Conceptual Physics Curriculum / 2012 /
Conceptual Physics Curriculum / 2012

Iowa Core Statements

Science as Inquiry

•Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.

•Design and conduct scientific investigations.

•Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.

•Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

•Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models.

•Communicate and defend a scientific argument.

•Understand about scientific inquiry.

Physical Science Iowa Core Statements

  1. Understand and apply knowledge of motions and forces.

Principles that underlie the concept and/or skill include but are not limited to:

•Motions

•Forces

•Newton’s Laws

Objects change their motion only when a net force is applied. Laws of motion are used to calculate precisely the effects of forces on the motion of objects. The magnitude of the change in motion can be calculated using the relationship F = ma, which is independent of the nature of the force. Whenever one object exerts force on another, a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction is exerted on the first object.

•Gravitation

•Mass vs. weight

Gravitation is a universal force that each mass exerts on any other mass. The strength of the gravitational attractive force between two masses is proportional to the masses and is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

•Electric & magnetic forces

The electric force is a universal force that exists between any two charged objects. Opposite charges attract while like charges repel. The strength of the force is proportional to the charges, and, as with gravitation, inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Between any two charged particles, electric force is vastly greater than the gravitational force. Most observable forces such as those exerted by a coiled spring or friction may be traced to electric forces acting between atoms and molecules.

Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single electromagnetic force. Moving electric charges produce magnetic forces, and moving magnets produce electric forces. These effects help students to understand electric motors and generators.

  1. Understand and apply knowledge of conservation of energy and increase in disorder.

Principles that underlie the concept and/or skill include but are not limited to:

•Types of energy

•Energy transformations

•Conservation of energy

"Conservation of energy and increase in disorder" is an essential concept of a world-class secondary science curriculum. Included in "conservation of energy and increase in disorder" is the following content:

The total energy of the universe is constant. Energy can be transferred by collisions in chemical and nuclear reactions, by light waves and other radiations, and in many other ways. However, it can never be destroyed. As these transfers occur, the matter involved becomes steadily less ordered.

All energy can be considered to be either kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion; potential energy, which depends on relative position; or energy contained by a field, such as electromagnetic waves.

  1. Understands and applies knowledge of interactions of energy and matter.

Principles that underlie the concept and/or skill include but are not limited to:

•Wave phenomena

•Energy and matter

•Electromagnetic waves

"Interactions of energy and matter" is an essential concept of a world-class secondary science curriculum. Included in "interactions of energy and matter" is the following content:

Waves, including sound and seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter. Electromagnetic waves result when a charged object is accelerated or decelerated. Electromagnetic waves include radio waves (the longest wavelength), microwaves, infrared radiation (radiant heat), visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays. The energy of electromagnetic waves is carried in packets whose magnitude is inversely proportional to the wavelength.

  1. Understand and apply knowledge of the structure of atoms.

Principles that underlie the concept and/or skill include but are not limited to:

•Atomic structure

Matter is made of minute particles called atoms, and atoms are composed of even smaller components. These components have measurable properties, such as mass and electrical charge. Each atom has a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons. The electric force between the nucleus and electrons holds the atom together.

•Atomic nucleus (composition and size)

•Isotopes (related to relative mass)

The atom's nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons, which are much more massive than electrons. When an element has atoms that differ in the number of neutrons, these atoms are called different isotopes of the element.

DMPS Graduate Ends Statements______

Graduates demonstrate strategies for lifelong learning

• They exhibit competent thinking

• They exhibit intuitive thinking

• They understand systems and processes, including the understanding of underlying structures

• They exhibit creative and innovative thinking

• They anticipate future trends

• They demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving abilities

Graduates demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a rigorous curriculum integrated into all content areas

• They demonstrate proficiency in science, including life, earth and physical science

Graduates possess technological and information literacy

• They can access and evaluate information from a variety of sources to continue their learning

• They understand, manage and create oral, written and multimedia communication

• They utilize appropriate technology to apply or analyze information

National Core Science Literacy Standards______

Reading In Science

Key Ideas and Details

  1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
  2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
  3. Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

Craft and Structure

  1. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11–12 texts and topics.
  2. Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the information or ideas.
  3. Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

  1. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
  2. Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.
  3. Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

  1. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11–12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing in Science

Text Types and Purposes

  1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
  • Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
  • Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
  • Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
  1. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
  1. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
  • Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
  • Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
  • Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation provided (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

Production and Distribution of Writing

  1. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  2. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
  3. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

  1. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  2. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
  3. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

  1. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Unit 1: Measurement and Motion

Approximate Timeline: 6 weeks

Content Standards / Content Objectives / Iowa Core Statements / CPO Investigations / Common Student-Centered Learning Targets / Common Assessments / Graduate Ends
Net forces cause change in motion. /
  • Describing and measuring motion
  • Causes for change in motion
  • Force & acceleration
  • Inertia
  • Friction
/ Understand and apply knowledge of motions and forces. / 1A: Time, Distance and Speed
1B: Systems, Energy and Change
2A: The Law of Inertial
2B: Newton’s Second Law
3A: Momentum and the Third Law
5B: Friction
6B:Motion on a ramp / Skills and Concepts:
1A: I can describe and measure motion.
  • I can use the velocity equation to solve for an unknown.
  • I can interpret linear graphs of motion to predict an object’s position or speed.
  • I can analyze the motion of an object undergoing uniform acceleration using linear speed vs. time graph.
  • I can describe and calculate acceleration.
1B: I can identify the causes of changes in motion.
  • I can describe the relationship between a change in force and a change in acceleration.
  • I can evaluate a velocity/time graph to determine the angle of a ramp.
1C: I can explain why an object resists a change in motion.
  • I can describe the relationship between mass and inertia.
  • I can distinguish between mass and weight.
  • I can use Newton’s Second Law to describe and calculate the relationship between force, mass and acceleration.
  • I can explain why objects fall at the same rate.
1D: I can recognize the effects of friction on a system.
  • I can describe how friction changes the motion of an object.
/ At Week 6
Oct. 1-5
Q#1,2
Q#3,4
Q#5,6
Q#7,8
Q#9
Q#11
Q#12,13
Q#14
Q#15,16,17
Q#18
Q#19 /
  • Graduates demonstrate strategies for lifelong learning
  • Graduates demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a rigorous curriculum integrated into all content areas
  • Graduates demonstrate proficiency in science, including life, earth and physical science
  • Graduates possess technological and information literacy

Suggested Resources:

Unit 2: Conservation Laws

Approximate Timeline: 6 weeks

Content Standards / Content Objectives / Iowa Core Statements / CPO Investigations / Common Student-Centered Learning Targets / Common Assessments / Graduate Ends
Energy is conserved within a system.
Momentum is conserved in any interaction.
Work is the result of a transfer of energy. /
  • Conservation of momentum
  • Conservation of energy
  • Simple machines
  • Work and energy
  • Energy transformation
/ Understand and apply knowledge of conservation of energy and increase in disorder.
Understand and apply knowledge of motions and forces. / 3A: Momentum and the Third Law
3B: Conservation of Energy
4A: Force, Work and Machines
4B: Work and Energy
5A: Equilibrium and Forces
5B: Friction
6A: Projectile Motion
6B: Motion on a Ramp
10A: Energy and Efficiency
10 B: Energy Flow in a System / Skills and Concepts:
2A: I can use the concept of conservation of momentum to describe collisions.
  • I can identify force pairs based on Newton’s 3rd Law.
  • I can identify momentum as a property of an object in motion.
  • I can calculate momentum.
  • I can apply the concept of impulse.
  • I can use the law of conservation of momentum to predict the velocity of cars after a collision.
2B: I can use the Law of Conservation of Energy to describe transformations between potential and kinetic energies.
  • I can differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.
  • I can calculate potential energy of an object.
  • I can describe the relationship between potential and kinetic energy.
2C: I can describe work as a transfer of energy.
  • I can use the work equation to solve for an unknown.
/ At Week 12
Nov. 12-16
Q# 1, 2, 3
Q# 4,5
Q#6, 7
Q# 8
Q# 9, 10, 11
Q# 12,13
Q# 14,15
Q# 16,17
Q# 18,19,20 /
  • Graduates demonstrate strategies for lifelong learning
  • Graduates demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a rigorous curriculum integrated into all content areas
  • Graduates demonstrate proficiency in science, including life, earth and physical science
  • Graduates possess technological and information literacy

Suggested Resources:

Unit 3: Electrical Circuits

Approximate Timeline: 6weeks

Content Standards / Content Objectives / Iowa Core Statements / CPO Investigations / Common Student-Centered Learning Targets / Common Assessments / Graduate Ends
Electrical energy can be used to do work. /
  • Measuring voltage and current
  • Ohm’s Law
  • Series and parallel circuits
/ Understands and applies knowledge of interactions of energy and matter. / 13A: Electricity
13B: Resistance and Ohm’s Law
14A: Electric Circuits
15B: Flow of Electric Charge / Skills and Concepts:
3A: I can measure the voltage and current in electric circuit.
  • I can identify and test conductors and insulators.
  • I can measure voltage.
  • I can measure current in a circuit.
  • I can draw circuit diagrams for series and parallel circuits.
  • I can identify short circuits.
3B: I can explain the relationship between current, voltage and resistance.
  • I can measure and calculate resistance, voltage and current in a circuit using Ohm’s Law.
3C: I can compare/contrast series and parallel circuits.
  • I can measure and compare the voltage and current for different resistors wired in series and parallel.
  • I can compare the amount of resistance between series and parallel circuits.
  • I can describe the properties of series and parallel circuits.
/ At Week 18
Jan. 7-11
Q#1,2
Q#3,4,6,7
Q#5
Q#8,9
Q#10
Q#11,12,13,14,15
Q#16,17,18,19,2021
Q#22,23,24,25 /
  • Graduates demonstrate strategies for lifelong learning
  • Graduates demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a rigorous curriculum integrated into all content areas
  • Graduates demonstrate proficiency in science, including life, earth and physical science
  • Graduates possess technological and information literacy

Suggested Resources:

Unit 4: Static Electricity, Magnetism, and Motors & Generators

Approximate Timeline: 6 weeks

Content Standards / Content Objectives / Iowa Core Statements / CPO Investigations / Common Student-Centered Learning Targets / Common Assessments / Graduate Ends
Energy can be transferred through electric and magnetic fields. /
  • Structure of the atom
  • Static electricity
  • Magnetic force
  • Permanent magnets
  • Electromagnets
  • Electric motors (DC)
  • Electric Generators (AC)
/ Understand and apply knowledge of conservation of energy and increase in disorder.
Understands and applies knowledge of interactions of energy and matter.
Understand and apply knowledge of the structure of atoms. / 9A: The Atom
15A: Electric Charge
16A: Magnetism
16B: Electromagnets
17A: Electromagnetic Forces
17B: Electromagnetic Induction
18A: The Magnetic Field / Skills and Concepts:
4A: I can describe how an atom is organized.
  • I can build model atoms and use the periodic chart of stable atoms.
4B: I can identify static electricity.
  • I can describe the interaction between electrical charges.
  • I can explain the behavior of charges in various materials.
4C: I can describe the properties of magnetic fields.
  • I can map magnetic field lines.
  • I can describe the polarity of magnets.
  • I can identify the origin of a magnetic field.
  • I can describe the properties and importance of the Earth’s magnetic field.
4D: I can describe an electromagnet.
  • I can differentiate an electromagnet from a permanent magnet. Including explaining uses and advantages.
  • I can describe how changing the components of an electromagnet will affect its strength.
4E: I can compare/contrast AC/DC currents.
  • I can categorize the functions and properties of alternating and direct currents.
4F: I can describe how a motor works.
  • I can identify the components of a motor, and describe its purpose.
4G: I can describe how a generator works.
  • I can identify the components of a generator.
  • I can alter a generator to maximize its output and graph the results.
  • I can describe the relationships between generators and motors.
/ At week 24
Feb. 18-22
Q#1,2
Q# 3, 4
Q#5,6
Q#7, 8
Q#9,10
Q#11
Q#12
Q#13, 14
Q#15, 16
Q#17, 18,19
Q#20
Q#21
Q#22,23
Q#24 /
  • Graduates demonstrate strategies for lifelong learning
  • Graduates demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a rigorous curriculum integrated into all content areas
  • Graduates demonstrate proficiency in science, including life, earth and physical science
  • Graduates possess technological and information literacy

Suggested Resources: