This physical science text is designed for grades 6–8. Novare Physical Science, 3rd Edition is beautiful and durable, and organized around the principles guiding all Novare Science & Math texts: Mastery, Integration, and Kingdom perspective. Topics covered include types of matter, energy, order and design in creation, forces and fields, measurement, motion, sound and light, electricity and magnetism, and the nature of scientific knowledge.
Good science instruction should draw students upward into the adult world of scientific inquiry. We start with a proven mastery-learning paradigm: through a carefully crafted program, students continually learn and build on their learning, reencountering key concepts and practicing scientific skills so that they become settled in the student’s mind. Each chapter begins with a list of quantifiable learning objectives and important vocabulary. Chapters also include periodic Learning Checks which provide a moment to stop and review. There are 12 “Experimental Investigations” included with the book, not in a separate manual, with instructions and materials listed. The teacher’s version of the experiment is included in the Digital Resources. Some experiments are demonstrated on YouTube videos.
Novare Physical Science is beautiful inside and out. With a mature, developed sense of aesthetics, this book is tidy and attractive. Students love the personal style of the narrative in which the author concisely and accurately explains the concepts with evident wonder and excitement at the marvels of God’s world.
Full program includes:
- Physical Science 3rd edition Novare Physical Science includes some discussion of epistemology (what kind of knowledge does science give us and how is that different from biblical revelation) and references from the humanities where appropriate to add greater dimension, to humanize and decompartmentalize science, references to art, music, architecture, technology, and literature. This text also devotes considerable space in chapters 4 and 7 to discussion about the meaning of the presence of order in the universe, and how this points to a Creator behind it. Furthermore, it discusses the nature of truth, theories, facts, hypotheses, and the nature of scientific knowledge. A Christian worldview and love for Christ comes through in the narration as the author leads the reader to wonder and care for God’s great world.
- Digital Resources for Physical Science These documents to help the teacher conduct class include a course overview, 29 weekly quizzes, fall and spring semester final exams, answer keys, weekly review guide, an experiment manual, and more.
The experiments for Novare Physical Science call for the use of a series of customer made "widgets" that can be constructed of wood and metal available at any hardware store. Schematics for building the widgets are located in the experiment manual.