Physics Learning Coach Guide

Part A:
Welcome to Physics

Welcome Letter

Dear Learning Coach, 

Thank you for partnering with CCA and investing in your learner’s education. This Learning Coach Guide is intended to help you support your learners in their Physics course. 

Within this guide, you will find the goals, components, and features of the online course. Please take time to read and review this information so you understand how to help your learner interact with all the course’s elements. 

The Learning Coach Guide also includes information about each of the units in this course. On each page of unit information, you will discover the following:

• The Unit Overview will tell you what the focus, content, and skills of the unit will be.  
• The Unit Assessment section is a place for you and your learner to preview the graded work in the course. At the start of each unit, work with your learner to look at the unit in Edio and find out which types of graded work are in this unit. Write them in the box and use it as a checklist. You can check off each one as your learner completes it. 
• The Unit Materials section tells you the materials your learner will need to complete the activities in this unit. You will also find the materials list repeated within each lesson, so that your learner has exactly what they need at the right time. 
• The Unit Discussion Questions are optional questions that you may want to ask your learner during the unit to increase home and school connections about what your learner is studying.   
• In the Unit Notables section, you may find optional activities, ideas to help your learners if they get stuck, or safety tips.

CCA wishes you and your learners a terrific school year! 

Supporting Your Learner

Your role as a Learning Coach is very important. Here are a few ways you can help your learner do their very best in the course.

• Help your learner know what time guided or live class instruction is scheduled for, and prompt them to attend sessions or watch recordings.
• Remember, it is okay for your learner to get stuck. Learning new material takes time. Encourage them to take breaks, keep trying, and even ask the teacher for help.
• Help your learner navigate technology. That may mean helping them type information or upload work into Edio.
• Always encourage your learner to do their very best.
• Review the course syllabus for your learner’s course.
• Maintain communication with your learner’s teacher.
• Physics may feel like it requires more from the learners than other courses. Learners need proficiency in both reading comprehension and mathematical comprehension. You may find that your learner needs more practice, review, and support to succeed in all aspects of the course.
• Learners should strive for mastery when possible. Think of athletes and musicians. They practice until they are excellent. Learners should follow that kind of work ethic whenever possible.

Part B:
Course Information

Course Goals

Your learners will be introduced to various physics concepts that will help them better understand the physical world. They will find that their literacy, artistic, and mathematical skills are used in new ways as they progress through the course. Your learner will develop their understanding of physics principles through some inquiry-based investigations. Your learner will be introduced to the physics topics of motion, constant acceleration, forces and Newton’s laws, circular motion, work and energy, momentum and impulse, rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, waves, sound, light, and electricity.

By the end of the course, your learner will be able to:

• understand the principles of classical physics;
• communicate scientifically using models;
• solve word-style problems using the proper formulas;
• extend thinking or guide investigations with scientific questioning;
• plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a scientific question;
• analyze data and evaluate evidence;
• relate concepts from across multiple units to analyze a physical system; and
• create explanations rooted in physics concepts.

Course Format

Lesson Components:

Each day, your learner will spend approximately 50–60 minutes completing a physics lesson. Some days may take less time, while other days may take a little more time. It is common for learners to spend time outside of the scheduled class time completing course reading or studying.

This section will help you to understand how your learner’s course is structured in Edio.

Lesson Bundling:

A lesson bundle is a collection of lessons that stack up to equal one full class period. On some days, learners will see bundles, such as a Knowledge Check and the daily lesson or a combination of a Quiz Review and Quiz. See the example below.

Within the lesson bundles, your learner will interact with different components, some of which will not be used every day.

• Getting Started Lesson: There is one Getting Started lesson in this course. It can be found on Day 1 of Unit 1. This lesson includes important information about the course and contact information for your teacher.
• Unit Overview: Each unit will include a unit overview. This describes what your learner will learn in the unit and how many assessments the unit will have.
• Prep for Success: At the beginning of each unit, your learner will find a Prep for Success. This component offers learners tips to be successful in the course, such as study tips, important software information, safety reminders, and more.
• Knowledge Check: There will be one Knowledge Check in each unit. The Knowledge Check is designed to check prior learning and understanding about key skills and concepts that will be taught in the unit. The Knowledge Check is not a graded assessment.
• Vocabulary: This section includes the lesson objectives and any new and prerequisite vocabulary.
• Lesson: Following the vocabulary instruction, learners will move into their regular science lesson, which will follow the pattern of Engage – Discover – Show.

Lesson Components:

Each lesson has its own components to help guide your learner through the lesson.

• Lesson Overview: At the beginning of every lesson, your learner will see the lesson overview. This section contains lesson objectives, lesson vocabulary, materials your learner will need for the lesson, and the suggested lesson length.
• Engage: The first section of the lesson is Engage. In this section, learners will be introduced to the lesson by making a connection to past and present knowledge and will get ready for the lesson’s instruction.
• Discover: New content and instruction is presented in the Discover section. Your learner will interact with the lesson content through defined vocabulary terms, videos, audio, and Pause and Think activities. Your learner will be able to practice and answer questions as they work through the lesson.
• Show: Learners will demonstrate what they have learned in the lesson through a series of practice questions.
• Optional More to Explore: At the end of some lessons, an Optional More to Explore Activity will appear. The activity will introduce your learner to an extension that includes more information about the day’s lesson topic. Your learner may skip the activity and move directly to the lesson summary.
• Summary: This section recaps the day’s objectives and prepares learners for a future lesson or assessment.

Assignments and Projects Components:

The course includes assignments and lab projects. These graded assessments allow your learner to show what they have learned and apply their new skills. All CCA assignments and projects include these components.

1. Assessment Overview: At the beginning of each assessment, your learner will see the assessment overview. This section contains the goals of the assessment, materials your learner will need, the length of the assessment, and directions for completion.

2. Plan: In the Plan section, your learner will be introduced to the assignment or project. Learners may be provided with a review of content from the previous lessons, strategies for completing the activity, graphic organizers, and grading rubrics.

3. Do: Yourlearner will put their plan into action and work to complete the assignment or project successfully. This section also provides the grading expectations and/or rubric the teacher will use to grade the work.

4. Reflect: In Reflect, your learner will think back to the work they have completed. They will reflect upon the experience and analyze how well they completed the task. These moments of reflection are important and allow learners to think about their learning and their work habits.

Quiz and Test Components:

In addition to assignments and projects, this course also includes quizzes and tests. Be aware that not every unit has a test or a quiz.

• Quiz Review: Before a quiz, your learner will have the opportunity to review the content they will be assessed on in a quiz.
• Quiz: A quiz may be given at the end of a topic or the end of a unit.
• Test Review: Before a test, your learner will have the opportunity to review the content they will be assessed on in the test.
• Test: A test will assess learning across topics or at the end of a unit.

Course Features

This course includes and uses unique features such as:

Science Mini-Labs: The mini-labs can be found in the Engage or Discover sections of some lessons. These short hands-on activities will help your learner engage and connect with the physics content in the course. The mini-labs allow your learner to step away from the computer briefly and experience the phenomenon of physics directly.

Lab Lessons: Your learner will complete ungraded labs during some lessons. These allow your learner to get hands-on experience with a newly learned physics concept.

Lab Projects: Throughout the course, your learner will apply their new knowledge during their Lab Projects. They will have the opportunity to design and implement experiments to achieve a goal related to the new physics content they learned in the unit. As they work through the lab, the learner should take descriptive notes. The Lab Projects will include guidance regarding what to record during the project.

Curriculum Kit: Your learner will receive a box of science supplies, including materials for science labs and hands-on activities throughout the course.  

Physics Notebook: Your learner will receive a Physics Notebook in which they can take notes and reflect on their learning to support the online lesson. Physics Notebooks will be used to collect data during science labs.  

Prerequisite Vocabulary: Prerequisite vocabulary is science vocabulary terms that learners should recall from previous science lessons or science courses. They are included in the notebook glossary to review and reinforce important scientific terms.  

Part C:
Unit Information

Introduction to Physics

Unit Overview

In this unit, your learner will focus on what physics is and how it applies to your future education, jobs, and careers. Modern scientific inquiry will be reviewed so that your learner can apply this to the future units of the course.

Unit Assessments

Quiz _________________________

Test _________________________

Assignment ________________

Project _____________________

Exam _______________________

Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply.

Unit Discussion Questions

Which branches of physics are you curious about?

Which careers using physics interest you the most?

Unit Notables

Your learner will explore many branches of physics and connect them with potential future careers. They will practice the math skills required for solving physics problems, including using metric units and scientific notation.

If your learner expresses an interest in physics, encourage them to research more careers on their own.

Kit Materials

calculator, digital balance, masking tape, Physics Notebook, ruler, yo-yo, reference sheet

Household Materials

paper, pencil, any small household item to measure on the digital scale, vertical wall or large object such as a table or a refrigerator

Unit Overview

In this unit, your learner will focus on what physics is and how it applies to your future education, jobs, and careers. Modern scientific inquiry will be reviewed so that your learner can apply this to the future units of the course.

Unit Assessments

Quiz _________________________

Test _________________________

Assignment ________________

Project _____________________

Exam _______________________

Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply.

Unit Discussion Questions

Which branches of physics are you curious about?

Which careers using physics interest you the most?

Unit Notables

Your learner will explore many branches of physics and connect them with potential future careers. They will practice the math skills required for solving physics problems, including using metric units and scientific notation.

If your learner expresses an interest in physics, encourage them to research more careers on their own.

Kit Materials

calculator, digital balance, masking tape, Physics Notebook, ruler, yo-yo, reference sheet

Household Materials

paper, pencil, any small household item to measure on the digital scale, vertical wall or large object such as a table or a refrigerator

Representing Motion Unit

Unit Overview

In this unit, your learner will begin their physics journey with an exploration of motion starting with speed and velocity. They will be introduced to gathering data, creating meaningful graphs, and interpreting motion graphs.

Unit Assessments

Quiz _________________________

Test _________________________

Assignment ________________

Project _____________________

Exam _______________________

Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply.

Unit Discussion Questions

What was your favorite part of learning about describing motion?

What kinds of careers do you think focus on studying displacement and velocity?

Think about driving a car to a place you have never been before. Why do you need information about both the distance and the displacement to reach this new destination safely?

Unit Notables

The Graphing Motion Application lesson is an ungraded lab. Your learner will move their finger as shown by motion graphs. Encourage your learner to walk in the way shown in the graphs, too.

Remind your learner that the horizontal axis in a motion graph is time and not distance.

Kit Materials

Physics Notebook, ruler

Household Materials

none

Unit Overview

In this unit, your learner will begin their physics journey with an exploration of motion starting with speed and velocity. They will be introduced to gathering data, creating meaningful graphs, and interpreting motion graphs.

Unit Assessments

Quiz _________________________

Test _________________________

Assignment ________________

Project _____________________

Exam _______________________

Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply.

Unit Discussion Questions

What was your favorite part of learning about describing motion?

What kinds of careers do you think focus on studying displacement and velocity?

Think about driving a car to a place you have never been before. Why do you need information about both the distance and the displacement to reach this new destination safely?

Unit Notables

The Graphing Motion Application lesson is an ungraded lab. Your learner will move their finger as shown by motion graphs. Encourage your learner to walk in the way shown in the graphs, too.

Remind your learner that the horizontal axis in a motion graph is time and not distance.

Kit Materials

Physics Notebook, ruler

Household Materials

none

Constant Acceleration Unit

Forces and Newton’s Laws Unit

Circular Motion Unit

Work and Energy Unit

Momentum and Impulse Unit

Rotational Motion Unit

Simple Harmonic Motion Unit

Waves Unit

Sound Unit

Light Unit

Electricity Unit