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Particular Concepts: Intermediate to College Activities Review by April Elstrom

By Elsie Spry
Particular Concepts
116 Farmingdale Road
Wexford, PA 15090
724-935-9062
http://www.particularconcepts.com/

I didn't study physics in high school. I didn't study physics in college. I did have physical science in junior high, and I enjoyed the part of physics that I was introduced to. We dropped eggs off the roof of the middle school (in protective cases we designed) and studied the results. That's really all I remember about physical science class, so I was looking forward to learning alongside my children using Particular Concepts.

Particular Concepts: Intermediate to College Activities was written by Elsie Spry in conjunction with William Spry, who has a Ph.D. in physics. This is not a full physics curriculum. It is a book of interactive activities designed to help 7th through 12th grade students understand and explore basic physics concepts. The activities are inquiry-based, intended to foster learning through discovery.

This supplemental curriculum includes two spiral-bound books: the Sandbox Particulate Physics book, and the Construction Manual. The Sandbox Particulate Physics workbook includes lessons 7-15, with step-by-step instructions for each experiment and activity as well as the worksheets needed to record observations from the activities. The worksheets include charts and questions to help guide the student's exploration without simply providing the answers for them. The Construction Manual provides instructions for building devices that will be needed in some of the activities, using plastic interlocking blocks.

This intermediate to college-level book is intended to build upon the elementary-level book, which contained lessons 1-6. I definitely recommend working through both levels, no matter what age you're starting at. The first six lessons are the foundation for the remaining nine lessons. The students will be better prepared to explore the intermediate lessons and engage in the learning process if they've already covered the elementary activities.

The activities require particulates, such as sand, rice, or beans, as well as plastic interlocking building blocks. (The Construction Manual recommends Duplo® blocks, though there may be other similar brands that would work.) Some of the other easily found items needed for the activities include boards, pans, cups, boxes, rulers, protractors, a scale, scissors, rubber bands, and measuring utensils. Each activity begins with a list of supplies needed, so you can look ahead to gather the necessary items. Advance preparation is required before using the activities.

As a parent attempting to use this book on its own, I found myself wishing for more information. I could walk my students through the activities and help them record their observations on the worksheets, but without more explanation, I knew I wasn't able to fully explain the concepts to them. I just felt as if I was floundering as I tried to use this book with my children. If we were using it alongside a physics curriculum, I would have been better prepared to adequately discuss the experiments with my children.

Some of the activities are demonstrated on the website, with helpful videos set to classical music. These videos are intended to be used with the activity book to encourage more observation from the students. The bonus is that they allow the parent to see what the activity should look like if the instructions are a bit confusing.

Overall, I like the Particular Concepts activities and the discovery-based learning model. My children enjoy hands-on experiments, and these activities are wonderful learning tools. However, I feel that it is best used alongside another curriculum--unless the parent is already familiar with, and comfortable explaining, the physics concepts being explored.

Product review by April Elstrom, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2011

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