Phy 2 course description

Assessment Policy and Procedures

All assessments will be managed as per the OSC National Qualifications Framework Handout which includes procedures relating to: late work, absence from an assessment, authenticity, a request for the review of a grade or assessment procedures, breaches of the rules, the derived grade process, special assessment conditions and moderation.

Authenticity

Students sign an Authenticity Statement each year to confirm that ALL assessed work is their own.

Assessments: 

Ø  The 4 credit internal experiment (P2.1) will be inf week 9 of Term 1. 

•  We strongly advise that you learn how to make graphs and get equations of lines with excel. YouTube videos on graphing in excel are available to you. You will have the choice of graphing with a computer or by hand. You may also decide to bring your own computer.

• You will have to do the entire experiment by yourself in a continuous time: starting at 1st period, and having up to 3 hours to complete the entire experiment.

• Thus you will miss a few lessons of other subjects that day.

• It will be your responsibility to make up any work missed in that other subject and to plan accordingly to ensure you attend this assessment.  NZQA rules and regulations apply for absences.

• Because of the nature of this assessment there is no reassessment. But you should be aware that in special circumstances you may have the opportunity for resubmission on small errors at the teacher and teacher in charge’s discretion.

• You will have opportunity to learn what is required to pass, gain Merit or gain Excellence by doing practice experiments in the weeks leading up to the assessment.  It is your responsibility to attempt each practice-run to the best of your ability, using your teacher’s feedback to improve.

Ø  Other assessments:

• All of the 16 credits of external exams will be held in a 3 hour block in the November external exams run by NZQA.

• As well as the assessments listed above you will also sit a 3 hour Term 3 practice theory exam and the occasional unit test throughout the year.

• If you disagree with your assessed work, for any reason, contact your teacher, Mr G Lambert

          Website:

•  Level 2 physics has many webpages with animations, links, the course calendar, extra worksheets, study sheets and exams found in the level 2 Google Classroom

•  It is strongly suggested that you make yourself familiar with accessing google classroom from school and home.

• We strongly advise all students to get a digital copy of files. If you supply a memory stick your teacher will copy/paste a folder containing at least 148Mb of L3PHY study material

•  If you have any trouble with internet access, tell your teacher immediately

        Text Books/workbooks: 

•  you are strongly advised to purchase from the physics department the workbook needed for the year, Its a write on book that will assist your learning.

• You may be issued the textbook if you don’t own one:  NCEA Physics Level 2, Year 12(Pauline Bendall) ($40 if not returned in December after the external exam)

        Homework:

• This year your homework will be the bare minimum amount of time per week to keep up with Level 3 Physics homework is 3 hours per week.  

• Each block of content will have homework assignments drawn from the textbook as well as handouts.

• All homework questions from these handout question-sets and specific questions out of your textbook are to be done in a 1B8 exercise book. This book will be turned in occasionally. 

• In your homework exercise book you should do the following:

• Show your work and check your answers along the way.

• Keep a running tally of how much time you are spending on each set of questions.

• When you make mistakes you should use the answers, textbook, your class notes, other students, your tutor or teacher to figure out why you made your mistake.  Then write a comment about why you made that mistake after your wrong answer. Then do that problem’s answer again. 

• Your comments, tally of time spent and completion rate will be checked by your teacher and will be the basis of your homework feedback.

NCEA Reassessment: 

Ø  As explained above: because of the nature of the internally assessed experiment and the internal test on modern physics being done last year there will not be reassessment opportunities. 

Ø  You will have multiple chances to practice the material and skills and receive feedback before each assessment.

         In the Science department classes, in addition to the health and safety guidelines, there are expectations about your self-management               and how you work with your peers.

        Self-management means:

• Being honest with yourself and having realistic expectations of what you can and should achieve.

• Being organised, punctual and applying yourself to tasks.

• Taking a positive approach to your learning and treating yourself, your peers, staff and resources with respect.

• Not sitting back while others do the work. You should not be a passenger in your learning.

• Being willing to achieve your potential and not being afraid of getting an answer wrong. 

• Recognising that you can and do learn from your mistakes.

       To help you and your peers to achieve your potential we ask that you show respect for others.

       You can do this by:

• Not hassling or putting others down.

• Listen carefully to others when they are talking.

• Considering other ideas (it’s not just about what you think).

• Being willing to disagree, but when you do be respectful of others and their ideas.

• Be willing to build on the ideas of others.

       Guidelines for Level 3 Physics Homework Hand-outs

•  These hand-outs, along with a short list of questions from your textbook, are considered the essential work to ensure you understand the material. 

• Only with practice outside of lessons will you ensure you understand the material and get marks that you deserve.

• Below are instructions and indications on how your homework book will be marked 

• My advice:

• Spend quality time on homework every 3 days at least.

• Check your answers as you go with the supplied answer sets.

• Do all of your homework in a single exercise book:

• All hand-outs should be glued in to your homework exercise book.

• All of your work from the hand-outs or textbook should be clearly titled in your exercise book.

• Show your work, including multiple steps when needed.

•  When you get stuck, and you will, look for help in:

• Google Classroom.

• Your class notes

• Your textbook’s examples or notes

• Other students

• If all else fails: ask your teacher!

•  When you make mistakes, and you will, don’t twink or scratch them out.

• Read the answer and question carefully and find out WHY you made your mistake.

• Make a comment in your homework exercise book (highlighted or circled) as to WHY you made your mistake.

• Then work through the correct answer.

        For mathematical mistakes comments could involve:

• not including unit changes

• not understanding values given or implied

• choosing the wrong formula for the given situation.

• algebraic rearrangement of equation

• calculation errors 

      For descriptive mistakes comments could involve:

• not including / understanding the corner-stone idea

• not including details in the answer that you know

• misunderstanding the relationship or concept

• misunderstanding the question