Physical Science 20 Outline

Career Exploration

PS20-CE1 – Explore physical-science related career paths in Saskatchewan, Canada, and the world.

Big Ideas:

·  Physical Science impacts a wide variety of careers.

·  There is mush to consider when choosing a job.

·  Information can be communicated in a variety of ways.

·  We often learn the most from others.

·  Analyzing our own strengths and interests can result in greater job satisfaction.

Essential Questions:

  1. What physical science-related careers exist?
  2. How does physical science impact many other careers?
  3. How do I know if a job is right for me?
  4. Why is research important?
  5. How can I “sell” my skills? How can I develop them over time? How do I know what to develop?
  6. Where do I look to learn more?
  7. Why is analyzing careers and my own interests and skills so important?

Student-Directed Study

PS20-SDS1 Create and carry out a plan to explore one or more topics of personal interest relevant to Physical Science 20 in depth.

Big Ideas:

·  You have the ability to make critical decisions and pose solutions to real life challenges.

·  That there are ways to conduct strong research, view information critically, analyze data and create effective experiments, portfolios and debates.

·  That debate and argument are ways to critically examine an issue.

·  That scientific protocols support strong science and strong science is important for building true understanding.

·  That sharing our ideas can happen in a wide range of ways and this is also part of science.

·  Science is made up of theories.

·  The interpretation of evidence is affected by our prior knowledge and assumptions

Essential Questions:

  1. How to I learn more and express what I learn clearly and interestingly?
  2. How can argument and disagreement be good? How is it part of science?
  3. How can I make a difference?
  4. Why are scientific protocols so important? What are they/
  5. What is most interesting to me in the area of physical science?
  6. How can I explore this further?
  7. Why is scientific theory not the same as fact?
  8. Why do the majority of scientists tend to favour theories that still have many criticisms?
  9. Why is dissention part of good science?

Properties of Waves

PS20-PW1 Investigate the properties and characteristics of one-, two-, and three-dimensional waves.

Big Ideas:

·  The properties of wave govern their behavior, interaction with matter, and use.

·  Waves are important in ways we may not realize.

·  Scientists understand waves as the transmission of energy from a vibrating source that determines the frequency and amplitude of the wave

·  Using proper terminology in science allows for a shared language and increased understanding

·  There are distinct characteristics of waves that allow us to predict outcomes

·  Our understanding of waves has changed over time

·  There is evidence for the scientific theory of the wave particle duality of light

·  Understanding waves helps us understand music.

Essential Questions:

  1. Why can we hear someone around a corner but not see them?
  2. How do noise cancelling headphones work?
  3. What happened at the Tacoma Narrows bridge?
  4. Why can’t you hear a dog whistle?
  5. Why get yourself a mosquito ring tone for your cell phone?
  6. Why are waves important?

PS20-PW2 Examine, using physical materials, ray diagrams and mathematical equations, how waves reflect from a variety of barriers.

Big Ideas:

·  There are many different types of reflectors (mirrors)

·  There are many different applications of a reflection

·  A ray diagram is a two-dimensional model of a three-dimensional reflection

·  We can predict the behavior of a reflector and use the predictions for appropriate uses of reflectors

·  We need to understand waves to fully understand reflection

·  Laws communicate predictable patterns

Essential Questions:

  1. Where can reflectors help us in our everyday lives?
  2. Why are there different types of reflectors needed for different situations?
  3. What are the Laws of Reflection and to what types of reflectors do they apply?
  4. Why are predictions and patterns so important when applying science to life?
  5. What is a ray diagram and how do we use it?

PS20-PW3 Analyze, using physical materials, ray diagrams and mathematical equations. how waves refract at boundaries between different media.

Big Ideas:

·  Light bends as it passes from one medium to another

·  Light speeds up/ slows down when travelling from one medium to another

·  Bending (refraction of light) and change in speed of light are related to one another

·  We have special names for characteristics of images

·  We can calculate bending of light (refraction) and change in speed mathematically

·  Refraction has many important applications in our everyday lives

Essential Questions:

  1. Why does your fishing rod appear to break when you stick it in water?
  2. Why are we learning all of these new words? Why is science like a language?
  3. Why do some people wear glasses?
  4. How is it that we can make a fire with a magnifying glass?
  5. Doesn’t love make a diamond shine?
  6. Why does the paramecium appear so large under a magnifying glass?
  7. How do telescopes make planets and stars look so large?

Foundations of Chemistry

PS20-FC1 Predict products of the five basic types of chemical reactions and evaluate the impact of these reactions on society and the environment.

Big Ideas:

·  reactants determine the type of reaction, which determines the products

·  chemical reactions are observable

·  chemical reactions occur all around us and impact the environment and industry

·  equations and nomenclature are like a language and any language, when understood, leads to shared understanding and development of ideas in a quick fashion

·  observation and analysis are cornerstones of science

Essential Questions:

  1. How do we know if a reaction will explode?
  2. Did I get the product I wanted (or expected) from this reaction?
  3. Why is my old car so bad on gas?
  4. What do pieces tell us about the whole?
  5. What does strong scientific process look and sound like?
  6. How are equations like a language?
  7. Why does strong observation matter so much/

PS20-FC2 Construct an understanding of the mole as a unit for measuring the amount of substance.

Big Ideas:

·  A mole is a quantity (amount)

·  A mole is used to measure and describe a very small amount (concentration)

·  Mass, concentration and particles must be expressed as moles before they can be converted

·  The mole is essential to making conversions between quantities in chemistry

·  Balancing coefficients represents the number of moles or molecules, not mass or volume

Essential Questions:

  1. Why don’t we just count atoms?
  2. Why is a mole so essential to chemistry?
  3. Why would not having moles make chemistry work difficult?
  4. What is a mole?
  5. What does it mean to balance coefficients?

PS20-FC3 Use stoichiometry to determine the relative amounts of substances consumed and produced in chemical reactions.

Big Ideas:

·  Stoichiometry can determine amounts of substances consumed and produced in chemical reactions

·  Experiments help refine scientific process, predictions and conclusions

·  There are multiple ways to communicate results of experimentation

·  Percentage yield allows us to compare theoretical yield to actual yield

·  Yield can be maximized in chemical processes, which leads to maximization of products and minimization of waste

·  Chemical reactions impact our health and the health of the environment

Essential Questions:

  1. What is the purpose of stoichiometry?
  2. How do experiments help us refine scientific processes, make predictions and develop conclusions?
  3. How can I communicate my results? What is acceptable in science?
  4. What can we learn from percentage yield?
  5. Why is maximizing yield so important? How can we do it?
  6. How do chemical reactions affect my health and the health of my environment?

Heat

PS20-HT1 Analyze, qualitatively and quantitatively, the effect of heat on matter during temperature changes and changes of state using kinetic molecular theory.

Big Ideas:

·  Heat and temperature are different ideas.

·  When heating a substance, it either changes temperature or changes state, but not both at once.

·  Expansion and contraction have huge impact on things around us and the design of things we us.

·  The heat capacity and thermal conductivity of different materials will determine how we use that material.

·  There are multiple perspectives on heat and heat transfer.

·  Measurement is part of building understanding.

·  Heat can be understood mathematically and observationally.

Essential Questions:

  1. Why does your tongue stick to a flagpole?
  2. Why is water a good coolant?
  3. How does heat impact me? How is heat different from temperature?
  4. Why is language important in science?
  5. What happens when I heat a substance?
  6. How is heat related to expansion and contraction?
  7. How does heat capacity and thermal conductivity determine the use of materials?
  8. How can heat be understood?
  9. Why is measurement so important when studying heat?

PS20-HT2 Determine experimentally the quantities of heat involved in chemical reactions.

Big Ideas:

·  Some reactions release heat and some absorb heat

·  Real-world observations don’t always match theory

·  Material choice is dictated by the desired outcome

·  Limiting the leftover reactants in a chemical reaction can limit the possible harmful consequences for those involved in the reaction.

Essential Questions:

  1. How does a cold pack work?
  2. What is the best fuel to use? How do you know?
  3. How do I know if heat is being absorbed or released?
  4. Why would reality and theory be different in science? Does that mean there is something wrong with theory?
  5. How does my desired outcome tell me which materials to use?
  6. Why would it be important to limit excess reactants in a reaction?

Materials: You must bring these to EVERY class.

-  Paper, pencil and pen

-  Graph paper

-  Ruler (15cm will be fine)

-  Protractor (That’s the half circle thingy for measuring angles.)

-  A calculator with SIN, COS, TAN

Evaluation:

Assessment:

There are two types of assessments that will be used, formative and summative. Formative assessment is not used for marks, but instead offers feedback on areas to improve before the actual assessment occurs. Daily work (e.g. exit card) will be monitored and may be recorded but these marks will not be included in their final evaluation. Summative assessment is for marks, but only occurs after I feel that the students are comfortable with the skills and knowledge taught and are ready to demonstrate what they have learned. Summative assessments may include items such as written exams, labs, assignments, etc.

“Striving for Excellence”

In the interest of students “Choosing to Learn” out of “Respect for Self and Others” it is the belief of Tisdale Middle & Secondary School that students take “Responsibility” to:

· Attend school regularly and punctually.

· Complete assessments on time, and

· Demonstrate their understanding to the best of their ability (Formative & Summative) at all times.

The following school-wide policies have been created to support the consistent fulfillment of such items, and are supported by the Teaching Staff, Student Representative Council and School Community Council of TMSS:

Attendance:

A. Absences:

a) Students who fail to attend a class(es) are expected to have their parent/guardian contact the office to excuse their absence consistent with excusable absences outlined in the Education Act, 1995.

b) Students whose absence is not excused by noon of the next day can expect a natural, immediate consequence of being placed in noon hour detention for the amount of unexcused time missed.

c) Period 1 teachers will respectfully remind students who this applies to, but note that in the event that the reminder does not occur students are still ultimately responsible for their attendance and therefore are expected to show up at noon for detention if a class has been skipped.

Where parental confirmation occurs between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm of that day the detention will be waived.

d) Students expected to attend detention for unexcused absences that do not report, can expect their natural consequence of time to be doubled. Chronic non-compliance will result in suspension.

e) Students accumulating 15 absences for reasons that are inconsistent with Section 157(1) of the Education Act, 1995 may be removed from the class.

B. Tardiness (Late):

a) A student arriving up to 15 min. after the scheduled start up time of class will be considered late.

Relative to the circumstances, students “may” be required by the classroom teacher to make up the amount of time that they were late for class.

b) Students who are “chronically” late throughout the semester and fail to respond in a corrective fashion can expect subsequent disciplinary measures such as detention and in-school suspension.

c) Students arriving more than 15 min. late for a class will be recorded as absent and will be subject to consequences outlined in “absences”.

d) Where students are late by virtue of their bus, they are asked to report directly to the main office so that it can be recorded as and “excused” late.

e) Students leaving more than 15 minutes early from class will be recorded as absent.

Assignments:

Taking responsibility for one’s learning includes submitting work on time. Additionally, choosing to learn and excellence in academics requires feedback on one’s performance, which is more beneficial when it is given in a timely and immediate fashion; something that cannot occur if teachers are not in possession of student work. To support this end, please note the following:

a) At the time summative assessment/assignments are provided the due date shall be given.

b) Adequate in-class time to complete assessment tasks/assignments will be provided to students with the understanding that sometimes homework may be warranted.

c) Where summative assignment are large in nature, teachers will chunk them into smaller due dates to insure that students are maintaining appropriate pace to complete the assessment on time.

d) If, based on their formative assessment of a student’s work and progress, a teacher deems a student to be behind or having difficulty, they will reiterate expectations of assignment, check for student clarity and proactively recommend Study Hall.

e) If students do not complete their assignment on time, parents will be contacted with the expectation that the assignment be submitted to the “teacher” by 9:00 am the next day.