Homeschool Chemistry Curriculum

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Key Features

Complete homeschool chemistry curriculum for middle school or introductory high school.
Encourages independent study.
On-demand video lessons available.
Workbook to guide students through each video lesson.
Full-color Textbook with chapter review questions.
Answer Key & Parent Companion with chapter summaries and key teaching points.
Test Booklet with 5 tests.
Hands-on activity/lab book available.
Recommended 34-week schedule provided.
Ready for homeschool co-ops and traditional schools.
Fully developed by a homeschool family.

Fundamentals of Chemistry Curriculum Overview

Science Shepherd's Fundamentals of Chemistry is a high school preparatory curriculum designed to be straightforward and easy to understand. Written by Science Shepherd author Dr. Scott Hardin, the comprehensive homeschool chemistry curriculum integrates the class textbook, lesson videos and activities/labs to prepare students for more advanced study. Fundamentals of Chemistry is parent-friendly and allows for independent study.

The Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook presents concepts in a clear and concise manner. Focus is given to key tenets in the areas of data collection and standardization, atoms, bonding, organic chemistry and more, as well clearly defining how the observations of chemistry support biblical creation. The Fundamentals of Chemistry Test Booklet contains 5 tests for thorough review of course concepts, and the Answer Key & Parent Companion helps homeschool parents support their student's learning without needing a background in chemistry themselves.

The available Fundamentals of Chemistry Video Course is an optional supplement with over 80 lessons and 9 hours of content. In each video lesson, Dr. Hardin presents a comprehensive, section-by-section teaching from the Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook to further aid students in understanding the course material. The student Workbook is available as an additional, optional aid to guide students through the Video Course, and the Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab Manual is available as the course activity/lab book for hands-on learning.

Fundamentals of Chemistry Video Course: 80+ lessons, 9+ hours, 6:30 average lesson time.

Age/Grade Recommendations

Middle school grades 7-8 (ages 12-14) or for 9th grade as an introductory high school course (ages 14+).
May also be used as a "non-college prep" high school course.

Grade/age recommendations are flexible and meant only as guidelines. The free course preview and curriculum samples can help you determine if Fundamentals of Chemistry is right for your students (see below).

Lab Supplies

The labs and activities included in the Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab Manual require mostly household items, but a few specialty items are needed, which can be easily acquired from a local science/educational supply store or an online retailer. A full list of needed supplies is available here.

Award-Winning Homeschool Curriculum

Science Shepherd for middle school is one of Cathy Duffy's 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, is a 2022-2025 Homeschool.com Educational Website Awards Winner, and receives rave reviews from families. You can be confident that our homeschool chemistry curriculum will provide an excellent educational experience to your student.

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Fundamentals of Chemistry Free Preview

Watch a sample lesson video below, or enroll in a free preview of our homeschool chemistry curriculum through our student learning portal. The preview includes 4 complete lessons, a corresponding section of the Fundamentals of Chemistry Textbook and Workbook, and a full chapter of online review questions.

Ready to explore chemistry? Save 10% with our complete homeschool chemistry bundle.

Today we'll talk a little bit more about atomic models or different ways that scientists have developed to draw atoms. The model that we've used the most so far is named after the physicist Niels Bohr because he's the first one to use it. The Bohr model has the nucleus in the center and the electron shells are drawn in concentric circles outside of the nucleus. The circle closest to the nucleus is the first electron shell. The next circle out from the nucleus is a second shell. The next circle out from that one is a third electron shell, etc. So in the Bohr model, the first circle or first shell has two electrons in it and then it's full. Recall from last class the way that we figure out how many electrons each shell can hold With the formula two n squared where n is the number of the shell you're in. So the first shell n equals one. One squared is one and two times one is two. So the first shell holds two electrons. In the Bohr model then, that first electron shell, that first circle, will never have more than two electrons in it because that shell can only hold a maximum of two. For the second shell, n is two, two squared is four, and two times four is eight. So the second shell holds a total of eight electrons and the second shell will never have more than eight electrons in it because it can only hold eight. Therefore, when drawing the Bohr model for an atom that has more than ten electrons, the first two go into the first shell. The next eight are drawn in the second shell and then the remaining electrons go into their shells. Now, again, I only expect you to draw the Bohr model for atoms that have electrons that go into the first three shells. Since the third shell can hold three squared is nine times two is eighteen electrons, that means that unless I give you specific instructions on how to do it, I'll only expect you to draw Bohr models for atoms with less than two plus eight plus eighteen or twenty eight electrons. Note that I will ask you to draw the Bohr model for various atoms throughout the class. And at this stage, the main thing that you should understand is the electron orbitals and how they fill with electrons. Two electrons go in the first shell, eight in the second, and a maximum of eighteen in the third. Now the Bohr model is good, but conceptually, one of its limitations is related to something that we talked about last class. That being that the shells are not these rigid space spaces, only the width of one electron like they kind of look like in the Bohr model. Now there's a little thickness to each shell, which means that the electrons can be anywhere within the thickness of the shell within the three hundred and sixty degrees of its sphere around the nucleus. The Bohr model kind of gives the impression that the electrons are fixed in space around the nucleus, but in reality they can be anywhere within the thickness of the space of their shell and anywhere within the three sixty degree space around the atom that the shell goes. Remember, these are three-dimensional structures. To more clearly represent this uncertainty as to where the electrons are at any given point in time, the electron cloud model is used, where the space the electrons occupy is represented not by distinct circles, but by the shaded area around the nucleus. The purpose of the electron cloud model is different than that of the Bohr model, which is why it looks different. The electron cloud model shows where the electrons may be at any given point in time. Since each orbital is thicker than the width of an electron and each orbital is not a circle but a sphere around the nucleus, the electrons can be pretty much anywhere within three sixty degree space around the nucleus as long as it's within the boundaries of its shell. Sometimes electrons are drawn within the cloud of the electron cloud model and sometimes they aren't. The two models are shown in figure three point six point one. I drew the two models using the element aluminum, which is element number thirteen in the periodic table. Don't be afraid to look at that table because next class, we're going to learn a lot more about it and being familiar with its form and structure now will help you, in the next class. Bohr models typically show the nucleus as a circle with the element symbol found in the periodic table, written in the center of the circle. If you go to the periodic table and find element thirteen, you'll see the big Al in the middle of the box. That's aluminum's symbol. The electron shells are represented by the circles around the nucleus, with the first circle being the first shell, the second circle being the second shell, etc. Neither of these models is right or wrong or better or worse. They serve different purposes, and the best model is the one that serves the desired purpose the best. Since most chemists are concerned with electrons, their shells and the number of electrons in each shell, most chemists use the Bohr model, and so will we.

Additional Information

: The short answer is that the materials included with the video series can stand alone (especially when using the optional Workbook), but the optimal learning experience will not be attained without the textbook; however, there are nuances to that answer that deserve explaining. I have no doubt that if the video alone is utilized, your student will receive a most excellent learning experience, equal to/better than that of the other video-only based middle school chemistry programs out there. The nuance in the answer is that it depends upon what you and your student’s goal is for learning chemistry. If the goal is to ensure a solid experience for someone who struggles with science and isn’t going to pursue too much further learning in the biological or physical sciences, then the video only approach will absolutely achieve that goal. On the other hand, if the student is highly interested in biological/physical science and/or wants to pursue it further after this class, then, while the video itself is “complete” in that all of the material in the text is presented in the video, the video alone will not provide adequate ability for the student or teacher to assess the completeness of understanding of the material. I think the ideal way to learn this material is to both read and hear it (students who are challenged with text-based learning often do quite well with the text after watching the information first presented visually), with the text ultimately serving as a ready reference should a question arise (in which case trying to find the relevant material on one of more than 80 video clips amassed over more than 7 hours of video will be quite challenging). In addition, the end of chapter questions in the book are designed to test complete mastery of the subject matter (and they are ideally set up for both text-based learners and auditory learners) since they are true-false and short answer questions. This is, by far, the most thorough way to assess your student’s understanding of the material (as opposed to multiple choice or fill in the blank). If the video series is used alone, this valuable knowledge testing resource will be lost. Now, it is true that I have developed multiple choice questions that are integrated into the video series and learning platform but, again, they are really designed as a supplement for, rather than a substitute of, the questions in the text itself.
: Since these are science courses that were written by a Christian, probably the most common question I am asked is, “What about evolution and creation?” The answer really starts and ends with the Bible. It is the unerring Word of God and, as such, provides the framework upon which everything is understandable, including science. As such, all Science Shepherd material is presented from a literal understanding of Genesis, teaching that God created the universe and everything in it in 6 literal, 24-hour days, about 6,000 years ago. Now, why evolution in Christian-based courses? It is important to cover evolution and some basic principles because our children will be constantly bombarded with it throughout their lives.

Additional FAQs . . .

What Comes Next?

Looking to plan a few years in advance and have your next topic selected? Fundamentals of Physics is a natural follow-up to Fundamentals of Chemistry. You can also read our "Recommended Course Progression" blog post for a broad overview of utilizing Science Shepherd curriculum in your homeschool.