Physics

Course Description

Students will study the nature and properties of matter and energy. Students will use laboratory work for a significant part of the course and will aid in making connections between evidence, reasoning, and models that explain natural phenomena.

Key Course Learning Experiences

Examples of student lab experiences include:

Graphing motion of carts while traveling at constant velocity and while accelerating.

Predict and test the landing position of a marble rolling off a desk.

Determine the friction between sliding objects.

Experimentally determine the power of students.

Create scientific models to understand and explain interactions between charged objects.

Create, test and measure electric circuits using diagrams and meters.

In these lab experiences, students will learn to use laboratory equipment safely and appropriately to make measurements of relevant data.  Students will work collaboratively with peers to design and carry out investigations, perform data analysis, and draw conclusions based on evidence.

Essential Goals

Forces, Interactions, and Motion (30%) - Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of forces, interactions, motion, and stability to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.

Energy (30%) - Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of energy to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.

Waves (10%) - Students use science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and an understanding of waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer to make sense of phenomena and solve problems.

Collaboration and Communication (10%) - Students will evaluate claims and reasoning, respectfully provide and receive feedback, and make and defend scientific claims based on evidence.

Creativity and Critical Thinking (20%) - Students will ask questions to formulate, refine, and evaluate questions. They will design experiments to collect, evaluate, and analyze data relevant to their questions.

Major Assessments and Success Criteria

Students will be assessed on their explanations of natural phenomena using physical principles, their solutions to a variety of problems, and on their conducting and communicating the results of laboratory investigations. Success criteria include: correct use of vocabulary and reasoning when explaining scientific phenomena, a clearly articulated process for problem solving, and appropriate use of the scientific method when conducting and reporting the results of investigations.