Lesson plan for College Physics by Knight

[regentrude]

What I've been asking them to do is to read the chapter and take notes on it. (In particular I want them to take note of the Tactics Boxes and work the related sample problems.) Then I have assigned the problems from your syllabus in Mastering Physics, along with the tutorials for that section that are in Mastering Physics. I'm also asking them to do the workbook practice as they go through each section (ie, read 2.1; do 2.1 in the workbook; read 2.2, do 2.2 in the workbook). Now that I write this, it seems that I'm asking them to demonstrate understanding of the material 2-3 different times. At some point, perhaps this becomes make work.

 

I would definitely NOT assign the whole section in the workbook! The problems are of varying quality; some are great for enhancing understanding, some are not. If you need to cut out something, I'd cut the workbook.

 

The biggest problem at the moment is that almost everything seems to have take a back seat to Latin and our coop literature course. (Which isn't really where I want the emphasis of our school to be, but as ever the outside course with the hard and fast deadlines looms weightier than anything that seems flexible.)

 

We have the same issue; this semester, DD was taking two very heavy university courses, and almost nothing else got done - but at least that's two rigorous credits completed, and I don't feel bad about it. We will fit the rest in. Now, "fitting in" physics is harder than "fitting in" literature or history, because you need the continuity.

 

I would not compromise on anything in the first few chapters, because kinematics and forces are essential foundations; a thorough understanding of these topics will be required at other points in the course. I see several possibilities:

1. You could stretch the whole physics course over two years and do "Physics 1" and "Physics 2". I would only do this if my students were particularly interested in physics. In that case, I'd make sure to cover all of Modern because that's the cool stuff.

2. Do as much as you can, until you have enough hours to award a credit and don't worry about finishing the book; it is more important that the things they learn are understood thoroughly.

3. Select topics which you will cover only in a survey manner; for those, you would assign reading only, but no problems.

 

One topic you could leave out completely are RC circuits. Definitely not essential for a high school course, and not a prerequisite for anything they will be learning thereafter. Faraday's Law and induction are important from a conceptual point of view (applications, electro motor, generator) - but the problem solving is not that important on a high school level.

 

Let me know if I can help in any way.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I would definitely NOT assign the whole section in the workbook! The problems are of varying quality; some are great for enhancing understanding, some are not. If you need to cut out something, I'd cut the workbook.

 

 

 

We have the same issue; this semester, DD was taking two very heavy university courses, and almost nothing else got done - but at least that's two rigorous credits completed, and I don't feel bad about it. We will fit the rest in. Now, "fitting in" physics is harder than "fitting in" literature or history, because you need the continuity.

 

I would not compromise on anything in the first few chapters, because kinematics and forces are essential foundations; a thorough understanding of these topics will be required at other points in the course. I see several possibilities:

1. You could stretch the whole physics course over two years and do "Physics 1" and "Physics 2". I would only do this if my students were particularly interested in physics. In that case, I'd make sure to cover all of Modern because that's the cool stuff.

2. Do as much as you can, until you have enough hours to award a credit and don't worry about finishing the book; it is more important that the things they learn are understood thoroughly.

3. Select topics which you will cover only in a survey manner; for those, you would assign reading only, but no problems.

 

One topic you could leave out completely are RC circuits. Definitely not essential for a high school course, and not a prerequisite for anything they will be learning thereafter. Faraday's Law and induction are important from a conceptual point of view (applications, electro motor, generator) - but the problem solving is not that important on a high school level.

 

Let me know if I can help in any way.

 

 

Thanks for the ideas and the encouragement. I also need to remember that I want them to have basic level understanding of physics; sometimes I have trouble teasing out what that really means. I do totally agree with the idea that the first few chapters ought not be rushed. Especially since they may be seeing something like significant figures or vectors for the first time in these chapters.

 

I do expect that at least my oldest will do another physics course senior year. He has a lot of interest in the topic. I need to keep in mind that if I can get him to a certain level of proficiency, he'll be much better equipped to self-study later.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. I've been lurking this topic all summer and fall. We are working on the same course/text and I appreciate all the information, assistance, and insight you've all been giving.

 

Thanks!!

[lewelma]

I am resurrecting this thread because I have finally decided to use Knight (over Giancoli). I have spent the last 2 hours with a PDF of Knight and a hard copy of Giancoli doing a side-by-side comparison by topic of both. I prefer Knight because I think it uses graphs and images more effectively to explain the concepts. However, I still have a few concerns and questions:

 

1) I have read reviews on Amazon that the Student Solutions Manual contains fewer than half the problems and that the solutions are not very clear. Is this true for the Instructor's Solutions manual? The solutions are critical to me using Knight. If they are not good and complete, I will have to go with Giancoli.

 

2) I don't need an instructors guide, I only need solutions. I see on the Pearson site that you can download the instructor's solution manual.

Is it free? Do I have to order on Pearson to get the instructor's resources? So if I bought a second hand book, I wouldn't have access?

 

3) Regentrude, I have downloaded all of your resources. Thank you so much! I see that for the second semester class you list homework from the 2nd edition. Are the homework question numbers from the first semester class also from the 2nd edition?

 

4) Can I skip the workbook? My son does better with a single book for each subject, so just wondering if there was anything special about the workbook that I cannot find in the textbook?

 

Thanks!

 

Ruth in NZ

[regentrude]

1) I have read reviews on Amazon that the Student Solutions Manual contains fewer than half the problems and that the solutions are not very clear. Is this true for the Instructor's Solutions manual? The solutions are critical to me using Knight. If they are not good and complete, I will have to go with Giancoli.

 

I can not answer this question, as I have not seen the student solution manual.

I would have no problem with there being only half the problems (as is typical for student solution manuals), since you do not need to assign all the problems anyway.

 

2) I don't need an instructors guide, I only need solutions. I see on the Pearson site that you can download the instructor's solution manual.

Is it free? Do I have to order on Pearson to get the instructor's resources? So if I bought a second hand book, I wouldn't have access?

 

You might want to ask Sebastian, who has been successful in obtaining access to the instructor resources through Pearsons.

 

Are you familiar with cheating sites like Chegg (formerly cramster)? They have all homework solutions for all major textbooks available online, for a subscription fee. I dislike these sites because students use them to copy, but they may be helpful for an independent learner for checking his work and help when getting stuck.

While in the past I had occasionally seen wrong solutions, it seems that now many of the solutions are copied verbatim from the solution manuals.

 

 

3) Regentrude, I have downloaded all of your resources. Thank you so much! I see that for the second semester class you list homework from the 2nd edition. Are the homework question numbers from the first semester class also from the 2nd edition?

 

The problems in the 1st semester refer to the 2nd edition. If you want to use the 1st one, I'll be happy to see if I can correlate those numbers to 1st edition. (I listed both in my 2nd semester syllabus because the bookstore had screwed up and we ended up working with two editions in parallel)

 

4) Can I skip the workbook? My son does better with a single book for each subject, so just wondering if there was anything special about the workbook that I cannot find in the textbook?

 

The workbook contains conceptual questions, often with graphing practice, and I highly recommend it. There are a few conceptual questions at the end of each chapter, but I found the ones in the workbook superior and more plentiful. The 2nd edition workbook has more and better problems and I prefer it over the 1st edition (no preference for the textbook which has been largely unaltered). I use the workbook once per week or once in two weeks for conceptual practice and discussion. It is not absolutely essential, but supplements the book in a nice way without actually doubling the book's content.

The workbook also has blank templates for problem solving for different categories (i.e. kinematics problems, force problems etc) that might be helpful for guiding the student in setting up the problems from the book. I do not use them, but could imagine that they might be helpful for a student who does not have an instructor model problem solving on the board every day.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I am resurrecting this thread because I have finally decided to use Knight (over Giancoli). I have spent the last 2 hours with a PDF of Knight and a hard copy of Giancoli doing a side-by-side comparison by topic of both. I prefer Knight because I think it uses graphs and images more effectively to explain the concepts. However, I still have a few concerns and questions:

 

1) I have read reviews on Amazon that the Student Solutions Manual contains fewer than half the problems and that the solutions are not very clear. Is this true for the Instructor's Solutions manual? The solutions are critical to me using Knight. If they are not good and complete, I will have to go with Giancoli.

 

2) I don't need an instructors guide, I only need solutions. I see on the Pearson site that you can download the instructor's solution manual.

Is it free? Do I have to order on Pearson to get the instructor's resources? So if I bought a second hand book, I wouldn't have access?

 

3) Regentrude, I have downloaded all of your resources. Thank you so much! I see that for the second semester class you list homework from the 2nd edition. Are the homework question numbers from the first semester class also from the 2nd edition?

 

4) Can I skip the workbook? My son does better with a single book for each subject, so just wondering if there was anything special about the workbook that I cannot find in the textbook?

 

Thanks!

 

Ruth in NZ

 

Ruth,

 

I went through the process to register as a homeschooler with Pearson in order to get access to instructor material. What I ended up doing was buying the Instructor Resource DVD (it's really a DVD disk with files loaded, including powerpoint slides of lecture materials) and the AP College Physics book with 6 years of Mastering Physics access. Pearson high school site here.

 

What was on the Instructor Resource DVD was the powerpoint slides and links to Workbook and Textbook problem solution sets. I had to follow the links and log in as a teacher in order to get to the solutions. They were in a .pdf file that I downloaded to my computer.

 

The solutions to the textbook problems are more than just an answer and less than a step by step working of the problem (for example, there aren't free body diagrams. There are 2-3 solutions per page typed up. The workbook solutions are a little more complete. They are handwritten solutions done on the workbook pages. If diagrams or graphs were required, they are included.

 

I think it might have been possible to buy just the Instructor Resource DVD or to buy the Student Text and then request the access to the instructor solutions. There was a link to the solution sets on the Pearson Higher Ed site. (The Pearson School site is for K-12, while the Higher Ed site is for colleges. Knight Jones is listed on both sites, since it is a possible AP text.) Unfortunately it looks like the Higher Ed site has been substantially revised since I did this last year. You may need to register to get the access to the catalog of books now.

 

Be patient and persistent. It took several tries to get everything I needed. However, my neighbor had also bought the physics materials as well as Human Geography books. She told me she'd recently gone through Pearson again for books she was using this fall and had it go much smoother. So maybe they finally have their system where they can see people's registrations easily. Most of the customer service reps were nice and tried to be helpful. It was just a matter of several overlapping but not connected systems.

[lewelma]

Thanks, both of you. I really appreciate your detailed answers.

 

Regentrude, we will use the 2nd edition, but thanks for the offer of translating the problem set to the 1st edition. Also, I am happy to buy the workbook knowing it is worth it.

 

Sebastian, is Mastering Physics worth it? My ds has always been a book learner, so I'm not sure he would love an internet resource unless it was pretty amazing.

 

Thanks,

 

Ruth in NZ

[regentrude]

Regentrude, we will use the 2nd edition,

 

 

May I ask why, since this is so much more expensive? (There really are only minimal differences between 1st and 2nd.)

[lewelma]

May I ask why, since this is so much more expensive? (There really are only minimal differences between 1st and 2nd.)

 

 

I was assuming that the instructor resources, specifically the pdf files of the solutions on the Pearsons site, would be mapped to the 2nd edition. Also, I would need to do the research, but sometimes it is more difficult to gain access to the instructor's resources for free if you have not purchased through the vendor, and they usually only sell the newest edition.

 

*If* I can get the solutions for the 1st edition, I would be happy to buy it. And would be very appreciative at that point for you to spend the time to map the questions to the 1st edition.

 

thanks!

[regentrude]

I was assuming that the instructor resources, specifically the pdf files of the solutions on the Pearsons site, would be mapped to the 2nd edition. Also, I would need to do the research, but sometimes it is more difficult to gain access to the instructor's resources for free if you have not purchased through the vendor, and they usually only sell the newest edition.

 

*If* I can get the solutions for the 1st edition, I would be happy to buy it. And would be very appreciative at that point for you to spend the time to map the questions to the 1st edition.

 

 

The solution manual for the 2nd edition would work just fine for the first edition, since most problems are in both books, just with slightly different numbers (often just shifted by 2 or 3) (Edited for clarification: I am talking about the number of the problem, not the numbers used IN the problem- those are unchanged.). It would actually be quite apparent which problem in your book belongs to which solution in the solution book, and I will also be happy to translate the numbers from my schedule to 1st edition. So, if they do sell you the instructor manual for the 2nd edition without requiring you to purchase a new book, you can work just as well with a used copy of the 1st edition and save a few hundred dollars.

 

I'd still get the 2nd edition of the workbook, it has more and better problems. You can buy those used; many of my students take care not to write into their workbook so they can resell it. (And if stuff is written in, it is not that big of a deal - just don't believe anything the previous owner wrote, LOL.)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

The solution manual for the 2nd edition would work just fine for the first edition, since most problems are in both books, just with slightly different numbers (often just shifted by 2 or 3) (Edited for clarification: I am talking about the number of the problem, not the numbers used IN the problem- those are unchanged.). It would actually be quite apparent which problem in your book belongs to which solution in the solution book, and I will also be happy to translate the numbers from my schedule to 1st edition. So, if they do sell you the instructor manual for the 2nd edition without requiring you to purchase a new book, you can work just as well with a used copy of the 1st edition and save a few hundred dollars.

 

I'd still get the 2nd edition of the workbook, it has more and better problems. You can buy those used; many of my students take care not to write into their workbook so they can resell it. (And if stuff is written in, it is not that big of a deal - just don't believe anything the previous owner wrote, LOL.)

 

 

I would definitely try doing what Regentrude suggested about registering as a homeschool teacher and purchasing the Instructor Resource disk. Especially if you are going to pass on Mastering Physics.

 

Mastering Physics has several things. There is an eText readable on a computer. I don't think I've been able to open it on my Kindle Fire (going through the web access) because of lack of plug ins. The teacher can create assignments. I went though and made up assignments using Regentrude's syllabus. So each problem was available on screen, with some hints. Honestly, I'm a little disappointed with the quality of hints and solutions. In my mind when a student gets it wrong, the solution should clearly explain the problem so that the student sees where they erred. In fact, often the solution is just the correct answer, without diagrams or worked out steps (there were longer solutions about half the time). The solutions in the pdf solutions manual were better than what is in Mastering Physics. Also being on the computer did tend to reinforce one son's tendency to try to do problems in his head. Instead of working them out on paper and then submitting the answer, he tended to do each step mentally and then try to guess variations when he was wrong (substituting variations for significant digit or rounding errors, for example).

 

As a plus, Mastering Physics does have a lot of tutorial problems. These are designed to step a student through the process of doing a type of problem. Unfortunately, because they are step by step, they take a lot of time. I probably assigned too many of these at first and they became something of an anchor (as in weighing down a swimmer).

 

So as a homeschooler, I'm on the fence about the Mastering Physics. I can see why classroom teachers might use it, since it lets them assign problem sets for several sections and see who is doing homework and who is getting problems right or wrong with just a glance.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

BTW, an alternative to doing the Mastering Physics problem sets (or the problems that Regentrude's syllabus lists) is to read the chapter (of Giancoli or Knight) and then work the problems in a study guide for AP Physics B. I'm finding that the mix of worked example problems and then multiple choice/free response questions is doing a better job of making us demonstrate mastery than the Mastering Physics sets.

 

FWIW, the other lesson I learned this year is to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Pick something that is good enough and then do it. Don't try to do every problem or to create the perfect Mastering Physics assignment set. I ended up getting so heads down on PLANNING that we didn't get a good start on DOING, especially doing Labs.

[lewelma]

Well, I am 3 weeks and 3 e-mails into it, and have yet to receive ANY response. sigh.

 

The book and workbooks are bought, so here's to hoping that someone will notice my e-mails and online requests!

[Dicentra]

Well, I am 3 weeks and 3 e-mails into it, and have yet to receive ANY response. sigh.

 

The book and workbooks are bought, so here's to hoping that someone will notice my e-mails and online requests!

 

Lewelma,

 

Are you trying to contact Pearson? I tried contacting Pearson about purchasing instructor materials for Tarbuck and got an email back stating that they don't sell instructor materials to individuals or home schoolers. I know folks in the States have gone through Pearson's Oasis system and gotten access to instructor materials that way but I tried and was told Oasis was only for individuals in the States. I was given the contact info for Pearson Canada, contacted them about the instructor resources, and that's when I was told that Pearson Canada won't sell instructor stuff to home schoolers.

 

Hopefully, you have more luck in NZ!

[lewelma]

I got it! :hurray: It required a phone call!

 

Also, in NZ we have to register as home educators, so I have an actual verifiable number from the Ministry of Education.

[Pepper Potts]

Congrats!

Did you buy your books and workbooks used, and then purchase the Instructor resource guide through Pearson? May I ask how much the instructor's resources cd cost (I couldn't find it online)?? Thanks!

[lewelma]

I bought the books and workbooks new from Amazon. I bought them new because Pearson has always asked me for proof of purchase when requesting instructor's resources. I did not buy the MasteringPhysics program, so the 2nd edition textbook only cost me $88, the workbooks were $12 and $18. The instructor's resources cd was free, but has limited access so it depends on your distributor.

[Pepper Potts]

I bought the 2ed workbooks new from Amazon too. But my 1ed text was used. I really only need the solutions to the two workbooks now, in order to follow Regentrude's syllabus and lesson plans.

I guess that will require calling and talking to a Pearson rep, eh? Interesting that it was a free cd for you though.

Thanks for the info. Glad it worked out for you :001_smile:

[lewelma]

I guess that will require calling and talking to a Pearson rep, eh? Interesting that it was a free cd for you though.

 

My distributor's first statement was that they do not give out the CD to individuals, but when I told her I had a verifiable number, she was more willing to check into it. Also, I got the Tarbuck Earth Science instructor's CD from the same distributor 2 years ago, so I might have been in their database already.

 

My backup plan was to use the Cheggs solutions website that Regentrude linked to. So that is always an option for you if you cannot get access to the instructor's resources.

 

Hope it works out for you.

[lovePhysics]

On 7/1/2012 at 4:35 PM, regentrude said:

I tried playing around with google docs. These links should work:

First semester (mechanics):

 

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B15QlB7oEIoYa3dqQzZXRTRrbFU

 

Second semester (electricity and magnetism)

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B15QlB7oEIoYQzBQc0Fvc3pmYWs

 

In my course I do not have time to cover Modern Physics (ch. 26-30).

You can easily fit these in if you school for longer than just two 15 week semesters.

 

I will have time later in July to upload some test files as well.

 

Dear Regentrude,

I recently joined this forum and came across your invaluable resources. Could you please share those lesson plans with me?

I'm unable to access them through the Google Drive links.

Thank you in advance!

[regentrude]

4 hours ago, lovePhysics said:

 

Dear Regentrude,

I recently joined this forum and came across your invaluable resources. Could you please share those lesson plans with me?

I'm unable to access them through the Google Drive links.

Thank you in advance!

No idea why the link no longer works. Here they are.

College Physics Knight Semester 1.pdf College Physics Knight Semester 2.pdf

[lovePhysics]

8 hours ago, regentrude said:

No idea why the link no longer works. Here they are.

College Physics Knight Semester 1.pdf 129.06 kB · 2 downloads College Physics Knight Semester 2.pdf 124.76 kB · 0 downloads

Are you sure these are the right files?

I had an impression that you had a "traditional high school style" lesson plans for every single chapter, but it appears as though these are pacing guides.

Thank you for sharing them anyway!

[regentrude]

6 hours ago, lovePhysics said:

Are you sure these are the right files?

I had an impression that you had a "traditional high school style" lesson plans for every single chapter, but it appears as though these are pacing guides.

Thank you for sharing them anyway!

Yes. These are the syllabi I had shared. I don't have "lesson plans". The syllabus lists the sections covered in each class, and the problems I have selected as assignments that illustrate the concept best and provide sufficient practice for mastery.

The rest is in the textbook, which you would obviously need.

I can, however, recommend complete calculus based physics 1 course with complete video lectures and lecture notes if anyone is interested. 

https://web.mst.edu/~vojtaa/engphys1/

Edited November 2, 2023 by regentrude