TwoEdgedSword Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 My 11th grader would like to put together a Chemistry course that is non- traditional. This is an AP student in Literature and English (level 5), but she does not like science and wants to just "get it done" for chemistry. I was thinking something more literature based if there is such a thing for chemistry. This student will read and digest all the books necessary to get all the concepts, but is not great at the memorization of tables etc. Any recommendations are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 You could use a traditional text without requiring memorization of tables. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 What science curricula have you used before, and how did they work for her? I let my 7th grader use the following reference sheet to reduce memorization load when she took chemistry early. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Periodic-Table-Chemistry-Reference-Sheet-31033 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 She has been using Apologia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Assuming she doesn't need a lab science, you might want to look at the high school chemistry as listed in TWTM book? I wonder if you could use some of the ideas in there with a book list from The Well Educated Mind book or SWB's Story of Science? (Throwing stuff out there since we obviously haven't been there yet.) It looks like her type of science (read - write summary of what you read - read - write paper). There are several other books that might be interesting to add - like The Disappearing Spoon, for example. It is a quick & relatively easy read for high school that has some interesting element & chemistry-related stories. Updating with a couple of threads you might want to check out: Conceptual Chemistry (about this book - which is much cheaper than when the thread was first posted since a new edition is out) Chemistry for a non-science kid Edited December 17, 2015 by RootAnn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I think Dr. Oliver Sack's Uncle Tungsten; Memories of a Chemical Boyhood would make a wonderful non-traditional basis for a chemistry class. You could couple it with a nice chemistry set. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I have not actually used this book, but it's been sitting on my bookshelf for years. It looks very interesting, though. Ilustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shage Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Caveman Chemistry is weird and fun. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 She has been using Apologia. That is a memorization and vocabulary-heavy curriculum. We used Spectrum, and like I said, I let my younger of the two kids doing it at the time use the cheat sheet. It does require math, but the memorization load with the cheat sheet was not at all bad. If you want something gentler, you can look at Conceptual Chemistry or Friendly Chemistry. Friendly Chemistry has kitchen-based labs you can do with household items, which is a nice plus. Have you browsed the Chemistry link at the top of the forum? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 I'd didn't see that. I'll check it out. Thanks for pointing it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Yes, I'm doing Friendly Chemistry this year with mine who is oriented towards literature, history, and Latin (multiple AP's). I added in watching the DIVE lectures and video labs because we already owned that. We've been watching one of the Great Courses chemistry series (the name escapes me now). Some consider Friendly Chemistry to be light, maybe even middle school, so I beefed it up some. She says that it is her favorite year of science so far! Edited December 17, 2015 by G5052 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 That is a memorization and vocabulary-heavy curriculum. We used Spectrum, and like I said, I let my younger of the two kids doing it at the time use the cheat sheet. It does require math, but the memorization load with the cheat sheet was not at all bad. If you want something gentler, you can look at Conceptual Chemistry or Friendly Chemistry. Friendly Chemistry has kitchen-based labs you can do with household items, which is a nice plus. Have you browsed the Chemistry link at the top of the forum? We are using Friendly Chemistry too. We are really liking it. Also reading the Disappearing Spoon. Very interesting! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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