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Recent Reviews by Janet
Chemistry Basics: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach it
Tue, Jul 15, 2008 3:19 PM
Readable and informative
I have three other volumes in this series as well, and have found them all useful for planning homeschool science lessons in the middle school years. Like the other books in this series, it presents concepts in a thorough yet non-intimidating fashion.
The physics books I needed for review, but I did take it in college. I haven't had chemistry since high school, and the lack of a bibliography or suggested books for further reading is more noticeable. I learned a lot from this book, but I could use pointers to further reading as well.
Energy: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It
Tue, Jul 15, 2008 2:50 PM
Good overview of the topic
I use this series in homeschooling, and find that they are a good, highly readable overview of the essential concepts of the topics they cover. Occasionally, the attempts at "geek humor" get in the way of using the book. For example, the chapter on simple machines is titled "It Slices, It Dices- It Gathers Dust!" Cute, but it makes the table of contents less useful. (Just skip to the index to look up a scientific term.)
Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It
Tue, Jul 15, 2008 2:41 PM
Using it for homeschooling
This is the second time I've purchased books from this series. I've found them to be thoughtful and informative, though the author becomes condescending every time he puts an equation in the text. (I was a math major, so I don't need to be addressed like a math phobic.) This book provides an overview of Newton's three laws, along with some demonstrations and thought exercises that can be used as ideas for classroom demonstrations or homework. There is a "less is more" attitude going on here - he does a few things well in each book rather than a lot of things in less detail. The Energy book is necessary if you want to go on to apply the concept of force to situations such as simple machines.
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