Frequently Asked Questions
regarding
Friendly Chemistry: A Guide to Learning Basic Chemistry - 4th edition
by Dr. Joey Hajda and Lisa Hajda
How can using Friendly Chemistry make my chemistry teaching experience easier?
Because public and private schools nationwide are being pressured to improve overall student performance especially in the math and science areas, more and more schools are requiring their graduates to have completed at least 3 years of science courses on their high school transcript. For most students this translates to taking a physical or earth science course, a course in biology and then either a course in chemistry or physics. Because many students do not anticipate entering a career in the natural sciences, they tend to choose the "lesser of the two evils" and take a course in chemistry to fulfil their graduation requirements.
With a classroom of 25-30 students you may find you only have a handful of students truly interested in chemistry, but yet you must engage the remaining students in order for them to satisfactorally complete the course. Your traditionally-written chemistry textbook can definitely be working against you in this situation. You need a unique approach which can deliver the chemistry concepts to your students in an easy to grasp fashion yet meet all requirements set forth by your school district or local governing body. Friendly Chemistry can do just that!
Broken down into 32 lessons, Friendly Chemistry takes the basic tenets of chemistry and presents them in ways that your "non-science" students can readily understand and retain. Even students who have chosen to pursue careers in a science field, can build an extremely solid foundation in chemistry using Friendly Chemistry. Where most traditionally-written textbooks are somewhat dry and rote in content delivery, Friendly Chemistry relies upon simple analogies and reference to everyday life situations to make the content meaningful and readily understood. Instead of sets of review questions at the end of long chapters of information, the concepts you present in Friendly Chemistry are practiced using group activities and games.
These multisensory activities are a truly effective means for your students to practice the skills you present, but do so in a fun way. Examples of these games include the "Atom Smasher," "Compound Football." and the many versions of the "Chemistry Restaurant" game. In addition to these activities, each student text is accompanied by four sets of flashcards which are used in the course plus the "infamous" Doo-Wop Board! The Doo-Wop Board was invented by Joey to teach quantum mechanics in a concrete way. Not only can it be used to complete that task, it is also extremely useful in teaching electron notations and ion formation.
What topic areas does Friendly Chemistry cover?
Like traditional chemistry I courses, Friendly Chemistry begins with exploration of the structure of an atom. From there variations in electron arrangement are introduced and directly tied the relative levels of reactivity displayed by various families of elements on the periodic table. Formation of ions is introduced next followed by compound formation. Introduction of the mole along with formula weights and percent composition calculations comes next followed followed by the calculations of empirical formulas. Writing and balancing chemical equations comes next followed by an introduction and then thorough application of stoichiometry. The course is completed with discussion of Boyle's, Charles's and the combined gas laws.
What about labs? Does Friendly Chemistry incorporate lab activities?
You bet it does! But unlike traditional chemistry courses which require expensive, sophisticated labware and potentially dangerous chemicals, the labs included in Friendly Chemistry are primarily "kitchen chemistry" type labs and most of the labs produce edible results! Plus, each lab is directly tied to the content of the lesson you've presented. Your students will actually see the chemistry concepts in action and not merely follow the directions from some "sophisticated" lab activity. And because these labs are safe, you can allow your students freedom to experiment more on their own without the frustration or fear of how you will dispose of the left-over results of the lab.
What supplies will I have to find in order to teach Friendly Chemistry?
Click here to see the supply list for Friendly Chemistry.
How is the course organized?
The course is divided into 32 lessons each which require approximately 1 week of classtime (five 45-50 minute periods). The lesson begins with 3-4 pages of introductory text followed by opportunities for your students to practice the concepts presented (game or class activity). Depending upon the lesson, one to several lab activities may accompany the lesson followed by 2-3 written pages of practice excercises. The lesson is completed with a lesson test.
To make your job easier, we have prepared a Teacher's Edition to Friendly Chemistry where you'll find "Teaching Tips" for each lesson. Included in these "Teaching Tips" is a complete lesson plan along with guides to assist presenting the concepts of the lessons. Instructions for each lesson activity and game are also included. Finally, you'll find a copy of the lesson test. Solutions to ALL practice problem pages and each test are also included. For example, in Lesson 1, first you'll find the lesson plan. Next you'll find guidelines in presenting the lesson content. Then you'll find the classroom games or activities following by appropriate lab activities. Next you'll find 1-3 written practice pages followed by a lesson test.
A final exam complete with solutions rounds out the course. Note that you won't have to be making copies of practice pages for your students! These are included in the students' textbooks.
Does Friendly Chemistry meet my state's standards for chemistry?
Because not all states have the same set of content standards for chemistry, we have not identified those as such in the textbook. We can positively state, however, that Friendly Chemistry does meet all content standards for the state of Nebraska! The content of Friendly Chemistry also meets the requirements set forth by Midplains Community College based in North Platte, Nebraska as sufficient for its freshmen level introduction to chemistry course!
Most state-adopted textbooks come from reputable publishers. What are your credentials?
Joey and Lisa Hajda have been educators for over 20 years. They have bachelor's degrees in veterinary science and animal science from Texas A&M University and Joey holds a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from A&M as well. In addition, they both hold masters degrees in education from East Texas State University and Lisa has all but her disseration completed for her doctorate in education. They have ten children whom they homeschool aged 3 - 24. Joey currently teaches at a local community college. The first edition of Friendly Chemistry was published in 1996. Over 2000 copies have been sold around the world.
If I choose to use Friendly Chemistry with my students, what kind of support might I expect to receive from the authors?
This is one of the biggest advantages of choosing Friendly Chemistry over traditionally published chemistry textbooks. We offer you unlimited support via email or telephone as you teach the course using our materials. We are happy to guide you through the course and answer any questions you have about presenting the concepts in the course and carrying out the labs and activities found in the course. We enjoy teaching chemistry and want you and your students to enjoy it, too!
Can I see sample pages from the text?
Yes, click here to go to our amazon.com page. There you can click the link (Take a Look Inside) to view several different pages of the student text.
To view pages within Volume 1 of the Friendly Chemistry Teacher's Edition, click here and then click the "Take a Look Inside" link. You can do likewise for Volume 2 by clicking here.
How much does Friendly Chemistry cost?
Currently the student edition of Friendly Chemistry retails for $49.99 and the teacher edition (Volumes 1 and 2) retails for $49.98 per copy. Note that the student editions are considered consumable texts. To place an order for student copies, please click here. To place an order for the Teacher's Edition, Volume 1, please click here. To place an order for the Teacher's Edition, Volume 2, please click here. To order the manipulative set, please click here.
More questions?
Please call or email if you have additional questions or concerns regarding Friendly Chemistry! We can be reached Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm central time at 308-870-4686 or email at hideaway1@gpcom.net.