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My online homeschool high school chemistry courses :)

Dicentra
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Dicentra

Dicentra

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Well... :)  Here it is - my website for my new online homeschool high school chemistry venture:

 

http://www.clovervalleychemistry.com/

 

Everyone is welcome to take a look around and then contact me with any questions or comments you may have.  I've tried to include as much info as I could without making things overwhelming - hopefully. :)

 

If anyone sees any spelling or grammar errors or finds mistakes or broken links, I'd be much obliged if you'd let me know.  I've looked at the website for so long I'm not sure I'm seeing what's actually there anymore. :D

 

If anyone would like to be added to an email list to receive a reminder next spring a few days before registration opens up, please fill out the contact form on the website and I'll make sure to put you on the list!

 

I'm VERY excited to start these courses next fall!  Teaching chemistry is my passion and I'm so happy that I get to share that passion with the homeschooling community. :)

 

(And yes - the name is very similar to our own Morning Glory's Clover Creek Physics. :)  The area I live in has long been informally known as "Clover Valley" and I've always thought I'd like to incorporate that into the name of any business I started.  Before I settled on anything, I asked Morning Glory if she was ok with the names being so similar and she was so kind and said she thought it was a great name. :)  I figure that folks who are looking for online physics or chem for homeschoolers will just think "It's Clover... something" :) and Morning Glory and I can redirect to the other person's website if need be. :) )

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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Are you starting a waitlist? We would like to sign on!

 

If you go to the website and send me a quick note using the contact form, I can put you on an email list that I'll send out a reminder to a few days before registration opens.  That way, you can be reminded to hop over to the website and fill out the registration form and, hopefully, be top of the list. :)

 

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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Besides the math, do you see any other background distinctions between the regular and honors courses?

 

The honors course will cover more material in the same length of time (36 weeks) and so it will move more quickly.  Some of the topics it covers are also more conceptually complex and abstract (the concept of equilibrium, for example, or the idea of quantum numbers) so students who struggle with mathematical reasoning or with visualizing abstract concepts might find the honors chem a bit overwhelming.  Folks can always message me with particular student details and I can give them an idea of which of the two courses would be a better choice. :)

 

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SeaConquest

SeaConquest

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I am so excited for these courses, Connie! Just as an FYI, my nursing pre-req combo Gen/O/Bio Chem class used the same book. This was at a California community college. So, I agree that this course would be excellent prep for anyone going into healthcare.  

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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I am so excited for these courses, Connie! Just as an FYI, my nursing pre-req combo Gen/O/Bio Chem class used the same book. This was at a California community college. So, I agree that this course would be excellent prep for anyone going into healthcare.  

 

Cool - thanks for letting me know!  I've been using the same text to teach a pre-health chem course here at the college, too. :)  My course certainly won't go into the same detail as a full first Organic Chem course or first Biochem Course at university but it should give advanced high school students enough background that when they do hit those courses at uni, they'll have a leg-up on everyone else. :)

 

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quark

quark

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I am SO excited for you Connie. Congratulations and all the best! Although I don't have my own student taking your class, I'm quite sure I will be sending some folks your way, at least for inquiries.

 

So awesome to have a chemistry class to recommend now.

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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Congrats! They look fabulous. I wish you had them a couple of years ago as we were really struggling with Chemistry. Hopefully, many others will be able to take advantage of your courses.

 

Thanks, Susie!  I hope so, too! :)

 

I am SO excited for you Connie. Congratulations and all the best! Although I don't have my own student taking your class, I'm quite sure I will be sending some folks your way, at least for inquiries.

 

So awesome to have a chemistry class to recommend now.

 

Thanks, quark!  I'm pretty excited myself. :)

 

I’m excited to see this! Dd is taking Honors Physics with Derek Owens now, so Chemistry is next!

Will parents need to check homework?

 

Need to check homework as in need to make sure your student is actually completing and not just saying they are (ahem, my own dd :) ) - yes. :D Need to check whether or not the answers are right/wrong - nope. :)  Homework questions that are assigned from the text will be the ones with answers provided so that students can check their work as they go to make sure they are understanding.  If there are any questions or if a student gets stuck, they can absolutely email me.  I will have small assignments throughout each unit that the student will email to me that I will correct and email back.  Hope that helps! :)

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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we're not looking for chemistry next year - but maybe another year out... very interested. 

 

question - do you plan to have your course align with the topics on the SAT II Chemistry test? :-)) thanks!

 

I believe I asked The Hive a little while back when most folks tend to have their students take the SAT II Chem test (being Canadian, I'm not as familiar with those tests).  I think the consensus was that the SAT II Chem test is most often taken after AP Chemistry.  I know that when dd took AP Chemistry, SAT II prep was offered nearer to the end of the course.  While I'll probably cover some of the topics on the SAT II test in the Honors Chem course, I won't be specifically marketing the course as an SAT II test prep course - I'll leave that to the AP Chem folks for now. :)

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rdj2027

rdj2027

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Someone needs to come up with a biology class named Clover... for an all around package  :lol: .  Yes, will there be a wait list prior to registration or does registration truly start on 1 March?  I am sooo exited you have set up this class for any student who will have the opportunity to take it.  Jetta's class has made such a difference for my daughter with respect to science.

 

Now the important question, will The A+Mole make a regular class appearance and what about cartoons and Snoopy and Physics Cat's cousin?

 

Last but not least, I noticed the November, December and February break and the long stretch without a break until the end of the school year.  Is this just how your schedule works out or is there another reason for it?

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skimomma

skimomma

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I have bookmarked the page as we are looking for a chemistry class next year.

 

I see on your website that "Regular Chemistry" is recommended for students who do not plan to pursue a STEM path.  Is it different than what would be covered in a regular non-honors chemistry class?  Would a student who took that class be unprepared for college level chemistry later on?  My dd is considering a STEM path but is probably not a good candidate for the honors class at this time. 

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Dicentra

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Someone needs to come up with a biology class named Clover... for an all around package  :lol: .  Yes, will there be a wait list prior to registration or does registration truly start on 1 March?  I am sooo exited you have set up this class for any student who will have the opportunity to take it.  Jetta's class has made such a difference for my daughter with respect to science.

 

Now the important question, will The A+Mole make a regular class appearance and what about cartoons and Snoopy and Physics Cat's cousin?

 

Last but not least, I noticed the November, December and February break and the long stretch without a break until the end of the school year.  Is this just how your schedule works out or is there another reason for it?

 

Hmmm...  Clover Fields Biology?  Clover Seeds Biology? You're right - someone should get on that! :D

 

No wait list prior to registration so it truly does start on March 1, 2018.  I figured that made it the most fair for everyone.  If folks send me a note through the contact form on the website, I'll put them on an email list to remind them of the registration date but it's not a pre-sign up list.

 

The little A+ mole may very well make an appearance. ;)  I'm partial to The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, myself, and I LOVE Chemistry Cat!

 

Ah yes - the schedule. You'll notice I listed it as tentative on the website - that's because I'm trying to figure out when folks in the States take their holidays since most of my students will probably live in the States. :)  Here in Canada, we wouldn't take any time off in November (our Thanksgiving is in October and is on a Monday) and we'd normally have a week off in March for March Break instead of in February.  I'd be happy to move the February break to March but I wasn't sure how that would sit with everyone. Is March Break a thing in the States?  And do classes normally take a whole week off in November for Thanksgiving?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

 

Congratulations on your new venture! I love to see homeschool moms who have already been generous with their time and expertise here, start teaching online and offering new options for homeschoolers! I wish you and your students great success!

 

Thanks so much, Momto2Ns!

 

I have bookmarked the page as we are looking for a chemistry class next year.

 

I see on your website that "Regular Chemistry" is recommended for students who do not plan to pursue a STEM path.  Is it different than what would be covered in a regular non-honors chemistry class?  Would a student who took that class be unprepared for college level chemistry later on?  My dd is considering a STEM path but is probably not a good candidate for the honors class at this time. 

 

From what I can tell, Regular Chemistry in the States covers what we could call Grade 11 Chemistry here in Ontario.  In order for students to go on to STEM programs here, they also need Grade 12 Chemistry.  My Regular Chemistry course will cover what we would cover here in Grade 11 and my Honors Chemistry would cover what we would cover here in Grade 11 and 12 combined.  I know that a student here wouldn't be prepared for university level chemistry with only Grade 11 Chem.

 

I had thought that most colleges/universities in the States would require a rigorous chemistry (Honors) if a student wanted to go into a STEM program but I certainly could be wrong. :)  Maybe I should change the wording on the website - anyone who has students who have gone into STEM programs have any thoughts on that?  I would check with any schools that your dd is considering to find out what she would need to get into the program she would like to take.  Your dd could always start with Reg Chem and then take Honors Chem afterwards, as well.  There would be some repetition of material in Honors Chem but she would come out with a SOLID understanding of chemistry. :)

 

Your courses look great!  I think the students will be very satisfied.

 

I see you succumbed to the American spelling of Honours  ;)

 

Do you know how hard it is for me to not type the "u" in there?? :D  I originally had the website mostly done with Canadian/British spelling and then realized that mostly everyone who would be searching would be using "Honors" so I changed it all.  I'll probably still slip up from time to time. :)

 

Great! We are a couple of years out still, but lovely to have a good option to look forward to! (And pencil into my obsessive planning notes.)

 

Sounds good!  (And I hear you about obsessive planning notes!)

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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How prepared would one be to take AP Chem after Honors Chem course?

 

I would say quite prepared if the student does well in Honors Chem. :)  I've been in email contact with Mr. Moskaluk (who teaches AP Chem through PA Homeschoolers/Chem Advantage) and I've been asking him what he'd like to see in a pre-AP Honors Chem type of course so that the students would be well prepared for his course (or any other AP Chem course).  I taught AP Chem years ago when I was at the local public high school but it's changed since then and I wanted to touch base with someone who has been teaching the new curriculum in order to get up-to-date feedback.  I think the course path I plan to follow will give solid preparation. :)

 

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Roadrunner

Roadrunner

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I would say quite prepared if the student does well in Honors Chem. :) I've been in email contact with Mr. Moskaluk (who teaches AP Chem through PA Homeschoolers/Chem Advantage) and I've been asking him what he'd like to see in a pre-AP Honors Chem type of course so that the students would be well prepared for his course (or any other AP Chem course). I taught AP Chem years ago when I was at the local public high school but it's changed since then and I wanted to touch base with someone who has been teaching the new curriculum in order to get up-to-date feedback. I think the course path I plan to follow will give solid preparation. :)

 

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rdj2027

rdj2027

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Typically only Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday are off.  Spring break tends to be a week around Easter (March or April).  I love that the class is 36 weeks long.  I often have the feeling that in 30 or 32 week classes there is not enough time for the material to settle and be pondered.

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MarkT

MarkT

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How prepared would one be to take AP Chem after Honors Chem course?

Is the Honors textbook (Chang) normally used for College/University STEM students or is it designed for non-STEM tracks?

 

========================================

update found:

http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/Chem112syllabussp17.pdf

 

which is "used" here for example in this major:

https://rap.psu.edu/recommended-academic-plan-physicsgeneral-physics-option-phybdgen-behrend

 

 

https://www.uwosh.edu/facstaff/gutow/general-chemistry-1-f17-chem-105/Chem105_F17%20Ver5.pdf

https://www.uwosh.edu/chemistry/courses/100

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Alte Veste Academy

Alte Veste Academy

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Spring break is usually in March here.

 

I think it would be great if you followed the same calendar as WTM Academy. They take a week for Thanksgiving (which is longer than usual, yes, but so lovely!), two weeks for Christmas/New Year's, and a week in March for Spring break. I got lucky this year that DS14's two outsourced providers share this same basic schedule. There may be a difference for Spring break. I can't quite remember. But the overlap is so nice because when DS gets a break, it's a true school break, not a patchwork.

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8filltheheart

8filltheheart

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Spring break is usually in March here.

 

I think it would be great if you followed the same calendar as WTM Academy. They take a week for Thanksgiving (which is longer than usual, yes, but so lovely!), two weeks for Christmas/New Year's, and a week in March for Spring break. I got lucky this year that DS14's two outsourced providers share this same basic schedule. There may be a difference for Spring break. I can't quite remember. But the overlap is so nice because when DS gets a break, it's a true school break, not a patchwork.

I agree. March is more likely for spring break.

 

My personal preference would be 3 day break for Thanksgiving and maybe an additional short break in the spring (long weekend type of break).

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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Is the Honors textbook (Chang) normally used for College/University STEM students or is it designed for non-STEM tracks?

 

========================================

update found:

http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/Chem112syllabussp17.pdf

 

which is "used" here for example in this major:

https://rap.psu.edu/recommended-academic-plan-physicsgeneral-physics-option-phybdgen-behrend

 

 

https://www.uwosh.edu/facstaff/gutow/general-chemistry-1-f17-chem-105/Chem105_F17%20Ver5.pdf

https://www.uwosh.edu/chemistry/courses/100

 

It's definitely not published as a high school text but, quite frankly, most texts that are published for high school use are... not good. :)  They tend to be full of flashy side bars, visual eye candy, and are often written by large teams of textbook writers so their flow is terrible.  I certainly don't plan on covering the entire Chang Gen Chem book in the Hons Chem course but the text is clearly and concisely written, the book has good end-of-chapter problems, and is readily available, both new and used, on Amazon.  Were you thinking that it maybe wasn't the best text choice, Mark?

 

I'd definitely look up when Easter is and plan to not have classes on Good Friday (long Easter weekend). Easter 2019 is April 21.

A week off in March is a typical Spring break.

 

That was definitely in my plan. :)  A question - do you folks have Easter Monday?  Some provinces in Canada have Easter Monday as a school holiday as well as Good Friday.

 

FYI: Canadian Thanksgiving is in October usually the same day as our Columbus day.

I am from a town in NYS a little over an hour to Canada.

 

Excellent - then I can have my Thanksgiving off! :)  Because of the asynchronous nature of the prerecorded lectures, the classes and I will have a fair amount of flexibility when it comes to individual days off.  I like that. :)

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RootAnn

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That was definitely in my plan. :)  A question - do you folks have Easter Monday?  Some provinces in Canada have Easter Monday as a school holiday as well as Good Friday.

 

Not around here. It might vary by region. We've always gotten at least Holy Thursday & Good Friday off. Wednesday is sometimes a half day for public schoolers, but not always.

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MarkT

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It's definitely not published as a high school text but, quite frankly, most texts that are published for high school use are... not good. :)  They tend to be full of flashy side bars, visual eye candy, and are often written by large teams of textbook writers so their flow is terrible.  I certainly don't plan on covering the entire Chang Gen Chem book in the Hons Chem course but the text is clearly and concisely written, the book has good end-of-chapter problems, and is readily available, both new and used, on Amazon.  Were you thinking that it maybe wasn't the best text choice, Mark?

 

I know very little about Chem took a long time ago - I was just wondering how rigorous the Chang text is by seeing if was used for STEM majors - it appears to be based on my updates.  So thumbs up  :thumbup1:

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skimomma

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I know very little about Chem took a long time ago - I was just wondering how rigorous the Chang text is by seeing if was used for STEM majors - it appears to be based on my updates.  So thumbs up  :thumbup1:

 

I used the Chang text for my engineering chemistry classes.....a million years ago.

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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I know very little about Chem took a long time ago - I was just wondering how rigorous the Chang text is by seeing if was used for STEM majors - it appears to be based on my updates.  So thumbs up  :thumbup1:

 

 

I used the Chang text for my engineering chemistry classes.....a million years ago.

 

It's funny - because of my 20 years (eek - that's crazy when I type it out :) ) of teaching and tutoring chem, I find I look for different things in a chem text than most people might. :)  The Chang General Chem book is a rigorous text which definitely might cause some pause if someone was considering using it to teach out of if they didn't have a chem background.  If I had to teach history or literature, a rigorous text in those subjects would probably scare the heck out of me. :)  Even though the Chang book is used at college for STEM majors, I think that when I use it along side my teaching videos then students will find it maybe isn't as scary as it might seem as a read-alone - KWIM?  I think (I hope!) that a strength of my courses is the teaching videos - I promise it isn't just me reading from the text. :)  Over all my years of teaching, I've come up with tons of analogies to help make chemistry more concrete and easily visualized so I share those analogies and my own methods for things.  I hope folks find that I make chemistry less scary and more approachable while still presenting the material at a high school level and, for the Honors students, at a rigorous high school level.  That's my goal. :)

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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How many chapters are you planning on covering in honors Chem?

 

We'll touch on most chapters with the exception of Chapters 20, 21, & 22.  We won't, however, be doing all of all of the other chapters.  In Chapter 5, for example, we won't be doing deviation from non-ideal behaviour for gases.  In Chapter 7, we'll be learning about quantum numbers and electron configuration but we won't be dealing with any calculations to do with Planck's constant or quantum theory.  In Chapter 12, we'll talk about intermolecular forces but we won't be covering phase changes or phase diagrams.  Those are just some examples. :)  I'll make sure we cover the things that I would expect to be in an honors chem course and the things that the students will need to know before going on to AP Chem.  The great part about having a text like the Chang text is that if there are students who decide they LOVE chemistry and want to know about calculations involving the dual nature of the electron, they can read those sections of the text on their own and I'm always available to answer any questions. :)  The students will definitely get a detailed guide at the beginning of the course as to what chapter sections we will be covering and which sections we won't.

 

Did I overlook a general guideline for math level for either honors or regular?

 

For Reg Chem, I'd like to see completion of Alg I.  For Honors Chem, I'd like to see completion of Alg I with at least a B and, preferably, concurrent enrollment in Alg II.  The concurrent enrollment in Alg II isn't so much for the math content itself but more for the problem-solving ability that comes with doing Alg II.  The most complex math one is likely to encounter in Honors Chem is natural logarithms when we do the chapter on kinetics but I can teach what the students need to know in just a few minutes - they don't need an exhaustive knowledge of natural logs. :)  That's why I stated that concurrent enrollment in Alg II is a good idea but not necessary.  A good, solid knowledge of Alg I, though, is essential for Honors Chem.

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Dicentra

Dicentra

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(X-posted in the main high school chem thread and on my other thread about my online courses)

 

Update :)

 

Things are moving right along and I'm on track for a Fall 2018 launch.  I've had quite a few people use the contact form on my website to ask questions or to make a request to be placed on my registration reminder email list.  Thank you so much for your interest!  I wanted to keep people informed about some updates that I've made:

 

1.  I took into account the suggestions that people gave for the schedule for the year and made a few changes.  You can find the updated (but still tentative) schedule here on the Registration and Pricing page.

 

2.  The opening of registration was set for March 1, 2018 at 12:01am Central Standard Time but I decided to change it to March 1, 2018 at 12:01am EASTERN Standard Time.  I realized that my original time would be one o'clock in the morning for those on the east coast and I thought that was kind of mean of me. :)  Midnight on the east coast is slightly better - I suppose. :D

 

3.  I've now completed the video lectures for the first chapter of each of the courses on offer.  I've uploaded them all to ScreenCast and I've placed links to the video playlists on each of the course pages on my website.  Everyone is welcome to head on over and take a look.  I think it will be especially helpful for those who are still undecided as to whether to go with Regular Chemistry or Honors Chemistry.  You'll be able to get an idea from the video lectures for Chapter 1 from each course what the difference in pacing and depth for each course would be.  They should also be helpful to show to your students to see if they like my teaching style before you register. :)

 

As always, I welcome feedback and/or any questions anyone has.  I'm getting very excited about registration and building up content for the fall! :)

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