Chapter 1

11th Grade

Physical Science

Jennie Huff

Teaching of Science in Secondary Schools

SCS 403 01
Purpose Statement

The scope of this unit coincides with chapter one in the physical science textbook used in the

course. The students begin by defining the vocabulary in the chapter and then they apply the terms to

create a story or picture. I chose this first because it is important for the students to be familiar with the

vocabulary to help set a basis of prior knowledge. The students will then learn about scientific problems

such as global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion. I chose this topic next because this involves all of

them and it is important that they learn to see connections from this class to their everyday lives. I

chose the next topic to introduce the main importance of this course of physical science. Students will

learn about physical science, applied science, and technology to start drawing them into the course. I

will then give the students a quiz on every Friday to maintain a record of the learning that is occurring. I

will then demonstrate to the students the terms model, critical thinking, observation and the difference

between a scientific law and theory. I chose to demonstrate this through a problem-solving

demonstration to help them see a physical connection without losing precious class time to distribute

materials to them all.

After the first week the students will begin to work with different labs. Day 6 will be dedicated

to teaching the importance of lab safety and having students fill out the agreement form before the lab

is completed on day 7. On day 7 the students will participate in a triple beam balance lab. In this lab,

they will get to view the importance of accurate measurement and the ability to practice lab safety. This

lab is very safe and an excellent opportunity to practice appropriate safety. The students will then spend

the next day learning about safety symbols to prepare them for more dangerous or difficult labs. This

will be followed with three different station labs to help the students learn to apply the scientific

method to problem solving. I chose to have the student perform the lab here because I wanted them to

become familiar with problem solving in different situations. Plus, some of the labs the students

complete will involve the symbols they learned the day before. On Friday the students will have their
second quiz. After the quiz is completed the students will choose 5 objects in the room and fill out the

property and composition charts. The concept of matter was chosen next because I wanted to have the

students make more connections between the real world and this course. I also did not want a difficult

and time-consuming task to follow the quiz.

The final week will be used mainly to prepare for the unit test and finishing up the last topic. The

topic the students will learn about on day 11 is an experiment and how to conduct one through the use

of the control, constant, dependent variable, and independent variable. This will then lead to the final

unit lab exercise on day 12 where they will manipulate variables in an experiment and determine which

one had the most impact. The next two days will be dedicated to finishing up work in the unit and

preparing for the test. On day 13 the students will work in groups to complete the review guide for the

test and will ask me any questions they might have. Day 14 will be used to play a review game. This

game will be Kahoot where all the students will participate in the review. The top three students will be

given bonus toward their test. The final day of the unit will be used for the test. The goal of the quizzes

and tests will be that a student can pass with an 80% or higher. Here are the 6 standards for the unit and

this course is a very low level. It is just above the range of pull out with a majority of the students having

an IEP.

State Standards

STANDARD - 3.3.12.B3

STANDARD - 3.1.12.B6

STANDARD - 3.2.12.B7

STANDARD - 3.3.10.A2

STANDARD - 3.1.12.A9

STANDARD - 3.1.12.C4
Discussion Questions

1. What first comes to mind when you hear the term “physical science”? How has this changed
after this unit?
2. What vocabulary word was the most interesting to you?
3. How can physical science and technology be viewed in your everyday life?
4. Explain your main take way from this lesson.
5. Why is it important to learn about climate change, ozone depletion, and acid rain?
6. Why can’t a scientific law become a theory? But a scientific theory can become a law.
7. What is the importance of recognizing laboratory safety and symbols?
8. Why is it important for you to learn the scientific method?
9. Why did you choose to create the story or picture with the vocabulary terms?
10. What is the importance of units?
11. Why would I have you use a triple beam balance?
12. What are the two components of matter?
13. Compare and contrast the different between an independent and dependent variable in an
experiment?
14. Which variable should we change in an experiment and why?
15. What was your favorite lab and why?
16. What did you enjoy the most in the unit?
17. How can this unit be improved?
Blooms Taxonomy
Questions Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
1 X
2 X
3 X
4 X
5 X
6 X
7 X
8 X
9 X
10 X
11 X
12 X
13 X
14 X
15 X
16 X
17 X
Weekly Schedule of the unit – A brief survey of what will take place each day.
1. Week 1
a. Monday (Day 1)
1. Goal: Introduce students to chapter 1 vocabulary.
2. Assignments/Activity: “Chapter 1 Vocabulary Worksheet” and Skim Chapter
one.
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT define chapter 1 vocabulary.
2. TSWBAT organize terminology into similar topics.

This fits into the unit because it will introduce the student to the terminology used in chapter 1.
 b. Tuesday (Day 2)
1. Goal: The students will write a story or draw a picture using the vocabulary and
unscramble the words.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Study Guide – Problem Solving”, “Vocabulary Story or
Picture”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT connect the vocabulary word to the definition.
2. TSWBAT compose a story using the vocabulary words.
3. TSWBAT design a picture using the vocabulary terms.

This fits into the unit because the students will be asked to apply the terminology by a story or picture.
 b. Wednesday (Day 3)
1. Goal: Scientific problems that are still not solved and the main problems are acid
rain, ozone depletion, and climate change.
2. Assignments/Activity: “Problems? What Problem- Study problems? – Study
Guide”, “Problems? What Problems? – Reinforcement”, Guided Notes,
https://youtu.be/C78KE5iGtg4 , https://youtu.be/NjNsqkFglOA,
https://youtu.be/1PDjVDIrFec, and read section 1-3.
1. Objectives
1. TSWBAT identify remaining scientific problems.
2. TSWBAT explain ozone depletion.
3. TSWBAT explain acid rain.
4. TSWBAT explain Greenhouse Effect.

This fits into the unit as section 1-3 in the text.

 b. Thursday (Day 4)
1. Goal: Compare and contrast physical science, applied science, and technology
2. Assignments/Activity: 2nd half of “Study Guide- Physical Science and You”,
“Reinforcement- Physical Science and You”, and read section 1-1.
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT contrast the terms physical science, applied science, and
technology.
2. TSWBAT define physical science, applied science, and technology.
3. TSWBAT compare physical science, applied science, and technology.
4. TSWBAT apply the term to a give situational example.

This fits into the unit as section 1-1 in the text.

 c. Friday (Day 5)
1. Goal: Quiz 1 and use a demonstration to help students differentiate between a
model, critical thinking, observation, scientific theory, and scientific law.
2. Assignment/Activity: Demonstration in Scientific Problem Solving,
“Reinforcement-Problem Solving” numbers 2-19, “Quiz 1”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT pass the quiz with an 80% or higher.
2. TSWBAT compare a scientific theory and a scientific law.
3. TSWBAT apply a model to a real-world situation.
4. TSWBAT demonstrate critical thinking and observation in a situation.

This fits into the unit as section 1-2 in the textbook.

2. Week 2
c. Monday (Day 6)
1. Goal: The students will comprehend the importance of lab safety and rules.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Safety Rules” and “Enrichment- Exploring Science”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT explain the importance of laboratory safety rules.
2. TSWBAT apply the safety rules to each lab.
3. TSWBAT identify improper safety practices.

This fits into the unit by helping the students learn to complete labs safely throughout the course.
 d. Tuesday (Day 7)
1. Goal: Use a triple beam balance and measure household items correctly to two
decimal places.
2. Assignments/Activity: “Triple Beam Balance Lab”, Triple Beam Balance
Demonstration, “Laboratory Skills Assessment Using Laboratory Measuring
Devices” problems 1 and 2.
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT record data from the triple beam balance.
2. TSWBAT demonstrate the proper way to use a triple beam balance.
3. TSWBAT estimate the weight of an object to one decimal place through
the use of the triple beam balance.
4. TSWBAT explain how to use a triple beam balance.

This fits into the unit because it helps the students apply the safety principles in day 6.

Science Process Skills:

All of these skills will be learned and introduced to the students.

The students will observe the values of the sliders and the objects.

The student will accurately measure the weights of each object.

The students will infer what will happen to the scale with varying weights.

The student will classify the objects by weight.

The students will communicate their findings with one another and see if their values are similar.

The student will also be encouraged to predict the weight of each object.

Discussion:

The students will be first asked “if any weights of the objects surprised them”. They will then be asked to
“list the objects from lightest to heaviest”. The students will then be required to discuss at least two
objects with a partner. In their discussion they will write down what objects they discussed and if their
values were similar. If their values were not similar, they will be asked for three possible reasons for the
differences. The students will then be asked to explain at least three sources of error in their labs. The
final questions the students will be asked is “how can this lab be improved”? The students will be
expected to write in complete sentences but will not be required to produce a lab report.
 b. Wednesday (Day 8)
1. Goal: To identify safety symbols and learn the importance of knowing what it
represents.
2. Assignments/Activities: “Transparency 2- The Nature of Science”, Bulletin Board
Idea, “Transparency 2- The Nature of Science Worksheet”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT label each safety symbol.
2. TSWBAT demonstrate the importance of each symbol in the laboratory.
3. TSWBAT recognize the symbol when it is used in the lab.
4. TSWBAT organize the symbol by its definition on the bulletin board.

This fits into the unit because is important to set the background for more difficult and potentially
dangerous labs in the safety protocol is not followed.
 c. Thursday (Day 9)
1. Goal: Use the scientific method to solve a problem.
2. Assignment/Activity: ”Scientific Method Lab Worksheet”, Guided Notes, and
read section 1-2.
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT describe the scientific method.
2. TSWBAT apply the scientific method to solve a problem.

This fits into the unit as section 1-2 and 1-4 in the text.

Science Process Skills:

All of these skills will be used as reinforcement.

The student will use all of the process skills because they will be working with the scientific method.

The student will predict the outcome of each lab.

The student will observe what happens in each lab.

The student will record what happens in each lab.

The student will classify the scientific method for each lab.

The student will communicate their outcomes with their peers in the report section.

The students will infer what will occur in their predictions.

Discussion:

The main discussion will take part in the report section of each lab. Due to social distancing each student
will preform labs 2 and 3. I will use the first one as a demonstration. The main goal of these three labs is
to provide the student with three concrete examples of the scientific method. My first question will be
“how was the scientific method applied in each lab”? Next, “which lab did you enjoy the most”? “Did
your partner have a similar outcome to their labs, why or why not”? I will then have the student
consider how the “scientific method can be used in the real world”. We will conclude our discussion by
asking “what step the students enjoyed the most”. The students will be asked to write their answers in
complete sentences and will not be required to write a lab report.

Citation:

https://gizmodo.com/the-science-behind-that-stick-figure-doodle-brought-to-1791911033
 d. Friday (Day 10)
1. Goal: Quiz 2 and familiarize students with matter, property, and composition.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Quiz 2” and “Property and Composition Charts”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT pass the quiz with an 80% or higher.
2. TSWBAT classify at least 5 objects into the composition and property
tables.
3. TSWBAT apply the definition of matter, property, and composition to
objects.

This fits into the unit through allowing students to see the connection to matter and its subcategories.
3. Week 3
e. Monday (Day 11)
1. Goal: Compare and contrast experiment, control, constant, dependent variable,
and independent variable.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Problem Solving – The Nature of Science”, “Label
Experiment Variables Practice”, and read section 1-4.
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT differentiate between the control and constant.
2. TSWBAT compare dependent and independent variables.
3. TSWBAT explain an experiment.
4. TSWBAT label the dependent and independent variables in a different
experiment.

This fits into the unit as section 1-4 in the text.

 f. Tuesday (Day 12)
1. Goal: Perform the lab (identify and controlling variables) while following safety
procedures.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Activity 1-1 Identifying and Controlling Variables”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT identify the dependent variables.
2. TSWBAT identify the independent variables.
3. TSWBAT demonstrate accurate measurement for time and distance.
4. TSWBAT manipulate the variables in the lab.
5. TSWBAT observe different outcomes after changing the variables.

This fits into the unit through section 1-4.

Science Process Skills:

All of these skills will be used as reinforcement.

The student will predict the outcome of each variable change.

The student will observe what happens to the system in each change.

The student will accurately record the measurement of distance and time.

The student will classify the changes in variables and the outcomes.

The student will communicate their outcomes in the discussion portion of the lab.

The students will infer what will occur with each variable change.

Discussion:

The discussion will begin with the students filling out two lab preview questions. These are “what is the
meaning of the safety symbol” and “describe the two types of variables”. This portion will also serve as a
spiral review for the safety symbols and the independent and dependent variables they learned the day
before. After the lab the students will then fill out the “analyze” and the “conclude and apply” sections.
The students will be asked to write in complete sentences and to write legibly. The students in this unit
will not complete lab reports.
 b. Wednesday (Day 13)
1. Goal: Have students complete the chapter review in groups and use as a catch
up day if needed.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Chapter Review-The Nature of Science”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT apply the information in the unit to the review.
2. TSWBAT demonstrate competency by completing the unit review.
3. TSWBAT explain the unit one information to group members.
4. TSWBAT collaborate with others to complete the review.

This fits into the unit as a way to prove the student knowledge.
 c. Thursday (Day 14)
1. Goal: Play a review game to prepare the students for the test.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Kahoot Game”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT participate on their own in the review game.
2. TSWBAT apply the information in the unit to the game.
3. TSWBAT demonstrate competency of the unit material by answering ¾
of the questions correctly.

This fits into the unit as a way to review the information the students learned.
 d. Friday (Day 15)
1. Goal: The students will pass the test with an 80% or higher.
2. Assignment/Activity: “Chapter 1 Test”
3. Objectives
1. TSWBAT apply the information in the unit.
2. TSWBAT generalize the information in the unit.
3. TSWBAT pass the test with an 80% or higher.

This fits into the unit by providing data on the student learning and can prove the mastery of the
material.