Teaching High School Science

Preparing Your Teen for Chemistry and Physics Over The Summer

Kesha "Doc" Williams Episode 31

Send us a text

If your teen is heading into chemistry or physics in the fall, and they’re feeling unsure about their math or science foundation, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Teaching High School Science, I’m breaking down exactly what your teen should review over the summer to start the school year strong, confident, and ready to keep up with the fast pace of high school science. Whether they missed a few concepts in middle school or just need a refresher, I’ll walk you through the key math and science skills they’ll need for success in both chemistry and physics.

You’ll learn:

  • What foundational chemistry topics to brush up on (like atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, and dimensional analysis)

  • Why algebra skills matter so much in both subjects—and how to practice them now

  • What physics concepts students should know before starting the year (including motion, forces, and basic trig)

  • How just a few weeks of targeted summer review can make a huge difference in confidence and performance

Plus, I’ll share how my live summer science camps on OutSchool are designed to fill in these gaps, boost your teen’s confidence, and help them walk into class ready to thrive—not just survive.

🎧 Tune in to hear how to turn summer into a season of preparation, not panic.

📌 Link to the Chemistry Summer Camp class info and schedule

📌 Link to the Physics Summer Camp class info and schedule


Thanks for tuning in!

For more insightful discussions and resources on science education, visit my website at thesciencementor.com.

Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for updates and engaging content.

Are you looking for bite-sized science tutorials to use with your students or for a refresher for yourself? Visit my YouTube Channel.

Let's continue the conversation and explore the wonders of science together!


Speaker 1:

If your teen is heading into high school chemistry or physics in the fall, if they're not feeling confident or if you're worried that they missed a few concepts in middle school, then this episode is for you. I'm breaking down exactly what they need to review this summer to walk in prepared, keep up with the pace and avoid those early year struggles. Keep up with the pace and avoid those early year struggles. So grab a cup of coffee, a notepad, so that we can make sure that they're ready to thrive in science and not just survive. Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at-home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics. Here's the thing High school chemistry and physics build on earlier learning, both in science and in math, but not all students come in with the same foundation. If your team struggled or even missed part of middle school science or Algebra 1, they're already at a disadvantage, and this shows up fast in chemistry. Chemistry assumes your team has already completed Algebra 1, and not just taken it. But they can confidently rearrange formulas, work with fractions and decimals and solve for unknowns. Physics takes it even further, especially when working with forces and vectors. And here's another reality. Both of these classes can move quickly. Teachers often have to keep a fast pace to cover all of the required content, especially in traditional or honors classes. This leaves very little time for extra practice or reteaching. So if your teen is starting out a bit behind, whether it's in math or scientific reasoning, then it can feel like they're trying to catch up on a moving treadmill. That's why preparing over the summer is so valuable. Even a few weeks of focus review can give your teen a chance to brush up on core math skills, understand how science and math connect and practice applying what they know before the pressure of quizzes and labs even begin. And if they need something, a little bit structure, then that's exactly what my science summer camps on our school are designed for. So stay to the end and hear more about those.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk chemistry first. This is a class of what science meets math, and it's often the first time students are expected to combine the two consistently. Here are some of the topics that your team should review over the summer to gain more confidence walking into chemistry, atomic structure, and that will be protons, neutrons, electrons and how they relate to atomic number, atomic mass and the structure of an atom. They should review the periodic table, understanding metals versus nonmetals, the different groups and periods, and then how to read the element blocks to gain information that they will use in calculations. They should also review chemical bonds and compounds. They would have been introduced to properties of matter, chemical properties and physical properties, maybe being able to understand when a chemical reaction had occurred and in some middle schools they were even introduced to different types of bonds. If not, that's okay, because that means in your state that's not part of the curriculum and they will cover that in high school. But in states where that was part of the curriculum, when they go to high school they're going to want to understand that so they can build upon that.

Speaker 1:

They also need to review dimensional analysis. This is where that algebra and algebraic manipulation comes in. That's using unit conversions to solve problems like converting between gallons and ounces, but using dimension analysis instead of moving the decimal is extremely important because that's going to help them keep track of the various units and substances that we're going to be converting between in chemistry and then brushing up on all of those basic algebra skills, rearranging formulas, solving for unknowns and interpreting multi-step problems. Now, if your teen is having trouble solving multi-step problems or remembering what units mean, having them go back and practice how to write out conversion factors and how to cancel units will help them to review that. This review bridges the gap between middle school science and high school chemistry and it is a game changer when they're faced with with stoichiometry, a lab calculations in the upcoming fall.

Speaker 1:

Now physics is a different science. It is a lot more math heavy, where, with chemistry, they may be introduced to some math in the beginning, have a little break from it and then dive into it more. The second half of the school year Physics start with math and stays with math. It's intergra, integrated in everything. And physics is such a wonderful science because it really is the backbone of all sciences and there are a lot of laws in physics, and laws are those concepts that are backed with mathematical equations. So you will be doing a lot of calculation. So here are some things that your team should review or would have been expected to have exposure to before coming into physics Now motion and forces.

Speaker 1:

Understanding speed and velocity and acceleration. Having a basic understanding of Newton laws. Being able to read and interpret graphs because they're going to apply this to position time graphs and velocity graphs and other types of motion graphs to interpret motion and then remember those algebra skills. Being able to rearrange and solve variables within algebraic equations and introducing trig. Understanding how to use sine and cosine and tangent to find missing sides and missing angles. So if you want to practice over the summer, practice solving problems step-by-step with labeled units, especially when it comes to motion. Start simple, like calculating average speed, and then build up to multi-step problems or more detailed problems like acceleration. Now if all of this feels like a lot, don't worry, I've got your back.

Speaker 1:

This summer I'm teaching live group camps on OutSchool for physics and for chemistry. I'm also offering each one three different times and that's so that there will hopefully be a class to meet your schedule in the summer. Each camp meets for four weeks and we will have two 55-minute live group sessions each week. Don't worry if you have to miss a session, because the camps are recorded. Allow your team to watch the recording and complete the practice. These are not graded. The practice is to help reinforce the sessions.

Speaker 1:

These are small group camps with no more than 10 students per camp and they're interactive, hands-on and designed to help your team fill gaps or just to boost their confidence so that they can walk into their class and start the year strong. Each camp is linked in the show notes, so if you want to check out the multiple time options that are available and learn more about each camp, go ahead and check those out. And again, they are offered on OutSchool. Whether your teen is gearing up for chemistry or physics, a little review now can help them start the year strong, especially with the math involved. Let me know if you have any questions, ideas or other experiences that you'd like to share. Head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencementorcom. Then select podcast from the menu and subscribe now to the Teaching High School Science podcast for your regular dose of motivation and, just in time, science ideas, and together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. Until next time, remember, curiosity leads to endless possibilities.