Jump to content

Menu

Recommended Posts

I'm using Spectrum Chemistry from Beginnings Publishing for my 10th grader this year. I wasn't worried about the rigor of the chemistry text I used for her because I knew that she wasn't going to major in any science-related field.

 

My next dd is going to major in the life sciences.

 

I'm not sure what would be the best program for her to do.

 

Spectrum Chemistry does get the job done and it's set up for hsers. I really like that. It's easy to figure out what you're supposed to do and when. It has quizzes on a regular basis and a weekly lab. I'm not sure it's broad enough though.

 

I picked up Conceptual Chemistry at Half-Price Books for just $10 this week. It doesn't seem to be as deep as Spectrum, but it is broader. It definitely doesn't have as much math. I've watched a demo video and it looks very good. The labs look quite doable at home.

 

Oak Meadow uses Addison-Wesley for Chemistry. Their course has labs with a lab kit. They have regular quizzes are set up for hsers. I would use it in a heartbeat if the textbook was newer, but it's from 1995. It would be 2011 by the time my middle dd started it, and my youngest (possibly a science major) wouldn't use it until 2014. I don't want to use a science text that would be 20 years old by the time we finished with it. I'm fine with a math text or literature text that old, but not science.

 

What I'm looking for is a secular program (I know Spectrum isn't secular, but it has had only 2 paragraphs of religious material so far and we're most of the way through the book) that will be good preparation for a science major. I don't want something that skips basic chemistry and goes right into AP. I want a regular chemistry course that is excellent preparation for a science major. Math isn't an issue. My middle dd will be doing Algebra II at the same time as Chemistry. My youngest will probably be doing Geometry at that point.

 

Is one of the programs I described above a good choice for what I'm looking for? Should I do a combination of two of the programs - like Spectrum for depth and Conceptual for breadth? Is there some other program I should be looking into?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I think Spectrum is great for a first high school level chemistry course, and you already own it :001_smile:. The labs are extremely well done IMHO - and I have a chem eng/math background.

 

Both my kids learned a lot from it, and they are math/science kids. Since they are/will be doing more science in college, we followed it up with an AP-level course in a later year using the Zumdahl text.

 

The only topics I think that Spectrum is a little weak on are chemical equilibria and kinetics/reaction rates. But then, it's not trying to be a college-level class, and the coverage is completely appropriate for high school.

 

Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But not as a standard high school class--not enough math, as you've pointed out. I'm using CC with my grade 7 ds, to be followed in high school by an ap level class. It would also be a good choice for a high school course for a kid who clearly isn't headed towards maths/sciences--I really like the way it brings real-world issues into the course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're going to do Conceptual Chemistry for grade 9/freshman, but follow up with a more rigourous one later in high school, most likely an AP course because by then she'll have had enough math. We're also going to do a lab set a homeschooling mother with a Master's in Chem recommended (because there's nothing dangerous and the labs always work.) My dd will be doing Geometry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...