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Rating: 
Summary: Review from a Science Teacher
Review: As a science teacher (everything grades 7-12) I'm always looking for better books. This year I decided to change my Physical Science from HRW's <u>Modern Physical Science</u> to this book. This was an excellent decision.
This book is excellent! If students only read the book, they will not learn enough. If they only listen to lecture, they will not learn enough. They must do both of these things as well as do the labs to learn the material.
Students are learning by doing, which is the essence of inquiry based learning. As a result, they learn the concepts better, they understand them, and they remember them.
So far, I'm noticing a huge difference. Although IPS is slimmer, has less pictures, and has less scary-looking science stuff, the students will learn everything that my previous book taught, and they will learn a number of additional, important, topics: solubility curves, phase change graphs, how electrochemistry actually works, and many other things.
This book does not try to intimidate. It teaches difficult concepts in a very simple way, and, so far, my students this year seem to have the same, or even better understanding of the concepts we learned last year!
The only drawbacks to this book are these: students must take an active role to learn (which can be good); this book may require quite an investment in lab equipment (depending on how your lab is equipped); it requires quite a bit of prep-time outside of class; also, your students who pulled good grades from memorizing will see their grades plummet if they can't switch to this new method of learning.
The other really major drawback I should mention is that this book doesn't have much applications and it doesn't get into some of the more advanced topics. This book also does not adequately cover the Physics component of Physical Science, although there is a companion volume available which does this. Since I have a degree in Physics, I've chosen to teach the physics myself, without a book. You may have difficulty if you are not comfortable in this area.
Rating:
Summary: Review from a Science Teacher
Review: As a science teacher (everything grades 7-12) I'm always looking for better books. This year I decided to change my Physical Science from HRW's <u>Modern Physical Science</u> to this book. This was an excellent decision.
This book is excellent! If students only read the book, they will not learn enough. If they only listen to lecture, they will not learn enough. They must do both of these things as well as do the labs to learn the material.
Students are learning by doing, which is the essence of inquiry based learning. As a result, they learn the concepts better, they understand them, and they remember them.
So far, I'm noticing a huge difference. Although IPS is slimmer, has less pictures, and has less scary-looking science stuff, the students will learn everything that my previous book taught, and they will learn a number of additional, important, topics: solubility curves, phase change graphs, how electrochemistry actually works, and many other things.
This book does not try to intimidate. It teaches difficult concepts in a very simple way, and, so far, my students this year seem to have the same, or even better understanding of the concepts we learned last year!
The only drawbacks to this book are these: students must take an active role to learn (which can be good); this book may require quite an investment in lab equipment (depending on how your lab is equipped); it requires quite a bit of prep-time outside of class; also, your students who pulled good grades from memorizing will see their grades plummet if they can't switch to this new method of learning.
The other really major drawback I should mention is that this book doesn't have much applications and it doesn't get into some of the more advanced topics. This book also does not adequately cover the Physics component of Physical Science, although there is a companion volume available which does this. Since I have a degree in Physics, I've chosen to teach the physics myself, without a book. You may have difficulty if you are not comfortable in this area.
Rating:
Summary: Review from a Science Teacher
Review: As a science teacher (everything grades 7-12) I'm always looking for better books. This year I decided to change my Physical Science from HRW's Modern Physical Science to this book. This was an excellent decision.
This book is excellent! If students only read the book, they will not learn enough. If they only listen to lecture, they will not learn enough. They must do both of these things as well as do the labs to learn the material.
Students are learning by doing, which is the essence of inquiry based learning. As a result, they learn the concepts better, they understand them, and they remember them.
So far, I'm noticing a huge difference. Although IPS is slimmer, has less pictures, and has less scary-looking science stuff, the students will learn everything that my previous book taught, and they will learn a number of additional, important, topics: solubility curves, phase change graphs, how electrochemistry actually works, and many other things.
This book does not try to intimidate. It teaches difficult concepts in a very simple way, and, so far, my students this year seem to have the same, or even better understanding of the concepts we learned last year!
The only drawbacks to this book are these: students must take an active role to learn (which can be good); this book may require quite an investment in lab equipment (depending on how your lab is equipped); it requires quite a bit of prep-time outside of class; also, your students who pulled good grades from memorizing will see their grades plummet if they can't switch to this new method of learning.
The other really major drawback I should mention is that this book doesn't have much applications and it doesn't get into some of the more advanced topics. This book also does not adequately cover the Physics component of Physical Science, although there is a companion volume available which does this. Since I have a degree in Physics, I've chosen to teach the physics myself, without a book. You may have difficulty if you are not comfortable in this area.
Rating: 
Summary: Tutor Reviews This Text
Review: I just finished tutoring my high school sophmore grandaughter for a final exam using this text. I have a doctorate degree in environmental science and engineering and thus have had a solid background in the physical sciences. I have taught community college science for 36 years. I find this book to be good in the experiments presented, but poor in explanations of concepts illustrated by the experiments.
In reviewing for the exam, I found there is a desparate need for questions with which a student can test their knowledge with answers presented in the back of the book to see if they have properly solved the problems. Without a really good teacher in the class to amplify the text materials, many students will be lost. If this book is to be revised (since it is out of print), it needs much more explanation and more problems on which students can practice with answers provided. There is also a need to relate the concepts more to things students encounter in their daily lives.
Rating:
Summary: Tutor Reviews This Text
Review: It is simple, yet not dumbed down. The opening experiment of the book, the distillation of wood, sparks students' interest and provides a great open question that could be used by HS and College Chemistry students. The lack of bursting colors keeps kids with slow reading skills from getting lost. I personally enjoy that its experiments use laboratory equipment as opposed to knick knacks bought at dimestores--yes, you can do some neat experiments with household items, but kids get a psychological boost (feel "scientifically grown-up") when they use real test tubes. Prentice Hall were mistaken to discontinue this book. Its value is incredible.
Rating:
Summary: What a textbook ought to be.
Review: It is simple, yet not dumbed down. The opening experiment of the book, the distillation of wood, sparks students' interest and provides a great open question that could be used by HS and College Chemistry students. The lack of bursting colors keeps kids with slow reading skills from getting lost. I personally enjoy that its experiments use laboratory equipment as opposed to knick knacks bought at dimestores--yes, you can do some neat experiments with household items, but kids get a psychological boost (feel "scientifically grown-up") when they use real test tubes. Prentice Hall were mistaken to discontinue this book. Its value is incredible.
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