The General Education Learning Outcomes pertinent to this course, including the

essential capacities and general education natural science goals are listed at the end of the syllabus.

The course is divided into 5 units.

Unit SE: Developing a Model for Static Electricity

Unit WS: Mechanical Waves and Sound

Unit L: Light and Color

Unit PC: Physical Changes

Unit CR: Chemical Reactions

In Unit SE: Developing a Model for Static Electricity we will develop a model that can be used to successfully explain many different observations involving static electricity. We   will learn how models are proposed, tested and modified based on evidence.

In Unit WS: Mechanical Waves and Sound you will be introduced to a wave model that will help us learn about the properties of (mechanical) waves in one dimension (waves along a string),two dimensions (water waves), and three dimensions (sound waves).   We will investigate some of the properties of different types of waves and how we can  understand them.

In Unit L: Light and Color, we will learn about a common model of light to study the phenomena: shadows and pinholes, reflection and refraction of light, and color.

In Unit PC: Physical Changes, we will learn about the small particle theory of matter and the relationships between pressure, volume, temperature, and the amount of gas. We     will review different states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases) and changes of state of   matter.

In our final unit, Unit CR: Chemical Reactions, we will be looking at processes where

the ending materials are different from the starting materials. We will explain these

processes, called chemical reactions, in terms of the small particle theory. It is likely that in your previous study of science you learned that all materials consist of atoms and that atoms can combine to form molecules or formula units. We will use this learning as we    look at types of matter (elements, mixtures, and compounds), physical changes versus   chemical reactions, and conservation of mass. We will look at the atomic model as a

basis for organizing the periodic table.

Outcomes: After successfully finishing this course:

1.  You will be able to develop, revise, and apply a model to explain different

observations involving electricity. [Assessment via online quizzes, discussions, a midterm and part of the final exam.]

2.  You will be able to describe with evidence properties of different types of

mechanical waves. [Assessment via online quizzes, discussions, a midterm and part of the final exam.]

3.  You will be able to apply a light ray model to describe and explain various

light-related phenomena involving the straight-line motion, reflection, and refraction of light. You will also be able to use simple models for color addition and subtraction to explain various color phenomena. [Assessment via online quizzes, discussions, a midterm and part of the final exam.]

4.  You will be able to apply the Small Particle Theory of Matter to explain the physical properties of gasses, liquids and solids, and changes in state.

[Assessment via online quizzes, discussions, a midterm and part of the final exam.]

5.  You will be able to explain chemical reactions in terms of the small particle theory of matter. [Assessment via online quizzes, discussions, a midterm and part of the final exam.]

COURSE SCHEDULE

During in class instruction, you will be expected to share your thinking regarding science ideas, develop models of science ideas and complete workbook activities. Between classes, there will be online simulations, quizzes, and discussion threads to complete. For additional support, attend scheduled office hours or make an appointment with the professor.

*Please note that we will not have class on Labor Day (September 4, 2023) or during Thanksgiving Week (November 20, 2023).

GRADING POLICIES

TENTATIVE GRADING SCALE:

PARTICIPATION POINTS

You are expected to participate in the online class discussions related to each weeks’    assignment. These questions will be given out during class and will not be posted on Canvas.

STRUCTURE OF THE EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

There will be extension activities associated with many lessons, and each will be

available on the Next Gen PET (LC) Student Resources website and linked to in

Canvas. Each extension activity on the website (labeled, for example, UM Ext A) will

guide you through some material to read, perhaps some movies to view, and a series of questions to answer. You will receive feedback on your answers, but your answers will   not be graded. After you work through the extension activity you then need to take a

quiz. The quiz will be available in Canvas (labeled, for example, UM Ext A Quiz). In the quiz document you will be asked a few questions (usually between 2 and 5) relevant to the content of the extension activity, and your answers will be graded and reported via  the Canvas grade book. When answering the quiz questions you should keep the extension activity document open in a separate window in case you wish to go back and review something you had learned. To receive credit for the extension activity

quizzes, you must complete all the extensions/quizzes assigned for the week by Saturday at 11:59 pm. After 11:59 PM, you will no longer have access to the extension activity quizzes.  You can still read through the extension activity document on the student resources site, but cannot submit your answers to the quiz questions and cannot receive any credit. Please keep in mind that the extensions and quizzes are very important in order for you to know whether you understand the material. Plan to schedule at least 1 hour outside of class for each assigned Extension activity.

MIDTERMS AND FINAL EXAM:

There will be two midterms during the semester. Each midterm will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions, will be worth 50 points, and will take approximately 40 minutes to complete. There will be regular weekly assignments during the weeks of the midterms. The final exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions, and will be worth 100 points. It will cover the material from the entire semester.

RESEARCH/DESIGN PROJECT:

During the semester you will be assigned a research or engineering design project. Information and due dates will be provided in class and posted on Canvas.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

Natural Science 100 counts as a general education Explorations course for liberal studies students.  Below are brief descriptions of how the course meets the appropriate Essential Capacities and specific Goals for science courses.

Essential Capacities

1. Construct, analyze, and communicate arguments

Most of your class and homework time will be spent analyzing various situations

involving physical phenomena in order to make predictions, collect data and draw

conclusions, and develop, test and revise models. You will also be sharing some of your ideas with other group members and other students in the class, as well as listening to   and critiquing their ideas.  You will also practice constructing your own explanations and evaluating the explanations of other students during extended homework assignments.

In science,the process of argumentation involves making claims about physical phenomena or some experimental conclusion, then using evidence and logical   reasoning to support those claims.  You will be engaged in these argumentation practices both during class and for homework.

2. Apply theoretical models to the real world

In this class, you will develop several models that will help you make sense of

phenomena; for example, models that account for the relationship between forces and   motion, and models that can explain phenomena involving magnetism.  In most cases    you will start with initial models that explain a limited set of phenomena and then as you explore additional phenomena you will revise your models accordingly.

3. Illustrate relevance of concepts across boundaries

In science, laws and theories usually have validity across a very wide range of contexts, both in space and time—and that is one reason why they are so useful in helping us

understand the physical world.  In this course you will learn about, or participate in

developing, several models, theories and laws, and will be able to apply them in a wide variety of contexts, including both macroscopic (directly observable) and microscopic    (not directly observable).

Goals for GE Courses in the Natural Sciences

Goal 1: Explain basic concepts and theories of the natural sciences.

This course will focus on helping you understand and explain phenomena by applying scientific laws and theories and develop models to help explain phenomena involving  motion, changes in motion, forces, waves.

Goal 2: Use logic and scientific methods to analyze the natural world and solve problems.

You will spend class time observing movies of natural phenomena, carrying out

experiments with simple materials and running computer simulations, and then will use that evidence,along with logical reasoning, to explain and make sense of the

phenomena.  You will also use logical reasoning to apply ideas developed in class to

make predictions about new situations.  Finally, you will construct your own

explanations of physical phenomena and evaluate the explanations written by other students.

Goal 3:  Argue from multiple perspectives about issues in natural science that have personal and global relevance.

Using the ideas developed during class and homework, you will be able to explain and make predictions about everyday phenomena; e.g., simple household electric circuits,  color effects, changes in the motion of objects, attractions between statically charged   objects, magnetic effects, etc.

Goal 4: Use technology in laboratory and field situations to connect concepts and theories with real-world phenomena.

Even though the course is taught in a large room setting, you will carry out hands-on experiments to explore various situations, as well as observe movies of some

demonstrations and laboratory experiments.  You will work with computer simulations, mainly as part of homework to model various real-world phenomena and to help

construct models that can explain that phenomena.

COMMUNICATION