the books.

 

Personally, I think A&P should be a separate course from Biology; otherwise, neither can be covered thoroughly. So that's a plus rather than a deficit for me, but I may in the minority.

[Miss Marple]

My issues are mostly the labs and that you need to do two bio books to get anatomy.

 

I agree! I don't want to be locked into Apologia for 2 years for a biology course. I would add that the lack of data interpretation and practical application are also 2 big problems I see with Apologia. My oldest used Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry with Apologia. His science scores on the ACT were consistently lower than his brothers' and I think it is because Apologia doesn't spend much time on data interpretation and application which is tested on the ACT. I chose other program for the other boys.

 

I don't think it's a horrible program. In fact, if it is the program you will do, it will be the best. The biggest problem I see with homeschoolers around here teaching high school science at home is that they simply never get around to it. My son found it to be an easy program and as such he didn't put much effort into it other than memorization. He had to work harder when he started taking his pre-engineering courses - but he has excelled in those because he is a hard worker who is very motivated. Would he have been better off with another course? Possibly. But he is doing great now so... :-)

[KnitWit]

Hmmm...well, we use Apologia. My eldest just graduated with honors as a National Merit Finalist and was chosen Salutatorian out of 102 hs'ers based on her test scores. She scored WELL in science, which is more *thinking scientifically* than regurgitating memorized facts.

 

I *appreciated* the totally separate book for A&P, as well as Wile's explanation that he felt A&P is so comprehensive it NEEDS a full year instead of being crammed in with the rest.

 

My dd also tutored/helped some of her PS AND *co-op* peers. I only share that because *to me*, it showed that she completely understood the concepts.

 

I kind of chuckle about complaints re: the strong views of the author, because frankly, you get that with ANY course. I used to preview curriculum and I have not run across anything yet that did not have *some* bias on the front end. :) It is human nature. :)

 

(And we finished each book, bought *real* lab equipment and did all experiments/dissections/etc.)

[lllll]

..

[In The Great White North]

Not as challenging? I would definitely question that statement. Apologia are math based and some levels, such as Biology are college level material.

We started with Campbell's (big Campbell's - a college freshman text) and had to downgrade, because ds hadn't had chemistry yet, to Apologia. It was significantly easier - not even in the same range.

 

.

[Brenda in MA]

I agree! I don't want to be locked into Apologia for 2 years for a biology course. I would add that the lack of data interpretation and practical application are also 2 big problems I see with Apologia. My oldest used Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry with Apologia. His science scores on the ACT were consistently lower than his brothers' and I think it is because Apologia doesn't spend much time on data interpretation and application which is tested on the ACT. I chose other program for the other boys.

 

I don't think it's a horrible program. In fact, if it is the program you will do, it will be the best. The biggest problem I see with homeschoolers around here teaching high school science at home is that they simply never get around to it. My son found it to be an easy program and as such he didn't put much effort into it other than memorization. He had to work harder when he started taking his pre-engineering courses - but he has excelled in those because he is a hard worker who is very motivated. Would he have been better off with another course? Possibly. But he is doing great now so... :-)

 

I agree with Cynthia :), and I will add that I was disappointed with Apologia's Chemistry text because it was not adequate preparation for the SAT2 Chemistry exam. I do think it's an OK intro Chem course -- but for a kid who doesn't need the Chem SAT2. My son went on to CC Chem and did well, but we found Apologia's Chem coverage was not very broad and lacked depth on key subjects, like pH.

 

Brenda

[Orthodox6]

We stopped using the Apologia junior high and high school texts primarily because the text was babble. They ramble and blather, was how four of us independently felt (two parents and two sons).

 

Somewhere in the general science (the first one) text, I read some digressive economics viewpoint which my husband (Ph.D. in economics) agreed was a howler.

 

We do not want rabidly pro-macro-evolution textbooks, but we equally dislike textbooks that preach somebody else's version of Christianity.

 

I don't think the science component is any better than that available elsewhere.

 

Just a bad match for our family.

 

To imitate the Amazon.com review system, I'll give Apologia a "one star" because it actually can be left in the hands of the student and requires minimal parental oversight.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Orthodox6

[creekland]

We started with Campbell's (big Campbell's - a college freshman text) and had to downgrade, because ds hadn't had chemistry yet, to Apologia. It was significantly easier - not even in the same range.

 

.

 

I agree. Apologia's first books are always high school material as far as I know, not college. I'm not familiar with their advanced books yet, but my soon to be junior will probably be doing two of them next year (Chem and Bio).

 

I'm aware that other school districts are different, and homeschoolers are different yet, but even for our cc "college level" classes, high school level science courses need to be taken first as a pre-requisite. For most students, it is a two year process (one high school year, the second college level).

[NCMom]

I seem to hear the opposite... people saying they wish they had tested out of the introductory college courses because they didn't include anything not already learned in Apologia. But then, these are probably kids who did finish the books.

Yeah really! ;)

 

Personally, I think A&P should be a separate course from Biology; otherwise, neither can be covered thoroughly. So that's a plus rather than a deficit for me, but I may in the minority.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I like having the option (and have 1 who used it as written), but the reality is that most high school courses have both in one text. If you are prepping for SAT II or AP tests you may not have the luxury of doing 2 years of intro level bio courses.

 

OTOH, like I've mentioned before that I have tutored kids who block schedule Apologia and it is easily doable in a semester if you focus. Physical Science, could be done easily. Biology is a little harder; it has sooo much vocabulary. Chemistry is totally doable, it is mostly learning some concepts, using some Algebra I and remembering all the steps to take in solving each problem. The latter is where my current student is stuck now in Module 13. lol

 

At any rate, like anything else, it is how you use it and if it works for your student. I think it is a good program used as written, but I do not consider it rigorous based on other texts we have used. Though my oldest who went through the series and is a non science guy, might disagree with that! :001_smile:

 

Georgia

Edited May 31, 2010 by Georgia in NC
typos

[happygrrl]

I chose other program for the other boys.

:-)

 

 

And that program was.......:bigear:

[Bee]

but older dd was insistant that she did not want to use Apologia. I think it was the use of the word "creation" in the title. I was a little nervous about it anyway because I'm not sure that all colleges will consider the program to be on par with ps science courses, simply because it does contain religious content (I can't remember which college it was in California that dismissed the use of BJUP texts). Anyway, I plan to have her use Oak Meadow for Environmental Science, chemistry, and possibly biology ( or I may use the biology materials I have on hand instead). She wants to do Cornell's Bird Biology course too. She does not plan on majoring in the sciences or math in college.

[LatinTea]

What is Cornell's Bird Biology course? My dd would love that!

[KnitWit]

I realized re-reading this thread that perhaps a reason I have been satisfied is that I WANTED a high school level science. IF one of my kids decides to pursue a science related field, maybe I'll worry about doing college level work in high school...but so far that is not the case. :)

 

We each have so many different criteria...may YOU find what is best for YOUR child! :)

[creekland]

I realized re-reading this thread that perhaps a reason I have been satisfied is that I WANTED a high school level science. IF one of my kids decides to pursue a science related field, maybe I'll worry about doing college level work in high school...but so far that is not the case. :)

 

We each have so many different criteria...may YOU find what is best for YOUR child! :)

 

:iagree:

 

And as I said before, even at the ps's I've seen, been to, and worked at, ALL required a high school level course for Bio, Chem, and Physics prior to kids taking the college level course (AP or otherwise). Our cc is the same. Personally, I think it's better that way, but to each their own.

 

In any event, it is good for people to realize the first book of each Apologia course is high school level. I know people that have added the second and done well with AP tests, so I'm guessing the second adds enough to be college level, but I haven't looked at them myself yet. I'm planning on it being that way for my middle son next year though. He's aiming for AP Chem and Bio. We'll look at review books in plenty of time to be certain everything needed is covered.

[MyThreeSons]

What is Cornell's Bird Biology course? My dd would love that!

 

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

We have limited experience with Apologia (DS only did General Science). This year we switched to Prentice Hall Physical Science. What a difference!

 

Ds says he finds it a lot harder, but a lot more satisfying. BTW DS is going into sciences, he's got a great scientific mind, always had. He disliked the chatty tone of Apologia. On the other hand, he reads Prentice Hall, and gets to the questions, and goes " huh? Did I read something about this?" then he has to go back and re-read paying a lot more attention.

 

From my point of view, Prentice Hall is a better preparation for college sciences. The text is similar in tone to college texts (not in level, just in tone). So instead of having everything pre-chewed for his intellectual digestion, he's got to work for it. The reading techniques he's learning will be very useful in the long run.

[shastanarnia]

We stopped using the Apologia junior high and high school texts primarily because the text was babble. They ramble and blather, was how four of us independently felt (two parents and two sons).

 

Must say that I agree with that statement...my ds 13 finds it very confusing to read. Finally...in module 16....he's able to take notes and study more or less by himself. Up until now, I went through the text with him to interpret what they were saying. However, this is my artsy ds......my rational/logical 15yo dd is another story.

 

I believe that Apologia is very adequate preparation for college bound kids. My dd scored well in the science section of the ACT. I am interested in seeing how the Chem. class fares this year. By the way....high school labs are...well just that...high school labs. The purpose of a lab is to help understand the concepts presented in the text/material. Obviously, it is also to help understand the scientific method. Both of these objectives can easily be met using household ingredients with a few "extras" (like microscopes/slides etc). Needing to replicate a fully functional chemistry lab for a chem class in not required for high school purposes, imho!!

[Mouse]

I think with any science course you are going to get view points whether you want them or not. We used the Physical Science this year with our two kids. We found there were spots with religious undertones, but most of the time it was directed at the science overall. He would even give you different theories and why people agreed or disagreed with them. After doing all the modules in the book my feeling was he supported intelligent design and although there were a few bible hits, it was very few and far between. On the other side, we have used other books more pro evolution and had the same experience with it too. I don't think you will have one that doesn't confirm the evidence to their opinion. I do have to laugh though as one of these textbooks talking about the Big Bang stated "and the Big Bang occurred just because it did." Anyway, when it comes to the big bang vs creation I don't want to encourage my kids one way or another. This is something they need to decide for themselves. I give them both sides of the story and spend time on each side explaining the evidence and the pieces that fit and don't fit. I tell them to explore their questions and research and make their own decisions. They understand and have seen first hand that science tends to lean the way that author feels and they take it with a grain of salt.

 

As for the material. I have looked at the text books of other ps'ers in the same level and feel that Apologia gives everything they need for high requirements and sets them up for higher level without hitting too much into the college material. It is a comprehensive HIGH SCHOOL text, but not much beyond that.

 

As for us, we tried it this year. We have used different cir is the last few years. Overall, my kids liked how the text was more of a conversation and used analogies to explain concepts. They enjoyed the experiments and have an understanding of the science they read. The best thing is they now apply that to understanding things in their everyday life and can break things down. I left the decision on whether we stayed for round two and both kids gave thumbs up for it.

[AHASRADA]

I have been tempted by Apologia, simply because it seems to be the only HS level science curriculum created for homeschoolers. I have heard from those using standard (ps) texts, that many of the labs assume a classroom setting and therefore only a few are able to be duplicated at home. Apologia also has so many supplementary materials available, and I dislike trying to make ps programs work at home.

 

I would prefer a secular program, but can often work around the religious content if the program is excellent (such as R&S English).

 

The reason I ended up completely discounting Apologia, was because of the approach to environmentalism. I can deal with religious content, but not a science book that claims global warming to be a myth and environmentalism to be overblown, misguided, and unnecessary. I would expect a religious-based text to teach conservation as our duty as stewards of the earth, and therefore was very disappointed by this perspective. For me, 2 strikes (religious-based and anti-environment) made a deal-breaker against Apologia.

 

I will likely go with either Plato on-line courses (from Homeschool Buyers Co-op), or secular texts from Kolbe Academy or Oak Meadow.

[DebbS]

The anti-environmentalism approach that I saw in the Apologia descriptive material also bothered me.

[May]

My dd used the General, Physical and Biology Apologia texts. For the first time, she talked about science and how much she was learning. For us, it was a good fit. :001_smile:

[cbollin]

on the lack of anatomy in Biology I.... I've heard from real life friends to meet state requirements (or maybe umbrella school requirements) that they just do the

The Human Body

The Anatomy Coloring book, 3rd Edition

Authors: Wynn Kapit & Lawrence M. Elson

 

or least parts of it they aren't planning on doing the second biology book.

 

this book

Human Body

 

-crystal

[krstbrwn]

That's what the tutorial in our state does. The Human Body and the coloring book you mentioned.

I didn't had my dd take the tutorial, and we saved Anatomy and Physiology for this year. She's taking an online, college prep class for that, though. Not Apologia.

Kristi

[Granny_Weatherwax]

My DD just completed Biology and A & P in our local high school. Each was a separate, one semester course (our school is on the block system so each course counts as 1 credit). Her courses did not cover the entire text book; as a matter of fact I was shocked and dismayed at how much the teacher left out. In my opinion DD will not be prepared for college level Biology courses. BTW - DD was in the Honors Biology and A&P classes and was invited to take the AP Biology course next year. Her text books were supposed to be college level. They did not compare at all with the A & P college text I have.

 

As a result of DD's experience I see no problem with Apologia separating Biology & A&P. I plan on using both.

 

Chem is another matter.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I found them too chatty but ds likes them so we are happy.

:iagree:.

[MamaT]

My dc that have graduated and taken college science classes felt the Apologia texts (that is all we use in high school) prepared them extremely well.

[SusanAR]

My DD just completed Biology and A & P in our local high school. Each was a separate, one semester course (our school is on the block system so each course counts as 1 credit). Her courses did not cover the entire text book; as a matter of fact I was shocked and dismayed at how much the teacher left out. In my opinion DD will not be prepared for college level Biology courses. BTW - DD was in the Honors Biology and A&P classes and was invited to take the AP Biology course next year. Her text books were supposed to be college level. They did not compare at all with the A & P college text I have.

As a result of DD's experience I see no problem with Apologia separating Biology & A&P. I plan on using both.

 

Chem is another matter.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: My dd is in ps, too (advanced and AP classes), and this is my observation as well. I've been amazed! And our school district is supposed to be the best in the area. Completing Apologia (without skimping), is fine, IMO.

Edited June 4, 2010 by SusanAR

[creekland]

My DD just completed Biology and A & P in our local high school. Each was a separate, one semester course (our school is on the block system so each course counts as 1 credit). Her courses did not cover the entire text book; as a matter of fact I was shocked and dismayed at how much the teacher left out. In my opinion DD will not be prepared for college level Biology courses.

 

Chem is another matter.

 

This is the way our school does it too. We are on block scheduling and it simply doesn't work well for science (or math) as they don't proceed fast enough. Bio barely finished half the book, yet they get a whole credit and move on. My son knows as a condition of our letting him return to ps next year (9th grade) he will be finishing all science and math courses. With science, we're using Apologia since my boys regularly tutor their ps counterparts.

 

Chem is the same way. (Physics too.)

 

Math is like that too. With math, they just made it a requirement that all students do two years of Alg 1 (2 credits) since they were missing so much material. That helps Alg 1, but doesn't change the fact that they only get half of Geometry, Alg 2, Pre-Calc, and Calc.

 

My son will be doing their math and finishing with TT. Their geometry doesn't even do proofs (they are introduced in a section not covered). TT will add in proofs - and more.

[Guest cdia]

I used Chemistry and thought that there weren't enough math problems. I've tried other courses and I'm back to Apologia because I haven't found anything better.

deb

[silliness7]

Ds and I like the chatty tone of the text. We've only had experience with General thus far but I think Mr. Wile has done an excellent job of making science concepts accessible to us average-minded folk. The text has to function as BOTH lecture AND reading material since we are doing the course independently and don't have a live-in science teacher at our house to explain things further.

[TXMary2]

We enjoy Apologia as our main text. However, DS reads other science texts *for fun* and gets to see the bias on both sides.

[Susan C.]

What really bothered ds were the labs. He felt they weren't "real" labs.

 

Apologia's labs are meant to be that simple. One year I did BJU Physics (bailed after 8 weeks). The lab list was over $700, luckily a friend lent me the equipment. So, Apologia has simpler labs to teach the concept.

 

I think it's mostly that they are creation based. Not as challenging? I would definitely question that statement. Apologia are math based and some levels, such as Biology are college level material.

 

For high school level, Apologia is rigorous. My kids are good students, and it takes up all year to do a text. Go to a homeschool book fair and compare it to other publishers. Its up there.

 

I was sad to give up Apologia because I really liked them, and I liked how they were clear and interesting and the labs were so clearly described and home-friendly. However, in the end, I felt I just could not support a science curriculum that began with the conclusion and then picked out the evidence to support it, instead of beginning with observing the evidence to form a conclusion. Even if it is mostly in the creation area, it just bothered me too much. Plus I felt the author had a little bit of a whiney approach regarding it (poor me -- everyone used to pick on me because I held this view), which bothered me as well.) We are a strong Christian family so it's not even that the Christian emphasis bothered us.

 

My kids both learn that way, see the conclusion, and work backwards (whole to part). Then they can piece it together. I agree at some point you have to go part to whole, but this type of learner you have to go "backwards" first. That may be why Apologia is such a good fit for us.

 

We stopped using the Apologia junior high and high school texts primarily because the text was babble. They ramble and blather, was how four of us independently felt (two parents and two sons).

 

 

 

 

The other reason why we like it, it is language based. Both of my kids are creative and language based. We are so thankful there is a science program for how they learn. I have heard in past threads that some math/science based kids lose patience with the conversational style.

 

I realized re-reading this thread that perhaps a reason I have been satisfied is that I WANTED a high school level science. IF one of my kids decides to pursue a science related field, maybe I'll worry about doing college level work in high school...but so far that is not the case. :)

 

We each have so many different criteria...may YOU find what is best for YOUR child! :)

 

My motto: high school in high school, college in college :)

[Mouse]

My motto: high school in high school, college in college

:iagree:

[krstbrwn]

I used Chemistry and thought that there weren't enough math problems. I've tried other courses and I'm back to Apologia because I haven't found anything better.

deb

:iagree: There is not enough practice for the problems presented. I have another year before I have to teach it agan, and I will be looking for a supplement, because I do like the rest of the book.

Kristi

[Teachin'Mine]

I don't know about other texts, but Saxon Algebra II covers the chemistry math pretty well. I haven't thoroughly compared it to what's in the Apologia Chem text yet, but I'm pretty sure it covered most of the basics. So an Algebra II text might be helpful with providing more math practice.

[choirfarm]

:iagree: There is not enough practice for the problems presented. I have another year before I have to teach it agan, and I will be looking for a supplement, because I do like the rest of the book.

Kristi

 

 

We used the Teaching Company H.s. Chemistry course and it worked well with it. It had a booklet that came with it that had problems for them to do.

 

Christine

[krstbrwn]

I don't know about other texts' date=' but Saxon Algebra II covers the chemistry math pretty well. I haven't thoroughly compared it to what's in the Apologia Chem text yet, but I'm pretty sure it covered most of the basics. So an Algebra II text might be helpful with providing more math practice.[/quote']

 

It's not the math we need practice with. She had no trouble with the math. It's just that he would only give two practice problems for the concept he was presenting, and then he moved on to a new concept in which the problems were worked differently. We just needed to have more practice problems for each concept in order to cement how to work them.:)

Thanks for the Teaching Company idea. I'll look into it.

Kristi

[Teachin'Mine]

Thank you for explaining Kristi. :)

[krstbrwn]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm always open to all the help I can get;).

Kristi