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Chemistry, third edition (2009)

Publisher: Bob Jones University Press
Review last updated: March, 2009		 Instant KeyPublishers InfoPricing

Chemistry, third edition (2009)

This is a solid, college prep chemistry lab course. It consists of a student text and a two-volume Teacher Edition that includes a supplemental CD-ROM with essential resources for the course, Testpack, and Testpack answer key. (The CD will run on either Windows or Mac systems.)

Although it has been organized to work in homeschool situations as well as in traditional schools, BJUP's Chemistry still would be difficult for a parent to teach if they don't already have a basic familiarity with the subject. Instruction is presented from the two-volume teacher's edition. The supplemental CD-ROM adds visual aids that you will need to use along with each chapter.

The new, third edition of this text now opens with a chapter that introduces a Christian worldview orientation toward chemistry, a discussion of the history and purposes of chemistry, and methods and approaches for study of the subject (i.e., observations, working with data, inductive and deductive reasoning, models, experimentation, hypotheses, surveys, and scientific method). While it does an excellent job of setting out a Christian worldview in the first chapter, after that, biblical/worldview ideas often show up in the teacher's edition rather than the student text.

While the general outline of this course remains very similar to that of the second edition of this text, extensive revisions and additions have improved and updated it. Three helpful improvements are:
- section objectives are now shown in a box at the beginning of each section so you can get a quick overview of the goals.
- vocabulary words are listed in a box along with the page number where they first appear with their definitions.
- a chapter summary has a bulleted list of key points.

Chapters cover matter, measuring and calculating, atomic structure, elements, chemical bonds, bond theories and molecular geometry, chemical composition and reactions, chemical calculations, gases, solids, liquids, solutions, chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids/bases/salts, oxidation and reduction, organic chemistry, biochemistry, modern materials, and nuclear chemistry.

The course uses some excellent teaching methods. For example, the teacher sometimes presents simple demonstrations from the teacher's edition to teach concepts (e.g., using a fan to demonstrate the Heisenberg uncertainty principle). Also, the course provides opportunities for both inductive and deductive lesson presentation to help students develop thinking skills.

Inclusion of historical and philosophical information at various points throughout the course helps raise it above a dry informational approach. For example, introduction of the periodic table brings in Jon Newland's discovery of the correlation between musical octaves and the periodic table.

The laboratory work is likely to be the most difficult aspect of this course for homeschoolers. The supplemental CD-ROM has a complete lab manual with answer key for homeschool labs. While these labs require less laboratory equipment and fewer supplies than a classroom lab, they are still quite demanding. You will need to print out lab book pages for the student to use.

Other options that might make the lab work more practical are purchasing kits from Home Training Tools or Science Labs-in-a-Box, or using Castle Heights' Experiences in Chemistry that presents totally different lab activities specially designed for small schools and homeschools.

You can purchase a homeschool kit that includes all essential items or you can purchase items individually.

Pricing


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    Chemistry Teacher's Edition 3rd Edition

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        Chemistry Lab Manual Teacher 3rd Edition

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        Instant Key

        • Learning Styles: all
          Suitable for:           best for group but will work for one-on-one teaching. Student will complete some reading and activities independently
          Audience:           high school
          Need for parent/teacher instruction:                      high
          Prep time needed:           high (for labs)
          Need for Teacher's Manual: essential
          Religious perspective:           Protestant

        Publisher's Info

        Bob Jones University Press

        Greenville, SC 29614
        (800) 845-5731

        www.bjup.com