SPH4U COURSE OUTLINE

Course Title: Physics

Grade: 12

Ministry Course Code: SPH4U

Course Type: University

Credit Value: 1.00

Course Hours: 110

Department: Science

Revision Date: N/A

Policy Document: Physics, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12, 2008 (Revised)

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/2009science11_12.pdf

Domestic Student Price: $550
International Student Price: $799

Add to Cart

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course enables students to deepen their understanding of physics concepts and theories. Students will continue their exploration of energy transformations and the forces that affect motion, and will investigate electrical, gravitational, and magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation. Students will also explore the wave nature of light, quantum mechanics, and special relativity. They will further develop their scientific investigation skills, learning, for example, how to analyse, qualitatively and quantitatively, data related to a variety of physics concepts and principles. Students will also consider the impact of technological applications of physics on society and the environment.

OVERALL EXPECTATIONS

Scientific Investigation Skills & Career Exploration

By the end of this course, students will:

A1. demonstrate scientific investigation skills (related to both inquiry and research) in the four areas of skills (initiating and planning, performing and recording, analysing and interpreting, and communicating);

A2. identify and describe careers related to the fields of science under study, and describe the contributions of scientists, including Canadians, to those fields.

Dynamics

By the end of this course, students will:

B1. analyse technological devices that apply the principles of the dynamics of motion, and assess the technologies’ social and environmental impact;

B2. investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, forces involved in uniform circular motion and motion in a plane, and solve related problems;

B3. demonstrateanunderstandingoftheforcesinvolvedinuniformcircularmotionandmotioninaplane.

Energy & Momentum

By the end of this course, students will:

c1. analyse, and propose ways to improve, technologies or procedures that apply principles related to energy and momentum, and assess the social and environmental impact of these technologies or procedures;

c2. investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, through laboratory inquiry or computer simulation, the relationship between the laws of conservation of energy and conservation of momentum, and solve related problems;

c3. Demonstrate an understanding of work, energy, momentum, and the laws of conservation of energy and conservation of momentum, in one and two dimensions.

Gravitational, Electric & Magnetic Fields

By the end of this course, students will:

d1. analyse the operation of technologies that use gravitational, electric, or magnetic fields, and assess the technologies’ social and environmental impact;

d2. investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields, and solve related problems;

d3. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, properties, principles, and laws related to gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields and their interactions with matter.

The Wave Nature of Light:

By the end of this course, students will:

e1. analyse technologies that use the wave nature of light, and assess their impact on society and the environment;

e2. investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, the properties of waves and light, and solve related problems;

e3. demonstrate an understanding of the properties of waves and light in relation to diffraction, refraction, interference, and polarization.

OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT

TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

A variety of teaching and learning strategies are used to allow students many opportunities to attain the necessary skills for success in this course and in future studies. In all activities, consideration will be taken to ensure that individual students’ multiple intelligences and learning strengths are addressed through the use of varied and multiple activities in each lesson.

STRATEGIES FOR ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Assessment and evaluation is based on the Ministry of Education’s Growing Success policy document, which articulates the Ministry’s vision for how assessment and evaluation is practiced in Ontario schools.

Growing Success describes the three assessment types as follows:

Assessment as Learning: focuses on the explicit fostering of students’ capacity over time to be their own best assessors, but teachers need to start by presenting and modelling external, structured opportunities for students to assess themselves.
Assessment for Learning: the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there.
Assessment of Learning: the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning.

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

EVALUATION SCHEME

A final grade (percentage mark) is calculated at the end of the course and reflects the quality of the student’s achievement of the overall expectations of the course, in accordance with the provincial curriculum.

The final grade will be determined as follows:

Seventy percent (70%) of the grade will be based on evaluation conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
Thirty percent (30%) of the grade will be based on a final evaluation administered at or towards the end of the course. This evaluation will be based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay, and/or another method of evaluation suitable to the course content. The final evaluation allows the student an opportunity to demonstrate comprehensive achievement of the overall expectations for the course.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is a serious offense. It is defined as taking words, phrasing, sentence structure, or any other element of the expression of another person’s ideas, and using them as if they were your own. Plagiarism is a violation of another person’s rights, whether the material taken is great or small.Students will be assisted in developing strategies and techniques to avoid plagiarism. They need to be aware that plagiarized term work will be penalized and could result in a mark of zero.