AP Physics 1 (Sem 1) is an introductory college-level physics course designed to simulate the rigor and skills needed for a first year college course. The course is algebra based and the topics of study include Newtonian mechanics, work, energy, mechanical waves, sound, and simple circuits. This course also has a laboratory requirement which will be met with hands-on labs along with online simulations. The labs will be inquiry-based to provide students the opportunity to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills along with applying the science practices. This course does not include the AP exam; students can contact their school’s AP coordinator or guidance counselor to sign up for the exam. In order to maintain the integrity of AP standards, all AP course midterm and final exams must be proctored. Prerequisites: Geometry and completed or concurrent enrollment in Algebra II.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:
- Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems
- Use mathematics appropriately
- Use scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigation within the context of the AP course
- Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question
- Analyze data and evaluate evidence
Course Outline:
Unit 1: One Dimensional Kinematics
Unit 2: Two Dimensional Kinematics
Unit 3: Newton’s First Law and Equilibrium
Unit 4: Newton’s Second Law and Acceleration
Unit 5: Newton’s Third Law and Two Mass Systems
Unit 6: Work and Conservation of Energy
Resources Included: College Physics for AP Courses by Anderson, David, Nathan Czuba, Erika Gasper, et al., (2015). OpenStax.org. ISBN: 978-1-938168-93-2. The content of this eTextbook is provided directly within the lessons contained in the course. When the lesson includes instructions to read particular passages of the textbook, then you will find a link to those passages within the lesson instructions. Throughout this course we will use the free, open textbook "College Physics for AP Courses" from OpenStax.
Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Web Browser must permit the launch of Web Start or Applet Java applications in order to view some content within this course.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: The official course descriptions for Advanced Placement courses and information about their exams are located on the College Board site at a http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/descriptions/index.html.
Michigan Virtual prepares students in AP courses for the AP exam, but does not offer the exam test itself. It is the responsibility of the school or parent to register for a local administration of the AP exam.
There are required due dates in AP courses. The pacing of due dates in AP courses aligns to the completion of all lessons and required assignments and assessments prior to the national AP exam date related to this course title. The calendar of AP exam dates is published by the College Board (Exam Calendar).