Overview of Exploring Creation with Physical Science, 3rd Edition, Softcover Textbook

If all we ever offer our students is a textbook version of science, they will never get to “own” a discovery that they make during an experiment. Our world is not a world of chaos, and once students begin to see that they can observe a phenomenon, ask questions, and set up a methodical test to answer questions, science will no longer be a class but rather a means to discover their world.

This middle school physical science course is specifically designed to be the second course taken during junior high. It is created to give middle school students an understanding of the basic world that surrounds them each day of their lives and the forces in creation so that they can appreciate the real-world relevance of scientific inquiry and the beauty of creation. We believe that students’ educations should prepare them for life, not just an academic year.

Inside this softcover student textbook, Exploring Creation with Physical Science, 3rd Edition, we continue to mentor middle school students with the process of note-taking through the use of colorful prompts that help your students learn what information is important to pull from the textbook. Please note that our Physical Science 3rd edition textbook has been reprinted in a softcover version. This set contains the new softcover textbook.

What’s Inside Exploring Creation with Physical Science, 3rd Edition, Softcover Textbook?

This course is specifically designed to help your student gain confidence in his or her science abilities. We continue to build on teaching them independence and responsibility for school work assigned. Your student will learn how to take thorough notes, answer questions with logical answers, and gain a solid foundation to build upon in high school.

Throughout their academic school year, your students will conduct controlled experiments where they observe a problem, ask a question, formulate a testable hypothesis, and then conduct the experiment and analyze the data to see if their results support their hypothesis. This involves quantitative data that require measurements and the lab portion of this course guides students through the process.

What’s inside the 3rd Edition:

• Coverage of chemistry, physics, and Earth science to help students gain a solid foundation to confidently complete high school level courses
  
• “Think About This” sections to help your student make a connection between science and the Creator
• ALL updated experiments with lab reports  
• Rich graphics to help present and reinforce information and concepts in a visual way
• A suggested schedule in the front of the Student Notebook and detailed schedule at the beginning of each lesson
• Detailed to-do list at the start of each lesson to help your student plan their assignments and work more independently 
• Optional “You Do Science” activities that are quick and easy, designed to help students truly comprehend the concepts they are learning  
• Tests provided for each module, however, students are given many study helps via their student notes within the Student Notebook and Study Guide questions once they complete a module 
• Complete step-by-step grading rubrics for parents, showing how to calculate a module grade from the student’s module test, lab work, and character displayed throughout the module

A typical week requires studying science for about 1 hour a day for 4 days. During this time, students read an assigned portion of their textbook, stopping throughout each section to answer “On Your Own” questions to test their comprehension before moving forward. Students self-check their answers against the detailed answers provided at the end of each module.

Laboratory exercises are conducted throughout each module so that students have a hands-on lab component in their scientific study. These have been designed to work easily in the homeschool environment.

At the end of each of the 15 modules, which take about 2 weeks each to complete, there are Study Guides to help students review their materials before taking their exams. Detailed answers to these questions are provided in the Solutions and Tests Manual.

Experiments, Hands-On Activities, and Topics in Exploring Creation with Physical Science, 3rd Edition

There are even more hands-on activities than the previous editions. In addition to the required experiments, we’ve added optional “You Do Science” sections that are quick and easy activities to help students truly comprehend the concepts they are learning. 

There are 36 experiments and 17 “You Do Science” activities.

While students complete all experiments, only one formal lab report is required per module. Students are instructed on both informal and formal lab report writing techniques and will document all of their work in their notebooks. Don’t worry, we walk through and explain every step and why it is essential!

Listed here is a sampling of topics covered. Click the View Sample button to view the entire Table of Contents, sample module from the textbook, and a sample from the Student Notebook.

Topics include:

• Science – The Basics
• Chemistry – Properties and States of Matter
• Chemistry – Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
• Chemistry – Chemical Bonds
• Chemistry – Reactions and Energy
• Physics – Motion
• Physics – Forces
• Physics – Energy
• Physics – Waves and Sound
• Physics – Light
• Physics – Electricity and Magnetism
• Earth Science – Our Earth
• Earth Science – Our Atmosphere and Beyond
• Chemistry and Physics in the Life Sciences
• Physical Science Research