Review of Course "Exploring Creation With Physical Science"

Today I will be reviewing the book I used this year for science, Exploring Creation With Physical Science by Dr. Jay Wile.
Although I did this course in 8th grade, I am using it as my 9th grade high school credit, which means I am doing biology in 9th grade, chemistry in 10th grade, physics in 11th grade. This also means I will be able to do any kind of science I'd like in 12th grade, and it doesn't have to count for a credit. At this point, I think I will do a trimester of astronomy, a trimester of anatomy, and a trimester of botany.

I am talking about one module at a time and including what topics were discussed, the length, what the labs were, and what the vocabulary words were.

                     Module 1- Reading covers the basics of atoms & molecules, the unit multiplier system and concentrations of substances. 

• Entire module is 20 pages long. 
• Contains 3 labs- Lab 1.1 on atoms and molecules, Lab 1.2 on measuring cubits and fingers (using unit multipliers), and Lab 1.3 on concentration. 
• Module contains 3 vocab words- Atom, molecule, and concentration. 

                                                                                                                                                                                        Module 2-  Reading covers humidity, the composition of air, oxygen, fire, carbon dioxide, a 4 ½ page discussion of "global warming," ozone, and a 6 ½ page discussion of air pollution with a cost/benefit analysis. 

• Entire module is 25 pages long. 
• Contains 3 labs- Lab 2.1 on evaporation and temperature, Lab 2.2 on the concentration of oxygen in air necessary for making a fire, and Lab 2.3 on how carbon dioxide traps energy from the sun, making it a greenhouse gas. 
• Module contains 5 vocab words- Humidity, absolute humidity, relative humidity, greenhouse effect, and parts per million.                                                                                                                                   

                    Module 3- Reading covers atmospheric pressure, the layers of the earth, understanding temperature, a 3 ½  page discussion on the "hole" in the ozone layer, and the regions of the heterosphere. 

• Entire module is 21 pages long. 
• Contains 2 labs- Lab 3.1 on atmospheric pressure and Lab 3.2 on what temperature really measures. 
• Module contains 14 vocab words- Atmosphere, atmospheric pressure, barometer, homosphere, heterosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, jet streams, heat, temperature, thermosphere, exosphere, and ionosphere.  

                                                                                                                                                 

                   Module 4- Reading covers chemical properties of water, experimental error, peer review, polarity of water, solvents, solutes, hydrogen bonding, cohesion of water, "hard" water, and "soft" water. 

• Entire module is 20 pages long.
• Contains 6 labs- Lab 4.1 on the chemical properties of water, Lab 4.2 on the polarity of water (how water reacts to static electricity versus how vegetable oil reacts), Lab 4.3 on solvents, solutes & solutions (demonstrated by water dissolving salt, water dissolving sugar, water dissolving olive oil, water dissolving canola oil, and canola oil dissolving olive oil), Lab 4.4 on  molecules in substances either getting closer together or farther apart, making a square of butter sink in melted butter and an ice cube float in liquid water, Lab 4.5 on the tendency of water molecules to stay together even when exposed to tension, and Lab 4.6 on the attractions between water molecules and other molecules in solids. 
• Module contains 6 vocab words- electrolysis, polar molecule, solvent, solute, cohesion, and hard water.

                                                                                                                                                                   

                   Module 5- Reading covers the different types of water on earth, including saltwater & freshwater (and their sources), the way in which water is exchanged between various sources, (including evaporation, transpiration, condensation, soil moisture, groundwater flow, precipitation, & surface runoff), distillation, residence time, the salinity of the ocean (and a short discussion on how that could prove that Earth is young), glaciers, icebergs, the water table, atmospheric moisture, cloud formation, adiabatic cooling, and water pollution. 

• Entire module is 22 pages long.
• Contains 3 labs- Lab 5.1 demonstrating the hydrologic cycle, Lab 5.2 demonstrating that saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than does freshwater, and Lab 5.3 demonstrating how water vapor in the atmosphere changes from a gas to a liquid (condenses) in order to form clouds.
• Module contains 13 vocab words- hydrosphere, hydrologic cycle, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, distillation, residence time, salinity, firn, water table, percolation, adiabatic cooling, and cloud condensation nuclei. 

                                                                                                                                                           

                  Module 6- Reading covers the crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mantle, outer core & inner core of the earth, different kinds of rock, earth's magnetic field, a 3 ¼ page discussion on the dynamo theory versus the rapid-decay theory, plate tectonics, earthquakes, fault-block, folded, domed, and volcanic mountains.

• Entire module is 22 pages long
• Contains 4 labs- Lab 6.1 on how sound waves can bring an understanding of the substance they are traveling through, Lab 6.2 shows how to create a simulation of the plastic rock found in Earth's asthenosphere, Lab 6.3 demonstrating how to make a non-magnetic object (a nail) and make it magnetic using electricity, and Lab 6.4 using eggs to demonstrate interactions between plates in plate tectonics, such as plate separation, plate subduction, plate collision, and plate sliding. 
• Module contains 10 vocab words- Earth's crust, sediment, sedimentary rock, igneous rock, metamorphic rock, plastic rock, earthquake, fault, focus, and epicenter. 

                                                                                                                                                                                 Module 7 (One of my favorite modules)- Reading covers types of clouds, a long-term weather experiment for the student to conduct, insolation, earth's elliptical orbit, aphelion (earth farthest from the sun) perihelion (earth closest to the sun), the solstices & equinoxes, lines of longitude (running north to south along the earth), lines of latitude (running east to west along the earth), the Coriolois effect, sea breezes & land breezes, arctic, polar, & tropical air masses, cold, warm, stationary & occluded fronts.

• Entire module is 19 pages long.
• Contains 1 lab- Lab 7.1 is a long-term weather experiment for the student to perform over 4 weeks. Every day, the student checks the cloud type (or types) that are in the air at 9 am (recorded under the column early cloud cover) and 4 pm (recorded under the column late cloud cover). The following day, the student should check wunderground.com and put in their city/state/zip code. They should then click on the word "yesterday" and record the high temperature, low temperature, high pressure, low pressure, and precipitation. 

          For a copy of the table your student should fill out, click here. Print 2 copies of that paper double-sided, flipping along the long edge. Or, your student could type their findings every day into the document and print the final version.

• Module contains 7 vocab words- aphelion, perihelion, lines of longitude, lines of latitude, Coriolis effect, air mass, and weather front.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Module 8- Reading covers how precipitation including rain, sleet, snow, drizzle, or hail is formed, how thunderstorms, cloud-to-ground, & cloud-to-cloud lightning are formed, how tornadoes & hurricanes are formed, how to read weather maps and how to predict weather using previously gathered data.

• Entire module is 18 pages long.
• Contains 2 labs- Lab 8.1 on using a balloon & hand to create lightning, and Lab 8.2 on using results from lab 7.1 to predict the temperature change, what kind of front is moving in, what clouds will appear, and how much (if any) precipitation there will be on two days (for me, I predicted December 9th, 2014 and December 10th, 2014). 
• Module contains 2 vocab words- updraft and insulator.

                                                                                                                                                                                         Module 9- Reading covers how motion is relative, formula for speed, vector & scalar quantities, velocity, acceleration, and acceleration due to gravity.

• Entire module is 20 pages long.
• Contains 3 labs- Lab 9.1 on the difference between speed and velocity, Lab 9.2 on air resistance, and Lab 9.3 on measuring height with a stopwatch.
• Module contains 5 vocab words- Reference point, vector quantity, scalar quantity, acceleration, free fall.

                    Module 10- Reading covers Newton's three laws of motion, friction, inertia, static & kinetic friction.

• Entire module is 21 pages long.
• Contains 3 labs- Lab 10.1 demonstrating Newton's first law, Lab 10.2 demonstrating Newton's first law, Law 10.3 on friction, and Lab 10.4 on Newton's third law.
• Module contains 7 vocab words- Newton's First Law, Newton's Second Law, Newton's Third Law, Inertia, friction, kinetic friction, static friction.

                    Module 11- Reading covers the gravitational force, centripetal force, circular motion, the incorrect notion of centrifugal force, planets, comets, laws for planets, laws for dwarf planets, General Theory of Relativity, and Graviton Theory of Gravity.

• Entire module is 26 pages long.
• Contains 3 labs: 11.1 on centripetal force, 11.2 on how Einstein's General Theory of Relativity concludes that the gravitational force is a result of mass bending space and time, 11.3 on how massive objects could exchange small particles called gravitons, making the gravitational force. 
• Module contains 5 vocab woirds- Newton's universal laws of gravitation, principles of circular motion, planet criteria, dwarf planet criteria, and centripetal force.

                    Module 12- Reading covers James Clerk Maxwell, electromagnetic attraction between opposite charges, electromagnetic repulsion between like charges, how the electromagnetic force is produced, charging by conduction, charging by induction, circuits, resistance, switches, magnets.

• Entire module is 24 pages long.
• Contains 3 labs: 12.1 on electrical attraction and repulsion, 12.2 on charging by conduction and induction, 12.3 on electrical current in battery and resistance in foil making heat.
• Contains 9 vocab words: photon, charging by conduction, charging by induction, conventional current, electrical current, open circuit, resistance, principles for the force between electrical charges, principle of magnetic poles.

                    Module 13- Reading covers the structure of atoms, models, atomic numbers, mass numbers, the Periodic Table, radioactivity, beta decay, alpha decay, gamma decay, radioactive dating.

• Entire module is 24 pages long.
• Contains no labs.
• Contains 8 vocab words: model, nucleus, atomic number, mass number, isotopes, element, radioactive isotope, half-life.

                   Module 14- Reading covers the parts of a wave, transverse waves, longitudinal waves, sound waves, the speed at which sound travels, the Doppler Effect, volume.

• Entire module is 22 pages long.
• Contains 5 labs.
• Contains 5 vocab words: transverse wave, longitudinal wave, supersonic sound, sonic boom, pitch.

                   Module 15- Reading covers particle theory of light, wave theory of light, electromagnetic waves, wavelenths of light, electromagnetic spectrum, the law of reflection, refraction, rainbows, converging lenses, diverging lenses, colors.

• Entire module is 26 pages long.
• Contains 5 labs.
• Contains 2 vocab words: electromagnetic wave and the law of reflection.

                   Module 16- Reading covers the sun, nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, classifying stars, Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, galaxies.

• Entire module is 22 pages long.
• Contains 1 lab.
• Contains 7 vocab words: Nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, critical mass, absolute magnitude, apparent magnitude, light year, galaxy.

That's a wrap! I could not have imagined a better first-year high school science course.