One of the major resources in physics teaching is the textbook. The textbook frequently serves as the basis of the intended curriculum and is frequently the only reference work that students will have. Selecting an appropriate textbook for a particular teacher's style is very important, as an inappropriate selection can seriously hamper student learning.
Your course instructor has assembled a set of commonly used high school physics texts. Your task is to review each of these publications and to select one that best fits your intended teaching style. Each review must contain the following titled sections. Follow the template and hypothetical example given below.
Program Name: Physics of Modern Life
Author: Chester Albertson
Publisher: Adel & Sons, 123 Local Street, New York, NY 12034; second edition.
Price: $25 for each of three volumes; $75 per set.
Physical Characteristics: Three volumes, each between 290 and 354 pages long. Topics include: The Physics of Medicine, The Physics of Transportation, and The Physics of Sports. 15 chapters over the three volumes; 0.8 0.9 pounds each volume; full color.
Peripherals: Teacher's guide; simulation software; exam writing software; overhead masters; three demonstration videotapes.
Intended Audience: 9th through 12th grade students who have minimal math skills.
Reading Level: 9th through 12th grades; grade-level appropriate.
Math Level: The texts have no derivations of formulas; math used does not extend beyond algebra and a small amount of trigonometry.
Content Distribution (section types in typical chapter): Section headings include Scenario a short story that shows how physics is applied in a given situation, What do you think? set of questions about the ethical use of physics in modern day society, and For You To Do a quick at-home experiment.
Questions and Problems: Each chapter concludes with both a set of qualitative questions that get to the heart of physical principles, and a set of quantitative problems that allow students to apply their understanding of physical principles to real world situations.
Special Features: The volume is liberally illustrated with color pictures. The author makes a valiant attempt to include females and people of color in pictures. This is a strong dependency on the use of graphs, especially in interpretation and prediction on the basis of information found therein. Good thematic approach, rather than the traditional topical approach of so many physics texts used today. There appears to be an emphasis on depth over breadth of coverage.
General Impressions: Overall I am quite pleased with this publication. In fact, I would like to adopt this text for my first year of teaching. I wish that the publisher would provide a set of daily lesson plans, and more materials for lab work and demonstrations would really have been helpful. Nonetheless, the excellent examples the author includes from every day life are good. I just wish that he had included more examples that were appropriate to girls. I'm a little concerned that the cost of the three volumes would be prohibitive for all but the wealthiest school systems.