Mr. Hart
Welcome to 8th Grade Physical Science! I am very excited to begin my first year teaching at Porter. While I am new to Porter, I am not new to teaching. I taught 6th through 8th Grade Science in Alexandria, KY the past two years. I have lived in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio area for over 17 years. During that time I graduated from Northern Kentucky University with my B.A. in History and Electronic Media and Broadcasting and my M.A. in Teaching. I moved to Virginia not only to teach at Porter but also to start my PhD in International Education at George Mason University.
Course Description
8th grade science is about the concepts of chemistry and physics. We as a class will be investigating the nature of universal laws and theories. The course is heavy with vocabulary concepts and laboratory practices. The primary factor within physical science is the atom and its interactions with energy. Students will also learn the concepts of: gravity, temperature, pressure, light, sound, thermodynamics, acceleration, forces, Newton's Laws, and a host of other interesting and universal concepts that are life changing insights for a student’s scientific education and high school success.
Course Overview
Below is the chronological list of topics we will cover in this class.
- Science Process Skills and the Nature of Science
- The Nature of Matter
- Structure and Organization of Matter
- Forms of Energy and Energy Transformations
- Sound
- Light
- Work, Force, and Motion
- Electricity and Magnetism
Assessments
As we go through this course you will be evaluated on your understanding of the content as well as your ability to demonstrate the science skills we will learn this year. This will be done through a variety of assessments.
Lab Activities
We will spend a lot of time investigating the main concepts of physical science. The best way to do this is through lab activities that will allow you to interact with the material as well as demonstrate your science process skills. With school being online for part of the year these lab activities may look a little different. There will be a combination of hands on activities that you can do at home as well as lab demonstrations done by Mr. Hart that you may be required to observe and collect data from. Specific lab safety instructions will be reviewed in class and on Canvas and a safety contract will need to be signed. If you are unable to participate in a lab activity, an alternative activity will be provided.
Formative Assessments
Throughout each class period students will participate in a variety of assignments that will allow students to hone their skills and demonstrate their knowledge. This will include discussion board posts, games, quiz quizzes, thinking maps etc. These assignments will help form students scientific knowledge.
Summative Assessments
Upon completion of a unit we will participate in a final assessment to allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills as they relate to the standards. This may come in the form of a test or project.
Credits:
Created with an image by Fractal Hassan - "There are days I’m wandering around campus at the University of Florida looking for things to photograph. I happened to be in the New Physics building at night (during an event), where there’s a large plasma globe on display. Having a phone that can do long/custom exposure and manual control over focal length, I took a few random shots of it. Honestly there isn’t anything special about this particular photo, but I think it looks cool. ESPECIALLY if you live on a college campus or big city, there’s never an end of things to photograph. It’s not about the camera, it’s about the framing/lighting!"