Wall High School

CP PHYSICS 

UNITS & TOPICS OF STUDY

Unit 1 & 2: Introduction to Motion / Kinematics 

In this unit of study, students are expected to plan and conduct investigations, analyze data and use math to support claims, and apply scientific ideas to solve design problems students in order to develop an understanding of ideas related to why some objects keep moving and some objects fall to the ground. The crosscutting concepts of patterns, cause and effect, and systems and systems models are called out as organizing concepts for these core disciplinary ideas. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in planning and conducting investigations, analyzing data and using math to support claims, applying scientific ideas to solve design problems, and using these practices to demonstrate an understanding of the core ideas.

Unit 3: Forces 

In this unit of study, students will build an understanding of forces and Newton's second law. Students are also able to apply science and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. 

Unit 4A: Momentum

In this unit, students will develop an understanding that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Students are also able to apply science and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. The crosscutting concepts of patterns, cause and effect, and systems and systems models are called out as organizing concepts for these core disciplinary ideas. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in planning and conducting investigations, analyzing data and using math to support claims, applying scientific ideas to solve design problems, and using these practices to demonstrate an understanding of the core ideas. 

 

MIDTERM

 

Unit 4B: Energy 

In this unit of study, students develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, use computational thinking, and design solutions as they make sense of the core disciplinary idea. The disciplinary core idea of energy is broken down into sub-core ideas: definitions of energy, conservation of energy and energy transfer, and the relationship between energy and forces. Energy is understood as a quantitative property of a system that depends on the motion and interactions of matter, and the total change of energy in any system is equal to the total energy transferred into and out of the system. Students also demonstrate their understanding of engineering principles when they design, build, and refine devices associated with the conversion of energy. The crosscutting concepts of cause and effect, systems and systems models, energy and matter, and the influence of science, engineering, and technology on society and the natural world are further developed in performance expectations.  Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, using computational thinking, and designing solutions, and they are expected to use these practices to demonstrate an understanding of core ideas.

Unit 5-Waves & Sound

 In this unit of study, students apply their understanding of how wave properties can be used to transfer information across long distances, store information, and investigate nature on many scales. The crosscutting concept of cause and effect is highlighted as an organizing concept for these core disciplinary ideas. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in using mathematical thinking and to use this practice to demonstrate an understanding of the core idea.

Unit 6-Electromagnetic Radiation

In this unit of study, students are able to apply their understanding of wave properties to make sense of how electromagnetic radiation can be used to transfer information across long distances, store information, and be used to investigate nature on many scales. Models of electromagnetic radiation as both a wave of changing electrical and magnetic fields or as particles are developed and used. Students also demonstrate their understanding of engineering ideas by presenting information about how technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy. The crosscutting concepts of systems and system models; stability and change; interdependence of science, engineering, and technology; and the influence of engineering, technology, and science on society and the natural world are highlighted as organizing concepts. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in asking questions, engaging in arguments from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, and they are expected to use these practices to demonstrate an understanding of the core ideas.

 

Unit 7-Electricity & Magnetism

In this unit of study, students understand how forces at a distance can be explained by fields, why some materials are attracted to each other while others are not, how magnets or electric currents cause magnetic fields, and how charges or changing magnetic fields cause electric fields. The crosscutting concept of cause and effect is called out as an organizing concept. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in planning and conducting investigations and developing and using models.

Unit 8-Circular Motion & Kepler  

In this unit of study, students use mathematical and computational thinking to examine the processes governing the workings of the solar system and universe. The crosscutting concepts of scale, proportion, and quantity are called out as organizing concepts for these core disciplinary ideas. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in using mathematical and computational thinking and to use this practice to demonstrate an understanding of core ideas.

 

CP  and POR Biology 

Credits: 5
Grade: 9

Biology investigates patterns, processes and relationships among organisms. The core concepts are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics. This course also makes connections between Earth and human activity. Students will demonstrate understanding through performance expectations. Lab experiences complement the core concepts.