Introductory Physics from Novare Science & Math is a "physics first" text. This means that the textbook is designed as a first-year science course for students in 9th grade who are currently working through or have completed Algebra I. That's not to imply that this isn't appropriate in other high school grades. In fact, my sophomore is the one who has been working through this program.

We received the textbook, resource cd, solutions manual and experiment book.

The hardback textbook begins with a preface for teachers. In this section, the philosophy behind the book and the mastery approach are explained. Then there is a preface for students. This section lays out the expectations and provides study strategies to help your student be successful in the course.

The complete course contains 13 chapters broken into lessons, 28 quizzes, 23 reviews, two semester exams (one mid-year and one final), and experiments. Each chapter begins with a list of objectives that should be completed and/or understood by the end of the chapter. Throughout each chapter, there are many examples, diagrams, and colorful photographs to help explain topics. At the end of each chapter, there are sets of exercises for the student to complete. In most of the chapters, the exercises are broken into two sections- mathematical conversions/computations and study questions. The number and type of questions vary by chapter.

I appreciate that when new concepts are introduced, there are always multiple examples. The author, John Mays, takes varying learning styles into consideration. As far as the math goes, you can tell that Mays really cares that the student thoroughly understands how and why to use each formula. Another of the many aspects of this book that we like is that the student learns more than just scientific concepts and formulas. They also learn about notable scientists who greatly impacted history. Anytime you can intermingle subjects, it's a good thing.

The last 62 pages of the textbook are devoted to helpful information. It includes a glossary, reference data, formulas and objectives, the laboratory experiments, important scientists, a section on making accurate measurements, and an index. The objectives section could be used as an oral review. They are the same objectives as in the separate chapters, but it is nice to have all the questions for all the chapters in one location.

The difference between the experiments listed in the textbook and those in the experiment book is that the experiment book contains full-color photos and much more explanation. Each experiment follows roughly the same sequence: learning objectives, materials required, experimental purpose, overview, experimental conditions, pre-lab discussion, detailed experimental protocols, alternate experimental method (if applicable), scoring the student lab reports, student instructions, thought questions and considerations for discussions. As you can see, the experiment activities are quite thorough.

The six experiments in the book are The Pendulum Lab, The Soul of Motion Lab, The Hot Wheels Lab, DC Circuits, The Solubility Lab, and The Density Lab. The textbook contains five of these six experiments. The Solubility Lab is only found in the experiment book. A complete list of materials needed is included in the back of the experiment book. Most of the items are everyday things you would find in the average homeschool, but there are a few exceptions. In which case, a quick run to the local Walmart or hardware store would most likely have what you are looking for.

I found the companion CD to be very useful. It has made teaching the course easy. All I have to do is print the weekly review sheet and follow the schedule. And because I have the answers to all the questions, I don’t have to read through the chapter to make sure she has the correct answers, grading her work is simple. The solutions manual is invaluable. The correct answers can be found in the textbook, but only the answers. The completed problems with all the work are in the solutions manual and on the companion CD. The CD is compatible with both Mac and PC.

Overall this has been an excellent introduction to a company that we had otherwise no known about. My daughter is actually enjoying her science this year. In about 45 minutes a day, four days a week, she is making her way through the course. Introductory Physics is worth a full year's science credit.

The Introductory Physics textbook is available for $75.00. The CD is $50. The solutions manual is $15.00, and the experiment booklet is $20.00. All items are available on the Novare Science & Math website.

-Product review by Jeniffer Do Nascimento, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2018