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Students learn about rainshadow/orographic effect by making observations of mountain range and ocean location, direction of prevailing winds, and vegetation on each side of the mountain range in a region that exhibits rainshadow effect. Students then collect temperature and rainfall data from the same region and write an explanation for the climate categories found in the region investigated during the explore phase. Students apply their understanding of the processes that drive by rainshadow effect by explaining why large lakes located in cold climate regions can cause lake snow effect.

Students learn about apparent pathway of the sun by making observations from a simulator depicting the apparent pathway of the sun and creating a diagram that they use to explain why Longyearbyen, Norway goes months without daylight. Students extend their thinking about apparent pathway of the sun and angle of insolation by creating a diagrammatic model of a solar panel that would optimally harness the energy from the Sun.

This Core Resource focuses on the relationship between position and velocity. Students learn to create position-time and velocity-time graphs. Velocity is defined as the slope on the position-time graph. The idea is developed from an experiment with toy cars and student discussion of their results. Finally, students practice using multiple representations and using graphs to create arguments.

This Core Resource focuses on the definition of force as an interaction between two objects. It introduces three new diagrams: Free Body Diagrams (FBDs), System Schemas (or Interaction Diagrams), and Force Vector Addition Diagrams (VADs). Students also do two quantitative experiments, finding relationships for gravitational force (Fg=mg) and for spring force (Hooke’s Law).

This Core Resource focuses on situations of unbalanced force in which the velocity of an object changes. Acceleration is defined as the slope of the velocity-time graph. Students use their intuition for changing motion to relate the direction of the velocity, acceleration, and unbalanced force for various experimental situations.  Students practice translating between graphical, verbal, and mathematical descriptions of accelerated motion, and principles of accelerated problem solving are introduced.

This Core Resource focuses on developing the idea of a force as an interaction between two objects. Through lab experiences students find that the interaction is always the same size but in opposite directions. Representing such situations requires using pairs of force diagrams, reinforcing previous studies of force.

This Core Resource focuses on the relationships between slopes and areas on kinematics graphs. Students formulate a quantitative way to figure out displacement using a velocity-time graph once they realize that they cannot simply multiply values together when a car is accelerating. After formalizing the idea, they deploy it to solve problems and finish the unit with a lab practicum that ties together forces and kinematics problem solving.

In this plan, students explore the notion that all living things are made of cells. This, again, is appropriate moment to address the underlying connections to the history of life on Earth.