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Focus on Physical Science
Charles Heimler & Jack Price, Merrill Publishing Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1989

General Notes:

The pink highlights in the text are helpful and the 'Planning Ahead' section in the teacher's notes is a good idea. Having a piece of the time line in each unit might confuse students into thinking that the science presented in each unit was developed during the time listed in that piece of the time line. It would be better to have the whole thing at the back or front of the book or perhaps separately discussed. It is an interesting feature.

It is very difficult to understand anything about electron shells (a topic best left out of the Middle School/Junior High curriculum) based on the information in this book. That entire chapter needs to be rewritten with the fact in mind that most teachers will not have a strong background in chemistry (most probably did not even take a college freshman course.) The book assumes far too much knowledge in this area on the part of the teacher. In general, in the books that we have looked at, this topic presents diagrams in which it is not clear that by volume the nucleus of an atom is extremely small compared to the volume of the atom whereas by mass the nucleus is extremely large compared to the mass of the atom. With the particular drawings used a student will come away thinking that the volume of the nucleus takes up most of the atom.

The book in general does not do a good job of explaining what is likely to happen in a lot of the demonstrations and experiments that it describes. Most teachers will not have performed a lot of these demonstrations and experiments and may have no idea what to expect, and they will have no idea whether or not they are doing it correctly.

However, the level at which this book was written would be more appropriate as a resource for teachers and this is what we found most teachers using it for. The problems can be fixed.

Notes on the Teacher Resources described at the beginning of the text:

The 'Challenge' sheets to 'encourage your better students to use higher-level thinking skills' are worthwhile. There is a rich assortment of worksheets that focus on different areas (reading comprehension, mathematics, laboratory observations, etc.) Unfortunately, the exams focus on memorization skills rather than thinking skills. The list of information sources for teaching special needs students is a nice addition. The list of equipment would be more useful if all the equipment needed for each separate lab activity were listed.

Unit 1 Physical Science Fundamentals

Chapter 1 The Nature of Science

p. 10 One of the review questions states 'Determine how the blood circulation system is a model for the refrigeration cycle in a refrigerator.' How many students will be able to describe the refrigeration cycle?

p. 18 The teacher notes suggest having students 'write an experiment that will answer the question 'How can you separate ripe tomatoes from unripe tomatoes, without relying on the color...?' Students may not cut or damage the tomatoes.' This is ludicrous. Do the authors honestly think the students will come up with the fact that ripe tomatoes float?

p. 20 The 'super sand' example states that the type of sand is the independent variable, because it is 'something you can change in an experiment.' However, water was also used in the experiment, and the amount of water could have been changed. Students may find this point confusing. Then, in the next experiment description, it states that the outside temperature is the independent variable. In this case, it could not have been changed by the experimenter. The explanation of what 'independent' means needs some work.

Note: There aren't many hands-on activities in this chapter and this is a drawback.

Chapter 2 Physical Science Methods

p. 24 The lead-in discussion example of the English vs. the apothecaries' ounce is an interesting way of leading to the general problem of varying definitions of units, but perhaps a more common unit such as the yard would be more appropriate. Also 1 kilogram does not equal 2.205 pounds; it weighs about 2.2 pounds. Confusing mass and weight this early will present problems later.

p. 27 The diagram about precision may confuse students into thinking that metal rulers are always more precise than plastic ones. Why is there a difference of materials for the two instead of just different division sizes?

pp. 27-28 The discussion of significant digits is confusing. Why not simply list a set of rules? The examples are pretty vague. (There should at least be more of them if rules aren't going to be listed.)

p. 29 The comparison stating 'Using SI is as simple as using the United States money system' is odd, and seems to somehow imply a conversion of multiples of ten for units of our money.

p. 32 The 'step chart' for making unit conversions is a good visual explanation, but listing the SI prefixes here would be better than in an appendix.

p. 44 A graph of pendulum data is shown. The data is simply given to the students. Why not have the students take this data themselves? The graph will not turn out perfectly as the one in the text does and will teach an important lesson about gathering data.

p. 45 The directions for the 'making a Hydrometer' activity are much too vague nor is it clear that should one be made, how it would be used. The teacher's notes are no help.

Note: The emphasis on mathematics skills and more hands-on work in this chapter is a definite plus.

Unit 2 Force and Energy

Chapter 3 Motion

p. 56 The definition of rates, 'ratios between two different quantities' seems odd. (The teacher's notes state that 4 tires/car is a rate.) A better definition would include a change in some quantity over a change in some other quantity.

p. 57 The inclusion of problem-solving techniques in the example problem is good, but the formula for speed should read that speed is equal to the distance covered divided by the time taken.

p. 59 The graphing exercise asks the student to draw a smooth line through the data given. Students should be told that a line in this context might not be straight. A 'best fit' line should be described.

p. 60 Most books reviewed described time rates of change without making it clear that they were time rates of change. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

p. 66 The caption on the figure confuses Newton's 2nd and 3rd Law.

p. 70 Here we have another 'medium-sized apple' with a mass of 0.1 kg! While some apples do have such small masses they cannot be described as 'medium-sized.'

p. 72 The 'Measuring Force' activity directions are unclear. It was not obvious that the student was to measure the weight of the marble, etc., in units of washer weights. What size washers are to be used? Some small washers weigh more than a typical marble.

p. 73 The book has an example of stretch as a function of applied weight for a rubber band. It seems to imply that this data can be applied to the student's own rubber band. Better to have the students generate their own data, after all, this is easy to find equipment. On the same page Galileo is credited with showing that the Earth is not the center of the Universe. While he certainly promoted the idea, he did not have sufficient evidence to prove it.

Chapter 4 The Laws of Motion

p. 82 The book states, 'If you calculated the acceleration of a ball falling in a vacuum, you would find it to be 9.8 m/s².' The authors do not define a vacuum until the following page, nor do they make it clear that this is true only near the surface of the Earth. On the Moon, the acceleration of a ball falling in a vacuum would be 1.6 m/s². This experiment can be done using the video of the astronaut dropping objects on the Moon.

p. 88 This is good background on the fictitious 'centrifugal force' for teachers so as not to fall into the trap of using the term.

p. 89 The 'Studying Skills Assignment' is very good. All teachers should assign this activity.

p. 90 The term 'weightlessness' is a misnomer and should not be used here although the text does straighten out the usage. It confuses students and leads them into thinking that there is no gravity acting on the shuttle or out in space.

p. 90 The insert about particle colliders seems oddly placed in this section on gravity.

Chapter 5 Energy

p. 103 The diagram and explanation of Figure 5.3 seem at odds with one another. The explanation states 'Work is done on the box only when it moves in the direction of the applied force,' but the diagram shows the force and motion in perpendicular directions.

p. 104 The problems should be more specific about work done by which force. Example: Problem 2 asks 'A 1.0 kg mass is lifted 100 mm ...as it moves 350 mm horizontally. How much work is done?' Work was done both by this lifting force and by gravitation.

p. 112 Again, another technology insert seems oddly placed. The 'slingshot effect' of planets giving spacecraft greater kinetic energy is placed in the middle of the thermal energy discussion.

p. 112 The way the units are written for specific heat are confusing. It looks as if it reads (J/kg) C rather than J/(kg C).

p. 113 The book says that change in temperature can be either T_f - T_i or T_i - T_f. This is a bad habit to teach students.

p. 113 The demonstration listed calls for pouring hot water and hot lead shot onto two votive candles (which are in beakers) and comparing how much wax melted. It is unclear how students are supposed to do this comparison. Do they empty the beakers?

p. 115 Problem 5: It is difficult to tell to which example the text refers.

p. 115 Teacher's notes: It would be better to state that energy, rather than work, is conserved.

p. 117 The text states, 'An object that is bent or squeezed...has potential energy' which is not always true. If I bend a paper clip, it does not have stored energy as a result of squeezing.

Chapter 6 Heat in Our World

p. 122 One sentence on this page is very confusing. It states '...and no energy at all can be conducted across a vacuum.' This is true, but energy can be radiated across a vacuum. Two paragraphs later it states 'Radiation is a transfer of energy that does not require matter. You have felt the warmth of the Sun.The source of this energy is 150 million kilometers away, with mostly empty space between.' Students may not see the subtle difference here.

p. 123 The 'convection vane' activity directs students to put a paper spiral on a light bulb - two words: FIRE HAZARD!

p. 131 The 'Cause and Effect' statements seem a little careless. Example: Cause: 'Fiberglass and plastic are good insulators.' Effect: 'Coolers are made of fiberglass and plastic.' This is not a direct cause/effect relationship.

Chapter 7 Machines

p. 149 The photo included to illustrate a third class lever is that of a baseball pitcher. How does this illustrate a lever? A superimposed graphic would help. The teacher's notes suggest describing a player hitting a ball with a bat, which makes more sense. Why was this photo chosen?

p. 156 The teacher's notes use the abbreviation IMA without defining it.

p. 157 Industrial engineer Lilian Gilbreth's husband's name (Frank) is mentioned without first letting the reader know who he was.

p. 160 The pencil/ruler lever activity would work better if the ruler were taped to the pencil.

Unit 3 The Nature of Matter

Chapter 8 Solids, Liquids, and Gases

p. 170 The photos illustrating solids and liquids are reversed.

p. 172 The 'collapsing a can' activity often will not work unless one uses ice water for submerging the can opening.

p. 172 The directions in the teacher's notes and the student book about the Bernoulli's Principle demonstration conflict.

p. 174 The example given in the teacher's notes states that hard candy is a material that does not form crystals would be confusing to students. Some candies do form crystals.

p. 190 The graphing exercise of temperature as a function of time for melting ice cubes in water is good, but the teacher's notes have a graph that was not obtained experimentally. The explanation as to what should occur is qualitatively correct.

Chapter 9 Classification of Matter

p. 197 The matter diagram is clear but could be improved with an example in each box.

p. 201 The activity refers to a filtering technique described in the book's appendix. The appendices are very good - easy to follow with clear illustrations.

p. 205 The teacher's notes use the unit abbreviation M without defining it. ('Test tube 1 contains 6M HCl.')

p. 207 The teacher's notes should include an explanation of the chemical reaction that occurs in the activity.

p. 208 A statement in the teacher's notes ('A substance undergoing electrolysis must be molten or in solution so that it can conduct a current') seems to imply that a solid (such as copper wire) could not conduct a current.

Chapter 10 Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table

p. 215 Attempting to specify a total of 109 different elements is a mistake. It is well known that new nuclei are being put together in the laboratory. It would be much better to describe the situation by pointing out that there are naturally occurring atoms plus some artificially produced atoms and the on-going work of physicists to produce ever-heavier atoms.

p. 218 The statements 'Atoms are neutral...atoms have no overall electric charge' are correct, but it would be wise in the light of the discussion on chemical bonding on p.242 to point out that atoms can gain and lose electrons and become ions.

p. 223 'Predicting an element's group and period' activity is confusing. The explanation for 'group' assignment is extremely vague in the teacher's notes. The answer for Question 6, for example, isn't clear.

p. 224 Question 5: Why is Level 3 again assigned 8 instead of 18 electrons? Are the 2n² rule on p. 219 and the energy level diagram on p. 220 incorrect?

p. 228 The Periodic Table has 'actinoids' and 'lanthanoids' instead of 'actinides' and 'lanthanides.' Chapter 12 continues this use.

p. 233 Clue #3 for placing fictitious elements in a periodic chart is rather vague. There is nothing in the clue to suggest that they belong in the first column.

p. 236 Problem 18 states that the maximum number of electrons in level 3 is 18.

General Note: The book answers are correct. However, it would be very difficult for any teacher without a rich background in chemistry to figure out these problems with the information given in the chapter. Most teachers will not have the advantage of such a background, nor will they likely have colleagues who can help (or time to research). The book needs to do a much better job here explaining electron shells and how they are filled, at least in the teacher's notes. Why such material is included in a book at this level is another concern.

Chapter 11 Chemical Bonds

p. 240 The book states 'sodium chloride is a white crystalline substance we use to season our food,' should add, 'commonly called salt'.'

p. 240 The definition for subscript, 'a number that shows how many atoms of each element combine to form a compound,' may be confusing to students who are using subscripts in math and English classes in other ways. A better way to state it would be 'A subscript used in a chemical formula shows...'

p. 244 How are students supposed to figure out whether or not atoms will form an ionic or covalent bond from the information provided?

p. 245 The difference in the two types of bonds is not explained very well at all.

p. 246 The illustration of the charges on a water molecule is confusing - it appears to state that electrons are positively charged.

p. 254 The text does not explain why some compounds end in - ate rather than - ide.

p. 254 The example for determining oxidation number for S in SO₄^2- results in an oxidation number for S of 6+, which seems to contradict the chart value of 2- on p. 251.

Note: These last two chapters are generally very confusing and contain information that is totally outside the capability of Middle School students.

Unit 4 Patterns of Matter

Chapter 12 Elements in Groups 1 Through 12

p. 265 The book keeps referring to the periodic chart, which is located in Chapter 10. It would be much more convenient to have the chart on one of the inside covers.

p. 265 The word 'metaborates' is used without definition in the teacher's notes.

p. 273 In one paragraph the book states that radium is used to treat cancer and that it causes cancer. Perhaps a little explanation here about targeting cancer cells, etc., would make this less confusing to students.

p. 275 Figure 12-8 shows someone nickel-plating, but the reader will have no idea what the objects in the picture are. They look like little Christmas trees.

p. 276 The objective of the activity, 'to make several different transition metal compounds...relate changes in color to changes in composition,' seems at odds with the directions. Of six observations, only three involve adding a new solution. So, one half of the color changes are due to temperature changes (which actually are due to losing/gaining water). The students will not understand this subtlety.

p. 279 The text uses the word 'synthetic' (in relation to elements) without defining it for the students.

p. 279 Two full paragraphs are devoted to the discussion of 'lanthanoids', yet the 'actinoid' section states that these elements 'are radioactive and have little use beyond atomic weapons and nuclear power. These uses have created much controversy. Some nuclear reactions of uranium are discussed in Chapter 23.' Is this the best they can do? The harnessing of nuclear power is one of the defining scientific achievements of the twentieth century. Radioactive materials have a host of important uses. Are the authors so anti-nuclear that they refuse to even offer a brief description of the characteristics of these elements?

p. 281 The following reaction is used in the teacher's notes: 2CuO(cr) + C(cr) --> 2Cu (cr) + CO₂ (g) The terms 'cr' and 'g' are not defined until page 367.

p. 282 The discussion about shape-memory alloys is very interesting. It is especially helpful that addresses are included so that teachers can send for actual samples from companies.

p. 283 The qualitative analysis is not well defined at all. Students will have trouble trying to answer the question based on the information given.

p. 284 The teaching activity for learning about flow charts is great - a very useful skill for students to have.

Chapter 13 Elements in Groups 13 Through 18

p. 294 The teacher's notes say, 'students should not be expected to distinguish s, p, and d electrons'. Again, the book seems to assume knowledge of these electrons from previous chapters.

p. 296 A photo is shown of the root of a plant. It's fairly difficult to tell what the photo is, and there is no sense of scale.

p. 297 The photo here is unclear. Is there soap (phosphates) floating on the water, or is that reflection of light?

p. 306 The word 'organic' is used in the teacher's notes, but no definition is given. The current misuse of the word needs a clear-cut science definition.

Chapter 14 Carbon and Organic Chemistry

p. 317 The text uses the terms 'single, double, ...triple covalent bonds' without first defining them.

p. 320 The text uses the words 'planar' and 'linear' in describing molecule shapes. The students will not understand these words in that context.

p. 321 It is not clear in the directions of the organic molecules activity that several models are being made. Perhaps the instructions for each model should be separated somewhat (or renumbered beginning with Step 1 each time.)

p. 322-323 A lot more explanation would be needed to handle this topic here.

p. 329 The naming rules for hydrocarbons are unclear.

p. 331 Where is the - COOH (acid) group referred to in the diagram for peptide linkage.

Unit 5 Interactions of Matter

p. 341 Part of the timeline information is incorrectly cropped.

Chapter 15 Interactions of Matter

p. 347 The teacher's notes should explain why the cola in the bottle on its side will go flat faster.

Chapter 16 Chemical Reactions

p. 364 The demonstration in the teacher's notes does not include an explanation of what happens during the reaction, which would be helpful to someone who has not performed the experiment previously.

p. 367 Why is the activity for listing numbers of atoms in chemical formulae listed as an 'Enrichment' exercise? This is a basic skill needed for this chapter.

p. 367 It is not clear that the subscripts (and not the coefficients) should never be changed when balancing an equation.

p. 373 The analogy of displacement reactions to dancing (with partners cutting in and switching) is very good.

p. 373 What is the basis of the 'challenge' anecdote? What happens to the engines during this reaction?

p. 375 Figure 6-10 is supposed to be a catalytic converter, but it looks like a birdfeeder with birdseed! Are the pellets the catalyst?

p. 375 Teacher's notes do not state what should happen in the meat tenderizer experiment. (Note: The lack of explanation about what one should expect seems to be a recurring problem in this book, if not for the teachers, then certainly for the students.)

Chapter 17 Acids, Bases, and Salts

p. 387 The directions do not explicitly state that the baking soda should be added to the solid and not the liquid from which it was strained.

p. 397 The teacher's notes for the activity for determining pH by using red cabbage juice does not state which colors indicate which pH values.

p. 400 Why isn't Avogadro's number put in the student section instead of the teacher's notes? It is an important constant.

p. 400 Are the two burets (burettes) filled with equal amounts initially?

p. 400 In Figure 17-11, the 'burets' are nearly invisible. The red holder is a little distracting.

p. 405 Here are the pH color indicators for the red cabbage juice! Why are they not on p. 397, or at least referred to on that page?

p. 406 Why is kerosene used in this experiment (soap and detergent)?

Unit 6 Waves, Light, and Sound

p. 413 Because of the poor cropping of the time line, it states that in 1945, 'World War I ends.'

Chapter 18 Waves and Sound

p. 418 The authors of the pendulum activity are trying to get the students to release the pendulum from a small initial angle. Their directions, however, are confusing. I'm sure the students will wonder why they must pull the bob 15 cm when the length is 60 cm, 10 cm when it is 40 cm, and 6 cm when it is 20 cm. Why not just have them measure an initial angle with a protractor?

p. 422 The suggestion to 'Have students discuss whether there is sound if no one is present to hear it,' can lead to some good characterizations of physics that distinguish it from other disciplines if the teacher is prepared for it.

p. 423 The questions in the activity refer to a caption for Figure 18-9. There is no caption.

p. 425 Most teachers will not know what a 'piezzo (sp.) buzzer' is (listed in the demonstration section for Doppler Effect.)

p. 431 It is not clear in the answer to Question 15 why sound travels faster in helium gas than in air.

p. 434 On p. 422 it states, 'sound travels faster through warm air than through cold air,' and on p. 434 it states, '...but sound travels faster in colder air.'

Chapter 19 Light

p. 441 The electromagnetic spectrum diagram is extremely confusing. It seems as if yellow light goes from 106 Hz to 10¹² Hz and that blue light covers the same frequencies as yellow and red. Actually, the colors are meaningless. The diagrams of objects on the right might be helpful if placed right next to the wavelength to which its dimensions correspond with the colors removed. There also is no label telling students that one list of numbers is the frequency and the other is the wavelength.

p. 447 The last question/answer for the light/color activity is misleading: Question: 'Can you conclude that your observations will be the same for all colored objects?'

Answer (in teacher's notes): 'No, with your limited experience, you could only conclude it is true for the colors you tested.' While this is true, it does not help explain to students how scientists make conclusions based on experimental results. If we did this experiment 3000 times with 3000 colors and our predictions held true for each, then we would feel very confident about drawing some conclusions about the behavior of light.

p. 450 There seems to be no difference in color in the 'Blue' and the 'Blue + green' section of the light color wheel.

p. 453 The directions to the 'Motivation' activity are very confusing. How does making a shallow end in the ripple tank demonstrate refraction? (This activity should be included later, when the explanation is actually given in the chapter.)

p. 454 The teacher's notes should include some explanation of what the spectra should look like for fluorescent lights, streetlights, etc.

p. 455 The incident and reflected angles are labeled backwards in Figure 19-16.

p. 457 The text material on prisms may be confusing to students. It states, 'a prism has the shape of a triangle' and then 'Rain droplets...act as prisms.' The two statements need to be clarified.

p. 458 The picture chosen to demonstrate diffraction is not a very good one. It is difficult to tell in which direction the water is moving.

p. 459 Some teachers may not understand the term 'monochromatic light source.' It should be defined.

Chapter 20 Mirrors and Lenses

p. 466 The directions to the 'Skill' activity in teacher's notes need to be more detailed. How exactly are the students supposed to trace the light rays? What is meant by 'reversed'?

p. 471 In Figure 20-7 it would be helpful to have arrows indicating the direction of the incoming light rays. It would make more sense if the ray diagrams were next to the photos.

p. 471 The word 'flat' is poorly used here: 'A thick convex lens will bend the light more than a thin flat one.' The students have already been told earlier in the chapter that flat indicates a plane surface. Deleting 'flat' would solve the problem.

p. 478 Teacher's notes answer to Question 2 should be more like14 cm rather than 24 cm.

p. 479 Whenever dealing with lasers always point out that one should be careful. Although laser pointers are not harmful, there are more powerful lasers that could result in retinal damage.

p. 482 In figure 20-19 it should be more obvious than it is that the incident angle is getting larger in each successive diagram.

p. 482 The photo of optical fibers looks more like fireworks.

p. 489 'Many scientists won't live near an overhead power line or sleep under an electric blanket' is nonsense. (The article is discussing possible hazards from low frequency radiation, a subject that has been studied very thoroughly and shown to be non-hazardous.) There may even be some scientists who won't walk under ladders. This topic is totally outside the realm of physics for these students.

Unit 7 Energy Resources

Chapter 21 Electricity

p. 494 In diagram 21-1 it should be made more obvious that there are more positive charges on the rod.

p. 496 Will the teachers know what a 'Leyden jar' is (listed in teacher's notes)?

p. 512 The 'Problem Solving' activity (drawing circuits to represent different situations) is a good one for determining the student's understanding of parallel and series circuits.

Chapter 22 Electricity and Magnetism

p. 516 There is no real explanation of what is in the photo - is this a microchip that runs a computer? Will the teachers know what a Crookes' tube is? Note that this is the correct spelling for the inventor is named 'Crookes.'

p. 517 The definition of a magnet, 'A magnet is any object that can exert a force on another magnet' is both circular and incorrect. Any object can exert a gravitational force on a magnet without being a magnet itself.

p. 518 It is not clear in the photos of Figure 22-2 which poles are like and which are unlike. (It looks like two different sections of the same photo.) Also the caption suggests that unlike poles repel. Labels would be helpful.

p. 519 It should be stressed that the current in Figure 22-3 is a negative one - otherwise the force directions given are incorrect.

p. 519 There needs to be more emphasis on the fact that a charge moving through a magnetic field experiences a force.

p. 521 The labels in the photo of Figure 22-6 are very difficult to read.

p. 530 The text on transistors is not at all clear.

p. 531 The numbers in Figure 22-16 are quite small.

p. 535 The directions for the Problem Solving activity (diodes and circuits) are not clear. The solutions in the teacher's notes use symbols that are not defined anywhere.

p. 536 The photo/description of a floppy disk is a little outdated, but that comes with using a rather old text. Regardless, there is a lot of good physics that could be discussed here.

Chapter 23 Radioactivity and Nuclear Reactions

p. 545 The word 'fusion' is used (in the supernova article) before it has been defined.

p. 545 In the teacher's notes, what do these directions mean: 'Have student draw electron diagrams for several isotopic pairs...'

p. 546 The 'Motivation' activity in the teacher's notes should include some notes about what is to be expected in the demonstration.

p. 548 Question 9 is impossible to answer: Question: 'Is a radioactive sample safe once it is one half-life old?' Answer: 'No.' This question depends on too many factors to be answered that simply. What kind of sample? How much? What is its activity? Where is it stored?

p. 549 It would be nice if this section on carbon dating gave some actual dates and an upper limit to its accuracy. Also, carbon-14 can't be used to date 'rocks and fossils.' The text correctly says later it can only be used on once-living objects.

p. 551 There are no 'statements a., b., and c.' in Figure 23-8. Also the statements have two blanks each and only one answer for each is given in the teacher's notes.

p. 552 The photo has too much glare to show the foil ends of the electroscope.

p. 554 Answers to procedural questions should be given in teacher's notes for Investigation 23-2.

p. 556 The SSC is old news (no longer being funded) and should be removed from text unless the physics involved could be discussed.

Chapter 24 Energy Alternatives

p. 562 Text should include some note about the photo (or the text on p. 568 discussing the solar car in the photo should reference p. 562). It's appropriate that not much was made of solar cars being practical.

p. 573 Should the paper strip catch on fire in this activity? Teacher's notes don't make this clear.

p. 574 In Figure 24-7 the photo is too dim - can't really tell that it is a dam.

p. 578 It should have been pointed out that the 4000 predicted deaths due to cancer is a very small fraction of the total number expected to get cancer in the same area. The largest dose was received by the Bulgarians and that dose was half what folks in Colorado get naturally. The beneficial effects of radiation are not even pointed out. Drop the background information as unreliable and inappropriate.

p. 584-5 This essay on plutonium should be dropped. The material is questionable and totally inappropriate for Middle School or even high school students without much more background.

Appendix

The appendix has useful instructions for some experimental methods (filtering techniques, e.g.) - very clearly written with good illustrations.

_______________________________________

Science Anytime
Napoleon Adebola Bryant, Jr., Carol J. Valenta, Gerald H. Krockover, Marjorie Slavik Frank, Mozell P. Lang, and A. Deman, Harcourt Brace & Company 1995

Overall Comments:

The introductory material given in the teacher's edition is much shorter and more helpful than some of the other texts we have looked at. There is still too much in the way of 'aids' for the teacher and very little 'white space' in either the teacher's edition or the student's edition. Integrating history and vignettes into the text when appropriate is much better than filling up the page with boxes that do not always relate to the text or the science.

The 'Projects To Do' section for students comes before the ideas are even discussed. For example, students are told to 'make a series of diagrams that show...an oceanic plate collapsing' before they know what an oceanic plate is. This is certain to be confusing. The 'Projects To Do', 'People to Contact', and 'Books To Read' sections should come later.

Science by its very nature is multicultural. There is no need to artificially introduce exercises to illustrate this. An activity such as 'challenge students to discover the names of ... other scientists and to make a list of all the different countries they represent' (p. A22) is not science. If a teacher uses this activity to fill up a 'science time requirement' then he or she is cheating the children.

There are many interesting and enjoyable specific topics within each general unit of study. The difficulty is that they are not always pertinent nor do they teach science. To call a 'jungle' a 'rain forest' is not appropriate in a science book. There is a bias in the articles against technology and science and is not always clear as to what science is. If a teacher is concerned about his or her ability, there are worksheets available to fill in and help math and experimental skills.

The teacher's edition contains many notes and hints. Teachers will find several chapters of useful information on both science and pedagogy. The most overwhelming problem, however, is that it is trying to be all things to all people. Multiculturalism is important and teachers have to deal with students with different learning capabilities, different backgrounds, and even different primary languages. This book tries to address every one of those issues. It is supposed to be a science book, not a social studies book! Many of the suggested projects are worthless from a science perspective and should not take time from science.

Another problem has to do with the directions for the hands-on activities for the students. They are not very clearly written and we even found them at times difficult to figure out what the author meant.

Unit A - Ring of Fire

Some detailed comments:

p. A14 This is not a photographic essay. The second picture is confusing - it looks as if the gas cloud evolved into many little spiral galaxies before becoming the Sun. More textual material and a less uniform drawing would help.

p. A30 The map is meant to show the Ring of Fire, but is presented in a way such that students won't see the 'ring.' The map should be centered on the Pacific Ocean.

pp. A30-33 These two activities are confusing. Is stuff falling into or squishing out of the receding plates?

p. A35 Students are told to use paperback books, but on p. A27b, the teacher notes say that magazines should be used because paperbacks won't work. This is sure to frustrate the students who try the activity.

p. A36 The trench should be labeled on the diagram.

p. A37 The teacher's 'Think About It' notes don't include any sort of explanation as to why one plate would go under another, or why both would go up.

p. A53 The parallel waves to be modeled on this page would be better modeled by shaking a slinky toy forward and backward. The bungee cord will simply stretch and contract. (In fact, on the following page, it shows a slinky!)

p. A58 The paper is going to fall over constantly without a support. It works better if the paper is mounted around a heavy roll of paper towels centered on the record.

p. A59 Question #2 mentions a "base line" without defining what it is. This is a common problem - introducing new vocabulary without a context. See also p. B32 where 'biome' is used without a definition.

p. A60 The teachers are not given enough information to answer the "Think About It" question. In addition, the phrase 'longer lines' is ambiguous and should be accompanied by a labeled picture.

p. A71 The current most widely-accepted theory of dinosaur extinction is that a large meteorite (not a volcanic eruption) caused a blanket of dust to surround the Earth and that killed off the dinosaurs. (Later, on p. B73 it says "the [theory] with the most evidence is that a giant meteor hit the Earth, causing a sudden change in climate.") This would be a good opportunity to introduce something about how scientists handle conflicting theories, but as with all books that we have looked at - they fail to.

Some overall reactions to Unit A:

The science presented is for the most part correct. It's too bad that this series ends at Grade 6. The unit is far too "touchy-feely". Too many under-prepared teachers will consider teaching cultural concepts as teaching science.

Maintaining a science log is a good idea to force students to put down ideas in written form and to organize ideas, but ONLY if incorrect assumptions and writing errors are noted and corrected. Science isn't a study based on opinion, but on observation and fact.

Unit B - Caution: Endangered Species Ahead

p. B14 It's important for students to get the idea that we do have an organized classification system and each scientist does not make up his or her own scheme.

p. B16 More activities like the "Key to a Tree" activity would be welcome.

pp. B30-31 No explanation for answers is given (for the teacher) for the activity on these pages.

pp. B33-35 The story about a girl who visits the 'rainforest' is a very interesting way to present some of the details about a jungle. Occasional diversions such as this one are probably OK, but too many turn the course from science to natural history.

p. B60 The "which bird beak type works best" lab suggests that students will discover that straw-type beaks will work best for liquid food. However, the experiment instructions do not ever tell the students to try the lab with any liquids and no liquids are listed in the materials list.

Overall impressions for Unit B:

References to outside reading are an important practice. Besides improving reading skills students come to realize that everything is not included in one book. Stories about real scientists (such as the guy who can identify over 3000 bird species by sound) show that one does need to be committed to one's discipline. Including evolution and not giving in to pressure groups marks this as one of the better books.

Unit C - Stage and Screen: Using Light and Sound

p. C24 In the "Multiply with Mirrors" activity, the students are told to unfold the mirrors and stand them upright - they won't stand upright unless supported or held there. The instructions are confusing and will be a problem for 6th graders.

p. C27 Students are told to use concave and convex lenses, but are never told what they are. There should be many diagrams accompanying this topic and yet students are never shown a ray diagram. See p. C36 also.

p. C34 The phrase "sensitized by fuming with vapors of iodine" has to be explained for teachers and students alike.

p. C35 The "families afraid of separation by death" statement is very strange. Did the daguerreotype alleviate this fear?

p. C39 The directions for making a triangular shape out of a soda bottle for a prism are no help at all.

p. C40 Again a diagram of light refracting within a raindrop and a picture of a rainbow and the conditions for a rainbow to be seen would be much better than pure text and a poem about rainbows. In addition, the prism drawing is not quite correct. Writing a poem about rainbows or sound (p. C51) is not very scientific.

p. C47 The teacher notes say that "Blue light will cause all but blue objects to appear black", but the picture of the tomato on the previous page in blue light appears to be blue, not black like the picture beside it.

p. C 48 Students should be given the color "wheels" shown on p. C38 of the teacher's edition. Most of the students probably won't know what the colors cyan and magenta are.

p. C 48 Why isn't the "Food-Color Kaleidoscope" done at this point rather than earlier? It would make more sense to do it when talking about pigments.

p. C54 The dolphin echolocation section is very interesting and a nice addition to the sound discussion. It also goes well with the "Medium Matters" activity on the following page. This makes for a very good story line that provides information as well as incorporating some good science activities.

p. C71 starts a new section entitled 'Let the Current Flow.' It's charges that flow. Letting students know this at an early age could help later on.

p. C73 The water circuit analogy is a good one, but students should be warned that it is an analogy and that charges do not come spewing out of a broken circuit.

p. C78 The excerpt about Tesla is interesting, but why would we want to tell kids that he "insisted on having exactly 18 napkins before him at every dinner ... and would not stay in the same room with a woman wearing pearl earrings"? This seems an especially strange piece to include especially when we look at question 2 on the following page: "Do you think that Tesla's characteristics helped make him a good scientist?" Perhaps relegating such stories (Cavendish was a bit strange as well) to the teacher notes would be better. Students already believe that scientists are strange.

p. C85 The teacher notes encourage a discussion about how Farnsworth (who invented the TV) learned about electricity by taking apart and reassembling a home generator. The TV is one appliance that should NOT be taken apart by children because of the safety risks involved. That point should be stressed.

General Notes About Unit C

Since this is a 6th grade level book it can't be expected to cover everything that one would wish. It's too bad that the other grades are not available as this section makes a good jumping off point for light and radio waves from the stars. The umbrella activity on p. C66 could be modified for these radiations.

Unit D: SeaBase Nautilus

p. D15 The picture/story of the circling barracudas is interesting, but where is the science? Similarly for the story of the girl who dives for pearls (p. D20.) Opportunities are being missed too often.

p. D49 Text states that "plants and animals need fresh water to survive" but the previous text had just discussed animals that live in salt water.

p. D52 There have been a number of good Teaching Resource Sheets. This "Count Off' activity for statistically determining a population count is a good one.

p. D58 The neap tides should occur twice per month (not once as stated in the teacher's notes.)

p. D63 If the students fill the baking pan with water in "A Chilling Experience" and then pour two glasses of water in, the pan will overflow.

p. D68 If there were a lot more activities like this one to demonstrate the volume inside the submersible, Alvin, we would begin to approach a meaningful science book.

p. D72 The "floating iceberg" activity instructs students to have the teacher float a bag of ice (the students are not supposed to know how big the bag is). The teacher's notes imply that the students should do it (but this would ruin the experiment. They would know the result before the observation took place.)

p. D77-78 The two depth measurement labs should have been performed right after the sonar discussion (on p. D29) to have the material ready for the Titanic story. This clearly would be a good example of using the physics principles learned for a problem.

p. D91 Once again we are warned about having "too much confidence in technology". It would be better to explain how important it is for engineers to learn from the human mistakes that led to these disasters and to stress the improvements in human quality of life that science and technology has brought us.

Section E: Blackout!

p. E16 Teacher's notes say that the flask should get warm during the experiment of mixing baking soda and vinegar, but the students are never told to touch the flask.

p. E18 The students are asked only about the environmental effects of nuclear energy.

p. E22 The "Teaching Resources Sheet", p. 125, shows an experiment of a toy car coming down a ramp to hit a paperback book. The students are asked to measure how far the book moved. If the book is positioned as shown in the diagram, all it will do is topple over.

p. E27 Teacher's notes suggest students describe a school day without electricity, which has already been asked, on p. E 17. It's still taking away time from science class, just the sort of thing an under-prepared teacher will latch on to and think that science is being taught. In addition, on both p. E30 and p. E24, it is suggested that students look at their home energy bills.

pp. E28-E29 The Follow the Energy Trail schematic diagram is very good, but an opportunity is missed to point out that all 'energy stations' perform much the same function - they just use a different fuel and method of 'burning.' The anti-nuclear and pro-solar biases are clearly evident from this point onward. Even though pointing out some pros and cons they are weighted. Solar energy (including wind) is not free! In fact, it is very dangerous and expensive and does pollute, but the authors never mention these drawbacks.

p. E50 The wind turbine experiment (using two household fans) is another example of solid experimenting that can be done in Middle School, but the authors do not follow through.

p. E52 Photovoltaic cells are described, but no explanation (even a simple one) is offered for how they work.

p. E56 The explanation of the term "short circuit" in the teacher's notes is not really an explanation; it's just a description of one effect of a short circuit.

p. E75 The acid rain experiment description does not include an explanation of what the red and blue litmus papers represent in terms of acidic content. A comparison with various other materials including say, tomatoes, on litmus paper would make the experiment meaningful.

p. E76 The authors finally get around to including the ecological effects of fossil fuels, but the book is still skewed against nuclear energy. The section on fossil fuels shows a few dead trees and damage to the Statue of Liberty (presumably from acid rain). The nuclear energy section (two pages later) states "radioactivity can cause cancer, genetic effects, birth defects, and death". True, but why aren't the horrible effects of fossil fuel use mentioned? (Asthma attacks in children, respiratory illnesses, mining accidents, etc.) On later pages, the book states that "solar thermal conversion stations produce no waste products, so they don't harm the environment,' and "photovoltaic cells don't produce pollution", but the production of the special materials for thermal conversion stations and of photovoltaic cells does produce pollutants and many deaths. There is also no mention of the tremendous areas required for solar plants and their effect on the environment. The authors may be attempting to show pros and cons of these energy sources, but they aren't doing a very good job of being objective.

p. E84 The Kuwaiti oil fire story is interesting, but nothing was done about connecting the physics principles used to put out the fires and ends with the statement 'Now young Kuwaiti scientists have become environmental watchdogs. They have vowed never to let such a disaster happen again." Nice thought, but let's stick to teaching science here.

General Notes about Unit E

The discussion of energy and energy transformation is badly flawed. Too much time is being suggested for topics other than science and not enough time on interpreting basic experiments performed by the students.

Unit F: The Secrets Within Seeds

p. F1e "Cotyledons" is used without a definition, but pops up confusingly on p. F55.

p. F32 Having the students actually design their own experiments is a great idea ("Growing Roots"), but one of the criticisms of this book (and the others that we have reviewed) is that the students have not gotten any experience designing experiments!

p. F69 The text states that seeds germinated in the orbiting space shuttle were "not subject to the force of gravity." These seedlings are in free fall and certainly are subject to the force of gravity.

General Notes about Unit F

This is a section on biology primarily and yet we see that an understanding of physics is still important.

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