Course title

Pre-requisite

Course description

Physical Science offers a focused curriculum designed around the understanding of foundational physical science concepts, including the nature of matter, energy, and forces, as well as the application of scientific and engineering practices.

Course topics include energy, forces, electromagnetism, waves, matter, chemical reactions, and nuclear reactions. Teacher- scored labs encourage students to apply the scientific method.

Students discover new concepts through guided instruction and confirm their understanding in an interactive, feedback-rich environment. Scientific inquiry skills are embedded in the direct instruction, wherein students learn to ask scientific questions, form and test hypotheses, and use logic and evidence to draw conclusions about the concepts.

A variety of activities encourage students to think scientifically. Lab and Project activities reinforce critical thinking, writing, and communication skills and help students develop a deeper understanding of the nature of science and engineering. Virtual Lab activities allow students to engage in investigations that require long periods of observation at remote locations and to explore simulations that scientists use to test predictions. In Discussions, students compare their lab results and exchange ideas about their investigations. Practice and Explore activities provide additional opportunities for students to apply learned concepts and practice their writing and scientific reasoning skills.

This inquiry- and lab-based course is designed to support modern science curriculum and teaching practices and it robustly meets NGSS learning standards associated with physical science. Students spend a little under an hour each week completing laboratory assignments.

Each lesson includes one or more inquiry-based activities that can be performed online within the context of the lesson. In addition, the course includes a significant number of hands-on lab activities. Approximately 40% of student time in this course is devoted to true lab experiences, as defined by the National Research Council (2006, p. 3).

Lab materials note: All hands-on labs employ relatively-common household materials.

laboratory experiments list:

Lab: Transfer of Thermal Energy

Conduct a scientific investigation to explore the transfer of thermal energy.

Duration: 3 hrs

Lab: Electromagnetism

Conduct a scientific investigation into the phenomenon of electromagnetism. Duration: 3 hrs 

Lab: Properties of Matter

Plan and conduct an investigation to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles that make up various substances.Duration: 3 hrs

School country

School state

High school

School / district Address

School zip code

Requested competency code

Date submitted

Approved

Approved competency code

• LINT
• Integrated science

Approved date

Online / Virtual