Physical

Science Course Syllabus

-Drobnich-

Welcome New Students! Im so excited to begin working with you. I am passionate about science and the
learning process. I received my bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Detroit Mercy and
my masters degree in teaching from North Carolina State University. It is important to me as a teacher that
you share your questions and your progress with me as you work through the course because it is your
knowledge and level of understanding that will help me determine the best strategies to use in class.
Contacting the teacher:
Mrs. Lindsey Drobnich


Room: 716
ldrobnich@harnett.k12.nc.us

919-499-5113 ext. 2716


919-762-6424 (Personal: to be used between 8am-8pm)

Tutoring/Office Hours: Mrs. Drobnich provides several opportunities for tutoring. She will provide
tutoring during the SOAR period on Tuesdays and Thursdays and each day after school. Students that wish
to have after school tutoring need to be present in her room by 2:45 pm and working diligently.
Occasionally there are meetings after school that will prevent or delay tutoring availability, so please make
sure to speak with Mrs. Drobnich when making arrangements to come to after school tutoring.

Course Description: Physical Science
This year students will explore the fascinating world of Physical Science, which is the study of matter and
energy. Physical Science is a combination of two branches of science---Chemistry and Physics. Chemistry
is the study of the properties, composition, structure, and interactions of matter. Physics is the study of the
relationship between matter and energy. In this syllabus, you will find an outline of the units and topics
that will be studied throughout the school year. Please note that these topics of study and important
concepts and may be adjusted by the teacher at any time in order to accommodate student learning.

Unit Concepts:
Motion (2 weeks)
o How can the motion of an object be represented, described, and communicated?
Forces (2 weeks)
o What is the relationship between motion and forces?
o How do Newtons Laws attempt to explain the natural world?
Matter (2 weeks)
o How is matter classified?
The Atom & the Period Table (2.5 weeks)
o What properties define an atom or ion and how are those properties communicated?
o What patterns in the properties of the elements contribute to the layout of the periodic
table?
Chemical Bonding and Nomenclature (1.5 weeks)
o How do the properties of elements relate to chemical bonding?
o How does the type of bond affect a molecule or compounds name?
Chemical Reactions (2 weeks)
o What happens to chemical bonds in reactions?
o How does the law of conservation of matter relate to chemical reactions?
Energy (2 weeks)
o What evidence can you observe to know something has energy?
o How is the energy of an object related to its mass, velocity, and height?
o How can energy be transformed from one form to another, but always conserved?

Waves (1 week)
o How is energy transferred by waves?
o How do the properties of waves influence sound and color?
Electricity & Magnetism (2 weeks)
o What kinds of properties affect how electricity behaves?
o What is the connection between electricity and magnetism?

Materials Needed:
Composition Notebook
Glue Sticks
Colored Pencils
Black or Blue Pens
Binder (any size; may be shared with other classes)
Loose-leaf paper
Scientific Calculator (if you see a log button, it will work for us)

Progress Reports & Report Cards: Hard copies will be sent home with students on these dates. Students
may also access their grade at any time on PowerSchool. Grades will be updated weekly. The dates for
progress reports are as follows:


1st 6 Weeks
2nd 6 Weeks
3rd 6 Weeks
Progress Reports
September 14
October 27
December 11
Report Cards
October 5
November 30
January 25



Grading Scale:
Your report card grades will be determined using the following weighting:
40% Unit Assessments: This includes all unit tests and major projects.
30% Independent Practice: This includes all quizzes and labs.
30% Learning Activities: This includes do-now activities, classwork, homework, and exit tickets.
**25% of the final course grade is the final exam

Classroom Expectations:
Behavior: In this classroom, students will acknowledge that respect is the root of all behavior expectations.
As a student and active participant in Mrs. Drobnichs class, you are required to respect
your teacher and peers (classmates or classroom guests)
yourself
your education and school environment.

If classroom expectations are not met, the following steps will be taken:
1st Offense: Classroom Consequence
2nd Offense: Classroom Consequence; Teacher logs incident; Conference with Student
3rd Offense: Classroom Consequence; Contact Parent/Guardian
4th Offense: Classroom Consequence; Conference with Parent/Guardian and administrator
5th Offense: Office Referral

**The teacher will also use her discretion to contact parent as the students needs warrant. Students should expect
conferences in the hallway for both exceptional and poor behavior.