happyhome Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 DD is a science fan and would like a good overview type Physics course next year. We did Biology, Earth, Anatomy and Chemistry over the last three years. She'll be in 8th grade next year and is taking AOPS intro algebra now. I'd love something with an online/DVD teaching component. I was a Chemistry geek so Physics is out of my area. She's bright and science is her passion so she needs something that is engaging and moves fast. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauphin Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Have you looked into Supercharged Science? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Have you looked at Derek Owens? You will need to decide between the physical sciences or physics. The physics class is algebra based. My son is taking AoPS algebra this year and I think he could have handled the physics course. Instead he is taking the physical science with the dvd. It is perfectly fine,but I sort of wish we had gone for the physics. But the physical science is going very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Have you looked at Derek Owens? You will need to decide between the physical sciences or physics. The physics class is algebra based. My son is taking AoPS algebra this year and I think he could have handled the physics course. Instead he is taking the physical science with the dvd. It is perfectly fine,but I sort of wish we had gone for the physics. But the physical science is going very well. Derek Owens looks great. She won't be finished with the first AOPs Algebra book by the time she starts this class.....maybe halfway done. Will she be able to keep up? The course outline looks terrific but I worry that she won't have the math when she needs it. AOPs follows such a different track though so I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Have you looked into Supercharged Science? We had Supercharged here for the first year homeschooling about three years ago. We loved Aurora!! I think I'll take another look at her for Physics. I remember her website took a lot of getting used to. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Have you looked at Derek Owens? You will need to decide between the physical sciences or physics. The physics class is algebra based. My son is taking AoPS algebra this year and I think he could have handled the physics course. Instead he is taking the physical science with the dvd. It is perfectly fine,but I sort of wish we had gone for the physics. But the physical science is going very well. One other question, I saw CPO Physics in your sig. What did you think of that? Also, I don't think the DO Physical Science class would work. It would be a lot of repetition of things we've done already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 My older girls used CPO Physics: A First Course in 8th grade. We did the labs biweekly with a group of friends, that really helped keep us on track. It was one of their favorite year of science in all the time we homeschooled. Went so well I'm reprising it for my younger dd who will be in 8th next year. This group of parents isn't as confident at running the labs (last time, actually, we had the dads do half the labs, as they included an electrical engineer, a mechanical engineer and a former physics teacher) - so we're hiring a friend who is a high school physical science teacher to run the labs. After we got her on board, it was very easy to get a group together. We will be doing the book, skill sheets (free on their website and have better and more problems than just the book) and tests at home, and then the teacher will run the labs and correct the lab reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I wanted CPO to work SOOOO much but it just didn't. Part was my fault and the other wasn't my fault, lol Part that was my fault: I am not able to teach the math in an algebra based physics class on the fly. Long story, but I didn't take Algebra. It isn't beyond me, but I don't know it like most people do. There is an expectation in CPO that the teacher is at least competent in Algebra and can help the student. I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation, in fact, I think it is a very reasonable one. But it made things difficult. So, I was the problem there. Part that wasn't my fault: the labs are a bit tricky to manage on your own. There is some specialized CPO equipment that I just cannot afford (who can afford two photogates?) and then some other stuff that is just expensive. My son LOVES the hands on part of CPO (we have used other CPO middle grade books) and I felt like I was having to skip lab after lab after lab due to not having the material. Once you start skipping the labs CPO starts to feel a bit pointless, kwim? And the ones we didn't skip would have been so much better with several kids. Often the labs directed the students to split into groups and do different things and then compare results etc. Now, I tried looking at the labs and trying to sub in other labs from other programs with similar goals etc but that started to feel like I was creating a whole different program, and I just didn't have the time. I also didn't find the teacher's book to have as much lab support as I have come to expect from CPO, but that could have been a problem with me and not with CPO. Sometimes we just couldn't get the data to make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauphin Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 We had Supercharged here for the first year homeschooling about three years ago. We loved Aurora!! I think I'll take another look at her for Physics. I remember her website took a lot of getting used to. Thanks! You got that right! But I think there has been continual gradual improvement both in organization and increased content since we started about a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Holy smokes at the $$$$! Have you looked into Supercharged Science? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I wanted CPO to work SOOOO much but it just didn't. Part was my fault and the other wasn't my fault, lol Part that was my fault: I am not able to teach the math in an algebra based physics class on the fly. Long story, but I didn't take Algebra. It isn't beyond me, but I don't know it like most people do. There is an expectation in CPO that the teacher is at least competent in Algebra and can help the student. I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation, in fact, I think it is a very reasonable one. But it made things difficult. So, I was the problem there. Part that wasn't my fault: the labs are a bit tricky to manage on your own. There is some specialized CPO equipment that I just cannot afford (who can afford two photogates?) and then some other stuff that is just expensive. My son LOVES the hands on part of CPO (we have used other CPO middle grade books) and I felt like I was having to skip lab after lab after lab due to not having the material. Once you start skipping the labs CPO starts to feel a bit pointless, kwim? And the ones we didn't skip would have been so much better with several kids. Often the labs directed the students to split into groups and do different things and then compare results etc. Now, I tried looking at the labs and trying to sub in other labs from other programs with similar goals etc but that started to feel like I was creating a whole different program, and I just didn't have the time. I also didn't find the teacher's book to have as much lab support as I have come to expect from CPO, but that could have been a problem with me and not with CPO. Sometimes we just couldn't get the data to make sense. We did the labs as a group. We had 4 kids from 3 families. One of the other families and I went in on the ramp and two photogates. It was expensive, but we knew we'd reuse them in a few years for our younger kids, and then the idea was to resell them and split what we got for them. This made the "hardest" labs some of the easiest to do. The rest of the CPO materials are easily swapped out with other things. In some places we used other labs we found elsewhere, but most of the labs were from the book. It's true, we were all as teachers comfortable with the basic Algebra in the book. Next time through we have hired a teacher. There will be 8-10 kids, split into two lab groups of 4-5 kids each. Friend will use our ramp, photogate and timers and get another set for the second group. She's thinking she can repeat this in future for other homeschool groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Derek Owens looks great. She won't be finished with the first AOPs Algebra book by the time she starts this class.....maybe halfway done. Will she be able to keep up? The course outline looks terrific but I worry that she won't have the math when she needs it. AOPs follows such a different track though so I don't know. She should be fine as long as she is understanding the algebra material. DS did Dolciani's algebra 1 a year before using Derek's physics course and did AoPS algebra 1 as algebra review concurrently with Derek's physics course. He found the second chapter in DO's physics the hardest (it's also the longest chapter with most homework sections if I remember correctly) but it was smooth sailing after that. ETA: you can start DO's physics anytime too. DS started it in January instead of August the semester before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 We did the labs as a group. We had 4 kids from 3 families. One of the other families and I went in on the ramp and two photogates. It was expensive, but we knew we'd reuse them in a few years for our younger kids, and then the idea was to resell them and split what we got for them. This made the "hardest" labs some of the easiest to do. The rest of the CPO materials are easily swapped out with other things. In some places we used other labs we found elsewhere, but most of the labs were from the book. It's true, we were all as teachers comfortable with the basic Algebra in the book. Next time through we have hired a teacher. There will be 8-10 kids, split into two lab groups of 4-5 kids each. Friend will use our ramp, photogate and timers and get another set for the second group. She's thinking she can repeat this in future for other homeschool groups. This might be worth a look. We just moved to FL so we don't have a homeschool group yet, per say. But the Homeschool community is huge here. I'll put some feelers out and see if a group setting with a hired teacher is a possibility. I have two behind her so the materials will definitely get used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 Holy smokes at the $$$$! Yeah, I almost fell over. The price on the boxed sets are out of sight. She has a monthly subscription plan that gives you access to all her videos and text but then you're pulling it all together with schedules, labs and materials. It's a lot of work. She says to give it to your kids and let them go. That's fine for what I used it for the first year....interest lead exposure after leaving public school, but I wouldn't want my 13yr old to have the burden of pulling together a whole physics course on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 I wanted CPO to work SOOOO much but it just didn't. Part was my fault and the other wasn't my fault, lol Part that was my fault: I am not able to teach the math in an algebra based physics class on the fly. Long story, but I didn't take Algebra. It isn't beyond me, but I don't know it like most people do. There is an expectation in CPO that the teacher is at least competent in Algebra and can help the student. I don't think that is an unreasonable expectation, in fact, I think it is a very reasonable one. But it made things difficult. So, I was the problem there. Part that wasn't my fault: the labs are a bit tricky to manage on your own. There is some specialized CPO equipment that I just cannot afford (who can afford two photogates?) and then some other stuff that is just expensive. My son LOVES the hands on part of CPO (we have used other CPO middle grade books) and I felt like I was having to skip lab after lab after lab due to not having the material. Once you start skipping the labs CPO starts to feel a bit pointless, kwim? And the ones we didn't skip would have been so much better with several kids. Often the labs directed the students to split into groups and do different things and then compare results etc. Now, I tried looking at the labs and trying to sub in other labs from other programs with similar goals etc but that started to feel like I was creating a whole different program, and I just didn't have the time. I also didn't find the teacher's book to have as much lab support as I have come to expect from CPO, but that could have been a problem with me and not with CPO. Sometimes we just couldn't get the data to make sense. That makes sense. I looked at the book and, being that it's a text intended for a class setting, a lot of the labs seem to be better in groups. I'm going to look into the group option in our new area and see if something exists or if there's any interest in creating it. Regarding the math, I thought I had Algebra down.....I went through AP Calc, after all...but AOPs seems to have a way of consistently bringing me to my knees....lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 She should be fine as long as she is understanding the algebra material. DS did Dolciani's algebra 1 a year before using Derek's physics course and did AoPS algebra 1 as algebra review concurrently with Derek's physics course. He found the second chapter in DO's physics the hardest (it's also the longest chapter with most homework sections if I remember correctly) but it was smooth sailing after that. ETA: you can start DO's physics anytime too. DS started it in January instead of August the semester before. Thanks Quark. I had forgotten that you can start DO at any time. She only has AoPS PreA under her belt. She's doing the first Algebra book now. She LOVES AoPS and is doing well but there have been several times where we've cross referenced with Foerster's to solidify a concept. If we go this route, think I'll let her get further along in Algebra and then start DO in the second semester. Truthfully, based on what I'm reading, I'm on the fence about doing a full blown Physics course right now, even though that's what she wants. She's a math/science kid but we've had to play catch up in math because of her abysmal public school experience. (We've homeschooled science all along so she has broad exposure.) I keep asking, why rush algebra based Physics? Won't she enjoy it so much more in HS when she can do a challenging lab course and her math will help her and not possibly hinder her? I was thinking maybe using 8th grade for a good challenging Physical Science course to perfect her science skills....i.e., lab reports, analyzing data, reading a solid textbook. Maybe the right text could help us bring all of the "pieces" she's learned and connect them a bit more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I have heard goog things about pairing Hewitt's Conceptual Physics with one of the various Physics Great Courses. I don't know if you have tried any of the GC's yet, but they are a major hit around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 I have heard goog things about pairing Hewitt's Conceptual Physics with one of the various Physics Great Courses. I don't know if you have tried any of the GC's yet, but they are a major hit around here. Ha! I just bought Swimmermom's Hewitt book on the Classified boards a couple of days ago and now, based on that terrific Great Courses thread, I'm going to pair it with Physics in Your Life. 8th grade Science done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Ha! I just bought Swimmermom's Hewitt book on the Classified boards a couple of days ago and now, based on that terrific Great Courses thread, I'm going to pair it with Physics in Your Life. 8th grade Science done!! That's our plan for middle school as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 My ds is reading through Robert Gilmore's books (Wizard of Quarks, Alive in Quantumland, etc.) and is pairing those with Great Courses, such as Particle Physics for Non-Physicists with the Wizard book. I think he'll do Physics in Your Life with the Alice book, or Scrooge's Cryptic Carol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 That's our plan for middle school as well! Maybe we can share ideas! Once I get the book and download the course, I'm going to start looking for the lab component and additional reading. If you come across any cool resources (i.e., books, lab kits, a schedule) would you share? She's excited and so am I. While I was a bit nervous about teaching algebra based physics, conceptual is much less daunting. Fun, fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 My ds is reading through Robert Gilmore's books (Wizard of Quarks, Alive in Quantumland, etc.) and is pairing those with Great Courses, such as Particle Physics for Non-Physicists with the Wizard book. I think he'll do Physics in Your Life with the Alice book, or Scrooge's Cryptic Carol. These books look fun! I'll add these to the additional reading list. There were also some good suggestions for further reading in the Amazon review section. Thanks for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas_mom Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 My ds is reading through Robert Gilmore's books (Wizard of Quarks, Alive in Quantumland, etc.) and is pairing those with Great Courses, such as Particle Physics for Non-Physicists with the Wizard book. I think he'll do Physics in Your Life with the Alice book, or Scrooge's Cryptic Carol. Momtocs -- I would love more details of what you did. I was planning to use Alice in Quantumland, but I didn't know how? What is Physics in Your Life or Scrooge's Cryptic Carol? I just bought "Time and Space of Uncle Albert" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0571226159/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a trilogy and the 3rd book is called "Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest." If ds likes the first book, then I will buy the other two for summer read before the Fall. The books are not found in my library. Then, next school year he wants to do quantum physics. So, I was going to use "Alice in Quantumland," but that is as far as I have gotten. To the OP, maybe these books might be a fun read. In the reviews, it has a 12 yrs old, liking the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Buck did an intro to Chem/Physics this year in 8th grade. We used Holt Physical Science. It's a school text, but the publisher offers support materials, labs, teacher's edition, etc. at their website. I like this publisher because it IS a school text. It's well done, has a lot of good diagrams, graphs, pictures, in-book labs, etc, and is a comfortable read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Can't help with the video\DVD component but I've taught Hewitt's Conceptual Physics three times to 7th or 8th graders and it is an excellent curriculum. Labs are possible too, but it takes some planning and work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 Can't help with the video\DVD component but I've taught Hewitt's Conceptual Physics three times to 7th or 8th graders and it is an excellent curriculum. Labs are possible too, but it takes some planning and work. We've decided to do this text along with Great Courses Physics in Your Life. I've given up on the DVD thing since we're going with conceptual. We'll do it together and I'll guide her through the labs. What did you use for lab work? I'm beginning to plan that out now. She's excited and frankly, so am I. You've taught it three times? Hmmmmm.....do you have a schedule or resource list you can share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Momtocs -- I would love more details of what you did. I was planning to use Alice in Quantumland, but I didn't know how? What is Physics in Your Life or Scrooge's Cryptic Carol? I just bought "Time and Space of Uncle Albert" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0571226159/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a trilogy and the 3rd book is called "Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest." If ds likes the first book, then I will buy the other two for summer read before the Fall. The books are not found in my library. Then, next school year he wants to do quantum physics. So, I was going to use "Alice in Quantumland," but that is as far as I have gotten. To the OP, maybe these books might be a fun read. In the reviews, it has a 12 yrs old, liking the books. Well, we haven't done it yet ;) , not really. Right now, my ds is reading through The Wizard of Quarks, and is watching Particle Physics for Non-Physicists. He does this on his own, and we talk about what he's learning. We don't worry about matching everything up exactly. I'm hoping to pair up more of Robert Gilmore's books and Teaching Co. lectures for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas_mom Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Well, we haven't done it yet ;) , not really. Right now, my ds is reading through The Wizard of Quarks, and is watching Particle Physics for Non-Physicists. He does this on his own, and we talk about what he's learning. We don't worry about matching everything up exactly. That's good enough for me! ;) Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhome Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 I found this terrific thread with resources, links and schedules for Hewitt CP. Just thought I'd put this out there for those who might be considering it. Thank you, thank you Dicentra! http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/470118-hewitts-conceptual-physics-resources/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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