Remedial-ish Chemistry course that would still be full credit?

[...................]

And is fairly self-teaching?

My daughter absolutely hates Science.  While she is doing ok with Monarch Biology, Biology doesn't really build on itself all that much in the way that Chemistry does.  Next year we will really need something clear, simple, open and go, builds on itself and pretty much self teaching with the teaching text right on the page, preferably.  My dd is dyslexic and she really struggles with Science due to all the reading of factual material, and then applying the concepts to something absract that she can't really picture is very difficult.

She will take her lab at the homeschool lab center place, and so it doesn't even need to have labs included as long as all the main topics are covered and the basic equations covered etc.  

 

Edited to add- she is actually very good at math, but not so much in applying it.  So, if it has equations to balance that's ok as long as it's not too complex.  

I'm looking at Paradigm but I'd like her to get some equation balancing.  

Edited December 19, 2018 by Calming Tea

[EKS]

32 minutes ago, Calming Tea said:

My dd is dyslexic and she really struggles with Science due to all the reading of factual material, and then applying the concepts to something absract that she can't really picture is very difficult.

What happens if you teach the material to her and help her understand things more concretely? 

Instead of trying to find something that she can do independently, I'd look for something that works for you so that you can teach her.  

[...................]

24 minutes ago, EKS said:

What happens if you teach the material to her and help her understand things more concretely? 

Instead of trying to find something that she can do independently, I'd look for something that works for you so that you can teach her.  

our personalities and learning style don't mesh. totally out of the question.  It's a bummer but it's the truth.

[sdobis]

What about AGS Chemistry at https://www.wiesereducational.com. I'm using their Biology for my dyslexic this year. I've heard Friendly Chemistry is good as well.

[MamaSprout]

Can she take notes? Do video courses work? http://www.gpb.org/chemistry-study-of-matter

The teacher materials are $20 (included homework, answers, quizzes and tests). It has a narrower scope that most of the programs you read about on here and spends more time on chemistry basics. There are some labs in the videos, but you could have her just watch those.

We did the physics last year and found there were a few areas where it was nice to have a standard high school textbook if something wasn't clear. We added in some extra problems, although there were a page of problems for most video units, and the labs had a good amount of applied math.

I've used a few of the videos from the newer course along side what we're doing this year because they make good short supplements, and they're okay. The teacher in the old ones is goofy but seems to explain things well.

[Zoo Keeper]

Conceptual Chemistry worked very well for my math struggler.   There is an online course (which we didn't use, we used an older edition of the text that didn't match the current course). 

[...................]

I'll check it out! 

To be clear, it's not the math my dd struggles with, it's slogging through the reading of copious amounts of factual text. 🙂

[Zoo Keeper]

1 hour ago, Calming Tea said:

I'll check it out! 

To be clear, it's not the math my dd struggles with, it's slogging through the reading of copious amounts of factual text. 🙂

 Just trying to show that it has less math to slog through.  It does show balancing chemical equations, but it is not too demanding in that way. 

The 10 or so chapters of the book are the meat of the course, the last 6 or so chapters show applications of chemistry--chemistry in the environment, chemistry in food production, etc.  You could edit the last part of the book as needed, if you had to spend more time on the meatier part.  

[wendyroo]

What about Mr. Q Advanced Chemistry?  

We have been through all his introductory books and have greatly enjoyed them all.  We will be starting Advanced Biology next year.  I wouldn't call the advanced courses strong high school material, but the author, who is a public high school science teacher, lists them as appropriate for ages 12-18.

I expect Mr. Q will run his annual sale next month, and all the courses will be 50%.

Wendy

[MerryAtHope]

Have you looked at Chemistry 101 or Friendly Chemistry?

[...................]

Never mind, my dd does not like Mr. Q...she wants something very simple, but not a comic book style or anything like that.

Edited December 20, 2018 by Calming Tea

[MerryAtHope]

Just another thought--are you sure your dd *needs* science? Depending on your state requirements and on her college goals and the particular schools she might be likely to attend, she might be able to do something different (many schools don't require a "typical" science sequence as long as the student has at least one traditional lab science--you may be able to do something else entirely for her remaining sciences.)

[Roadrunner]

I read Spectrum Chemistry is heavy on experiments and lighter on reading but covers material well. I haven’t used it personally. Might be worth checking it out.

[RootAnn]

Spectrum doesn't always "cover material well" so if you don't have a teacher, you need to have a kid who will go looking for fuller explanation elsewhere. Meat is in the experiments.

Worth a look because there isn't much reading. Mostly secular. But the experiments take time and sometimes you'll want to consult another text for more understanding. (Thus why some people just switch over to another text.)

[Juliegmom]

On 12/19/2018 at 8:59 PM, MerryAtHope said:

Have you looked at Chemistry 101 or Friendly Chemistry?

Merry, have you used either of these? Other than Chem 101 being video based, how do they compare?

[cbollin]

17 hours ago, Juliegmom said:

Merry, have you used either of these? Other than Chem 101 being video based, how do they compare?

Julie,  I have used both Chem 101 and Friendly Chemistry.  My youngest used them.  She has developmental disabilities that severely impact her language ability so we have to use remedial stuff.  Chem 101 is what I would call an intro to history of chemistry, with some science for non majors who need to check off that a science class was done. Most of the video time is learning about the periodic table and some fun history with chemistry.  Because my daughter has many labels in special ed, I was ok to call it part of her high school conceptual chemistry, but in reality I used it as a semester with the physics 101 dvd and called both together Intro to physical sciences.  I do not think chem101 is a full credit of material even if done with the extras suggested on the pdf.  I think it's about a semester of material. although others disagree, I think the time frames given on the chem101 accreditation pdf booklet are greatly exaggerated to make a full year of clock hours toward a carneige unit.   There are mini labs that are high interest kind of thing to generate interest in students who otherwise really don't want to do science. shown on the video and then you do them at home and write a short (150-200 word) report about it.   I'm not anti 101 series. I used it with my "remedial" student who is not college bound.  For my students who have average or above average IQ, we just watched the videos for fun at end of school year.  But for my child with lower than average IQ, it was a good thing to use.   The math level needed was very low. I think there are 3 equations to balance in the whole course.  It was designed as get people interested in the topic (in my opinion of course. others see it differently)  My cover school would have been just fine if she used it as an intro to general chemistry, or chemistry for non science majors.  I however, thought differently and that chem 101 was a semester of "intro to grade 9 physical science".  it paired nicely with physics 101 to round out the year.

Friendly Chemistry felt more like a science class instead of a history approach to science. My youngest used it. I was wow'ed that she was learning.  My husband holds a phd in chemistry and was glad she was being exposed to the information.  Some reviewers claim it is good for the advanced jr. high student who plans to learn basics early and then get ap chem in high school and all of that.  I don't disagree.  But at the same time, that does not mean it is jr. high level. I think with 32 ish chapters, FC was designed to be full year of material. I had access to some of the video readings of the chapter via SchoolHouseTeachers. com. I found that helpful for my student to hear the material. When those videos were not available any longer (we were past chapter 12 or something?) I read the chapters out loud and/ or summarized the material.  Labs and activities were fine.  Math to prealgebra was needed.  I helped my daughter learn how to do conversions.  She really got the idea of basics of the electron shell stuff using their game called the doo wap board.   We didn't do all of the games. Toward the end of volume 2 (semester 2) the material was getting above her ability level, but was not hard for average student ability in my opinion.  It was just more than my child could do or needed.  FC was the main text for my dd's Conceptual Chemistry class and I called it a full credit.  I would have been fine using it with my average IQ child as a full course.  My oldest (who is above average academic iq) needed chemistry for those going into engineering, so she used 2nd ed apologia. (showing our ages, huh?)

Due to interests of youngest, we added in kitchen based chemistry labs to have that science lab at home feel to it. for that we used Gourmet Lab: The Scientific Principles behind your favorite foods.  (NTSA publishers).  That book was designed for grades 6-12 to have lab experience in chemistry. We did about 10 of the 15 labs listed.

that's how I did this topic with my child who needs remedial and also needs fewer words.  I don't know how she compares to other children who don't have as many labels with special ed. hope some of my experiences help you make decisions in your needs.

Edited December 23, 2018 by cbollin

[8filltheheart]

4 minutes ago, cbollin said:

Julie,  I have used both Chem 101 and Friendly Chemistry.  My youngest used them.  She has developmental disabilities that severely impact her language ability so we have to use remedial stuff.  Chem 101 is what I would call an intro to history of chemistry, with some science for non majors who need to check off that a science class was done. Most of the video time is learning about the periodic table and some fun history with chemistry.  Because my daughter has many labels in special ed, I was ok to call it part of her high school conceptual chemistry, but in reality I used it as a semester with the physics 101 dvd and called both together Intro to physical sciences.  I do not think chem101 is a full credit of material even if done with the extras suggested on the pdf.  I think it's about a semester of material. although others disagree, I think the time frames given on the chem101 accreditation pdf booklet are greatly exaggerated to make a full year of clock hours toward a carneige unit.   There are mini labs that are high interest kind of thing to generate interest in students who otherwise really don't want to do science. shown on the video and then you do them at home and write a short (150-200 word) report about it.   I'm not anti 101 series. I used it with my "remedial" student who is not college bound.  For my students who has average or above average IQ, we just watched the videos for fun at end of school year.  But for my child with lower than average IQ, it was a good thing to use.   The math level needed was very low. I think there are 3 equations to balance in the whole course.  It was designed as get people interested in the topic (in my opinion of course. others see it differently)  My cover school would have been just fine if she used it as an intro to general chemistry, or chemistry for non science majors.  I however, thought differently and that chem 101 was a semester of "intro to grade 9 physical science".  it paired nicely with physics 101 to round out the year.

Friendly Chemistry felt more like a science class instead of a history approach to science. My youngest used it. I was wow'ed that she was learning.  My husband holds a phd in chemistry and was glad she was being exposed to the information.  Some reviewers claim it is good for the advanced jr. high student who plans to learn basics early and then get ap chem in high school and all of that.  I don't disagree.  But at the same time, that does not mean it is jr. high level. I think with 32 ish chapters, FC was designed to be full year of material. I had access to some of the video readings of the chapter via SchoolHouseTeachers. com. I found that helpful for my student to hear the material. When those videos were not available any longer (we were past chapter 12 or something?) I read the chapters out loud and/ or summarized the material.  Labs and activities were fine.  Math to prealgebra was needed.  I helped my daughter learn how to do conversions.  She really got the idea of basics of the electron shell stuff using their game called the doo wap board.   We didn't do all of the games. Toward the end of volume 2 (semester 2) the material was getting above her ability level, but was not hard for average student ability in my opinion.  It was just more than my child could do or needed.  FC was the main text for my dd's Conceptual Chemistry class and I called it a full credit.  I would have been fine using it with my average IQ child as a full course.  My oldest (who is above average academic iq) needed chemistry for those going into engineering, so she used 2nd ed apologia. (showing our ages, huh?)

Due to interests of youngest, we added in kitchen based chemistry labs to have that science lab at home feel to it. for that we used Gourmet Lab: The Scientific Principles behind your favorite foods.  (NTSA publishers).  That book was designed for grades 6-12 to have lab experience in chemistry. We did about 10 of the 15 labs listed.

that's how I did this topic with my child who needs remedial and also needs fewer words.  I don't know how she compares to other children who don't have as many labels with special ed. hope some of my experiences help you make decisions in your needs.

Thank you for this review. My 7th grader is a very avg student and your review of Friendly Chemistry sounds like it would be a good program for her.

[Juliegmom]

7 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

Thank you for this review. My 7th grader is a very avg student and your review of Friendly Chemistry sounds like it would be a good program for her.

I agree! I thank you so much for your thorough review!!!

[MerryAtHope]

On 12/22/2018 at 2:51 PM, Juliegmom said:

Merry, have you used either of these? Other than Chem 101 being video based, how do they compare?

Sorry I haven't--I was hoping someone would post a review of them for the OP! Thanks @cbollin! They are just two I've heard come up from time to time for similar situations (and have also heard similar feedback about Chem 101, but that some find it helps to pair with something else.) Anyway, I thought I'd mention them since I hadn't seen them yet on this thread, as possibilities to investigate.

[Guest]

Uzzingo was what my DD used when she needed an introduction to high school level chem to continue in herpetology, but wasn’t ready for the workload of a full class yet. It’s videos, digital labs, and relatively short readings, with online assignments. It’s the home version of a program used for credit recovery, and did cover chem thoroughly, but was definitely in little, tiny, digestable chunks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[melmichigan]

My twins are not science majors, so we are doing the Guest Hollow High School Chemistry in the Kitchen.  It's one of the last "fun" classes we will do together.  We attempted Friendly Chemistry back with Landry when it was middle school level.  I wasn't impressed and we ended up dropping it.

 

Edited January 17, 2019 by melmichigan

[derf]

I highly recommend Friendly Chemistry...its step by step approach, clear explanations, video lessons AND not as emphasis on math are perfect for my high school student.  He is getting a good understanding which is what is my goal.  Marne

[Juliegmom]

4 hours ago, derf said:

I highly recommend Friendly Chemistry...its step by step approach, clear explanations, video lessons AND not as emphasis on math are perfect for my high school student.  He is getting a good understanding which is what is my goal.  Marne

How helpful or essential are the video lessons for Friendly Chemistry?

[derf]

I have a student who benefits from hearing AND SEEING things presented...and the author sometimes gives more details with the videos than what is written in the book also. i am using this with ONE student...and you can purchase a Teacher's manual that is designed for one student also. There are also some video helps instruction...like showing how to set up games and boards ect or experiments, on the website online also.

the way it works best for my student...i have him READ IT himself 1st......THEN I read it to him...explaining and teaching alongside the student manual WITH the suggestions given in the teachers manual...which is really quite easily understood...but again this is what works to get the material inot my students head. i then make him take notes...and then the next day WATCH the lesson presented in the video. We then practice the games that are correct for one student a day or two or do the experiments , then the practice pages ...usually one per day and then take the test the next day. this seems to make the best retention and understanding for MY student. I had a little Chemistry in college as a biology major...so i am relearning with him...but it really is VERY easily understood as it is taught in such bite size pieces and EXPLAINED very well.   Marne

[kolamum]

12 hours ago, Juliegmom said:

How helpful or essential are the video lessons for Friendly Chemistry?

My son is using them.. They are not essential if you're keen to read the textbook. If you'd rather have the lesson taught to you with visuals then the videos are the way to go. It's the same material in the book but Dr H goes on about it a bit more. The same with biology. We enjoyed the Biology, and are using Chemistry this year. :)