Physical Science

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Week 1: April 6-10

Electric Circuits

Learning Goal:

I can demonstrate an understanding of series and parallel circuits.

Estimated Time for The Week: 2 hours

Learn & Practice:

  • Check out this awesome presentation on Electric Circuits! It will guide you through a pHet Simulation to help you understand series and parallel circuits and allow you to practice those skills with the help of the simulation.
  • Practice using electric circuits using this pHet Simulation Link
  • Test your knowledge! Click on the link and use the game code: 678885
  • Connect with a classmate. Send them a screenshot of your series and parallel circuits and see how they compare.
  • Be curious; conduct a 2-minute search online to learn something new about how electrical circuits are used in houses. (For real- set a timer!)

Week 2: April 13-17

Learning Goal: Students will plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.

Estimated Time for The Week: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Learn & Practice:

  1. Watch this Video about Electromagnetism.
  2. Read this article about electromagnets! As you read through the article, answer these questions.
  3. Article questions answer key.
  4. Launch this PhET simulation. Move the magnet around and through the coil of wire. As you work with the simulation, think about the following:
    • What happens if you move the magnet into the coil very slowly vs. very quickly. What relationship can you make between the motion of the magnet and the current produced?
    • Put the magnet in the middle of the loops and click the magnet flip button rapidly. What happens as you spin the magnet? Why do you think this is happening?
  5. Pass the magnet through both the 2 coils and the 4 coils, which one causes a greater current? What does this tell you about the number of loops and the current produced?
  6. Test your knowledge! Click on the link and use the game code: 820015
  7. Optional: Challenge yourself! Try to make an electromagnet at home using the following site for steps to guide you.

Week 3: April 20-24

Learning Goal:

Students will use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

Estimated Time for The Week: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Learn & Practice:

  1. Read this article about wave speed! As you read through the article, answer the questions within the article and check your answers.
  2. Test your knowledge! Use this quizlet to improve and test your understanding of wave speed calculations.
  3. Launch this PhET simulation. Click ‘More Tools’. Press the red button on the silver laser pointer. You should notice you have a tool to measure speed on the lower left hand side of the screen. As you work with the simulation, answer the following in your notebook:
      • Which known media slows light down the most? How do you know this?
      • What happens to the speed of light when it passes from a less dense media to a more dense media?
      • What do you think will happen to the speed of light if it goes from water to air? Why?
  4. Watch this Video and read this article about Speed of Sound.
  5. Answer the following questions in your notebook:
      • In what media does sound travel fastest on Earth? Why is this?
      • Based on what you discovered from the PhET simulation and your prior knowledge, which media does light travel fastest in?
      • Both sound and light are considered waves but they do not travel fastest in the same media. Why do you think this and what causes this?
      • Compare your answers with a classmate.
  6. Read this article about the wave equation. As you read through, answer the questions within the article and then check your answers.

Week 4: April 27 - May 1

Learning Goal:

I can evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.

Estimated Time for The Week: 2 hours & 30 minutes total

Learn & Practice:

Engage:

Explore:

    • Use the links in the webquest to answer the questions about electromagnetic radiation.
    • Try this Launch Lab:

Procedure:

        1. Read the procedure and safety information, and complete the lab form.
        2. Cut a sheet of red construction paper in half.
        3. Place one half outside in direct sunlight. Place the other half in a shaded location.
        4. Keep one half in full sunlight for at least 45 min. If possible, allow it to stay there for 3 hours or more before removing it. Be sure the other half remains in the shade.

Think Critically: Describe the two halves of construction paper before and after your investigation. Form a hypothesis to explain your observations.

    • Try this Mini Lab

Procedure:

        1. Read the procedure and safety information, and complete the lab form.
        2. Point your television remote control in different directions and observe whether it will still control the television.
        3. Place various materials in front of the infrared receiver on the television and observe whether the remote still controls the television. Some materials you might try are glass, a book, your hand, paper, or a metal pan.

Analysis: Was it necessary for the remote control to be pointing exactly toward the receiver to control the television? Explain.

Did the remote continue to work when the various materials were placed between it and the receiver? Explain.

Learn: Use the content below to learn some key information. Take notes as you learn:

    • Essential Vocabulary: Use this Quizlet to learn these essential terms.

Elaborate & Explain: Use the resources below to go deeper and apply the learning to new levels.

Do & Connect:

    • Design a product that could protect the human body from harmful electromagnetic waves and explain why your product is worth buying.

OR

    • Write about a product we use in everyday life that helps protect us from harmful electromagnetic radiation.

Week 5: May 4-8

Learning Goal: Explore energy conversions and design a plan to utilize our natural energy resouces.

Estimated Time for the Week: Approximately 2 hours (120 minutes)

Learn and Practice

  • Engage- by introducing the topic of ENERGY by watching the scishow video here. Look over and discover some important vocabulary for this topic by going to the quizlet here.
  • Explain- Read over and take detailed notes on the subject of energy linked here.
  • Explore- the Phet simulation linked here. Once you have opened the simulation, read over and answer the following questions linked here.
  • Elaborate- on your understanding of energy conversions to learn how energy is used in the real world. Click here to read an article introducing the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources.
  • Extend- on your learning of non-renewable and renewable resources. Click here to read over your design project.

Week 6: May 11-13

Learning Goal:

I can analyze data and use it to support the claim that Newton's second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Estimated Time for The Week: 2 hours total

Learn & Practice

Engage:

    • Read this article about Newton’s Laws of Motion
    • Watch this video


Explore:

    • Compare and Contrast Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion using this quizlet
    • Try this Mini Lab:

Question: How does air resistance affect the acceleration of falling objects?

Materials: paper (4 sheets of equal size), scissors, meter stick, stopwatch, masking tape

Objectives: Measure the effect of air resistance on sheets of paper with different shapes. Design a shape that maximizes air resistance. Use a piece of paper to create your design.

Procedure:

1. Make a data table to record your measurements

2. Measure a height of 2.5 m on the wall, and mark the height with a piece of masking tape.

3. Drop the flat sheet of paper from the 2.5-m mark. Use the stopwatch to time how long it takes for the paper to reach the ground. Record the time in your data table.

4. Crumple a sheet of paper into a loose ball, and repeat step 3.

5. Crumple a sheet of paper into a tight ball, and repeat step 3.

6. Shape a piece of paper so that it will fall slowly. You may cut, tear, or fold your paper into any design that you choose. Repeat step 3.

Conclude and Apply

1. Compare the falling times of the different sheets of paper.

2. Explain why the different-shaped papers fell at different accelerations.

3. Explain how your design caused the force of air resistance on the paper to be greater or smaller than the air resistance on the other paper shapes.


Learn:

  • Essential Vocabulary: Make vocabulary flashcards using quizlet.com for the following terms: Force, Mass, Acceleration, Newton’s Second Law of Motion


Elaborate & Explain: Use the resources below to go deeper and apply the learning to new levels.

    • Click here to work through a khan academy course over Force and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
    • Click here to play a game and test your knowledge of Newton’s Laws. Use the code 388612 to play.


Do & Connect:

  • Design and diagram an experiment that demonstrates the amount of force needed to move objects with different mass.

OR

  • Write a paragraph explaining what will happen if you drop a bowling ball and a feather at the same time off the empire state building. Which one would hit the ground first? Which one would create a more forceful impact and why? What causes the objects to accelerate the same or different?