EPPING HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title:
Course
Description
District
Competencies
for Learning
District Skills
Competencies
for Learning
Physical Science
The first semester of the course will focus on introductory physics
concepts. Core topics include the scientific method, measurement, motion
and forces, heat and phase changes, and waves and magnetism. The
second semester will focus on introductory chemistry concepts, but will
include coverage of earth science and astronomy concepts. The core
topics include scientific method, states of matter, atomic models and the
periodic table, chemical reactions, acids and bases, Earth’s geologic
cycles and theories for the creation of the solar system. Students are
required to keep a comprehensive 3-ring notebook or binder. Laboratory
activities are integrated into the course.
Students will understand concepts and demonstrate ability to transfer skills across
content areas and apply concepts and skills to real-life situation.
Nature of Science – Students will develop an appreciation for the role science plays
in our culture and everyday lives, and actively engage in scientific investigation.
Stability & Change – Students will understand that living things, materials, and
systems remain constant, change at different rates, or exist in equilibrium over
time.
Systems, Energy & Matter – Students will understand that there is order and
predictability in the universe which can be organized into systems and energy.
Structure & Function – Students will understand that the form or shape of a living
thing, material, or system is related to its function.
Models & Explanations – Students will understand that scientists use logic, models,
evidence, and current knowledge to explain their world.
Students will become a:
Collaborator – Students will understand that respect, collaboration, and leadership
are critical to interacting and working effectively with others.
Communicator – Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly using
the most appropriate and effective means.
Contributor – Students will demonstrate the ability to contribute toward a better
world through community service, acceptance and tolerance of diverse people, and
responsibility for the environment.
Evaluator – Students will demonstrate the ability to access, evaluate, use, and
manage information.
Learner – Students will demonstrate the ability to be flexible, adaptable, and
accountable throughout the learning process.
Producer – Students will demonstrate the ability to manage projects, produce
results, and create media products.
Technology User – Students will demonstrate the ability to use technology
The Epping High School community educates and empowers students within a safe environment to
become Respectful, Involved, and Knowledgeable citizens.
EPPING HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE SYLLABUS
respectfully and apply it effectively.
Thinker – Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively, and
systemically to define and solve problems.
School Based
Course
Competency
Statements
(CCS linked to
DCL)
Units of Study
Course Unit
Content and
Skills
Scientific investigations are carried out under the guidelines of the scientific
method through the safe and proper use of the tools and technology of the trade
and with scientific habits of mind. (Nature of Science)
2. The growth of scientific knowledge in physical science has advanced through the
development of technology and is used to identify, understand, and solve local and
global issues. (Nature of Science, Models & Explanations)
3. All living and nonliving things are composed of matter having characteristic
properties that distinguish one substance from another(Structure & Function)
4. Substances have distinct physical and chemical properties, resulting from their
atomic arrangements, and that these arrangements define how they interact with
other substances and forces (Structure & Function)
5. Energy is necessary for change to occur in matter and that energy can be stored,
transferred and transformed, but never destroyed. (Systems, Energy & Matter).
6. The Earth and Earth materials, as we know them today, have developed over long
periods of time, through constant change processes (Stability & Change)
7. The Earth is part of a solar system, made up of distinct parts, which relate in time
and space (Systems , Energy & Matter).
1. Forces and Motion
5. Acids, Bases, and Salts
2. Matter’s States: Physical
6. Earth Systems: Processes
and chemical change
and Evidence of Change
3. Waves, Sound, and light
7. Space Systems
1.
Forces and Motion:
1. Given information (e.g., graphs, data, diagrams), use the relationships between or among force,
mass, velocity, momentum, and acceleration to predict and explain the motion of objects.
2. Apply the concepts of inertia, motion, and momentum to predict and explain situations involving
forces and motion, including stationary objects and collisions
3. Interpret and apply the Laws of Motion to determine the effects of forces on the motions of
objects
Elements and the Periodic Table:
1. Model and explain the structure of an atom.
2. Explain how an atom’s electron configuration, particularly the outermost electrons, determines
The Epping High School community educates and empowers students within a safe environment to
become Respectful, Involved, and Knowledgeable citizens.
EPPING HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE SYLLABUS
how that atom will interact/bond with others.
3. Recognize how elements are arranged in the periodic table and explain the resulting patterns
within the table associated with atomic mass, number, valence shell, etc.
4. Explain that radioactive materials are unstable and undergo spontaneous nuclear reactions which
emit particles and/or wavelike radiation.
Matter’s States, Physical and Chemical Change:
1. Explain that the physical properties of a compound are determined by its molecular structure and
the interactions among molecules.
2. Determine whether an atom is either electrically neutral or an ion by referring to its number of
electrons.
3. Explain how the chemical properties of an element are governed by the electron configuration of
atoms and describe how atoms interact with each other by transferring or sharing electrons.
4. Explain that states of matter rely on the arrangement and motion of molecules and result in the
solid, liquid, or gaseous states.
5. Use physical and chemical properties observed through investigation in order to identify a
substance.
6. Use a minimum of three techniques to separate a mixture.
Solutions, Acids and Bases:
1. Recognize that a large number of important reactions involve the transfer of either electrons or
hydrogen ions between molecules or atoms.
2. Describe acids and bases as behaviors of chemicals.
3. Diagram a neutralization reaction and identify the products and reactants.
4. Describe and explain the concept of pH.
Waves, Sound, and Light:
1. Provide examples of how kinetic and potential energy can be transformed from one to the other.
2. Explain that waves, such as light and sound have energy and can transfer that energy when they
interact with matter.
3. Describe how transformations of energy produce some energy in the form of heat, and that this
The Epping High School community educates and empowers students within a safe environment to
become Respectful, Involved, and Knowledgeable citizens.
EPPING HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE SYLLABUS
transformation reduces the efficiency of the system.
4. Explain the range of the electromagnetic spectrum, in terms of energy and wavelength. Provide
examples of practical applications of the different wavelengths in the spectrum.
5. Describe the relationship between heat and temperature, explaining that heat energy consists of
random motion and vibrations of atoms.
6. Explain that magnetic forces are related to the action of electrons and describe how the interplay
of these forces is the basis for electric motors, generators, radio, TV.
Earth Systems, Processes and Evidence of Change:
1. Relate how geologic time is determined using various dating methods.
2. Provide supporting geologic/geographic evidence that supports the validity of the Theory of Plate
Tectonics.
3. Trace the development of the Theory of Plate Tectonics.
Space Systems:
1. Describe the ongoing processes involved in star formation, their life cycles and their destruction.
2. Provide scientific evidence that supports or refutes the Big Bang Theory of how the universe
formed.
3. Correlate red and blue shift with light waves to explain the movement and composition of objects
in the universe.
4. Explain how scientific theories about the structure of the universe have been advanced through
the use of sophisticated technology.
Instructional
Strategies
Strong focus on laboratory procedure and safety. Individual and group learning through
lecture, discussions, demonstrations, research and investigation.
Assessment
Strategies
Approved
Formative assessments (class work, homework, review, quizzes, etc.) 10% of final grade
Summative assessments (exams, projects, formal lab reports) 90% of final grade
February 2012
The Epping High School community educates and empowers students within a safe environment to
become Respectful, Involved, and Knowledgeable citizens.