Description
Conceptual Physics is a lab science that does not contain “all that math” and is a wonderful foundation before taking biology and chemistry so that students can better understand interactions in biology and chemistry. This course is not math-intensive but students should be concurrently taking (or completed) Algebra 1. If your student is not yet ready for Algebra 1 and you’d like them to take this course, please contact us. This secular but inclusive full year hybrid course is offered in Naperville as a full year elective course with in-person class meetings once/week for 1.5 hour with additional work done between classes qualifying for 1 full credit of transcriptable Lab Science.
Physics First – Modeling
In-person class Tuesdays, 10:30-11:55am with an additional approximately 2 to 3 hours of work to be done between classes. (Parents may opt to enroll in our Flex Work Session/s to contribute toward completing work done outside of regular class time)
Registration is for the full 2024-25 school year.
Students should have completed or be concurrently taking Algebra I.
Our curricula comes from American Modeling Teacher’s Association. An aspect of Modeling Instruction that is different from traditional science education is that students are unable to get the right answer without understanding the underlying science. Students are shown a series of demonstrations or participate in labs that help THEM develop the scientific theories and information on their own. Labs and demos are carefully chosen to hasten the process by highlighting critical differences. Please see this page for more information–including a short video that helps explain how Modeling is different from traditional teaching. Our lead teacher, Heather DeGeorge, has completed multiple teacher training courses at the graduate level for using this methodology.
There is no defined textbook for this course, but there may be required reading handed out and we sometimes watch videos to solidify some of the concepts. Students will absolutely have homework each week that might include watching a video. Parents and students will be participating in an online portal to keep on top of assignments and progress.
Students will need:
- 1″ to 1-1/2″ binder with 100 sheets of filler/looseleaf paper (graph paper will be provided)
- colored pencil set (at minimum, red, yellow, blue & green)
- covered pencil sharpener (blade not exposed)
- 12″ ruler
- pencil bag to contain items
- Technical ability to access Zoom, Nearpod.com, Discovery Education Streaming, Study.com and Schoology.com (Schoology will require an e-mail address for student access).
Combined with our live class time, this is a total of 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours/week for a course total of 112-144 hours. This equates to one full credit using the Carnegie unit methodology.
Rather than simply confirming what students have learned from their teacher, these experiments provide the opportunities for students to develop models to help them make sense of their observations. The course could be called “Describing and Understanding Change” because it addresses change in the position, speed, structure and temperature of matter and the role energy plays in this change. The treatment of the physics concepts relating to how things move and why they move were carefully selected to reinforce the algebraic and graphical skills students have just learned or are learning at the same time they take this course. The concepts of kinetic molecular theory and energy storage and transfer during phase and chemical changes (usually addressed in chemistry) build on the particle models introduced in the earlier units.
Students will also regularly be on point to share ideas in front of a group and participate in group activities during our online sessions. Shy students will not be bullied into participating by any means; but if your student does not have a habit of “warming up” after getting to know a group–this may not be a comfortable setting for them.
