Central Wyoming College

Riverton High

PHYSICS COURSE SYLLABUS

Prerequisites: Students must be 15 years old to receive concurrent

enrollment credit. The Physics Concurrent Enrollment Credit class

requires an ACT score of 23 or higher or a Compass score of 66 or

higher)

Course Title: Survey of Physics

• Division: Department: Science • Course Prefix, Number & Section: PHYS 1050

Credits: 3 Semester/Year: 2012-1013 • Instructor’s Name: Vicki Hassell • Office Location: Riverton High School Room • Office Telephone: (307) 856-9491

Fax Number: (307)856-2333• Email address: vhassell@fremont25.k12.wy.us

Major Topics: Mechanics, energy, sound, light, magnetism, electricity, astronomy, and radioactivity

Time and location of the class; start and end dates

• : This is a yearlong class, beginning in August 2012 and ending in May 2013. It will meet in room ______at RHS, with the time dependent on the period the class is taken.

Office Days & Hours: • Tuesday lunch, and from

3:35-4:00 or by appointment

• (check with me for before/after school or lunch times).

Instructional Materials:

• Book: Conceptual Physics author Paul Hewitt; ISBN-

13:9780805391909 ISBN:0805391908; Edition: 10thPub Date:

2005 Publisher: Addison-Wesley

• Online website: http://vmhassell.wikispaces.com/ will provide

links to required readings, virtual simulations, videos, PPT’s,

surveys, class schedules, etc…

• Lab materials: Experiments will be both hands-on and virtual

• Students will send formal lab reports and research papers to

the teacher via e-mail.

Instructional Methodology: • Directed Instruction, cooperative learning, multimedia (video, ppt…), discussion,

case studies, worksheets, and computer simulations will be used in class.

• Online resources linked to the class website will be used to introduce or

reinforce topics covered in class. Blogs or discussion forums will be used to check

for understanding.

• Lecture and demonstrations will be used to introduce key ideas, methods, and

concepts, while using guided discussions to work through problem solving

strategies.

• Each student is responsible for participating fully in classroom and lab activities,

treating each assignment as an opportunity to learn, while following up on

confusing topics, etc.

Course Objectives: In order to successfully complete this course students will:

• Demonstrate a knowledge of the concepts and language of physics, and critical

thinking skills relating the concepts to everyday life and experience on quizzes, and

exams.

• Participate individually and in collaborative groups to perform experiments, gather

data, reach valid conclusions and produce formal lab reports with their findings.

• Actively participate in all online activities, homework and problem solving

discussion sessions

• Demonstrate an understanding of the Scientific Method and how it promotes

critical thinking in science by developing and conducting inquiry-based

experiments, presenting their findings to the class.

Requirements Overview/Types of Assignments:

• Online resources from the website involving videos, PPT’s, simulations and virtual labs will be assigned with quizzes given the next class period based on the concepts presented.

• Homework problems will be assigned from each chapter and are due at the beginning of class on the due-date. Homework is graded on completeness and quality. Restate the question in full in one font and follow with the answer in another font.

• Inquiry-based labs are long-term assignments that are required and will be due on the assigned date (if more time is needed that provided in class, it is homework).

Grading:

• Grading Scale: 100-90= A, 89-80 = B, 79-70 = C, 69-60 = D, 59 BELOW =F

• Grades are weighted with test counting 65 %; Labs 25%; Class/Homework 10 % before semester exams.

• Quizzes: Pop quizzes are open notes, yours not someone else’s or the book!

Policies:

Attendance:

• Attendance is incorporated in grading through in-class activities and quizzes. Be in class, on time every day.

• Missing more than 10 non-consecutive days after allowable absences have been waived will result in the student receiving no credit for the class.

• Late or incomplete work: SSC/teacher detentions will be assigned for work not turned in on time (according to school policy).

Make-Up: .

It is the student’s responsibility to

ask for makeup work upon return

from an absence of any kind

Late Work Policy

• If you are in a class on the day that the assignment is given or the test is

announced you are expected to hand in the assignment or take the test on

the established due date even if you are absent between the

announcement of the due date and the actual due date. If you are present

the day of a test, you are required to take the test. If you had an excused

absence, you may retake it within the following week. The higher of the

two grades will count.

• Tests may be made up at lunch by appointment.

• Progress reports will indicate missing work that must be turned in for credit.

Plagiarizing/academic dishonesty:

• Acts of scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an

exam or quiz, and plagiarism will result in receiving a score of zero for

the assignment

• RHS Procedures requires the instructor of a student engaged in academic

dishonesty and or misconduct to complete the Academic

Dishonesty/Misconduct Notification form and submit a copy to the

student, the parent and the principal. The instructor and administration

will impose the consequences within the scope of the academic activity

which includes but is not limited to a zero on the particular assignment

or in the class

Other:

• Tests are scheduled depending on student comprehension. Due

to this fact, it is not possible to set up a reliable date/test

schedule at the beginning of the year. However, updates will be

available online at http://vmhassell.wikispaces.com/.

• Request for Accommodations: CWC will provide reasonable

accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

Students requiring reasonable accommodation for a disability

must complete a “Request for Accommodations” form and

submit it to Disability Resources, Student Success Center,

MH123C.

Other items for consideration: (i.e. cell phones in class, etc.)

• Internet access outside of class is recommended to

allow students to connect to the class website

http://vmhassell.wikispaces.com/ for updates, videos,

and virtual labs.

• Cell/Smart phones may be used in class to answer

survey or other questions, providing immediate

feedback.

DO NOT USE CELL PHONES FOR TEXTING OR COMMUNICATING

EXCEPT FOR CLASS APPROVED WORK