2014- 2015
Course Syllabus/Classroom Guidelines
Physical Science
Instructor:
1. Objectives:
My objective is to help students see the importance of Physical Science as it relates to
their everyday lives.
2. Learning Activities:
A. Class work and homework must be completed to meet the required standards
outlined by the state. We will strive to give you class work and homework each
day. All assignments must be highlighted and kept in your notebook in the
following order.
Section 1: Classroom Guide, lab safety contract and progress reports.
Section II: Notes and formula sheets
Section III: Graded homework/class work.
Section IV: Test/ Labs/Articles
Section V: End of Course Study Questions
B. Test will be given once a substandard or standard is finished. If a student fails the
test with a grade lower than a 70, the student will can retake for a grade no higher
than a 70. The students will have 10 days to makeup test.
C. The end of course test will be given at the end of first semester and the end of
second semester. It will count 20% of the student’s semester or yearly grade. The
remainder of the student’s grade will come from notebook, tests, labs, class work/
homework, and three nine weeks exams.
3. Students are required to bring notebook, paper, textbook, and writing materials each
day.
4. Grading System
A. Class assignments and assessments
80%
1. Test, quiz, labs, Notebook, exam
2. Classwork/Homework
60%
40%
B. End of course exam
5. Class Rules
20%
A. Be on time.
B. Be prepared to learn.
C. We will respect each student and expect the same respect in return.
6. Your first homework assignment for 100% is to have your parents or guardians read
and sign this classroom guide.
PARENT SIGNATURE_____________________________________
STUDENT SIGNATURE_____________________________________
FIRST NINEWEEKS
Habits of Mind or Process Skills
SPS2a Calculate density when given a means to determine a substance’s mass and
volume.
1. What type matter can be measured directly or indirectly?
2. How would you determine the mass and volume of matter in its 3 states?
3. How could you increase the density of a snow ball without adding more snow to it?
SPS1a : Examine the structure of the atom in terms of: Proton, electron, and neutron
locations; atomic mass and atomic number; atom with different numbers of
neutrons(Isotopes); atoms with different numbers of protons.
1. What happens when you continue to breakdown matter?
2. What are the characteristics of different types of matter?
3. Why is it important for different atoms to have similar structure?
4. What can you compare the structure of an atom to?
5. How are the isotopes of an element alike and how are they different?
6. Why is the atomic mass of an element an average mass?
7. How does the average atomic mass relate to the mass number of an atom?
SPS4a Determine the trends of the following:
• Number of valence electrons
• Types of ions formed by representative elements
• Location of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids
• Phases at room temperature
1. What are examples of repeating patterns in nature?
2. What causes the repeating patterns in nature’s cycles?
3. How do we use this knowledge to benefit us?
4. How do we know that elements have repeating patterns?
5. Why do these patterns exist and what are some examples?
SPS4b Use the Periodic Table to predict the above properties for representative elements.
1. What are important properties of elements?
2. Why are these properties important?
3. What are the common characteristics of elements in a group? In a period?
4. How would you make use of the periodic table to predict trends of physical and
chemical properties?
SPS1b Compare and contrast ionic and covalent bonds in terms of electron movement.
1. Under what conditions would an atom need to lose or gain an electron.
2. How would you determine when an element may form a ionic bond instead of covalent
bond?
SPS2b:.PREDICT FORMULAS FOR STABLE BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS
BASED ON BALANCE OF CHARGES.
1. How would you describe what happens to sodium and chlorine atoms when they
combine to form sodium chloride?
2. Under what conditions would a atom be considered balanced?
SPS2c USE IUPAC NONMENCLATURE FOR TRANSITION BETWEEN
CHEMICAL NAMES AND CHEMICAL FORMULAS OF:
-BINARY IONIC COMPOUNDS(CONTAINING REPRESENTATIVE ELEMENTS).
-BINARY COVALENT COMPOUNDS(i.e. CARBON DIOXIDE, CARBON
TETRACHLORIDE)
1. Why do some atoms gain electrons and others lose them?
2. What is the relationship between nonmetals and sharing of electrons?
SPS2d DEMONSTRATE THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MATTER IN A
CHEMICAL REACTION.
1. What distinguishes between reactants and products in a chemical reaction?
2. Why does iron rust?
3. How could the nature of matter affect your everyday life?
SPS2e APPLY THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MATTER BY BALANCING
THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF CHEMICAL EQUATIONS: SYNTHESIS,
DECOMPOSITION, SINGLE REPLACEMENT, DOUBLE REPLACEMENT.
1. How are coefficients used to balanced chemical equations?
2. How would a synthesis reaction look?
3. What would a decomposition reaction look?
4. How would single replacement reaction differ from a double displacement reaction?
SPS5a Compare and contrast the atomic/molecular motion of solids, liquids, gases and
plasmas.
1. Why is it useful to classify the things we are studying (i.e. books, life, etc.)
2. What are common methods of classifying matter?
3 What are the units or objects in different classification systems?
4 What factors can cause a substance to change states of matter?
SPS5b Relate temperature, pressure, and volume of gases to the behavior of gases
1. What supports a car tire?
2. What is a gas? How do you measure the volume of a gas?
3. What are the particles that make up a gas? (air, CO2, helium balloons)
4. If you could see gas particles, describe what you would see!
5. Why are some substances liquid at room temperature and others solid or gas?
6. What factors cause a balloon to shrink or expand?
SPS6a Describe solutions in terms of
• solute/solvent
• conductivity
• concentration
1. Why are some rivers considered contaminated?
2. What is dissolved in the water you drink at home?
3. Why are we cautioned to avoid water around electricity?
4. How are electrolytes used in the blood system?
5. What is sweet tea?
6. How can you get food to the correct taste for sweetness?
7. How do you tell someone to put the correct amount of salt or sugar in your food?
SPS6b Observe factors affecting the rate in which a solute dissolves in a specific solvent.
1. What reactions take place slowly?
2. Why would we want a slow reaction?
3. How can we make fresh water from salt?
SPS6c: Demonstrate that solubility is related to temperature by constructing a solubility
curve.
1. Why are graphs useful?
2. Are all solutes affected the same by temperature changes?
3.
SPS6d Compare and contrast the components and properties of acids and bases
1. What is an acid?
2. Why do we classify things?
SPS6e : Determine whether common household substances are acidic, basic, or neutral.
1. Why would we use acids in our homes? Bases?
2. Why is sulfuric acid the most widely produced chemical in the world?
SECOND NINEWEEKS
SPS8a Calculate velocity and acceleration.
1. How does acceleration affect velocity?
2. What data is required to calculate velocity?
SPS8b Apply Newton’s three laws to everyday situations by explaining the following:
• Inertia
• Relationship between force, mass and acceleration
• Equal and opposite forces
1. What is the relationship between inertia and the safety of passengers in a car as it
comes to a stop?
SPS8c Relate falling objects to gravitational force
1. What are the effects of gravity on falling objects?
SPS8d: Explain the difference in mass and weight.
SPS8e: Calculate amounts of work and mechanical advantage using simple machines.
1. Using what you know about simple machines, how can mechanical advantage be
calculated?
2 What data are needed to calculate work?
1. What relationship exists between mass and weight?
SPS7a: Identify energy transformations within a system (e.g. lighting of a match)
1. How is energy stored in gasoline or fossil fuels?
2. What can we use for fuel in a car other than gasoline?
3. What happens as water changes position in a river?
4. What kinds of changes can energy cause?
SPS7b Investigate molecular motion as it relates to thermal energy changes in terms of
conduction, convection, and radiation.
1. What happens when you heat a metal rod?
2. Explain what happens to the air in a greenhouse during the daylight hours.
SPS7c Determine the heat capacity of a substance using mass, specific heat, and
temperature.
1. What material would be best to use as the handle of a stove top pot?
2. How can you determine the heat capacity of different objects?
SPS7d Explain the flow of energy in phase changes through the use of a phase diagram.
1. What are the long term effects of climate on northern lakes and southern lakes?
2. How would you relate perspiration to heat transformation?
SPS3a DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ALPHA AND BETA PARTICLES AND
GAMMA RADIATION.
1. What is the cause of radioactive decay?
2. How can nuclear reactions be used to help treat cancer?
3. Under what circumstance can gamma radiation be harmful?
.
SPS3b DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN FISSION AND FUSION
1. What causes the sun to be so hot?
2. How can radioactive tracers be used to diagnose medical problems.
SPS3c EXPLAIN THE PROCESS HALF-LIFE AS RELATED TO RADIOACTIVE
DECAY.
1. How do scientists know the rate at which radioisotopes will decompose?
2. Why would doctors not use a radioisotope of carbon for medical purposes?
SPS3d DESCRIBE NUCLEAR ENERGY, ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION AS AN
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE, AND ITS POTENTIAL PROBLEMS.
1. What type of atoms are useful in nuclear fission?
2. What are some possible disposal methods for nuclear waste?
SPS9a Recognize that all waves transfer energy.
1. What are some methods that waves transfer energy?
2. How do we see or hear the world around us?
SPS9b Relate frequency and wavelength to the energy of different types of
electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves.
1. What effect does varying wavelength and frequency have on a wave?
SPS9c Compare and contrast the characteristics of electromagnetic and mechanical
(sound) waves.
1. What are the similarities/differences between electromagnetic and mechanical waves?
SPS9d: Investigate the phenomena of reflection, refraction, interference, and
diffraction.
1. How would you use what you have learned to investigate the phenomena of reflection,
refraction interference, and diffraction?
SPS9e: Relate the speed of sound to different mediums.
1. What assumptions can be made about sound traveling through different mediums?
SPS9f: Explain the Doppler Effect in terms of everyday interactions.
1. What is your analysis of the use of the Doppler Effect in everyday life?
SPS10a Investigate static electricity in terms of
• friction
• induction
• conduction
1. How could you investigate different methods of producing static electricity?
SPS10b : Explain the flow of electrons in terms of
• alternating and direct current.
• the relationship among voltage, resistance and current.
• simple series and parallel circuits.
1. Compare and contrast the flow of electrons in alternating and direct circuits.
2. Compare and Contrast the flow of electrons in series and parallel circuits.
3. How would you change the amount of current in a circuit?
SPS10c Investigate applications of magnetism and/or its relationship to the movement of
electrical charge as it relates to
• electromagnets
• simple motors
• permanent magnets
1. What are applications of electromagnetism, simple motors, and permanent magnets?