NHS Course Syllabus: 

NHS COURSE SYLLABI |NHS HOME | NPS HOME

Honors Physics

Course Syllabus

2007-2008    

 Sept 2007

The mission statement of Norwell High School is to provide an engaging, supportive environment where students strive for excellence, practice respect, and contribute to society.

Course:  Honor Physics focuses on the application of mathematics to examine the laws and theories of matter and energy.  The areas of study will be:

·        Mechanics – The study of motion

·        Forces

·        Wave Motion and Sound

·        Rotary and Oscillatory Motion

·        Light and Electromagnetic Radiation

·        Energy and Work

·        Electricity and Magnetism

·        Heat

Expectations for Learning:  Student work will focus on the following NHS student expectations for learning. Norwell High School Graduates will be:

·        Effective Writers

·        Reflective Problem Solvers

Grading System:  Grading for your physics course is based on a point system.  There are three major grading categories; homework, labs, and tests.  Your grade is simply the total number of points that you have earned compared to the total points possible.  I will try to post a “Current Grade” worksheet every Monday morning showing each student’s up-to-date grade for the current term.  Grades are confidential and will be posted by Student ID Number.

·        Each homework assignment- 10 points

·        Each lab-                                 30 points

·        Each test-                                100 points

·        At the end of each term, your final grade can be altered by as much as -5 points.   The following criteria will be used:

1.      Effort    - Not doing homework

- Not doing in-class worksheets

- Not participating in labs

2.   Class Behavior (excessive talking or adverse class behavior which disturbs the learning atmosphere of the classroom)

Homework Policy:

·        Written homework is due at the beginning of the class period on the due date.  Labs are due by the end of the school day on the due date.  If a student is absent on the date the assignment was given or absent on the due date, the teacher will verbally give the student a new due date.  Assignments handed in after this new due date will be graded as zero.

·        Written homework assignments are visually checked by the teacher. This visual inspection will be made at the beginning of the class.  Acceptable homework will receive 10 points.  Students with incomplete homework will receive 5 points.  Labs are always collected.

·        Occasionally, the homework assignments will be collected.

·        Pass- Once during the school year, if a student does not do his/her homework, the student may use the homework pass (No questions asked).

The pass does not apply to labs.

Tests:

·        Tests will always be announced.

·        There are no test redos. All three Honors Physics classes will have their grades averaged.  If the average falls below 80%, a curve will be applied. For example, if the three classes average 76%, everyone will receive a +4% so that the average will be 80% (100% is the maximum grade). Tests are never curved down.

·        No hats or hoods are allowed to be worn during a test.

Required Materials:

·        TI83 (or higher) computer

·        3 ring binder to hold notes, labs, homework, quizzes and tests

·        An aggressive imagination

Classroom Policies:

·        Cell phones are not allowed in class.  Cell phone calculators may not be used.

·        Food and drink are allowed in the classroom.  However, if any containers or food wrappings are left behind, or if beverages are spilled on the floor, this privilege will be revoked for the whole class.

·        Talking- Common courtesy and respect for others will prevail in the classroom.  When you speak, I will be quiet and listen.  When another student is asking a question or making a comment, please extend the courtesy of listening. 

·        Passes- Please do not leave the room without the teacher’s knowledge. There is a on the bookshelf near the front of the room.  This pass may only be used for going to the rest room or your locker.  Anyone using the pass must sign out and back in on the Sign Out sheet.

·        Please do not congregate at the door waiting for the bell to ring.  Do not leave the room before the bell.

Help:

§         I am available for late night tutoring after school until 4 pm on all days except Mondays.  Please check the side board for any last minute changes.

§         If it’s late at night and you need help, please e-mail me your questions.  I will make every attempt to answer you by 10 PM.  My e-mail address is nycz@norwellschools.org.

Advanced Placement Physics

Course Syllabus

2007-2008

The mission statement of Norwell High School is to provide an engaging, supportive environment where students strive for excellence, practice respect and contribute to society.

Integrity ¨ Learning¨Respect¨Responsibility

Course:  Physics 455 – AP Physics

Expectations for Learning:  Student work will focus on the following NHS student expectations for learning. Norwell High School Graduates will be:

·        Effective Writers

·        Reflective Problem Solvers

Course expectations:

·        In the classroom on time, every day (unless a valid excuse is given)

·        Prepared to learn every day, which means having all necessary materials

·        Attentive and respectful, both to fellow classmates and me

·        Honest and responsible for his or her own work.

Course skills/ concepts:

This is a college-level course; as such, students will find that the class is more rigorous than the introductory course last year.  Furthermore, the workload will be greater, and the work will be very difficult.  The class will be centered on problem solving techniques and practice. 

Major units:

A. Kinematics (including vectors, vector algebra, components of vectors, coordinate systems, displacement, velocity, and acceleration)

B.  Newton’s Laws of Motion (including friction and centripetal force)

C.  Energy, Work and Power

D.  Systems of particles, linear momentum

E.  Circular motion and Rotation

F.  Oscillations and Gravitation

Text and requirements/ materials:

The text is Fundamentals of Physics, 6^th Ed., by Halliday, Resnick and Walker.  There is also a soft-covered problem supplement.

Homework policy/ major projects:

This course is nearly impossible to succeed in if students are not honest about doing their homework.  It is technically not a requirement; however, success hinges on practice and exposure to many different kinds of problems, and homework is the best way to get that exposure and practice.

Grading system:

The grading system is test-based; as a course driven by a year-end exam, it makes sense that students’ grades be based on similar tests.  All tests will be made of questions formerly used on past AP exams, and students will be graded in a similar manner.

Astronomy

Course Syllabus

2007-2008    

 Sept 2007

The mission statement of Norwell High School is to provide an engaging, supportive environment where students strive for excellence, practice respect, and contribute to society.

Course:  Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe.  During this course we will discuss the following topics:

·        The earth and the moon

·        The sun

·        The planets of the solar system

·        Meteors, comets, and asteroids

·        The constellations

·        Stars

·        Galaxies and star clusters

·        The theory of relativity

·        Pulsars and Quasars

·        The Big Bang and the Big Crunch

·        The whole universe

Outdoor Observations:  There will be outdoor observation sessions to observe the cosmos through telescopes and binoculars.  These sessions will usually be scheduled Thursday nights at 10 PM or at 3 AM on Friday mornings.  This is the optimum time to view the heavens.  Attendance at these sessions is strictly voluntary.  Those hearty souls who show up will receive extra credit.

Expectations for Learning:  Student work will focus on the following NHS student expectations for learning. Norwell High School Graduates will be:

·        Effective Writers

·        Reflective Problem Solvers

Grading System:  Grading for your astronomy course is based on a point system.  There are two major grading categories; homework and tests.  Your grade is simply the total number of points that you have earned compared to the total points possible.

·        Each homework assignment- 10-30 points

·        Each test-                                100 points

§         At the end of each term, your final grade can be altered by as much as 5 points for adverse class behavior which disturbs the learning atmosphere of the classroom. 

Homework Policy:

·        Written homework is due at the beginning of the class period on the due date.

·        If a student is absent on the date the assignment was given, the assignment will be due the day after the student returns and receives the assignment.  It is the student’s responsibility to find out what assignments he/she missed.

·        If a student is absent on the due date, the assignment will be due the next day the class meets.

·        Assignments not meeting the above due dates will be graded as a zero.

Tests:

·        Tests will always be announced.

·        Anyone absent during the test day must make up the test within 2 days of their return to class. If the student is absent for more than a day, please see the teacher to determine a suitable make-up test day

·        There are no re-dos for test.

Required Materials:

·        3 ring binder to hold notes, labs, homework, and tests

·        An aggressive imagination and a love of the cosmos

Classroom Policies:

·        No electronic devices are allowed in the class.  If they are observed in class, they will be confiscated until the end of the school day.

·        Food and drink are allowed in the classroom.  However, if any containers or food wrappings are left behind, or if beverages are spilled on the floor, this privilege will be revoked for the whole class.

·        Talking- Common courtesy and respect for others will prevail in the classroom.  When you speak, I will be quiet and listen.  When another student is asking a question or making a comment, please extend the courtesy of listening.  

·        Passes- There is a pass in the eye-wash basin near the front of the room.  This pass may only be used for going to the rest room or your locker.  When using the pass, you must sign out and back-in on the Sign Out Sheet. 

·        Leaving the room- please do not leave the room without notifying me.  Please do not congregate at the door waiting for the bell to ring.  Do not leave the room before the bell.

Help:

§         I am available for help after school on all days except Mondays.  I have late night tutoring available until 4 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Please check the side board for any last minute changes.

§         If it’s late at night and you need help, please e-mail me your questions.  I will make every attempt to answer you by 9 PM.  My e-mail address is  nycz@norwellschools.org