Curriculum Review: Physics with Apologia (And a SALE!)

*Affiliate links, including those from Amazon.com, may be present in any of my posts. You can read my policy in more detail at the bottom of this post.

We are close to embarking on our 12th year of homeschooling which is truly hard to believe. We've tried a lot of different curriculums over the years, in part, because sometimes it takes trial and error to find a really good one, but also because I currently have six children and not all of them learn the same way so sometimes you have to change things up a bit.

And, as I said in my recent review of Marine Biology, I certainly don't have all the answers to homeschooling high schoolers and I often find myself leaning on the Lord and asking Him for help and direction in how to best guide them. I am so thankful that He loves our children even more than we do and that He cares about every detail of their lives and that includes the interests that He has put within them and how they learn best. 

That being said, Apologia curriculum has been such a good fit for our family over the years whether it was with the biblical worldview series (which we love so much and have cycled through over and over) or their wide selection of science programs that it truly has become a favorite curriculum resource for us. (If you'd like to take a look at some of my other reviews of their curriculum, you can find them here:

• General Review of their Self-paced programs (which we LOVE) (Middle School/High School)
• High School Chemistry (High School)
• General Science  (Middle School)
• Constitutional Literacy (DEFINITELY a must have especially in this day and age) (High School)
• Apologetics (High School)

What We Are Using This Year

In addition to the biblical worldview studies that I am using with all of my kids and Marine Biology for my 9th grader, for my 11th grader, we are using Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physics. He is so excited to finally be able to take this course! This college-prep physics course is intended to be used by students who have completed Algebra 1 and Geometry and have had an introduction to the definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent. 

To complete this course, we are using the Physics Basic Set which includes the softcover Student Textbook and the Solutions and Tests Manual, as well as a set of Test pages. We are also using the MP3. 

My son will rely heavily on the MP3 available for this course because it helps him keep up with the reading for all of his subjects by having this audio version available. Plus, he tends to be more of an auditory learner so this is a better fit for him. You can get the MP3 in either a downloadable copy of the MP3 Audio CD or a single MP3 file for each of the modules within the textbook. We have the Audio CD option. 

An Overview of This Course

Apologia is no stranger to the homeschool community and many times has been voted #1 for curriculum by homeschool families. I think it's because they do an excellent job tackling broad subjects, such as physics, and presenting the information in a living style so that it's not dry and boring. 

And while that may seem like a monumental task, not only is it designed to be homeschool-friendly, it is also created to be a college-prep level. When the course is completed, students will be able to do the following:  

• Relate velocity, acceleration, time, and displacement 
• Use mathematical equations for one-dimensional motion 
• Understand and apply Newton’s Laws  
• Be able to see the strong connection between math and science 

Some of the main concepts covered in Apologia’s high school physics includes: 

• One and two-dimensional motion 
• Newton’s laws and their applications in nature 
• Work and energy 
• Electricity 
• Magnetism 
• Momentum 
• Periodic motion 
• Waves  
• Optics 

Because math and science are strongly intertwined in a physics course, Apologia’s high school physics course includes: 

• "On Your Own questions that students stop and answer while reading through their textbooks. This ensures that students comprehend the materials before moving forward. This is a critical step in understanding materials and building a strong foundation as new knowledge is gained. 
• Review Questions at the end of each module, which serve as a Study Guide for students studying for the provided module tests.  
• Additional study tools include Practice Problems and the Extra Practice Problems for each module. These are to be solved after each module and serve to give the student review and practice of the important quantitative skills just covered. These are also additional study tools for the module tests."   

Drawbacks That We See with This Physics Course

My son and I really wish there was a self-paced option for this Apologia physics course. I'm not sure why there isn't but perhaps because the self-paced program is newer and eventually they will get to Physics.

The other drawback that I see is that there is not a Notebooking Journal for this course. I feel that, especially for the upper level science courses, a Notebooking Journal really is a must, or at the very least, a tremendous resource because it includes a course schedule, helps the student take notes, study and prepare for tests and is a great compilation of their work from the year. It also helps them to stay organized and keep detailed records of their labs using proper scientific methodology. 

Additionally, in the other science courses, the student workbook is strongly linked to the Notebooking Journal and when you are doing upper level high school courses I think it is pretty much a necessity to help your student stay on track, have a place to take notes, record lab experiments and more. But that's just my opinion. 😉

One More Thing to Note

If you feel overwhelmed about the thought of helping your child through the Apologia Physics program using just a textbook and/or the MP3, the good news is that they offer an online live class (or you can choose the pre-recorded option)! Classes meet for 32 weeks from the end of August until about mid May. You can read more about it here (as well as the other online live classes that they offer.) Many students benefit from the accountability of live classes or simply like the feeling of comradery that they offer. There is currently a waiting list and I'm praying that we make the cut!

If you're interested in this course but would like to see a sample first, please click here.

There are so many homeschooling resources available through Apologia. They are top-notch, professional and interesting so I highly encourage you to browse their website to see what they have to offer! We've used Apologia for so long and for a variety of subject so if you have any questions, feel free to email me at becky(at)purposefulhomemaking(dot) com of you can message me on IG @purposeful_homemaking

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Stay connected so you don't miss a thing:

  

·        Subscribe by Email

·        Pinterest 

·        Facebook

·        Instagram

·         

Be sure to check out my "Bee Kind" nature based character development unit and my ebooks as well: A Wife's Guide to Studying Proverbs, Topical Devotions for Pregnancy and Early Potty Teaching. Or, if you're looking for a way to get 30 raw fruits and vegetables in your diet every day, contact me here.  

This post may involve product that was received in exchange for a review or contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.