The 101 Series ~ Chemistry 101 ~ a PReview (Parent Review)

High school science can be a tricky subject for many homeschoolers and their parents, wouldn't you agree? There are solid textbook curricula, which I used for my eldest, but textbooks aren't always the best answer for different types of learners. I am grateful to have been given the chance to preview Chemistry 101, one of three DVD courses offered by The 101 Series . 

My Middlest is doing Biology this year, so this was a chance for ME to check out an alternative Chemistry course for his use next year. I did not take Chemistry in high school, so this is also a good way for me to get a handle on what he'll be learning.

A short back-story~ my Eldest used a more traditional Chemistry curriculum. As I have been watching the lessons on our TV, she has been "listening along" as she works on a piece of art, and expressed the feeling that Chemistry 101 would have been much more interesting for her. 

Video

The video production is excellent, which isn't surprising when you realize that Wes Olson has 15 years of corporate film production experience. Each lesson is very well done, with excellent "lecture" set in in visually interesting backgrounds (fields, streams, libraries, the home, etc...) interspersed with narrated multi-media presentations.

The "lessons" definitely caught my Eldest's attention, as well as my Youngest's (Middlest was elsewhere doing his schoolwork, which is fine, because he'll be seeing this next year :). That is another point in Westfield Studio's favor~ the videos are geared towards the high schooler, but as the producers are homeschoolers themselves, with a variety of ages, they made great effort (in my opinion) to ensure that the videos were family friendly and appropriate for most ages. As I am writing my review, and watching a portion of a lesson again to catch some details, my Youngest is sitting beside me asking if we can finish watching the lesson that included "The Grand K." If that isn't an endorsement to the engaging quality of the DVD portion of the course I don't know what is!

I am sure that this will be an engaging course for my "Techie" Middlest, who greatly prefers to watch and listen versus read. 

Guidebook 

Included on the last DVD in the case is a pdf Guidebook, which is essentially the text book for the course. It includes and expands on the material presented in the DVD lessons. There are interesting side bars, discussion questions, and multiple choice quizzes.

I appreciate all of the above, although I might wish that there were some slightly more rigorous testing options for portfolio purposes. However, in true homeschool form, and following my favorite methodology, much of the assessment of your student's comprehension comes in during times of discussion, so I can't complain too loudly. :)

Schedule and Course Accreditation

Speaking of High School portfolios and credits, there is also a file on the DVD that gives a comprehensive schedule, with estimates on the time spent for the course, and places to record actual time spent if this is how you assess credit hours. I know that this schedule is going to come in handy with my Middlest, as he does well when his requirements are clearly spelled out. 

I am very impressed with what I've seen so far, and believe this will be a good fit for my family. Be sure to check out the other reviews which will include more reviews on Chemistry 101, as well as Physics 101 and Biology 101. 

  

Not So Nutty Nitty Gritty 

• Company: The 101 Series 
• Product: Chemistry 101
• Ages: High School
• Price: $69.95

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Please click the banner below to visit the TOS Review Crew and see what others had to say. As always, I hope that this review was useful to you as you choose where best to spend your homeschool budget.

Blessings~

Bright Ideas Press (Chemistry)

Three years ago I reviewed Christian Kids Explore Physics (published by Bright Ideas Press) using it with my then 6th and 4th graders. This year I was sent Christian Kids Explore  Chemistry to use with my now 6th grade Middlest.

What I liked:
I really like the set-up with the vocabulary words defined in the margins of the pages. It is much better to have those definitions handy, in my opinion, than to interrupt the flow of reading to turn to a glossary in the back of the book (I also suspect that many students wouldn't take the time to look the definitions up as they read, so this feature ensures that the student is exposed to the definitions as they read).

What I liked:  
I totally appreciate this phrase from the introduction to the book: "The important thing to keep in mind is that God is at the center of everything — including the study of chemistry." I so appreciate the availability of foundational science texts that incorporate that most basic truth in their teaching.

What I didn't like:
The Chemistry course is intended for a 4th to 8th grade level, but I would suggest, as I found with the Physics course, that the questions and quizzes are most appropriate for the younger age, which means a little modification and more work may be necessary for the teacher if your student is older. The answers to many of the "Think About It" sections following the hands-on experiment seemed to be "leading" the student to the correct answer, which can be helpful for a student who struggles, however, I found them to be not quite challenging enough for my Middlest. The other feature that I feel is set up more for the younger age is the "Unit Wrap-up" because the questions at the end are multiple choice, and fairly easy, from my son's point of view. I ended up creating my own sheet with the questions as simple "Fill-in-the-blanks." I think it would be a nice option for Bright Ideas Press to offer an "Advanced option" like that ,on the resource disc, for the older students. *See my note in "The Nitty Gritty" for a little more on the age topic.

What I liked:
Speaking of the resource disc, this is a handy little resource put together in true BIP fashion. There are Lesson Plans (for 2 days/week), Reproducibles~ including the "Review It" questions, the Hands On  charts and Think About it Questions, Unit Wrap-up Quizzes, and Unit coloring pages. This is extremely helpful to the busy homeschool mom/dad. There are also supply lists and a literature study pulled from Illuminations. A Piece of the Mountain (Biography about Blaise Pascal's Spiritual Life) is the featured literature study in Christian Kids Explore Chemistry. While we didn't do that study, as I plan to use it at a more appropriate point in this chemistry course, I expect it to be of the same quality I have come to expect from BIP and Illuminations.




What I liked:
I greatly appreciate the Resource Lists included in the Appendix. There are many books suggested for each unit, by lesson, so that you can plan your library selections in advance. This is a great way to beef up the lessons for your older student and/or add some extra interest for all.

What I expect I will like: 
Because we have only had this for 6 weeks, we only completed Unit 1, which was really an introduction to Chemistry. The further units appear to provide a solid foundation for many Chemistry concepts. This falls into line with a classical train of thought, visiting the subject more than once, with a deeper train of thought each time.

Nitty Gritty:

• Bright Ideas Press
• Christian Kids Explore Series (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Earth and Space)
• 2nd edition text with Resource DVD $39.95 (There are a few 1st editions available for a sale price)
• Target age~ 4th-8th grade, I feel it is best suited for 4th-5th grade from a "Questions/Quiz" standpoint, although the material covered is certainly suitable and challenging enough for the suggested age range, at least through 6th grade.
•  Table of Contents Download
• Sample Pages  Download
  

Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews on this and the other Bright Ideas Press Science books.
As always, I hope that my review is helpful to you as you choose where to allocate portions of your homeschool budget.

*Note: For the purposes of review, many on the TOS Crew were sent pdf versions of the Text that are not available for sale at this time, in addition to the "Resource CD" download, which is not only available, but on sale this month for those who own the 1st edition. The Resource CD is included with the new 2nd edition.

Blessings~

Disclaimer: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."