LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
JAMES MONROE HIGH SCHOOL
PHYSICS A
First Semester
Academic Year 8/11/2014 – 6/05/ 2015
Summary of Instructional Goals and Activities/Syllabus
Course Title:
PHYSICS A
Textbook:
Publ., 2008.
Glencoe PHYSICS, Principles and Problems, Zitzewitz, Elliott et. al., McGraw Hill: Glencoe
Course Content: The course shall cover major aspects of Motion/Forces, Energy, its Conservation, Work and
Simple Machines, Waves, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism
Objectives: Students will learn fundamental physics and fundamental principles through hands-on experiments
since the course is inquiry-based.
Classroom Instruction: Instruction will be centered on inquiry activities followed by in-depth discussions of
principles in order to insure and enhance student comprehension of the principles of physics that govern the inquiry
activity.
Class Dismissal: At the end of dach period students remained seated until teachers dismisses class.
MATERIALS NEEDED: A quadrille notebook or a 3-Ring Binder with plenty of college quadrille filler
paper for notes; pen, #2 pencils, set of colored pencils.
Assignments: Class work and Homework:
Class work is due on the scheduled day at the end of the period. Homework papers are to be turned
in at the beginning of class! Place completed homework in the appropriate “IN” TRAY when you enter the
classroom. If turned in after that time, they will be considered as being LATE. A LATE paper will be given
half (1/2) the credit.
Papers without names will be discarded. All homework submitted on scheduled days of each week
should include a cover page showing your name at the top left corner and the date at the top right corner of the
page. In the center there should be the COURSE TITLE, Chapter # and the TITLE, HWK # and the number of
pages in the book and problem numbers. If any of the above information is missing, papers will be returned,
unmarked. LABORATORY reports must also have a cover page indicating your names, dates as described above
and experiment TITLE and # and Chapter # of the textbook to which the experiment is related.
The syllabus and homework assignments are posted on the teacher’s website:
http://TeacherWeb.com/CA/JamesMonroeHighSchool/DrSarkisSMargossian
You must take notes during each period unless you are given a test. While taking notes, the date for each day of
class must be written at the top right corner and the title of the subject and chapter number at the top middle. The
notes you take must follow. Your notebooks will be checked for accuracy, completeness and thoroughness every
Friday and graded accordingly.
LABORATORY reports must also have a cover page indicating your names, dates as described above and
experiment TITLE and # and Chapter # of the textbook to which the experiment is related.
1
GRADING POLICY: Grades will be based on a percentage basis of the total available points:
notebooks/attendance 5%, class work 15%, homework, 20%, quizzes, tests and lab reports 20% each. These
percentages may change if required. The letter grade equivalents are: 86-100% = A; 70-85% = B; 55-69% = C;
below 55% = F.
Make Up Policy for Absences: Students may make-up missed tests, quizzes and assignments. It is the student’s
responsibility to make up the missed work. Missed assignments or tests must be made up within 24 hours after the
student returns and work due on Fridays no later than the Monday of the following week. No late work will be
accepted for full credit, unless due to an excused absence.
Attendance and tardy policy:
The current James Monroe High School Attendance Policy will be adhered to.
Discipline procedure: Students must follow class rules attached here. Those who do not follow
1.
2.
3.
4.
Will be asked to stay for conference and/or detention.
Their parents/guardian will be requested to come for conference.
Will be asked to leave the classroom and go to the Dean’s or Counselor’s Office.
Will fail the course if homework, class work, reports, quizzes and tests are repeatedly missed.
SAFETY REGULATIONS: Every student must follow the safety rules during experiments. Anyone who
does not, will not be allowed to participate in the laboratory exercises. The parents’ signature is
mandatory for a student to be allowed to work in the laboratory.
The student must








Follow the safety guidelines of the teacher.
Keep the work area neat and free of unnecessary papers, books and materials. Keep clothing and hair neat
and out of the way and wear safety apron and gloves if directed by the teacher.
Know the location of all safety equipment such as the fire extinguisher and first-aid kit and of the nearest
telephone.
Must wear aprons and safety goggles when handling chemicals, working with flame or performing any
other activity that can harm the eyes.
Not use chemicals, heat, electricity, or sharp objects until the teacher instructs to do so. Always follow the
instructor’s directions carefully.
Be especially careful when using glassware. When heating glassware the student will make sure that it is
made of heat-resistant material and will never use cracked or chipped glassware.
Wash hands immediately after handling hazardous materials. The student will clean u all work areas
before leaving the laboratory, put away all equipment and supplies and turn off all water faucets and
electric hot plates.
Help for the students:
If students should have difficulty with the course, they must come and see me. They should not wait until
the end of the semester as it will be too late by then.
Honesty and Integrity:
Any student caught cheating on an assignment, quiz, test or project will receive an automatic zero. Unless
it is a group work, it is cheating to let someone else copy your paper or homework. Also, if any student is found
copying or doing homework for a different class will be held responsible. The papers will be confiscated, destroyed
and a meeting arranged with the other teacher.
2
LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
JAMES MONROE HIGH SCHOOL
Public Service Academy
Science Department
10th October, 2014
Dear Parent/Guardian
Attached is the summary of the instructional goals and Syllabus for the Physics A course of your child.
Please review the syllabus to be aware of course goals, class rules and assignments. STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT
ALL HOMEWORK, LAB REPORTS AND OTHER ASSIGNMENTS ON THE ASSIGNED DATES AS
PART OF AND REQUIREMENT FOR THE COURSE. There may be laboratory assignments for specified
weekends to which students are expected to be present and perform the activities. Note that while performing
assigned experiments or working on projects in the class, students may be photographed for review. Also note that
class rules include “No cell phones, no ipods, no CD playing, no ear phones. Cell phones or ipods will be
confiscated and returned at the end of the day”. Please sign the consent form thtat is attached to this letter and
send it back with your child to indicate your agreement with the stated goals for the course and class rules. Call
Monroe High School at (818) 830-4200 to make an appointment to see me should you have any question.
You may obtain your son’s or daughter’s grade by checking my website at
http://TeacherWeb.com/CA/JamesMonroeHighSchool/DrSarkisSMargossian
Or by going to the Monroe HS Homepage, click the link “Faculty Web Pages” then click on Dr. Sarkis S.
Margossian and proceed.
Please accept my thanks for your cooperation.
Sincerely
3
PHYSICS A
Course Syllabus and Assignments
First Semester
2014-2015
Textbook:
Glencoe PHYSICS, Principles and Problems, Zitzewitz, Elliott et. al., McGraw Hill:
Glencoe Publ., 2008.
Week 1
Mon 8/11
Pupil Free Day
Materials You Must Have With You Every Day:
The textbook, PHYSICS, Publ. McMillan/Glencoe
A 3-ring binder with ample supply of quadrille paper
A bound quadrille notebook labeled PHYSICS LOG
A stack of 3”x5” index cards
Pen, #2 pencil, and a box of colored pencils
INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENT 1: Atomic and Molecular Structures
NextGeneration Science STANDARD: HS-PS1-7:
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass are
conserved during a chemical reaction.
Tue 8/12
Registration, Course Description. Personal History, Distribution of books, Seatig
arrangement. Assign/Explain Metric Lab
Wed 8/13
Metric Lab due Fri 8/15
Collect Metric Lab reports. Classwork (CWK): Calculating: percentages; percentage
composition; ratios; moles; mole ratios; symbols; ions; ionic charges
Week 8
Mon 9/29
Discuss Motion with constant acceleration pp. 65-71. Discuss Fig. 3.9, 3.10.
Displacement calculations. CWK: do Example Problem 3, 4, 5 pp. 67, 69, 70.
HWK: do #24, 25, 27-29 pp. 67, 69; #30-32, 34-40 p. 71. Due Fri 10/03. Read Chap
3.3: Free Fall
Wed 10/01
Discuss pp. 72-75: CWK: do # 42-44, p. 74. HWK: do #45, 46 p.74; #47-51 p. 75 due
Fri 10/03. Read Chap. 4.1 Force and Motion pp. 87-9
Fri 10/03
TEST Chap 2, 3
Discuss Force and Motion. HWK: Do #4, 5 p.89, #7, 8 p. 93 #9-14 p. 95. Due Thu
10/09
4
Week 9
Tue 10/7
Continue with Force and Motion: pp. 87-95. HWK: do #40-45 p.112. Due Thu
10/09. Read pp. 96-101 “Using Newton’s Second Law.”
Thu 10/09
Discuss pp. 96-101 “Using Newton’s Second Law.”
CWK: Practice problems #15, 16 p. 97, #19 p. 100. HWK: do # 17, 18 p. 100; #21-26
p.101 due Fri 10/17.
Week 10
Mon 10/13
Discuss/Finish Free fall. CWK: do #54-60. HWK: do #72, 73, 74, 82, 83 p.80. Read
pp. 87-95 Chap 4-1, Force and Motion
Wed 10/15
Discuss Chap 4.1 Force and Motion. HWK: Do #87, 90, 97,100, 102 p. 82 due Fri
10/15
Fri 10/17
Quiz. CWK: do sample problems #107, 110, 111 p. 83
Week 11
Tue 10/21
Discuss Chap 4.1: Force/Motion. CWK: practice problems #1-5 p. 89. HWK: #41, 42
p. 112; #53, 56, 58 – 62 p. 113. All due Thu 10/23.
Thu 10/23
Quiz: Chap 4.1. Finish discussion of Chap 4.1. HWK: Read Chap 4.2 pp. 96-101.
D0 # 63, 65, 68 due Fri 10/31
Week 12
Mon 10/27
Discuss Chap 4.2, pp. 96-101. CWK: do #6-8 p. 93. HWK: do #9-14 p. 95; #69, 7274 p.113-114. Due Fri 10/31. Read Chap 4.3 pp. 102-107.
Wed 10/29
Continue discussion of Chap 4.2. Start Chap 4.3 pp. 96-101: Interaction Forces.
CWK: #1-6 Problem Solving Strategies p. 103. HWK: do #34-36 p. 107; 75, 76, 78,
79 p. 114 due Fri 10/31.
Fri 10/31
Quiz. CWK: Practice problems #28-31 p. 104. Start discssing Chap 4.3. HWK:
#37-39 p.107; #81, 83, 84 p. 114. Due Thu 11/06.
Week 13
Tue 11/04
Discuss Chap 4.3 Interacting Forces. CWK: Example Problems 3, 4 pp. 104, 106.
HWK: #87, 89, 91 p. 114, due Thu 11/06.
Thu 11/06
Quiz. Continue/finish discssion of Chap 4.3. CWK: do #92 p. 115. HWK: #93, 95,
98, 101,104, 105 due Thu 11/13. Read Chap 5.1 pp. 119-125, Vectors
Week 14
Mon 11/10
Discuss Chap 5.1 pp. 119-125, Vectors. CWK: do example problem 1 p. 121, Practice
Problems #1-4 p.121. HWK: do #48-51 p. 140; #67, 69, 71 pp. 140-141 due Fri 11/21
Tue 11/11
VETERANS DAY OBSERVED
Thu 11/13
Continue discussion of Vectors. CWK: discuss Strategies #1-6 p. 123; Example
Problem 2 p. 124. HWK: do #11-15 Section Review; #72, 77, 78, 80, 81 p.141 due Fri
11/21.
5
Week 15
Mon 11/17
Continue discussing Chap 5.1. CWK: do #5-10 p. 125. HWK: do #82, 84-87
pp.141-142. Read Chap 5.2: Friction pp. 126-130.
Wed 11/19
Discuss pp. 126-130: Friction. CWK: Example Problems 3, 4 Practice Problems #1721 p. 128. HWK: do #88, 89, 90-92 p. 142, #98, 100-102 p. 143, due Fri 11/21. Read
Chap 5.3 Force and Motion in Two Dimensions pp. 131-135.
Fri 11/21
Quiz. Continue discussing Chap 5.1. HWK: Do #93-95, 97 p. 142, #98, 100-102 p.
143 due Fri 12/04.
Week 16
Mon 11/24 – Fri 11/28
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Week 17
Tue 12/02
Discuss Chap 15.3: Force and Motion in Two Dimensions pp. 131-135. CWK: do
Practice Problems #33-37 p.135. HWK: Do Challenge Problem p. 132; Section Review
#42-46 p. 135 due Thu 12/04. Read Chap. 6.1: Projectile Motion pp. 147-152.
Thu 12/04
Continue/Finish discussion of Chap 5.3. CWK: do #38-41 p. 135; #54, 66 p. 140.
HWK: do#48-67 odd. Due Fri 12/12. Start Discussing Chap 6.1: Projectile Motion
Week 18
Mon 12/08
Discuss Chap 6.1: Projectile Motion. CWK: Do #1-3 p. 150. HWK: Copy Problem
Solving Strategies p. 149; do #7-10 p. 152 and #40,42, 44, 45 p. 164 du Fri 12/12. Read
Chap 6.2 Circular Motion.pp. 153-156.
Wed 12/10
Discuss Circular Motion pp. 153-156. CWK: Practice Problems #4-6 p.152; #12-15 p.
156. HWK: Do #16-21 p. 156 and #63-67, odd, due Fri 12/12. Read Chap 6.3, Relative
Velocity pp. 157-159.
Fri 12/12
Discuss Relative Velocity pp.157-159. CWK: Do #22-25. HWK: Do #26-30, even,
p. 159; #68-73, even, p. 167. Due Fri 12/12.
Week 19
Mon 12/15 – Fri 12/19
Fri 12/19
REVIEW AND FINAL EXAMS
SEMESTER ENDS
6