Chemistry: Precision and Design Student Textbook

Instilling an academically solid, God-centered understanding of all branches of science from the early elementary years through high school is the mission of this traditional curriculum. Uniquely, Abeka focuses on mastery of the sciences from a young age through two pathways. First, the science curriculum follows a spiral approach to learning, which means students review previously learned concepts each year, expanding on known concepts and learning new material. The second path, if you chose to use Abeka curriculum in other subjects, is the integration of the grade level scope and sequence, which takes the material taught in science and reinforces it in other subjects like language arts and reading comprehension. While this approach is helpful for mastery, it is not necessary to use other Abeka courses to gain a thorough understanding of the sciences. Scripture references are KJV.

Following a traditional philosophy of education, the basic components include a student text and a teacher edition and/or answer key. Student textbooks are full color and written at a level that each learner can read and understand. Teacher edition content will vary depending on the grade. At all grade levels, Abeka science is teacher led and not designed for independent student work, although at the higher levels, students may be able to do some reading and related activities independently. The K-2 teacher guides include all the information needed to teach science successfully from the scope and sequence and lesson plans with teaching notes, to the activity suggestions and answers (except kindergarten). Beginning in Grade 3 through the high school courses, teacher resources have been divided into separate categories. While this may seem overwhelming, targeted teacher resources help parents and teachers find what they need quickly. Additional supplemental resources may be available. Student and teacher books are not reproducible. See individual descriptions for more information. ~Deanne

Rigorous and college preparatory, the upper-level science courses from Abeka continue to provide a God-glorifying, traditional approach that follows a standard scope and sequence. Parents/teachers remain directly involved in the teaching process at the upper levels and may feel more comfortable to teach Abeka science at home if they have a strong science background. But don't let this hinder you from choosing this rigorous science curriculum! Abeka offers online courses to meet the needs of homeschool parents who feel uncomfortable teaching upper-level science courses. See their website for more information. Student books are softcover. Teacher guides are spiral bound and hardcover. Separate answer keys are softcover. Lab experiments are more complex and may require special equipment (especially at the high school level). Student and teacher books are not reproducible. See individual descriptions for more information.

Presenting the fundamental principles of chemistry, this course teaches current scientific understanding through the lens of God's creation and gives students an appreciation of how chemistry benefits mankind. With its comprehensive coverage of topics including biochemistry, this course will prepare students for college level Chemistry courses. Algebra 1 is a prerequisite.

The Student Textbook provides textual readings, feature articles, mathematical equations, and the section and chapter reviews. Space to record answers is not included, so students will need a separate notebook. Text is well illustrated with graphics and colorful photographs throughout the text aid student understanding. The appendices provide resource tools including SI prefixes, metric and US units, fundamental constants of nature, the periodic table, and an index of atomic symbols.

The Teacher Guide provides the full student text at the beginning and the teaching resources in the back. Teacher resources include the scope and sequence with a suggested teaching schedule, grading scale, daily lessons, and answers to the text questions. Also included are science project instructions and chemistry lab safety information. If you prefer to not use the teacher guide, a separate answer key is available that includes the answers only to section and chapter reviews from the student text.

Additional resources include the Lab Manual, Quiz Book, and the Test Book. Answers are not included; each book has a separate teacher guide or answer key.

The Lab Manual provides 27 experiments and begins with a focus on laboratory regulations and safety. Emergency procedures are also covered, and it is recommended you review them periodically. Each experiment begins with an overview, equipment and supply lists, step-by-step instructions and a report sheet. You will need to provide numerous items including a lab coat/apron, safety glasses/goggles, beakers, flasks, graduated cylinders, test tubes, Celsius thermometer, and numerous specialty chemicals. Please contact Rainbow Resource for a full listing. Alternatively, homeschool families may be able to incorporate a high school level chemistry kit like, MicroChem Kit item #020028. While not intentionally aligned with the 4th edition Abeka Chemistry, with a little effort, parents can line up the experiments with the more classroom focused Abeka lab activities.

The Lab Manual Teacher Guide includes the complete student lab manual with answers and teacher notes for each experiment. A comprehensive listing of necessary supplies/equipment is included.

The Test Book provides a total of 12 exams: 8 tests (one every 3 weeks), 2 nine-week exams, a semester exam, and a final exam. Questions vary from short answer or multiple choice to essay questions to test understanding and application of material. The Quiz Book includes 27 quizzes which offer a variety of reinforcement exercises including matching, true or false, short answer questions and mathematical equations. Answers for the test book and quiz book are found in the corresponding answer keys (Quiz Key & Test Key). Student and teacher resources are not reproducible.

Also available are the Chemistry Student and Parent Kits. The Student Kit includes the textbook, test book, quiz book, and lab manual. The Parent Kit includes the teacher edition, the test key, quiz key, and the Lab Manual Teacher Edition.