Level: Form IV (10th–12th grades)
Subject(s): Science/Nature Study
Description:
This advanced high school chemistry course combines up-to-date science with a Christian worldview and an educational approach that aims for wonder, integration, and mastery. Meeting Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, this course will include both lab and lecture/discussion components. This course requires daily dedication. Students should anticipate an hour per day of study to fully master the material, and regular homework assignments need to be completed promptly.
Corequisite: Chemistry students must be concurrently enrolled in Algebra 2 or higher math.
Prerequisites: Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, prior enrollment in BHSC/Novare Physical Science and/or ASPC (or equivalent) is required. For students who have not previously taken Accelerated Studies in Physics and Chemistry (ASPC), summer study is highly recommended.
From the textbook publisher’s website:
“Chemistry for Accelerated Students is an ideal text for students who love science and aspire to a STEM-oriented college program. This book contains up-to-date chemistry information, beautiful illustrations, and lucid narrative. It also supports Novare’s trademark mastery-learning paradigm.
“This accelerated text is a more intense treatment than our General Chemistry text. This text includes additional chapters on thermochemistry, chemical equilibrium, and a glimpse into organic chemistry. Ample exercises are included in each chapter giving students plenty of opportunities to develop skills. Explanations move along a little faster and go into a little more depth than the grade-level text.
“Although the mathematics involved in chemistry are generally not advanced, Chemistry for Accelerated Students is recommended for students who are concurrently enrolled in Algebra II. As with all Novare textbooks, our Textbook Philosophy guides the layout and composition of the text. Colors and images are attractive without being distracting.
“NOTE: It is highly recommended that students have a prior course in physics before using this book. It is assumed that important skills and concepts are already grasped before using this text. If you want to use this text but have not had the physics foundation, you can use The Novare Chemistry Supplement to get you up to speed. It is a 25-page primer of fundamental learning that this text takes for granted that students already know.”
Materials:
Families purchase the following required supplies:
- Chemistry for Accelerated Students 2nd edition textbook, by John D. Mays (ISBN: 9780997284539)
- Chemistry Experiments for High School (ISBN: 9780990439769)
- Novare Chemistry Supplement (only required if a student has not previously taken Accelerated Studies in Physics & Chemistry or another introductory Chemistry course.) (ISBN: 9780990439707)
- The Student Lab Report Handbook (2nd edition), by John D. Mays (ISBN: 9780988322875) (one per family)—Note that this resource is used for all BHSC highschool-level science classes and can be reused each year and/or shared among siblings.
- Recommended: Chemistry for Accelerated Students Solutions Manual
- 3-ring binder with tab dividers and lined paper
- Lab goggles (such as these)—Goggles must fit up against the skin all the way around the eyes, and vented goggles are recommended.
- Grid-ruled, 5×5 graph, (bound) composition book (such as this)
- Optional: 3″x5″ index cards (or other flashcards/notes/study tools)
- Scientific or graphing calculator* (one per student)
As of May 2025, the SAT Calculator Policy has been revised and graphing calculators (with CAS) are no longer allowed for the PSAT or SAT. While CAS is beneficial in college, for our high school students please see the following options:
- Purchase a calculator with CAS (Mrs. Panam prefers TI-89 and up with CAS) that is suitable for use in college STEM programs—even though such calculators cannot be used on standardized tests like the PSAT and SAT. If choosing this option, also select one or both of the next two options if your student plans to take standardized tests like the PSAT/SAT.
- Use an online calculator (like DESMOS)—this means the student will need access to a laptop/desktop/tablet with access to internet. It is recommended that students master using this online calculator prior to taking a standardized test to avoid any issues during testing. (Students can also practice using the provided online test calculators via practice online PSAT/SAT tests.)
- Purchase an allowed calculator following the College Board’s instructions—here are some examples of allowed TI calculators, the underlined ones are BHSC’s recommendations:
- TI-83 Plus graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus CE Python graphing calculator
- TI-Nspire™ CX graphing calculator
- TI-Nspire™ CX II graphing calculator
BHSC recommends that each student has one of the approved calculators AND masters DESMOS (the online calculator) as both tools have their own strengths and weaknesses and deciding which tool to use is part of SAT math strategy.
