Customer Reviews

Modern Chemistry

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is my sixth year teaching using this book. I love it.
I have been teaching High School Chemistry for 11 years and have used 8 different books (including teaching AP Chem and teaching at the Community College.)
The good things about the book:
1. For High School Chemistry it is one of the most commonly used.
2. All the topics that need to be covered are covered well.
3. I like the sequencing.
o Some texts try to sequence from a historical perspective (gas laws very early) - which is very confusing for students.
o Other texts may have nuclear chemistry early - which leaves a small percent of the students always thinking that the nucleus changes in chemical reactions.
4. There are many problems for student practice.
5. The website has excellent resources for both students and teachers.
o For students there are work sheets, on-line quizzes and solved problems.
o For the teacher:
' I have my student print out the worksheets and do them at home - saves me copying.
' They can do the same for some pdf files - there is at least one for every new type of calculation (mole conversions, yield problems, limiting reagent problems ...)
' The worksheets have a "teacher edition" -solved for your assistance.
6. The test making software is easy to use, easy to edit and easy to make multiple tests.

Things that could be improved upon:
1. It's big. My students must read through over 900 pages in one academic year. We don't cover it all.
2. I get quite a few "What does that mean?" questions. The text could be written clearer.
3. Most of the questions are math problems. The few conceptual problems are really not deep enough.
4. It is a good middle ground between college chemistry and lower level chemistry.
5. It could use a well integrated lab manual - designed for a 50 minute class.

I have this book for my Honors Chemistry class since the other college book was too complicated for what we were trying to accomplish. Whenever I opened it up, I found it IMMENSELY more helpful than most books that I have had about chemistry before. Most of the concepts are very easy to understand and are presented in a comprehensible manner. It starts off with a brief intro about the period table, elements, neutrons, protons, ect. and it ends up talking about each family (group number) on the periodic table.

Overall, I think that this is a good book to learn from. I give it 5 out of 5 stars because I believe it is a very nice book that one would be able to learn much from. As being a student, I found this book easy to understand and most of the concepts well presented. Overall: nice book!

-Alex Robinson

Like Modern Biology, also a Holt book, this is a heavy-hitting textbook and is often used in the honors level high school courses, where a larger amount of material is covered in a standard school year. However, this book can be used by anyone looking for a solid introduction to chemistry and is highly recommended as a supplemental resource for anyone taking Chem I (regular or honors), Chem II, or even an introductory chemistry class at the college level. (It may not cover the scope of information at the college level, but is good for reviewing basic concepts and explaining the nooks and crannies of chemistry that may have been forgotten since high school).

The first thing anyone notices about this book is the detail the authors use. This accounts for the book's large size and length of sections, but the explanations are worth it. The book is written in clear language without the verbose writing many textbook authors feel necessary to include. The examples included are relevant to the lives of most students (such as automobile emissions) and the sidebars from those in the field are both interesting and relevant to the discussions in the text.

Beyond the words are the problems, which are explained in great detail. A knowledge of mathematical concepts is required (Algebra I is a minimum for most chemistry courses), but even those who hate or struggle with math should be able to figure the problems out from the examples in the book. There are practice problems included as well.

The book is well-organized and progresses in a logical manner. It definitely covers all the bases--additional materials won't be needed to cover a complete Chemistry I course.

If you're looking for a book to tutor middle school students in chemistry basics, this book is clear enough so long as only developmentally-appropriate concepts are used. I have used the first chapters of this book with sixth graders (before heavy calculation becomes a requirement) and feel this would be a good resource to use with gifted middle schoolers who want to explore the great science that is chemistry. Of course, as mentioned earlier, this book can be used by post-high school students as well provided the course doesn't go beyond what is covered in this text.

This book is highly recommended and truly stands out among high school chemistry texts.

I needed to find a copy of this book for my daughter because her school did not have enough copies. I was having a hard time locating one but found it here on Amazon and it is in excellent condition. Now my daughter has the book at home to do her homework.

Prompt Delivery, Excellent book condition inside, a little wear and tear of hard cover. No missing pages, no marks inside.

I was very happy with the book. It was in better shape than I expected.

Great condition with just minor highlighting. Shipped the book to me in just a few days.

i purchased a NEW book and received a USED book with writing highlighting and notes written in the book. This is really quite unacceptable

I ordered this book on August 20, 2009. It is now September 22, 2009 and I haven't received it yet, so as far as the book--I can't review it, but concerning the services that promised delivery by September 14-- I would give it a big 0 because my book hasn't been delivered yet and it's now seven days over the estimated delivery date!

Slow receipt and well used. Lived a rough public school classroom life. Much use given. But worth the price paid.