Curriculum Guide
for
Physics 1
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Understand Scientific Explanations
Essential Questions: How do we build and refine models that describe and explain the natural and designed world?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.A.1
5.1.12.A.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Refine interrelationships among
concepts and patterns of evidence
found in different central scientific
explanations.
Develop and use mathematical,
physical, and computational tools to
build evidence-based models and to
pose theories.
Students will examine the phenomena of
acceleration from the standpoint of needing
to deepen our understanding of motion
because our current constant velocity
description is not sufficient. They will
analyze an object rolling down a ramp
utilizing any means of tabulation tools (e.g.
meter sticks, stop watches, and sugar
packets, or motion detectors, or etc.)
Concept building lab: using battery operated
cars, collect data utilizing a variety of
means to (including motion detectors
hooked up to computers or dropping sugar
packets modeling the motion of the objects)
analyze the motion of the cars. Create
distance and time graphs out of the data to
uncover car velocity. They will use these
data to develop models for how objects
move (particularly with constant velocity).
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
PUM Kinematics
quizzes 8-14
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Diagnoser first two
motion sets.
PUM Kinematics
quizzes 8-14
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Diagnoser first two
motion sets.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/movingman
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/movingman
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Understand Scientific Explanations
Essential Questions: How do we build and refine models that describe and explain the natural and designed world?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.A.3
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Use scientific principles and theories to
build and refine standards for data
collection, posing controls, and
presenting evidence.
Students will examine objects undergoing
constant velocity motion and will share
their findings as well as experimental
methodology with the group in a lab
presentation. If it seems as though a group
was not careful enough they will re-do their
experiment and write about what they need
to consider for future experimentation
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations:
Essential Questions: What constitutes useful scientific evidence?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Design investigations, collect
evidence, analyze data, and evaluate
evidence to determine measures of
central tendencies, causal/correlational
relationships, and anomalous data
Build, refine, and represent evidencebased models using mathematical,
physical, and computational tools.
Newton’s second law lab: Students will
analyze the acceleration of a cart (of
varying mass) being pulled by a hanging
mass (that will vary) utilizing a motion
detector and other graphing software. They
will be given the general experimental tools
and will create their method of investigation
and figure out how to vary only one
experimental variable tool at time.
Concept building lab: using battery operated
cars, collect data utilizing a variety of
means to (including motion detectors
hooked up to computers or dropping sugar
packets modeling the motion of the objects)
analyze the motion of the cars. Create
distance and time graphs out of the data to
uncover car velocity. They will use these
data to develop models for how objects
move (particularly with constant velocity).
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM Dynamics
quizzes 6-8.
PUM Dynamics
ALG chapter 3
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/forcesand-motion
PUM Kinematics
quizzes 8-14
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Diagnoser first two
motion sets.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/movingman
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations:
Essential Questions: What constitutes useful scientific evidence?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Revise predictions and explanations
using evidence, and connect
explanations/arguments to established
scientific knowledge, models, and
theories.
Develop quality controls to examine
data sets and to examine evidence as a
means of generating and reviewing
explanations.
Conceptual lab: Analyze evaporating
alcohol on a surface to discover evaporation
and how it must really work. Students will
watch a slightly moist, with alcohol, paper
towel eventually dry out and come up with
explanations for how this happens. Also,
compare the smell in concentric circles with
some perfume in the center.
Students will examine objects undergoing
constant velocity motion and will share
their findings as well as experimental
methodology with the group in a lab
presentation. If it seems as though a group
was not careful enough they will re-do their
experiment and write about what they need
to consider for future experimentation
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
ALG 9.1.7
Lab presentations
and reflection.
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PHET
simulation:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/build-anatom
ALG Chapter 9
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Reflect on Scientific Knowledge
Essential Questions: How is scientific knowledge constructed?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Reflect on and revise understandings as
new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new
models to revise predictions and
explanations.
Conceptual lab: Analyze evaporating
alcohol on a surface to discover evaporation
and how it must really work. Students will
watch a slightly moist, with alcohol, paper
towel eventually dry out and come up with
explanations for how this happens. Also,
compare the smell in concentric circles with
some perfume in the center.
Students will examine the phenomena of
acceleration from the standpoint of needing
to deepen our understanding of motion
because our current constant velocity
description is not sufficient. They will
analyze an object rolling down a ramp
utilizing any means of tabulation tools (e.g.
meter sticks, stop watches, and sugar
packets, or motion detectors, or etc.)
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
ALG 9.1.7
Lab presentations
and reflection.
PUM Kinematics
quizzes 8-14
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Diagnoser first two
motion sets.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PHET
simulation:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/build-anatom
ALG Chapter 9
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/movingman
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Reflect on Scientific Knowledge
Essential Questions: How is scientific knowledge constructed?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.C.3
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Consider alternative theories to
interpret and evaluate evidence-based
arguments.
Students will examine objects undergoing
constant velocity motion and will share
their findings as well as experimental
methodology with the group in a lab
presentation. If it seems as though a group
was not careful enough they will re-do their
experiment and write about what they need
to consider for future experimentation.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Participate Productively in Science
Essential Questions: How does scientific knowledge benefit – deepen and broaden - from scientists sharing and debating ideas and information with peers?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Engage in multiple forms of discussion
in order to process, make sense of, and
learn from others’ ideas, observations,
and experiences.
Students will examine objects undergoing
constant velocity motion and will share
their findings as well as experimental
methodology with the group in a lab
presentation. If it seems as though a group
was not careful enough they will re-do their
experiment and write about what they need
to consider for future experimentation.
Represent ideas using literal
representations, such as graphs, tables,
journals, concept maps, and diagrams.
Students will use flashlights and balls of
different sizes in an attempt to analyze lunar
and planetary movement. They will be
given two different pieces of evidence: a
picture of the progress of an eclipse and
pictures of the moon throughout the full
lunar cycle. By doing this, students will be
able to discover that the earth must be tilted
and this tilt remains the same within the
plane of rotation, thereby changing its tilt
with respect to the sun.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Lab presentations
and reflections.
ISLE cycle paper
on analysis of
discovery for lunar
and planetary
cycle. Students
will research
intensity levels of
sunlight at
different times of
the year to match
up against the tilt
discovery.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://www.worl
dbookonline.co
m/advanced/arti
cle?id=ar17154
0&st=Earth's+Ti
lt
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Participate Productively in Science
Essential Questions: How does scientific knowledge benefit – deepen and broaden - from scientists sharing and debating ideas and information with peers?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.1.12.D.3
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Demonstrate how to use scientific tools
and instruments and knowledge of how
to handle animals with respect for their
safety and welfare.
Newton’s second law lab: Students will
analyze the acceleration of a cart (of
varying mass) being pulled by a hanging
mass (that will vary) utilizing a motion
detector and other graphing software. They
will be given the general experimental tools
and will create their method of investigation
and figure out how to vary only one
experimental variable tool at time. In
addition, by using these different tools and
creating their experiment, students will
show mastery of the common
kinematics/dynamics equipment and
computer integration hardware and
software.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
PUM Dynamics
quizzes 6-8.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM Dynamics
ALG chapter 3
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/forcesand-motion
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Properties of Matter
Essential Questions: What is the universe made of?" and "What holds it together?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.2.12.A.1
5.2.12.A.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Use atomic models to predict the
behaviors of atoms in interactions.
Account for the differences in the
physical properties of solids, liquids,
and gases
Conceptual lab: Set up sequences of balls
and sticks, along with sequences of magnets
and connecting metal pieces, to compare
basic atoms. Outer “electron” balls will
have insulated, plastic sides with metal
interior side to replicate taking up the
charge of a proton from the nucleus.
Especially look at the density of the
magnets in the center.
Conceptual lab: Analyze evaporating
alcohol on a surface to discover evaporation
and how it must really work. Students will
watch a slightly moist, with alcohol, paper
towel eventually dry out and come up with
explanations for how this happens. Also,
compare the smell in concentric circles with
some perfume in the center.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Quiz on which
“atoms” will
attract, which will
repel, and which
will do nothing to
each other based
off of the number
of protons and
electrons in them.
Also questions
regarding mass,
volume, and size
of atoms.
Lab presentations
and reflection.
ALG 9.1.7
Lab presentations
and reflection.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
ALG Chapter 24
PHET
simulation:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/atomicinteractions
PHET
simulation:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/build-anatom
ALG Chapter 9
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Properties of Matter
Essential Questions: What is the universe made of?" and "What holds it together?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.2.12.A.4
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Explain how the properties of isotopes,
including half-lives, decay modes, and
nuclear resonances, lead to useful
applications of isotopes
Utilize a phet simulation to model how
different isotopes function under nuclear
fission. Students will work in groups with
the simulation to come up with a model for
how reactors work.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Lab presentations
and reflection.
Report on a
nuclear reactor
(real and
imagined).
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PHET:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/nuclearfission
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Energy Transfer and Conservation
Essential Questions: What are the properties of objects and systems?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.2.12.D.1
5.2.12.D.3
5.2.12.D.4
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Model the relationship between the
height of an object and its potential
energy.
Describe the products and potential
applications of fission and fusion
reactions
Measure quantitatively the energy
transferred between objects
during a collision.
Conceptual Lab: Develop an understanding
of potential gravitational energy by “chalk
smashing ability” of a brick. The higher it
is, the more smashing ability it has.
Develop Energy bar charts as a class in
large groups focusing on system analysis
and potential energy, the higher it is the
taller the potential energy bar.
Utilize a phet simulation to model how
different isotopes function under nuclear
fission. Students will work in groups with
the simulation to come up with a model for
how reactors work.
Combination Application Lab: Swing a
pendulum bob such that it hits a tissue box
at the bottom of its swing, causing the tissue
box to slide. Students will use multiple
methods to find the coefficient of friction
between the surface and the tissue box, and
analyze how much energy must have been
lost to heating.
Further analysis: Is our method accurate in
analyzing this scenario?
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
ALG 6.1.7
ALG 6.2.3
Lab presentations
and refelction.
PUM Energy
quizzes 2-4.
Lab presentations
and reflection.
Report on a
nuclear reactor
(real and
imagined).
Lab write-up.
Quiz with a
hypothetical
version of this lab
as a problem to
solve.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
ALG Chapter 6
PUM Energy
module.
PHET:
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/nuclearfission
PUM Energy
module.
PUM
Momentum
Module.
ALG6.4.1-5
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Forces and Motion
Essential Questions: How do we describe the interactions of an object with other objects?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.2.12.E.1
5.2.12.E.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Compare the calculated and measured
speed, average speed, and acceleration
of an object in motion, and account for
differences that may exist between
calculated and measured values.
Compare the translational and
rotational motions of a thrown object
and potential applications of this
understanding.
Concept building lab: using battery operated
cars, collect data utilizing a variety of
means to (including motion detectors
hooked up to computers or dropping sugar
packets modeling the motion of the objects)
analyze the motion of the cars. Create
distance and time graphs out of the data to
uncover car velocity.
Analyze the motion of objects on a ramp
using similar means to uncover aspects of
acceleration.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
PUM Kinematics
quizzes 8-14
Lab presentations
and reflections.
Diagnoser first two
motion sets.
Concept building lab: Discover the direction
of acceleration of an object undergoing
circular motion. Students, armed with a
ALG 4.3.1-3
bowling ball and several “hitting” objects
Lab presentations
will make a ball go in a circle, and change
and reflections.
its velocity, mass of the ball, and circle
radius to develop a conceptual
understanding of the relationship between
those physical quantities and necessary
force exerted.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
PUM
Kinematics
ALG
Kinematics
chapter, 2
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/movingman
ALG chapter 4
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Forces and Motion
Essential Questions: How do we describe the interactions of an object with other objects?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.2.12.E.3
5.2.12.E.4
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Create simple models to demonstrate
the benefits of seatbelts using Newton's
first law of motion.
Measure and describe the relationship
between the force acting on an object
and the resulting acceleration.
Analyze videos of people sitting on
accelerating trains, comparing views of
balls on tables, heads, and dropped balls
from different reference frames.
Newton’s second law lab: Students will
analyze the acceleration of a cart (of
varying mass) being pulled by a hanging
mass (that will vary) utilizing a motion
detector and other graphing software.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
PUM Dynamics
quizzes 3-5
PUM Dynamics
quizzes 6-8
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
ALG chapter 3
PUM Dynamics
PUM Dynamics
ALG chapter 3
http://phet.color
ado.edu/en/simu
lation/forcesand-motion
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Objects in the Universe
Essential Questions: How did our Solar System form? How do we know this?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.A.1
5.4.12.A.2
5.4.12.A.5
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Explain how new evidence obtained
using telescopes (e.g., the phases of
Venus or the moons of Jupiter) allowed
17th-century astronomers to displace
the geocentric model of the universe..
Lab Activity: Constellations
Collect, analyze, and critique evidence
that supports the theory that Earth and
the rest of the solar system formed
from a nebular cloud of dust and gas
4.6 billion years ago
Webquest of Nebular Hypothesis, with
suggested information sites and animation
sites.
Critique evidence for the theory that
the universe evolved as it expanded
from a single point 13.7 billion years
ago
Webquest of Big Bang Hypothesis, with
suggested information sites and animation
sites.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
Results written in
lab notebook
Reflection paper
from perspective
of 17 century
citizen, potential
philosophical
dialogue option.
Ready-To-Use
Earth &
Astronomy
Activities for
Grades 5-12
(Secondary
Science
Curriculum
Activities
Library)
Reflection paper
on history of
universe.
daphne.palomar.
edu/lyon/oceano
graphy_100_ani
mations.htm
Reflection paper
on history of
universe.
http://curious.ast
ro.cornell.edu
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Objects in the Universe
Essential Questions: How did our Solar System form? How do we know this?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.A.6
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Argue, citing evidence (e.g., Hubble
Diagram), the theory of an expanding
universe.
WebQuest investigating steady-state versus
expanding universe hypothesis, with
suggested information sites.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Quiz on
astronomical ideas,
reflection paper on
history of universe.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
http://www.talk
origins.org/faqs/
astronomy/bigba
ng.html
newgrounds.co
m
http://www.talk
origins.org/faqs/
astronomy/bigba
ng.html
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Energy in Earth Systems
Essential Questions: What are the roles of Earth’s materials and the sun in the transfer of energy within the Earth system?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.E.1
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Model and explain the physical science
principles that account for the global
energy budget...
.
Analyze graphs and charts indicating the
monetary cost and environmental cost of
different types of fuels. Small groups will
analyze the charts and compare the different
costs of a fuel vs. its energy output. Which
is the most efficient, and which engine-fuel
systems are most efficient?
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
Paper on potential
energy plan.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
Sierra club of
New Jersey
powerpoints.
Sunil Somalwar
talk.
Content Area: Physics
Target Course/Grade level: 9
Unit Title: Climate and Weather
Essential Questions: What are the factors that control Earth’s climate and weather?
Unit Overview Serves as an abstract; a brief paragraph summarizing the unit or project
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.F.1
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences that
segment of learning, students will…
will facilitate engagement and achievement
Explain that it is warmer in summer
and colder in winter for people in New
Jersey because the intensity of sunlight
is greater and the days are longer in
summer than in winter. Connect these
seasonal changes in sunlight to the tilt
of Earth’s axis with respect to the plane
of its orbit around the Sun.
Students will use flashlights and balls of
different sizes in an attempt to analyze lunar
and planetary movement. They will be
given two different pieces of evidence: a
picture of the progress of an eclipse and
pictures of the moon throughout the full
lunar cycle. By doing this, students will be
able to discover that the earth must be tilted
and this tilt remains the same within the
plane of rotation, thereby changing its tilt
with respect to the sun.
.
Evidence of Learning
Formative and
Summative measures
ISLE cycle paper
on analysis of
discovery for lunar
and planetary
cycle. Students
will research
intensity levels of
sunlight at
different times of
the year to match
up against the tilt
discovery.
Resources Books, articles,
text, etc.
http://www.worl
dbookonline.co
m/advanced/arti
cle?id=ar17154
0&st=Earth's+Ti
lt