Concepts of Physics

Course Description

Welcome to Concepts of Physics! This is the first class in the new KWHS science sequence. Next year you will take Chemistry and the following year Biology. I look forward to working with you this year as you build your scientific skills and knowledge.

The goal of this class is to learn to think and communicate like a scientist. You will build skills including experimental design, data collection and analysis, mathematical modeling, presentation and discussion, and writing lab reports. These skills will be essential in future high school and college science courses and will serve you well in any 21st century career. For more information about the class, see the syllabus.

FAQ

Why was the name changed from Physical Science to Concepts of Physics? Concepts of Physics better describes the content of the class and will strengthen your high school transcript for college admissions. The name change was planned for 2009-2010, but we moved it up to this year in response to parent requests.

Isn't Physics a class for juniors and seniors, too hard for freshman? Concepts of Physics is designed for freshman and sophomores. It uses fundamental mathematical concepts such as linear functions that freshman and sophomores are also studying in Algebra 1. There are a lot of hands-on experiments and class discussions to help build understanding, and I will provide all the extra help you need to succeed. Any student willing to apply themselves can succeed in this class.

Does this class replace junior/senior Physics? No. We also offer an elective called Physics 2 on alternate years for juniors and seniors interested in a higher level class that covers additional topics. Physics 2 will be offered in 2009-2010.

Why is the science sequence changing to Concepts of Physics - Chemistry - Biology? Isn't this backwards? The traditional science sequence Biology - Chemistry - Physics dates back to the late 1800s when Biology was a descriptive science. Learning Biology at that time meant memorizing lots of terms and names. Since then Biology has been revolutionized by advances in Biochemistry. By offering Chemistry before Biology, we can teach a much richer and more modern Biology course which will help prepare students for college and 21st century careers in growing areas like biomedicine. Likewise, Chemistry is now based on Physics concepts like energy.

Physics is a great subject for younger students to learn experimental method and data analysis because students can see and touch what is happening in physics experiments, for example a cart rolling down a ramp. The math used in Concepts of Physics applies and reinforces Algebra 1. Since Concepts of Physics is a required course, all students will have the opportunity to learn Physics, rather than just the minority who take Physics as a junior/senior level elective. So it makes sense to begin high school science with Physics.

Are any other high schools teaching Physics to freshman and sophomores? Yes! There is a national movement called Physics First advocating a Physics - Chemistry - Biology science sequence, for the reasons listed in the previous FAQ. For example, see the American Association of Physics Teachers web page on Physics First, and the ARISE web site. Many charter schools and private schools are adopting Physics First.

Why is there no textbook for this class? We use a well developed and tested approach to Physics education called the Modeling Method, developed at Arizona State University. The Modeling Method is based on student inquiry and discussion. An extensive body of research shows the Modeling Method produces far better learning of physics concepts than conventional lecture and formula instruction, and has a much bigger impact on success in college freshman physics, a gateway class for science and engineering majors. The Modeling Method does not use a textbook and is based on a series of labs and worksheets.

Have you been trained in this way of teaching? Yes. I received three weeks of training in the Modeling Method for teaching Physics at Arizona State University in June 2006, and one week of training in Physics First at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburg in July 2008. I have been piloting these materials for the last two years at KWHS in Physical Science and Physics classes, and feel ready and confident to use this approach in Concepts of Physics.

Do all freshman take Concepts of Physics? Algebra 1 is a corequisite for Concepts of Physics, meaning that students must be enrolled in Algebra 1 or have already passed the course. Freshman enrolled in Pre-Algebra will not take Concepts of Physics until their sophomore year, when they are taking Algebra 1.