General Science Unit

1) Qualities of a Scientist
2) SI System of Measurement
3) Branches of Physics and Related
4) Metric System
5) Accuracy and Precision
6) Safety Rules in the Laboratory
7) Scientific Method

Physics - Unit #1

1) Scalars & Vectors
2) All Motion is Relative
3) Position, Speed, Velocity, Acceleration
4) Gravity and Free Fall
5) Terminal Velocity & Air Resistance
6) Graphing Motion
7) Projectile Motion
8) Basic Trigonometry
9) Calculations, Demonstrations, Labs, Activities, Projects

Physics - Unit #2

1) Newton's Laws and Concept of Force
2) Rotation vs. Revolution
3) Centripetal and Tangential Acceleration etc.
4) Types and Changes of Energy, Potential vs. Kinetic
5) Energy, Work, and Power
6) Simple and Compound Machines
7) Rolling Objects and Moments of Inertia
8) Calculations, Demonstrations, Labs, Activities, Projects

Physics - Unit #3

1) Heat and Temperature - Basic Thermodynamics
2) Temperature Scales & Conversions
3) Waves - Types, Characteristics and Behaviors
4) Electromagnetic Spectrum
5) Light, Lenses and Lasers
6) Sound - Properties and Characteristics
7) Electricity and Magnetism
8) Simple Circuits - Ohm's law
9) Basic Computer Technology
10) Calculations, Demonstrations, Labs, Activities, Projects

Physics - Unit #4

1) Atomic, Nuclear and Particle Physics
2) Modern Physics
3) Quantum Theory and Beyond
4) Nanotechnology
5) Semiconductor Technology
6) Astrophysics and Cosmology

Physics is fun. It is everywhere. It is truly the basic science because all of the other sciences depend on its laws. We will explore the vastness of the Creation and as we travel and explore from the innermost portions of the atom to the outer reaches of the known physical universe...and beyond!

So don't miss anything! I am excited to teach you all of these things!
Whether or not you may think of yourself a scientist,
I really want to teach you how to act and THINK like a scientist!

Vasquez High School -- Earth Science -- Syllabus -- School Year 2013-2014
Instructor: Jeff Berkeley, M.S.

In this course, students will demonstrate understanding of important concepts applicable to the Earth around them and the skies above them. Laboratory inquiry, demonstrations, and course work are designed to develop a thorough understanding of the solid earth (geology), the earth’s waters (hydrology and
oceanography), the earth’s atmosphere (meteorology), and the universe beyond earth (astronomy).

Main Textbook: Earth Science, Spaulding and Namowitz, 2005, McDougall Littell, ISBN 0-618-49938-5

Supplementary Materials include ancillary texts, lab manuals, support publications from book publisher, and
various other teaching materials and videos from instructor’s library and vast mineral collection.

Topically, students will study the following:

Course Outline by Unit, Chapter and Section

The following topics are covered in depth through the text, lecture, and lab work. Each topic is reviewed in
class, with student assignments including reading, responding in writing to section, chapter and unit review,
demonstrating knowledge through class presentation, and completing lab assignments and lab manuals.

CHAPTER SECTION on left with ACTIVITIES, LABS, PROJECTS & DEMOS on right

Activities, lab inquiries, projects and demonstrations are of course intended to stimulate the students to a greater comprehension of the prevailing concepts at hand. Objectives and procedures will be clearly stated for each. Activities normally involve a write-up to be included in a mandatory lab notebook, as are all lab experiments and demonstrations. Usually intended to test a certain hypothesis, such activities and demonstrations may be presented merely to enlighten
.
A typical laboratory inquiry involves a proper expression of a problem, a possible explanation of an observed phenomena, and a method by which such a hypothesis can be either verified or discounted. These also the students to produce a formal lab write-up which includes materials and procedure, data acquisition, calculations (where necessary), conclusions, and error considerations. Later analysis of the class’ results by the class as a whole is mandatory for each.

The course is designed to cover the following topics through careful text reading, analysis and synthesis of progressive learning. Text assignments will include response to section, chapter, and unit review questions, as well as quizzes, informal checks for understanding, and embedded assessments. Research
and demonstration of understanding will include web-based research and presentation, research of current earth science studies through published reports, and current events examination and reporting. Assessments and grading procedures are covered in the certification handout and need not be repeated here.

CLASS RULES (normally I detest rules, but good fences make good neighbors

1) Okay, here’s the deal: I will do all I can to teach and you will do all you can to learn.
2) I wish to train you to think like a scientist -- bring your inner child, be curious, be inquisitive -- always ask the how and why questions.
3) Though I do not require you bring your textbook every day (though it’s not a bad idea), I do require you to bring your lab notebook every day -- every class note, every demonstration, and all lab data will be in there -- and it will be graded for completion. You will also need a scientific calculator.
(Believe it or not, they can be purchased at the 99 cent store.)
4) It is YOUR responsibility to read your textbook. I reserve the right to use any homework questions on exams. Just because we may not have actual class time to discuss them all does not mean that you are not responsible for the information contained in them. I will do my best to discuss them all of course.
5) If you have to miss class, that will be too bad for you (and for me too) but it is YOUR responsibility to get the notes and assignments you missed. If homework was due that day, you may turn it in the next day without penalty. If homework was assigned that day, you will need to get that from me, your
fellow students or my website and turn it in on time (or when you return).
6) Your work is your work. Their work is their work. Never copy another student. Automatic zero for copying - both for the student who copied and for the student who permitted it. A grade of F for the semester for a second offense (yikes!).
7) If notecards are permitted for an exam, only original handwritten or typed ones are allowed.
8) All notes in your lab notebook must be written in your own handwriting/printing. Copying someone else’s notes and stapling in will not be accepted.
9) Do not ditch my class. Any unexcused absence will result in a zero for any work due that day AND for any work assigned that day...besides, you’ll probably miss some good stuff (my class is fun!).
10) Late homework is accepted, but at half-credit at best. No late homework will be accepted after each exam. Once an exam is given, all missing assignments will be given a score of zero. Get all your work in BEFORE the exam.
11) Though the grading software and your teacher make mistakes (I’m only human you know), it is YOUR responsibility to see that your grades were entered correctly. Once an exam is given, all prior grades will remain unchanged.
12) If you were on campus for just one period, it is your responsibility to see that any work due on that day is received by me; either give it to the office, put it in my box, have a friend give it to me, or slide it under my door. No excuses will be granted to athletes, half-day field trips, early doctor’s appts., etc.
13) This is a “family show.” No profanity, no violence, no disrespect, no taunting or antagonism.
14) No unsafe practices in the laboratory - that means NO unauthorized experiments. If you are curious what will happen “if,” ask me if it is safe to find out. We will review all the safety rules in the laboratory.
15) All of VHS’ rules stated in the student handbook are always in force, including dress code, cell phone usage, tardies and decorum.

Please see the certification for your agreement to and understanding of these rules and other class concerns.