Physics AB Course of Study. Publication No. SC-953.

This course of study is aligned with the California State Science Framework and provides students with the physics content needed to become scientifically and technologically literate and prepared for post-secondary science education. Framework themes incorporated into the course of study include patterns of change, evolution, energy, stability, systems and interaction, and scale and structure. The course of study is divided into four sections. The first section provides an overview of the course and includes a course description, representative objectives, a time line, and the sequence of instructional units. The second section presents the course's five instructional units and enumerates the required concepts and skills to be taught. The first unit on mechanics is covered in the first semester. The four units for the second semester include heat and thermodynamics; electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetism; light and optics; and modern physics. The third section on lesson planning discusses various teaching strategies that foster scientific ways of thinking and encourage student creativity and curiosity. Five sample lesson plans identifying specific objectives, instructional activities, practice formats, individual learner differences, and evaluation methods are provided. Twenty-six experiments concerning concepts covered in the five units are included. The fourth section contains three appendices: a list of 37 resources; a list of the standards for Physical Science from the "Model Curriculum Standards, Grades Nine through Twelve"; and a statement on physics preparation expected of entering freshman in the State of California. (MDH)