Semester 1
Submitted by Jeremy
Cipiti, Doherty High School
Unit
I Measurement, Metric System, Significant Figures
Unit 2
Linear (1D)
Motion
Unit 3
Vectors
Unit 4
Projectile and
2D Motion
Unit 5
Newton’s Laws,
Forces
Unit 6
Momentum, Work, Energy
Unit 7 Rotational / Circular Motion |
Semester 2
Submitted by Jeremy Cipiti, Doherty High School
Unit 1
Solids & Fluids
Unit 2 Heat & Thermodynamics
Unit
3 Vibrations & Waves
Unit
4 Sound
Unit
5 Light
Unit
6 Electricity & Magnetism
Unit
7 Modern Physics |
Enduring
Understandings
- important ideas that students should carry with them
years beyond the instruction received this year.
Scientific Process
-
After a review of available and
pertinent information, scientists formulate a hypothesis.
A scientific investigation uses a repeatable procedure to explore
one independent variable and proper constants or controls.
-
Technology in a scientific investigation
allows scientists to quantify observations for analysis.
-
Scientists recognize and strive to limit
sources of error or uncertainty. Scientific explanations and
concepts change over time to reflect new evidence. Scientific
results are supported by experimental evidence and explained using
scientific concepts. Scientists share information to collaborate and
extend knowledge. Scientists collaborate in order to identify
alternative explanations and models for the results observed in an
investigation. A scientific theory is a hypothesis that has been
repeatedly tested and is generally accepted by most scientists.
Safety is a primary concern with all laboratory techniques.
-
Scientists use evidence gained through
scientific processes to explain the natural world.
Science and Technology
-
The implementation of any technology and
the development of any resource has both benefits and consequences.
Technology uses scientific principles to make things and to make
things better. The two fields reinforce one another. Science and
technology enhance the work we do.
-
Recognizing bias and opinion is
important when processing scientific information.
Scientists communicate about and critique each others work.
-
By analyzing data, systematic patterns
and trends can be discovered. Many natural processes are cyclic.
A system is composed of discrete parts that are interrelated.
Natural cycles respond to internal and external influences. Some
quantities in nature change continuously by a constant factor and
can be described by exponential functions.
-
A valid hypothesis or theory must
accommodate new data or the hypothesis or theory must be changed.
The interdependent fields of science are connected through a
particular way of knowing.
Essential
Questions
- most important “big picture” questions students should be able to
answer after completing learning activities.
Scientific Process
-
Why do scientists generate hypotheses?
What makes a science question testable?
Why do scientists investigate one independent variable at a time?
Why must a scientific procedure be repeatable? What kind of
measurements are made in a scientific investigation? What tools can
be used to make measurements? What constitutes scientific evidence?
What makes data valid and reliable?
Why is it important to continuously evaluate and revise scientific
explanations and models?
What makes a scientific conclusion valid and reliable? What is the
importance of written communication in a scientific investigation?
Why might there be alternative explanations and models? What is the
importance of identifying alternative explanations and models? How
do theories change over time? How does a scientific hypothesis drive
an investigation?
-
What are safe laboratory practices?
-
What constitutes scientific evidence?
What makes data valid and reliable? Scientists use models to help
explain natural systems and to predict the behavior of systems under
given circumstances.
Science and Technology
-
Which drives which, science or
technology?
When will we run out of our natural resources? When is technology a
'good thing' and when is it a 'bad thing'?
How are science and technology used in the (teenage) workplace?
Processes and Connections
-
What constitutes scientific evidence?
Why do scientists share their work?
-
Why is it important to recognize
patterns and trends in scientific data?
-
How do cycles start and stop?
-
How are systems kept in balance?
-
Can the dynamics of natural cycles be
predicted?
-
How are models used to increase our
understanding of the natural world?
-
How are exponential functions useful in
biological sciences?
-
How do hypotheses and theories change
over time?
-
Where are the boundaries of various
science disciplines? (e.g. Where does biology end and chemistry
begin? Where does chemistry/Molecular genetics end and
genetics/Mendelian begin?)
Standards
Highest Frequency Standards
 High
Frequency Standards
 Other
Standards & E-skills
Standard 1:
Students
apply the process of scientific investigation and design, conduct,
communicate about, and evaluate such investigations.
Standard 1 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. ask questions and state hypotheses using prior scientific knowledge
to help design and guide development and implementation of a scientific
investigation
2. select and use appropriate technologies to gather, process, and
analyze data and to report information related to an investigation
3. identify major sources of error or uncertainty within an
investigation (for example: particular measuring devices and
experimental procedures)
4. recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models
5. construct and revise scientific explanations and models, using
evidence, logic, and experiments that include identifying and
controlling variables
6. communicate and evaluate scientific thinking that leads to particular
conclusions
Standard 2:
Physical Science: Student know and understand common properties, forms, and changes
in matter and energy. (Focus: Physics and Chemistry)
Standard 2 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. elements can be organized by their physical and chemical properties
(Periodic Table)
2. the spatial configuration of atoms and the structure of the atoms in
a molecule determine the chemical properties of the substance
3. there are observable and measurable physical and chemical properties
that allow one to compare, contrast, and separate substances (for
example: pH, melting point, conductivity, magnetic attraction)
4. word and chemical equations are used to relate observed changes in
matter to its composition and structure (for example: conservation of
matter)
5. quantitative relationships involved with thermal energy can be
identified, measured, calculated and involving mass, specific heat, and
change in temperature of matter )
6. energy can be transferred through a variety of mechanisms and in any
change some energy is lost as heat (for example: conduction, convection,
radiation, motion, electricity, chemical bonding changes)
7. light and sound waves have distinct properties; frequency,
wavelengths and amplitude
8. quantities that demonstrate conservation of mass and conservation of
energy in physical interactions can be measured and calculated
9. Newton’s Three Laws of Motion explain the relationship between the
forces acting on an object, the object’s mass, and changes in its motion
Standard 3: Life Science: Students know and understand the
characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life,
and how living things interact with each other and their environment.
(Focus: Biology – anatomy, Physiology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology)
Standard 3 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. the pattern/process of reproduction and development is specific to
different organisms
2. there is a relationship between the processes of photosynthesis and
cellular respiration (for example: in terms of energy and products)
3. there is a purpose of synthesis and breakdown of macromolecules in an
organism (for example: carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids serve as
building blocks of proteins; carbon dioxide and water are the
photosynthesis)
4. energy is used in the maintenance, repair, growth, and production of
tissues
5. the human body functions in terms of interacting organ systems
composed of specialized structures that maintain or restore health (for
example: mechanisms involved in homeostasis [balance], such as feedback
in the endocrine system
6. changes in an ecosystem can affect biodiversity and biodiversity
contributes to an ecosystem's dynamic equilibrium
7. there is a cycling of matter (for example: carbon, nitrogen) and the
movement and change of energy through the ecosystem (for example: some
energy dissipates as heat as it is transferred through a food
8. certain properties of water sustain life (for example: polarity,
cohesion, solubility)
9. cellular organelles have specific functions (for example: the
relationship of ribosomes to protein, and the relationship of
mitochondria to energy transformation)
10. cell reproduction/division has various processes and purposes
(mitosis, meiosis, binary fission)
11. DNA has a general structure and function and a role in heredity and
protein synthesis (for example: replication of DNA and the role of RNA
in protein synthesis)
12. genes serve as the vehicle for genetic continuity and the source of
genetic diversity upon which natural selection can act
13. some traits can be inherited while others are due to the interaction
of genes and the environment (for example: skin cancer triggered by
over- exposure to sunlight or contact with chemical carcinogens)
14. organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups
based on similarities which reflect their evolutionary relationships
15. mutation, natural selection, and reproductive isolation can lead to
new species and affect biodiversity
16. an organism’s adaptations (for example, structure, behavior)
determine its niche (role) in the environment
17. variation within a population improves the chances that the species
will survive under new environmental conditions
18. organisms change over time in terms of biological evolution and
genetics
Standard 4: Earth and Space Science: Students know and understand
the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the structure and
dynamics of Earth and other objects in space. (Focus: Geology,
Meteorology, Astronomy, Oceanography)
Standard 4 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. the Earth’s interior has a composition and structure
2. the theory of plate tectonics helps to explain relationships among
earthquakes, volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, and deep-sea trenches
3. the feasibility of predicting and controlling natural events can be
evaluated (for example: earthquakes, floods, landslides)
4. there are costs, benefits, and consequences of natural resource
exploration, development, and consumption ( for example: geosphere,
biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and greenhouse gas
5. there are consequences for the use of renewable and nonrenewable
resources
6. evidence is used (for example: fossils, rock layers, ice cores,
radiometric dating) to investigate how Earth has changed or remained
constant over short and long periods of time (for example: Mount St.
Helen’s' eruption, Pangaea, and geologic time)
7. the atmosphere has a current structure and composition and has
evolved over geologic time (for example: effects of volcanic activity
and the change of life forms)
8. energy transferred within the atmosphere influences weather (for
example: the role of conduction, radiation, convection, and heat of
condensation in clouds, precipitation, winds, storms)
9. weather is caused by differential heating, the spin of the Earth and
changes in humidity (air pressure, wind patterns, coriolis effect)
10. there are interrelationships between the circulation of oceans and
weather and climate
11. there are factors that may influence weather patterns and climate
and their effects within ecosystems (for example: elevation, proximity
to oceans, prevailing winds, fossil fuel burning, volcanic eruptions)
12. water and other Earth systems interact (for example: the biosphere,
lithosphere, and atmosphere )
13. continental water resources are replenished and purified through the
hydrologic cycle
14. gravity governs the motions observed in the solar system and beyond
15. there is electromagnetic radiation produced by the Sun and other
stars (for example: X- ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radio)
16. stars differ from each other in mass, color, temperature and age
17. the scales of size and separation of components of the solar system
are complex
Standard 5: Students understand that the nature of science
involves a particular way of building knowledge and making meaning of
the natural world.
Standard 5 Benchmarks: Grades 9-12
1. print and visual media can be evaluated for scientific evidence,
bias, or opinion
2. the scientific way of knowing uses a critique and consensus process
(for example: peer review, openness to criticism, logical arguments,
skepticism)
3. graphs, equations or other models are used to analyze systems
involving change and constancy (for example: comparing the geologic time
scale to shorter time frame, exponential growth, a mathematical
expression for gas behavior; constructing a closed ecosystem such as an
aquarium)
4. there are cause-effect relationships within systems (for example: the
effect of temperature on gas volume, effect of carbon dioxide level on
the greenhouse effect, effects of changing nutrients at the base of a
food pyramid)
5. scientific knowledge changes and accumulates over time; usually the
changes that take place are small modifications of prior knowledge but
major shifts in the scientific view of how the world works do occur
6. interrelationships among science, technology and human activity lead
to further discoveries that impact the world in positive and negative
ways
7. there is a difference between a scientific theory and a scientific
hypothesis |
