Jump to content

Menu

What to use for high school college prep chemistry?


Recommended Posts

I like Zumdahl's Introductory Chemistry book. It is easily found used, and I was also able to find a used TE. This is a college book used with AP classes all across the USA. I also found a syllabus online for it. Here is the URL for it:

http://college.hmco.com/chemistry/intro/zumdahl/intro_chemistry/5e/students/

 

I used a MichroChem lab set with this book. I didn't worry about matching the experiments with the book, but you could do that.

 

HTH,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take a look at Singapore's O level Chemistry (http://www.singaporemath.com). I really like it. I will be teaching it in co-op next year. Previously I taught Apologia Chemistry (not advanced version). While it was good, I think Singapore's is more comprehensive and requires much more critical thinking ability than Apologia's text. The Singapore text is in color and covers applications of chemistry (lacking in Apologia).

 

The Apologia text will probably cover all you need for high school, and the addition of the advanced text probably rounds out the program. The Apologia texts are black and white and, frankly, boring IMO. The Singapore texts are more inviting, IMO.

 

Another possibility is The Spectrum by Beginnings Publishing (The Rainbow Science people). This is also a good text which I like better than Apologia. It is a little expensive, though. But it does have the advantage of being able to purchase the whole kit-n-kaboodle lab set. The labs with Spectrum are more in-depth than Apologia's. You can see samples at http://www.beginningspublishing.com.

 

All of these programs will serve you well for high school level chemistry to prepare a student for nursing school. You'll just need to find the one that you will actually *do* and that depends on what type of book will engross your student.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

T

The Apologia text will probably cover all you need for high school, and the addition of the advanced text probably rounds out the program. The Apologia texts are black and white and, frankly, boring IMO. The Singapore texts are more inviting, IMO. .

 

Just to clarify, I'm not sure whether you are saying the Apologia books are literally black and white or the presentation style. The new editions do have color illustrations - but that may not be what you mean :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify, I'm not sure whether you are saying the Apologia books are literally black and white or the presentation style. The new editions do have color illustrations - but that may not be what you mean :)

 

 

You're right. My copy does have a few pictures in color as well as highlighted text colors. But it pales in comparison with the other 2 texts. Apologia uses very few graphics yet chemistry is a science that lends itself to the heavy use of graphics (as seen in the other texts). Apologia seems to be the default choice for most homeschoolers (and I believe the chemistry text is the best text Apologia has produced) but there are other excellent choices out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cynthia,

 

I'd love to know more about Singapore's O level Chemistry.

Would it prepare one for an AP Exam? The university level classes are A-level rather than O-level, aren't they? In my mind I've always equated O-level with regular high school chemistry and A-level with honors or AP. Then again, if O-level is rigorous enough then maybe it would work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cynthia,

 

I'd love to know more about Singapore's O level Chemistry.

Would it prepare one for an AP Exam? The university level classes are A-level rather than O-level, aren't they? In my mind I've always equated O-level with regular high school chemistry and A-level with honors or AP. Then again, if O-level is rigorous enough then maybe it would work.

 

We used Singapore Chem and it is a wonderful book but it alone will not prepare you for the AP chem exam sad to say. It omits some topics or covers them briefly (don't ask me which ones since this was two years ago!) but spends more time on industrial chem. My ds really enjoyed it. We added Chang (MGH) and an online lab to the mix to fill out the whole program. If you weren't aiming for the AP, this would be a terrific book on it's own.

 

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought the text used by Scholar's Online: Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity by Kotz (6th edition) plus the study guide. A friend of mine picked up Chang's and Zumdahl's books, which I plan to use to supplement. The TE for the Kotz book is available online.

 

I am also using The Teaching Company's Chemistry videos, as just reading about Chemistry can be quite boring.

 

For labs, I'm using a book called The Joy of Chemistry. It's called a "fireside reader." I've read the book and found that I like its simple explanations. With chapters titles like "Bond: Chemical Bond," and "Coppers and Robbers," I found it rather humorous sometimes. In the beginning of the book it gives a shopping list of supplies one needs to purchase to do the experiments throughout the book.

 

I will have dd take the SAT-Chemistry test at the end of the year. Showing high school mastery is all I want for this subject.

 

HTH.

 

Bev

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...