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5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent resource for hands-on science learning, September 30, 2009
This review is from: Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions (Investigate the Possibilities) (Investigate the Possibilities: Elementary Physics) (Paperback)
Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions (Investigate the Possibilities Series) is part of a Christian-based science curriculum written by Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves. The other sets in the series, which are published by Master Books, are Matter and Forces and Motion. Each set contains three, paperback booklets with color illustrations.
Energy includes 20 hands-on science lessons that cover such topics as energy, light, heat, magnets, electricity, and solar, wind, water and nuclear energy. Each lesson contains an introduction to the topic, lab instructions, an explanation of the results of the experiment, connections to other ideas related to that topic, an opportunity for students to expand on what they learned, andan assessment to determine what your child learned.
Supplies will have to be gathered ahead of time and include such items as dry cells, sandpaper, marbles, pipe foam insulation, convex lenses, insulated wire, battery holders, knife switch and thermometer. In other words, these are items that are not impossible to find, but you will need to purchase them ahead of time. Equipment can be ordered from places such as Home Science Tools. By purchasing your equipment a little at a time using books like this, it's a good way to create your science supply kit for K-12th grade.
The teacher's guide includes objectives, notes and answers to the assessment questions.
The student journal is where students write observations about the investigation and answers to the assessment questions.
Each three-book set is only $[...], well worth the price. I recommend Energy for children in 1-8th grade, depending upon the student's science aptitude. For younger students, this could be part of a complete science curriculum. Add some library books and you have everything you need for lab science. For students in 6th grade and up, this could be used as enrichment to complement a science textbook. I would also use this for special education purposes for older students.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Physics study for elementary ages, October 18, 2010
This review is from: Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions (Investigate the Possibilities) (Investigate the Possibilities: Elementary Physics) (Paperback)
This study is meant for 3rd-6th graders, and I've been using it with my 4th grader, but my 1st grader has listened to some of it too.
We are loving it.
The book consists of 20 "investigations" about energy, from basic concepts like what it is, where it goes, and how it is stored, to sections on various types of energy such as light, heat, magnetic, electrical, solar, wind, water and nuclear. And it really is at a great level for 3rd-6th graders (or particularly science-loving younger kids too).
Each Investigation is set up similarly. There is an introductory section where the student is presented with some questions to think about. Some of these pages introduce (very briefly) a scientist such as Oersted or Faraday. A problem is introduced to be investigated, and the procedure and observations are outlined. The observation questions were great -- getting the kids (and Mom!) to think about what we actually saw as we did the investigation.
AFTER that, there is a page explaining the science of what we just did. You know, the stuff most science programs have you learn before you actually do anything yourself. This material was fantastic.
Finally, each investigation has a Dig Deeper section, and some questions to review what you learned. The idea is that the students should usually choose one of the Dig Deeper suggestions to follow, depending on their interests. Older students could be expected to do more. Some of these suggestions involve more hands-on, many involve some type of research. These Dig Deeper options make it pretty easy to beef up this to make it a good study for junior high kids.
One problem: it would be nice to have a page in either the intro or the appendix as to what supplies we are going to need to do the hands-on activities. Some of the items we needed are really straightforward and easy to locate, but there are a few that are a bit more obscure (like pipe insulation). It isn't a huge deal -- I can look ahead to see what we'll need. But having it all on one page would be more convenient. I don't know if that is something that is included in the Teacher Guide, which is available separately.
I do know the $4.99 Teacher Guide does include answers to the questions in the "What Did You Learn" section, which would be handy -- particularly if you are having your student do this independently. The Teacher Guide also includes some additional activities.
We've been loving this study, and I am thinking about looking into some of their other books too. Forces & Motion or Matter. Not sure which ought to be first.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing Group. No other compensation was received. The fact that I received a complimentary product does not guarantee a favorable review.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Your students (in any school setting) will thank you for this curriculum!, January 27, 2010
This review is from: Energy: Its Forms, Changes, & Functions (Investigate the Possibilities) (Investigate the Possibilities: Elementary Physics) (Paperback)
Energy: Its Forms, Changes & Functions, by Tom DeRosa and Carolyn Reeves, is an excellent science curriculum for students in grades three through eight.
I like the fact that they do not just present the basic information about energy that my children learned in the first few elementary grades. The easy-to-read, yet in-depth lessons are interesting and students are encouraged to "dig deeper," become engaged in activities and experiments, and even take investigations further by learning how to apply the ideas in everyday life based on their own personal interests. The curriculum is a thorough investigation of energy that is designed in such a way that it could easily be used in homeschool, co-op or other educational settings.
The Student Journal contains short-answer questions, areas for students to draw pictures of their experiments, and places for students to make additional notes.
The Teacher's Guide has helpful questions (and answers) as well as additional teaching ideas.
The main book contains the lessons, activities, experiments, suggestions, etc. There are even supplemental notes that branch over into other subject areas, such as biographical information about scientists and information about how energy was understood throughout history.
With twenty "investigations" in the book, you could easily use the book for an entire year if you're in a co-op setting with approximately ten weeks each semester. Or, for families or other classroom settings, you could finish it in a single semester, depending on your needs and desires.
Finally, I would highly recommend the other books in the "Investigate the Possibilities" series from Master Books. Your students will thank you for the opportunity to learn science in a fun, engaging manner!
Sonya Haskins, author of Homeschooling for the Rest of Us
Homeschooling for the Rest of Us: How Your One-of-a-Kind Family Can Make Homeschooling and Real Life Work
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