Easy high school physics suggestions, please

[johnandtinagilbert]

I don't want AP or honors, just something solid that won't take much more than 45m -- 1 hour daily and can be completed through one school year. Suggestions, please....thank you.

[Patricia in WA]

The high school version is very good. You could also use this page to help you with the planning.

[Robin in DFW]

nt

[Lori D.]

Older DS is using this secular textbook and greatly enjoying it. It is 42 chapters long, so you can choose how much you want to cover. We're matching up experiments from several TOPS units and kits from Homescience Tools to go with the chapters as our labs. I bought an older edition of Conceptual Physics (c. 2002) at a pretty inexpensive price, so then I could spend more money on the kits. There is a hardback Teacher edition to the student textbook, plus a softback lab manual, plus a softback practice problems manual. Frankly, we're just sticking with the hardback student textbook and the kits for labs and calling it good. (We are doing just a very few of the labs in the lab manual just to do a few more formal labs -- but the majority require special equipment; so if you can't find a lab manual to match your textbook, don't worry about it -- it will save you having to track down expensive physics classroom items.)

 

Along with Conceptual Physics, we're also doing John Tiner's "Exploring the World of Physics" as a Christian resource; it covers the highlights of scientists and discoveries in the field of physics over the centuries in a very easy-to-read format. You could do one chapter a week.

 

 

Older DS had previously used Apologia Biology and then Apologia Chemistry -- for us, Apologia is too chatty and dry with not enough experiments. In looking over a friend's Apologia Physics, it looked like more of the same, so I jumped out of the Apologia ship. While I appreciate the Christian perspective, the dry text just sucked the life and love out of science for us. Younger DS is doing Conceptual Chemistry (along with TOPS kits) and greatly enjoying it.

 

Someone else here recently mentioned the Kinetic Books have a Physics course, and it has a virtual lab option. BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Teachin'Mine]

Apologia physics. :)

 

ETA: Wanted to clarify that the topics and material covered isn't any easier than most other physics courses, it's just that the material

is explained very well, and it's easy for the student to read and learn on their own. So in that respect it's easy. : )

Edited October 2, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[Corraleno]

Kinetic Books has a computer-based Conceptual Physics course, as well as a virtual physics lab package.

 

Jackie

[Miss Marple]

Older DS is using this secular textbook and greatly enjoying it. It is 42 chapters long, so you can choose how much you want to cover. We're matching up experiments from several TOPS units and kits from Homescience Tools to go with the chapters as our labs. I bought an older edition of Conceptual Physics (c. 2002) at a pretty inexpensive price, so then I could spend more money on the kits. There is a hardback Teacher edition to the student textbook, plus a softback lab manual, plus a softback practice problems manual. Frankly, we're just sticking with the hardback student textbook and the kits for labs and calling it good. (We are doing just a very few of the labs in the lab manual just to do a few more formal labs -- but the majority require special equipment; so if you can't find a lab manual to match your textbook, don't worry about it -- it will save you having to track down expensive physics classroom items.)

 

Along with Conceptual Physics, we're also doing John Tiner's "Exploring the World of Physics" as a Christian resource; it covers the highlights of scientists and discoveries in the field of physics over the centuries in a very easy-to-read format. You could do one chapter a week.

 

 

Older DS had previously used Apologia Biology and then Apologia Chemistry -- for us, Apologia is too chatty and dry with not enough experiments. In looking over a friend's Apologia Physics, it looked like more of the same, so I jumped out of the Apologia ship. While I appreciate the Christian perspective, the dry text just sucked the life and love out of science for us. Younger DS is doing Conceptual Chemistry (along with TOPS kits) and greatly enjoying it.

 

Someone else here recently mentioned the Kinetic Books have a Physics course, and it has a virtual lab option. BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

I would recommend Conceptual Physics as well. I haven't used Kinetic Books, but from what I've seen, it looks good, too.

[melmichigan]

Conceptual Physics would be my recommendatin as well, that is one of the courses we are doing this year with my DD. Here is a really good physics syllabus, the links from there are wonderful and the teacher has it up and available to the public. All the study guides, videos, etc. are right there for a years class (including the Hewitt videos). I have a few more sites marked but they correlate to the Physics portion of the Conceptual Physical Science college text and might take a little more work to align if you don't also have that text to reference.

[MyThreeSons]

Here is a really good physics syllabus, the links from there are wonderful and the teacher has it up and available to the public. All the study guides, videos, etc. are right there for a years class (including the Hewitt videos).

 

thanks for posting this

[Joan in GE]

Here are two:

 

Book of Phyz

 

Interactive simulations (University of Colorado - Boulder)

 

Joan

[johnandtinagilbert]

Popping in to say thank you all. I'm watching :bigear: