As our oldest children have progressed through high school, we found that among the homeschooling community, there’s a general lack of interest in pursuing high school physics. This has somewhat shocked me. Not only is physics the most basic of all the science disciplines (due to its practical aspects and the principles of physics that we encounter in everyday life), it can also be the most engaging and fascinating. This one course can determine if a student decides to pursue future work in an engineering or physics-related field. Surprisingly, this happened with our second-oldest son who has always enjoyed creative writing, art, and drama. Taking high school physics sparked in him an interest in electromechanical technology and determined his future course of study.
In our family, a general rule is that our teenagers must complete one science course in each major subject of science: biology, chemistry, and physics. This allows them to “experiment” with the basics to see if it becomes an interest to pursue further. Although our first two sons used a high school-level, textbook-based physics curriculum, we wanted to share about a video-based option that helps families in tackling this often challenging subject. We’re excited to share our thoughts on a high school physics course that not only provides quality, self-paced instruction (with labs!), but also includes automatic grading of quizzes and exams — and is taught from a Christian worldview. That course? Discover Physics.
NOTE: Lesson plans for this course are provided in our High School Lessons: Truth Trek Three program, which provides plans for a full year of study in physics, medieval world history, British literature/composition, math, and electives (Bible, art, and career readiness).
If you find yourself lacking adequate time to provide one-on-one instruction in physics or if you’re intimidated by the idea of coaching your student through labs and math problems, or if you just don’t feel comfortable with teaching high school-level lab sciences in general, Discover Physics from Journey Homeschool Academy provides an entire year of video instruction covering the following physics concepts (along with historical and biblical connections as appropriate):
- Vibrations & sound waves
- Light, color, and optics
- Thermodynamics
- Newton’s Laws of Motion, linear motion, 2-dimensional motion
- Forces, momentum, and energy
- Rotational motion and mechanics
- Electrostatics
- Electric current and circuits
- Magnetism & electromagnetism
- Special relativity
- Gravity & satellites
- Atomic & nuclear physics
- Quantum physics… and more!
Each lesson includes…
- two to three instructional videos introducing physics concepts, along with a corresponding reading assignment from a science textbook (Conceptual Physics)
- a few homework questions (along with videos to walk you through the homework solutions step-by-step)
- a quiz (which is automatically graded)
- and a hands-on laboratory assignment along with lab videos (including dissections of seven animals).
Before starting the course, students are taught valuable study techniques and note-taking skills that may be used for any subject.
The course also provides a Student Guidebook which includes diagrams to label and outlines to use as they learn to take notes throughout the year. (Parents are provided with a Student Guidebook Answer Key.)
Instructional lab videos walk students through conducting lab experiments and recording their own observations in the Student Lab Guide. The Lab Guide includes step-by-step instructions for lab activities and assists students in keeping a laboratory notebook and writing formal lab reports.
With Discover Physics, parents don’t need to explain concepts or lead experiments, although the course does lend itself to family discussion. Concepts are explained thoroughly by the online instructors, and sample lab reports and answer keys are provided for all assignments. The course provides flexibility and encourages independence as students work at their own pace within the comfort of their home. And the program helps students think critically about how a Christian worldview impacts the world of physics.
All Level B (middle school) and Level C (high school) courses are a one-year subscription which starts when the course is activated in the parent’s dashboard. So… if you purchase now, you can wait until the fall to actually begin the course.
Try a free lesson… and more!
Test drive a free lesson! Click here to preview Lesson 1: Introduction to Physics and Lesson 13: Two Dimensional Motion (along with a download of a student packet which includes the lesson’s outlines, quiz, homework questions (with video solutions!), and lab instructions).
In addition to Discover Physics, Journey Homeschool Academy offers high-school level courses in biology, chemistry, physical science, astronomy, and New Testament studies. Preview lessons from each of these courses below:
- Experience Biology
- Experience Chemistry,
- Experience Astronomy
- Physical Science Explored PLUS
- Equipped! New Testament
Also be sure to check out the following middle school and elementary courses. You can preview all the courses by clicking here.
One-year courses for middle school:
Lifetime courses for Elementary (activation begins immediately with no expiration date)
Also sign up to be notified of the free 8-week courses this summer, Backyard Bugs and Summer Stargazing for Families!
Money Back Guarantee!
All Level B (middle school) and Level C (high school) courses are a one-year subscription which starts when the course is activated in the parent’s dashboard. So… if you purchase now, you can wait until the fall to actually activate the course for your student.
Journey Homeschool Academy offers a Fabulous Fit promise. They offer a 100% money-back, happiness guarantee within 30 days of the start of the course OR 6 months from purchase date (whichever comes first).
