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High School Chemistry and Living Books


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I'm planning chemistry for 2  next year. (1 wants to be a nurse and 1 wants to be an engineer)

 

This year they used Kolbe Biology.   They learned alot, but I think it was on the boring side for them. I started with living books with their biology and then realized it was too much and completed the rest of the year with just Kolbe

 

I want to use living books with their chemistry next year. (Napoleon's Buttons, Disappearing Spoon and a biography)

 

I do not want to overload them (that seems to be my nature)

 

Does anyone have  recommendations?  I already have the MicroChem Kit (practically new)  I need something that is somewhat laid out with quizzes and or tests.

 

I have looked at (but not sold on any)

 

Spectrum Chemistry

 

Apologia Chemistry

 

Conceptual Chemistry

 

Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry (but only counts as 1/2 credit)

 

I know there is a big Chemistry tab on the main page.  But, I thought someone might be able to give insight to a good curriculum that can go with living books and not be over the top on workload.

 

 

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I like the Zumdahl books.  World of Chemistry is the high school text.

 

As for overloading on workload, you can decide how much work to assign.  Just because there are certain number of problems at the end of the chapter doesn't mean you need to assign them all.

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Apologia is laid out with quizzes and tests and is not a heavy load so you wouldn't overburden by doing some living books with it. Spectrum is very heavily hands on and is probably not the best fit if you want to use the chem kit you already have. However, it isn't and overly heavy load either. 

 

I don't know much about the others. We've done Apologia with one kiddo and DIVE/BJU with the other. DIVE/BJU would be overload if you try to add to it.

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Apologia is laid out with quizzes and tests and is not a heavy load so you wouldn't overburden by doing some living books with it. Spectrum is very heavily hands on and is probably not the best fit if you want to use the chem kit you already have. However, it isn't and overly heavy load either. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info on Spectrum.   It doesn't sound like it would work, since I already have a chemistry kit we plan to use.

 

I had thought Apologia Chemistry might be too much.  It is good to see that it would work with living books as well.  Did you use the student notebook?  I have stayed away from Apologia because I prefer a secular science.  However, I have been told that Chemistry with Apologia is fine.   (I haven't looked at it though)

 

In regards to Zumdahl, my oldest dd used this and it was ok.  I really want to have something with already made quizzes and/or tests this time around with Chemistry.  (But, I do have the book as a reference)

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Kathy Joe Devore is a CM, living books proponent who writes curriculum (ELTL, RLTL, etc).  She is just now writing and getting out her new curriculum, Wayfarers.  It's a 4 year rotation, all inclusive curriculum for K-12.  Within her Rhetoric schedule for science, some of her recommendations are:

 

  • Science for High School (This is a research-based curriculum)
  • CK12 HS Science Texts (Free resource - we've used this and it works well as a general spine if you add to it the way Kathy does.)
  • From what I've read on the Yahoo group, she is now looking into and tentatively recommending Novare Science as well. They offer the following in Chemistry for HS:
    • General Chemistry - or -
    • Accelerated Chemistry, plus
    • Student Lab Report Handbook

Supplemental reading of living books that she mentions in a couple of her curriculum samples includes: (not specifically just for Chemistry)

While I can't yet see what she specifically recommends for Chemistry, her recommendations for other HS science, as well as her recommendations for other subjects are quite impressive.  So impressive, in fact, that I'm thinking of switching from TOG, which we love, to trying this curriculum for a rigorous, yet more relaxed approach, if that makes sense. (I can't believe I'm seriously contemplating this -- but I am.)

 

 

 

 

 

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I had thought Apologia Chemistry might be too much.  It is good to see that it would work with living books as well.  Did you use the student notebook?  I have stayed away from Apologia because I prefer a secular science.  However, I have been told that Chemistry with Apologia is fine.   (I haven't looked at it though)

 

Apologia Chemistry is still clearly Christian, but I didn't find it annoying (I am an OE Christian). He didn't go out of his way to make everything about religion. He does make "God made it that way" kind of remarks, or "It is all part of God's perfect plan" things like that, but he rarely says more than that. 

 

Ds did Apologia in a semester at under 2 hours a day. All the other sciences we've done in a semester have taken 2+ hours/day, the equivalent of 1 hr/day for a year. We did add better labs to it to make it a more full course - you could do the same with your micro chem kit. Ds is weak in math and some students would breeze through this far faster than he did. I expect only a few would take longer :).

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Kathy Joe Devore is a CM,.. recommendations are:

 

  • Science for High School (This is a research-based curriculum)
  • CK12 HS Science Texts (Free resource - we've used this and it works well as a general spine if you add to it the way Kathy does.)
  • From what I've read on the Yahoo group, she is now looking into and tentatively recommending Novare Science as well. They offer the following in Chemistry for HS:
    • General Chemistry - or -
    • Accelerated Chemistry, plus
    • Student Lab Report Handbook

Supplemental reading of living books that she mentions in a couple of her curriculum samples includes: (not specifically just for Chemistry)

While I can't yet see what she specifically recommends for Chemistry, her recommendations for other HS science, as well as her recommendations for other subjects are quite impressive.  So impressive, in fact, that I'm thinking of switching from TOG, which we love, to trying this curriculum for a rigorous, yet more relaxed approach, if that makes sense. (I can't believe I'm seriously contemplating this -- but I am.)

Ok, thank you.  I was not aware of these except CK12, which frustrated me because it was not clearly laid out.

 

 

Apologia Chemistry is still clearly Christian, but I didn't find it annoying (I am an OE Christian). He didn't go out of his way to make everything about religion. He does make "God made it that way" kind of remarks, or "It is all part of God's perfect plan" things like that, but he rarely says more than that. 

 

Ds did Apologia in a semester at under 2 hours a day. All the other sciences we've done in a semester have taken 2+ hours/day, the equivalent of 1 hr/day for a year. We did add better labs to it to make it a more full course - you could do the same with your micro chem kit. Ds is weak in math and some students would breeze through this far faster than he did. I expect only a few would take longer :).

Thank you for clarfying

Did your Ds use the student notebook?

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Ok, thank you.  I was not aware of these except CK12, which frustrated me because it was not clearly laid out.

 

 

Thank you for clarfying

Did your Ds use the student notebook?

 

Sorry, I forgot to answer that before. No, we didn't. We used the complete course CD and that was it from Apologia.

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Hello,

 

We are using the following: 

 

Chemistry: Concepts and Problems: A Self-Teaching Guide  Houk, Clifford C.

 

 

Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy

Hazen, Robert M.  

 

 

Homework Helpers: Chemistry (Homework Helpers (Career Press))

Curran, Greg

 

Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking

Simon Quellen Field

 

As well as Chemistry 101 and number of living books. We used Landry Academy for labs.

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Thanks for the info on Spectrum.   It doesn't sound like it would work, since I already have a chemistry kit we plan to use.

 

I had thought Apologia Chemistry might be too much.  It is good to see that it would work with living books as well.  Did you use the student notebook?  I have stayed away from Apologia because I prefer a secular science.  However, I have been told that Chemistry with Apologia is fine.   (I haven't looked at it though)

 

In regards to Zumdahl, my oldest dd used this and it was ok.  I really want to have something with already made quizzes and/or tests this time around with Chemistry.  (But, I do have the book as a reference)

 

I know this is an old post, but to anyone using Zumdahl's World of Chemistry or Chemistry, this might be helpful.

 

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