Derek Owens Physical Science reviews?

[Halcyon]

Can anyone give a review of this? Also, what year did your child take it? 8th?

 

Thanks!!!

[Heathermomster]

My 8th grader is using it now and loves it. He used CIA PS first semester and picked up DO PS in January. We are very pleased with the change.

[redsquirrel]

Argh! I totally wrote an answer to this days ago but it isn't here. Crud.

 

Ok, so we started using this in February due to a science crisis. I won't bore you with the details, just know that we are only at the end of unit 3. My son did the first two units using the sample online and he liked it enough that we purchased the course.

 

So the most important thing to me at this point is that he likes it. However, it seems, to him, very easy. It could be because my son is taking AoPS algebra and that is fairly challenging. The algebra required for this physical science course is very basic and he goes through it step. by. step.  My son generally zooms ahead and does the math in the section quickly. The homework takes him about 15 mins, so far. If I had investigated this last spring in preparation  for this autumn I might have had him take the physics course. The physics course is algebra based and closer to a 'conceptual physics' or 'physics first' course. That is what my son wanted to have this year and I couldn't pull it off, hence the science crisis. But, at this late date I am just happy to have whatever it is done well.

 

The course also seems a bit short to me. It is 11 chapters long and divided into 30 weeks. Two of those weeks are dedicated to a semester exam. So, there is one semester exam at week 14 and a second semester exam at week 30. So, that is 28 weeks of instruction. My son started 2/03 (I have it recorded) and will finish with science at the end of June. Now, that is a bit shortened. He has so far skipped the experiments because everything assigned has been something he has already done in one form or another. We did a couple years of heavy hands science on and I am amazed at what we have covered, lol. CPO is fantastic! He has done the homework and the chapter reviews. I also don't feel the need to spend a whole week on a semester exam. I have given him two days, but that is subject to change if we need the time. We will also prob do a couple of the demonstrations because I don't assume we have done everything and hands on is important to us. I figure we will maybe end the year shy a week or two, but that is pretty darn good for starting in February. It seems a bit odd to me that we can get through essentially a two semesters of science in 4 months with little difficulty. Again, that could change. We are only three units in. There absolutely could be a chapter where the homework gets really challenging or he needs to go slower. I just don't know.

 

Given the time crunch, I am actually glad this isn't the most challenging course every. One hive member who reviewed the physics course said that her son had an hour of homework a night (I think that is what she said) and at this late date in the year it would have been too much for my son. So, in the end it is the right course for the year, but had things gone differently I would be regretting this purchase and would have tried to switch to the physics course.

 

My only real complaint about the course is that the lessons are not of consistent length. We can't count on 45 mins for science, or 60 mins. It seems more like 45 mins one day, 75 mins another day, 30 mins the next, then back to 40. It isn't a huge big deal, but it is a bit annoying. And, there is no time stamp on the videos so my son can't tell how long a lesson will be before he starts. And if it starts to run long he can't tell if he only has 10 mins left or 30. If you look at the Lucid Education site with the course sample you can see that some lessons are longer than others. You will also see that they are all chopped up into bits. I assumed when we bought it the lessons would be whole, not chopped up. Or maybe chaptered but not in separate videos. Well, I was wrong. They are exactly the same as on the website. It would personally drive me nuts to have to keep opening up the next video, but my son doesn't seem to mind.

 

Another thing to know is that I don't see a listing of all the supplies needed for the experiments. It would be nice if Derek Owens would put that info on the website and also have it listed in the course materials. It might be in there somewhere, but I have looked and not found it. And the student workbook is great and absolutely essential to the course. If you buy the course you don't get a an e-book of the student pages. You only get one hard copy and it is consumable. It also costs about 40$ to get a new one. I am making copies for my son to use so that my younger boy can take the class when he is in middle school. I can't take the chance that in 4 or 5 years Derek Owens won't be selling the workbooks or whatever.

[Halcyon]

Thanks redsquirrel for that thorough review--i really appreciate it and will sit down tomorrow and read it more carefully. For the moment, can you tell me if you think a 7th grader could take it assuming he's solid with sciences and has finished algebra? 2) Is the teacher book a necessity? I am thinking if it IS less intense, as you said, he could do the Physical Science along with lots of science reading, which he really enjoys doing--i wouldn't want to crowd that out, kwim? and finally 3) Did you buy the course as a set of cds or a thumb drive? or is there another way to buy it that I am not seeing?

 

ETA: okay, after clicking around the site i found the sample videos--I am going to peruse them this weekend, as well as download the sample student pages--that should help give me a better sense :)

[redsquirrel]

yes, a 7th grader who has finished algebra can do this class. I am thinking that I am going to have my younger son take this class in 7th grade while taking AoPS pre-A and then I will have him take the physics class as an 8th grader. I really, really wanted my 8th grader to take algebra based physics and feel sort of crappy that I didn't make that happen. He's going off to public high school next year and I really wish he was going in having done that.

 

There is no teacher book. And yes, the student book is necessary. I wouldn't have my kid take the class without it.

 

We bought it as a thumb drive (it comes on 2 in fact) but now I am paranoid I am going to lose them, lol. Those things are so small!

[Halcyon]

I thought the same thing about the thumb drive lol. I have to get a bright zipped pencil case or something to keep them in! 

 

Okay, so I guess I meant the solutions manual, not the teacher manual--and it probably would be a good thing to have is my guess. And obviously, since you get the thumb drive, you can reuse it for your next kid, so that's good.

 

Okay, I am strongly leaning towards Physical Science. He is enjoying TabletClass math which uses a similar format so I think it will be good, but I think that will be our limit for video based classes in one year. Thank you so much!

[redsquirrel]

I have never looked at the solutions manual. It is for the homework and the tests. I was able to peruse and my son's work looked ok to me so I called it good. Some weeks I am pickier than others, lol.

 

And please look at the two units that are up on the website. I am sure that a kid who has done algebra should be very comfortable with this class, but YMMV. And I want to add that I think this class is a good rundown of all non life science middle school science. Because it is physical science it covers both intro physics and chemistry, but there is an earth science section as well. My son did earth science two years ago, so I am glad to see there. It will be a good refresher before he goes off to high school and never does earth science again, lol.

 

My kids have never done a video class so I am glad this has been a good experience.