ARROWHEAD UNION HIGH SCHOOL
Physics
Syllabus, 2013-2014
Mr. Chris Streufert
(262)-369-361
Room N107
http://school.chrisstreufert.com
streufert@arrowheadschools.org
Course Information:
Welcome to Physics class! Here in Physics we study matter, we study energy and we study how they
interact with one another. This class will provide a systematic understanding of the fundamental laws
governing everything in the universe. This course will give you, the student, a better understanding of
the physical world around you. Learning physics has many benefits that I shall not list here (own your
own, you shall discover them throughout the year), but instead let you know two of the best:
development and refinement of your critical thinking skills coupled with a growth of appreciation for
the rules that govern the universe in which we live. It’s also a great place to meld together your
analytical thinking with lab activities, math, science and technology.
Student Performance Outcomes:
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Read, understand, and interpret physical information... verbal, mathematical, and graphical
Describe and explain the analysis of a physical phenomenon or problem
Use basic mathematical reasoning in a physical problem or situation
Design and perform laboratory experiments and interpret the results
Lifelong Technological Skills related to Physics
o Enhanced mathematical application skills
o Technical reading and writing skills
o An ability to apply scientific reasoning to real-life situation
Text:
The official textbook for the class is the Holt Physics book authored by Serway & Faughn. However,
since the Internet offers such a wide variety of current, up-to-date resources in an every changing
world, the book is mainly there as a reference for students to follow. Students are expected to follow up
on any resources provided by the instructor and are encouraged to use and report their own.
Course Website:
The course website can be found at the following address: http://school.chrisstreufert.com. On the
website, you will find up-to-date unit information and resources including:
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Communications: I will post notes on the website relating to the current unit being studied. In
these notes, I may provide assistance to challenging problems, provide clarification on
confusing and challenging concepts, and anything else I deem appropriate to assist in your
learning.
Assignments: You will find a list containing the current unit’s assignments.
Extra Resources: Many different resources exist in the world to aid in your understanding of
physics. A few extra resources are listed as links. These links may take you to specific files, to
interactive physics websites or somewhere else on the internet helpful to your learning
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Required Materials:
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3-ring Binder: This binder will be used to collect worksheets, quizzes, lab sheets and other
miscellaneous information. Divider tabs are quite a useful item to help stay organized, I
recommend picking a pack up at the local school supply store of your choice.
3-Subject Notebook & Writing Utensils: Just a standard, 3-subject notebook will work great.
You’ll be taking notes from readings, lectures and activities on a daily basis. Of course, if you
prefer, you could take notes on loose-leaf and then put them in your binder. It is your own
prerogative to take notes in pen or pencils. Certain tests may require a #2 pencil.
Scientific Calculator: Any scientific calculator able to perform basic trigonometric functions
will suffice.
General Teaching Approach:
In this physics class, the concepts and knowledge within must be constructed by you, the student. You
will often time be working in groups using your peers to assist you in your growth in understanding
physics. By simply observing nature, you and your fellow students will build the central models of
physics. These models, or intuitions about the physical world, cannot simply be understood instantly
via me, the instructor, telling you. These models must be developed through many different forms of
communication and experience. The general modes of learning will take place through hands-on lab
activities, active observations, writing, graphing, and most importantly, thinking.
“When you make the finding yourself – even if you’re the last person on Earth to see the light – you’ll never forget it.”
- Carl Sagan
Responsibilities and Expectations:
Your Responsibilities:
As a student, you have several responsibilities to take on. Assuming these responsibilities will make
learning science easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, they will help you develop your study skills in
general, helping you how to learn.
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Be Prepared for Class: This means coming to class with your homework complete (written
and reading).
Participate in Class: This applies to every part of the class: experiments, problem solving
discussion sessions, and class discussions.
Ask for Help: Physics can be a challenging subject. It is of dire importance that you ask
questions when struggling with something. The best time to come in for help is either before or
after school. Often times, a quick explanation is enough to take away the confusion and
frustration. Feel free to contact me in these ways:
o Before or after school
o e-mail: streufert@arrowheadschools.org
o Phone: (262)-369-3611
My Responsibilities:
In addition to the responsibilities listed above for you, I believe I also have some responsibilities to you:
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Be Prepared for Class: Contrary to popular belief, I have homework too. This isn’t only
lesson preparation, but also taking care of grading and other feedback in a timely manner.
Provide Help: As mentioned above, Physics can be a challenging subject. Nothing is more
frustrating than working on (and possibly worrying about) something that just is not coming to
you. Don’t get yourself more frustrated, but simply put the physics aside and promise yourself
to come in after school or before class for some assistance. However, this does not excuse you
from making an effort with the material before seeking help. I will ask to see what you’ve
accomplished so far.
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Provide a Comfortable and Non-Threatening Atmosphere: Learning comes easier in a
comfortable environment. If anything (or anyone) troubles you while in class, PLEASE SEE
ME outside of class. We’ll work together to address your concerns.
Behavioral Expectations:
In order to ensure success for all students in this class, each of you needs to do your best behaviorally.
The list below includes my expectations of proper classroom behavior:
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Respect your fellow classmates at all times.
Be in your seat and be prepared for class when the bell rings.
It is expected that any electronic devices will be used responsibly. This includes cell phone,
iPods, etc.
You signed a safety contract, I expect you to follow it. Failure to comply with the above rules
and other participation in behaviors not acceptable will result in detentions.
Respect that you are in a place of learning.
Academic Integrity:
All work you perform in this class (homework, lab reports, exams, etc.), unless otherwise stated, should
be the sole work of the individual who claims it as their own. For this class, cheating is defined as:
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Giving, receiving, or using any unauthorized assistance on any academic work.
Plagiarism, which includes copying of language, structure, or ideas of another and attributing
the work to one’s own efforts.
Attempts to copy, edit, or delete computer files of another person or use of another person’s
computer account without permission of said file owner or account owner.
All academic work submitted for grading contains an implicit pledge by the student that no
unauthorized aid has been received.
Cell phones are not to be used as calculators during any test or quiz. Any student using a cell phone
during a these assessments will be provided with an alternative assessment to complete. The alternative
assessment will be comparable in difficulty to the original.
Any breach of the principles outlined in this section is considered an act of academic dishonesty and
will be handled with a behavior referral to the office.
Course Requirements and Work Load:
In order to be successful in this class, I expect you to put in about 15-25 minutes per day outside of
class working on homework or studying the concepts discussed in class. You should spend time
completing homework, learning the vocabulary, and/or reading the assignments. Below is a list of
suggestions to help you keep up with the material in class and better prepare you for a lab activity, a
quiz, or a test:
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Read assignments out of textbook or supplementary material prior to coming to class.
Take notes during class when they are presented.
Complete your homework on time.
Study the material on a daily basis inside and outside of class.
Learn and understand the vocabulary used in class.
Ask questions whenever something is not clear to you!
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Grading Policy:
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Categories and their Percentages for the Class Work Grade:
10 %
Daily Homework
Any activity that takes place during the course of a
single day and is expected to be completed by the end
of class that day or the start of class the very next day.
20 %
Labs & Other
Assignments
Any assignment assigned and not due until two or
more days after it was assigned. This category contains
lab reports, problem sets, etc.
20 %
Quizzes
50 %
Tests
Short, weekly, 20 minute quizzes, usually on Friday’s
will assess general understanding of current topics
being studied.
Unit Tests & Other Assessments
Test Re-Take Policy:
If a student earns a score of 79% or less on any unit test, he or she has the opportunity to apply
to take a re-take test.
In order to earn this opportunity, the following criteria must be met:
1. All missing assignments for the current unit must be submitted
2. Student must have a brief conference before or after school with the instructor
3. Student must provide actual physical evidence of extra practice performed
The following regulations apply:
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Your retake score will be a replacement of the original score
All retakes must be completed within 5 school days following the day when the
assessment was handed back in class
The highest score attainable on a re-take is an 80%
Categories and their Percentages of the Semester Grades:
80 %
Class Work Grade
20 %
Final Exam
Absence Policies:
See the Student Handbook for full explanation of policies relating to being absent and making
up missed work. See the website or talk to a peer for missed work.
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Excused Absences: All missed work must be made up. If any student is absent for one to
three days, they will have three school days to make-up missed work. Absences, from 4-9
days, will have five school days available for making up work. Credit for make-up work may
be reduced for those students that exceed the timelines.
It is the responsibility of the student and/or parent to make arrangements for all missed work!
Fieldtrip: Any work missed is the responsibility of the students. Talk about it with your
instructor and set something up prior to a fieldtrip absence.
Unexcused Absences: Any student missing work because of an unexcused absence still
must make up work. Any student will follow the same timeline for excused absences, but
credit for makeup work will be reduced to 50%.
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Based on teacher discretion, the student may be provided with an alternative assessment if he or
she missed pertinent discussions or class activities related to the original assessment.
Any assignment not turned in on time or after any of the above deadlines is considered missing,
will not be accepted and will not be awarded any credit.
Students absent on the day of a quiz will be given the opportunity to makeup an alternative quiz
covering the same material from the missed quiz. The time to make up quizzes will be after
school the first day the student returns or before school the following day. If the student does
not make up the quiz or make alternative arrangements with the instructor, the quiz will be
counted as a zero.
My recommendation is: DO NOT MISS CLASS!
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Extensions:
Extensions on assignments will be granted for reasonable excuses. Requests for extensions
must be made no later than 7:15 AM on the date an assignment is due. Requests must be made
via e-mail or in person. The instructor has the right to approve or not allow any extension. If
the assignment is not completed to a satisfactory degree prior to an agreed upon date, the
assignment will be considered late and will no longer be accepted for credit.
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Extra Credit:
Any student can earn a maximum of 20 points of extra credit that goes toward his or her “Labs
and Other Homework” category for that quarter. Below is a list of suggested means to achieve
extra credit:
 Reading Write-Up: Any student can read an instructor-approved article and write a
summarization following a specific format. Students can only write-up one article per
quarter and can earn up to 10 points.
 Posters or Bulletin Boards: Posters or boards that require thought can earn up to 20 points.
The instructor must approve any and all ideas before work on said project commences.
 Tutoring: Students can tutor or be tutored following proper procedures and can earn the
following points based on the following scale:
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30 min – 5 points
40 min – 7 points
45 min – 8 points
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50 min – 9 points
60 min – 11 points
70 min – 15 points
Extra credit must be turned in by the following dates corresponding to the quarter:
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Grading Term 1: October 23, 2013
Grading Term 2: January 8, 2014
Grading Term 3: March 19, 2014
Grading Term 4: May 28, 2014
Privileges:
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One daily assignment can be dropped each quarter, provided there is no missing work.
Students are allowed one emergency bathroom pass each semester at the instructor’s
discretion. NO LOCKER PASSES WILL BE ISSUED!!!
Any unexcused absence will result in loss of all privileges for that grading period.
Miscellaneous Notes:
At any time, I reserve the right to amend this syllabus as I see fit. You shall be given fair warning before
any changes to this document take effect and will be provided, electronically, with an updated version.
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