WaterLily Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm on a budget and found a deal on a Holt Physical Science set but it has a 2001 copyright. Is it going to be terribly outdated? (This is for my 8th grader, BTW.) Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I am no expert, but I do not know exactly how much physical science could have changed in the last two decades. I mean our idea of electron orbitals is developing, but we don't really know much other than that our old thoughts are not exactly right. Khan Academy even teaches the "older version" but then just says "We know this isn't exactly right, but we don't really know how it isn't right yet." or something to that effect. There are new elements on the Periodic Table, but again, very few have been confirmed and completely decided on names yet. I'd just let the student know that science is always changing. Khan is a great resource for short movies on various physical science subjects. If you supplemented here and there, I can't see a problem. He is very upfront even that we might find out tomorrow some of the things we are talking about today haven't been totally understood. So I would go for it. If your student is in eighth grade, they are going to see the material again. Holt has never been fantastically cutting edge to begin with so I have a feeling it is a fairly survey course without getting into super specific depth on any real subject. If it was biology, I'd say no way, but physical science I'd go for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 definitely the cutting edge modern developments in physics or chemistry will not be covered in an introductory text, let along a Physical Science text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 definitely the cutting edge modern developments in physics or chemistry will not be covered in an introductory text, let along a Physical Science text. This. It is a myth perpetuated by the texbook publishers that high school science texts are outdated every few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Absolutely buy older physical science textbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm using a Conceptual Physical Science book from that era. In fact I was stressing over biology editions and realized the well funded high performing district we'd lived in in VA was using the 2002 Miller Levine. Eased my concerns a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterLily Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Thank you all! You were very helpful! Of course I missed out on the deal I was specifically talking about (lol!) but this will help me as I continue my search. I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out exactly what I need for Holt physical science so input would be welcome on that as well. Need to find used and affordable. :) Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Are you after the middle school version or the high school? I ask because I have both. ;) For the middle school version I have the teacher's manual and the Chapter Resources CD. For high school I have the student text and Chapter Resources CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I would not buy it because it is from Holt. Somewhere there is a website (or two) that evaluates science textbooks for accuracy -- (These are not religiously oriented websites. ) -- and most pre-college textbooks received low marks, with middle school levels considered very poor. Wish I could remember where these reports are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I would not buy it because it is from Holt. Somewhere there is a website (or two) that evaluates science textbooks for accuracy -- (These are not religiously oriented websites. ) -- and most pre-college textbooks received low marks, with middle school levels considered very poor. Wish I could remember where these reports are. Textbook League perhaps? Holt got low scores, but so did pretty much every other middle school phys. science textbook out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Textbook League perhaps? Holt got low scores, but so did pretty much every other middle school phys. science textbook out there. I don't remember. I thought the Textbook League was the strongly Protestant education group in East Texas -- ? At any rate, you are right. Drove me crazy in earlier years, leaving me nervous about what my older children were learning. Later, I discovered Hewitt's Conceptual Physical Science and relaxed, trusting that middle school now was "safe". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I don't remember. I thought the Textbook League was the strongly Protestant education group in East Texas -- ? At any rate, you are right. Drove me crazy in earlier years, leaving me nervous about what my older children were learning. Later, I discovered Hewitt's Conceptual Physical Science and relaxed, trusting that middle school now was "safe". Hmm I was thinking about this guy -- http://www.textbookleague.org/ttlindex.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Having used Holt for the previous three years (this year we're on to Spectrum), can you guys link us to something a bit more current? The above link only uses texts published in the 90s…and none of the ones being discussed are even there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterLily Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Interesting! I do have Apologia Physical Science already but it's the older version and I'm not crazy about it. Is Apologia any better than Holt? Should I just use that? Should I look at Hewitt's Conceptual Physical Science? I'm just not sure what to do. :/ I pulled my ds out of school and am really overwhelmed trying to figure everything out so quickly. (I homeschooled previously but I mean I wasn't expecting to do it this year with my 8th grader!). I need something good but also straightforward and easy for us to jump into.... and not too teacher intensive because he wants to work fairly independently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Honestly, I can't figure out what the previous posters are talking about. I'm a k-8 classroom teacher and I didn't find any glaring issues with the Holt texts (part of why I'm hoping someone can link us to something a bit more current than other companies' texts from 1996.) Obviously people will have different preferences, but I'm not seeing something that's actually problematic. Personally, that's why I liked Holt. I had pulled my then-7th grader out of public school. Being a school text, Holt was a familiar lay-out, logically-presented, plenty of support materials and extension activities, well illustrated with a lot of good diagrams… Seriously, I can see why it's so popular with schools as well as homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterLily Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Personally, that's why I liked Holt. I had pulled my then-7th grader out of public school. Being a school text, Holt was a familiar lay-out, logically-presented, plenty of support materials and extension activities, well illustrated with a lot of good diagrams… Seriously, I can see why it's so popular with schools as well as homeschoolers. Yes, it really sounds like what we're looking for. I pulled my ds from a Montessori school that wasn't working for him and he's practically begging for more structure and organization, etc. *And I should add that as of now I don't plan to homeschool through high school so I need to prepare him to go back to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Yes, I would. And do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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