Physics A/B Syllabus

Marina High School

Mr. Zook
This is an outline of the Physics course as taught at Marina High School. Included are appropriate chapters in
Physics, by Serway.

Prerequisite: This course has a strong conceptual base, dealing with the applications of physics in our daily
lives. However, it will deal with mathematical concepts through basic trigonometry and second year algebra.
Students should have completed algebra successfully and be enrolled in geometry or higher to get the
maximum benefit from the course.

I. Motion & Forces IV. Electric and Magnetic Phenomena

A. Linear Motion (Ch. 2/3)
B. Newton’s Laws of Motion (Ch. 4)
II. Conservation of Momentum & Energy
A. Momentum (Ch. 6)
B. Energy (Ch. 5)
III. Heat & Thermodynamics
A. Temperature, Heat & Expansion (Ch. 9)
B. Thermodynamics (Ch. 10)
A. Charges, Fields and Potentials (Ch. 16)
B. Electrical Circuits & Current (Ch. 17/18)
C. Magnetism (Ch. 19)
D. Electromagnetic Induction (Ch. 20)
V. Waves
A. Vibrations & Waves (Ch. 11)
B. Sound & Music (Ch. 12)
C. Light & Color (Ch. 13)
D. Reflection & Refraction (Ch. 13/14)
E. Diffraction & Interference (Ch. 15)

Course Work:

Practice & Application (40%)

Practice consists of bookwork, worksheets, short activities, and other work assigned to allow students
the opportunity to practice their skills. While practice is key to building understanding, much of the work
is self-assessed and completed in a collaborative environment and is weighted lower than other work.

Application work consists of laboratory activities and projects. These assignments often are completed
with other students in pairs or small groups. There is often not a single correct answer for these
assignments and students must demonstrate some level of subject matter mastery to do well.

Traditionally these two categories would account for 15% and 25% of your grade, respectively.

Assessments (60%)

Quizzes
A quiz is a formative assessment used to gauge student progress toward their learning outcomes.
Quizzes are usually administered through the Canvas LMS. Students will be given an initial opportunity
to complete a quiz in class. An additional attempt may be allowed following a conference with the
teacher, and errors are corrected.

Exams/Tests
Unit exams will be given periodically through the course, and a final exam will be administered at the
end of the semester. Exams will be organized around topics learned during a unit and will be used to
assess student progress toward content mastery.
Progress Report Grades
Letter grades will be assigned at the end of a reporting period based on student performance in the work
categories listed above, where the average score across all categories is considered:

A: 90 – 100
B: 80 – 99.9
C: 70 – 79.9
D: 60 – 69.9
F: 0 – 59.9

In-Person Learning
Following a year of mostly distance learning (using Zoom, Meet, etc.), it may be difficult for some students to
find the focus they need to stay on top of their schoolwork. It is an expectation in this class that students will
participate in class discussions, group work, and practice fully while in the classroom. While at home students
may have grown accustomed to “multitasking” during class. This is never encouraged and will not be allowed.

Materials
Students should have
• School-issued Chromebook or laptop for some labs and assessments.
• Notebook of their choosing for notes, example problems, and scratch paper (shared with other class is
OK)
• Calculator (phone calculators not allowed during assessments)

Late Work
It is the teacher’s philosophy that honest mistakes should not be used to decrease a student grade. If work is
completed late it will be assessed at the teacher’s convenience. However, habitually late work may result in a
face-to-face conference for the student so that they can demonstrate their mastery to the teacher.

Expectations
Physics can be a challenging class. While some students can put in minimal effort and still “pass”, those who
want to truly understand the science must put in quite a lot of effort. Students should never hesitate to ask for
additional help if they find that they are struggling. Help sessions will be available every week at selected
times, during lunch, sixth period, and after school. At no point will any student be told they cannot improve their
understanding of physics or their grade in the class. However, as the semester draws to a close, the effort
required to cause these changes increases exponentially. It is the teacher’s expectation that students keep a
watch over their progress and do everything in their power to prevent their understanding from falling behind.

Thank you for reading this syllabus. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact
me via email: tzook@hbuhsd.edu
I respond promptly.

Mr. Zook
Room 216