Let’s talk about Physical Science!

There are so many questions surrounding Physical Science!  When is it taught?  Which edition?  What about labs? Do you test?  Is it graded?  Let me give you my recommendations.

1. When is Physical Science taught?  Typically, Physical Science is an eighth or ninth grade subject.  Private schools often offer it in eighth grade and public schools in ninth grade.  Can your teen do some Algebra?  BTW, some kiddos are ready in seventh grades, others not until tenth grade.  We use Apologia’s Physical Science textbooks.  However, older textbooks from Glencoe, Holt, McDougal-Littell; all have loads and loads of demos and mini-labs.  I use these activities to supplement Apologia’s textbook.  I bought used, teacher’s editions because these textbooks have tips.

2. The course is usually basic  Chemistry and Physics.  Apologia’s Physical Science textbooks are different.  Here are the tables of contents for the second edition, the  third edition, and the fourth edition.  Note there is quite a bit of Earth Science.  I tend to use older editions.  Why?  They’re cheaper.  

3. Do the labs in the textbook! Surprise!  Yes, I add quite a few.  My Co-op students are often enrolled in online high schools.  Many online schools require four, formal, lab reports.  Our classes follow that standard.  Some families insist on a lab report for every experiment.  Good for you!  Sometimes, we write a paragraph, make a model, or create a spreadsheet, rather than write a formal lab.  For example, the class might make Cartesian divers, demonstrate, and explain how they work in lieu of a lab report.

4. Families often have different approaches to testing.  One of my friends doesn’t test at all.  Another insists her children do every test verbatim from Apologia.  I test in Physical Science.  (I’m still deciding about General Science.) That doesn’t mean I use the tests from Apologia or even test everything in the module.  When I do use the tests, I might not use all of the questions.  Is the concept essential?  Can the student demonstrate understanding in another way?  Is the test question confusing?  My goal is eight to ten tests, including a Periodic Table test, which will likely include between 25-50 elements.

5.  What about grading?  My students repeat tests until they achieve a grade of at least 75%.  Students who complete all of the labs, projects, and activities usually earn an A.  However, the kiddos do a great deal of editing.  Rarely do I accept a lab report for credit the first time it’s submitted.  Just like you, I want good work.i want students to understand concepts.  I’m not concerned when a teen needs to repeat a test. They need to complete all of their work.  So grades are not as important as submitting quality work.