Progressing with Checkpoint Science: Physics

A major feature of every science course is progression. This allows students to build up their scientific literacy to use throughout their lives and, in lower secondary school, to prepare a foundation for success in future science examinations.

With school terms underway worldwide, let’s look at how the books build up knowledge of physics at each stage as the course begins. There are many different things to explore here. Chapter headings are in bold with brief descriptions of key content.

Speed
The physics section opens with a chapter on Speed, which reminds students that physics really is a study of how matter and energy interact. Speed records are examined before a series of speed investigations are made, with the chapter ending with an analysis of distance/time graphs.

Forces
The chapter on Forces begins by observing the forces in action in a football, tennis or cricket match. Building on the chapter on measurements in the previous stage, students are asked to take part in an exercise to improve their estimation of forces before they move on to consider balanced and unbalanced forces in detail. This is followed by examining turning forces and calculating, measuring and recording moments.

Pressure and Diffusion
In the chapter on Pressure and Diffusion, students consider pressure on a surface, how to reduce and increase pressure. They then revisit the particle theory to see how it can account for their observations on pressure in liquids and gases. The chapter ends by using the particle theory to help in the understanding of diffusion before making laboratory investigations on diffusion in liquids.

Light
The chapter on Light begins by establishing that light travels in straight lines, then challenges students to make a pinhole camera and a PowerPoint presentation to explain how it works. Reflection is introduced by way of a glossary of terms which are then used to investigate the law of reflection and what occurs when light is refracted. The splitting of white light into colours with a prism is followed by considering a rainbow and modelling how light passes through a raindrop. The chapter ends with a study of colour: absorbing and reflecting colours, filtering colours and the addition and subtraction of coloured light.

Magnetism
In the chapter on Magnetism, the work in primary school is first developed by using magnetism to make something hover – defy gravity. The magnetic field is introduced and followed by a series of activities plotting magnetic fields, relating them to magnetic strength and how they are influenced by the presence of a second magnet. The Earth’s magnetic field is described before moving on to explore the relationship between magnetism and electricity with a further series of scientific enquiries.

Energy
The first chapter, Energy, builds on the previous chapter on energy in Stage 7. Thermal energy, internal energy and temperature are compared, and an enquiry involving measuring thermal energy is set out. A section on the conservation of energy is followed by a consideration of heat dissipation. This features conduction, convection and radiation, and thermal imaging. The particle theory is revisited again to explain what happens in the process of evaporation and the cooling it causes.

Waves
The chapter on Waves builds on the chapter in Stage 7 on sounds by exploring the features of a waveform and how they relate to the loudness and pitch of a sound. The path of energy in a sound wave is followed as it stimulates the ear and the microphone in a mobile phone. A study is made of how sound waves interact, and the use of the ripple tank in modelling sound waves is explained.

Electricity
Electricity is the final chapter on physics in this book, and it builds on the chapter on electricity in Stage 7. A revision of circuits and circuit diagrams is made before students go on to measure current and voltage. Resistance is explained and an enquiry is set up to explore it before students learn how to calculate the resistance in a circuit. Fixed and variable resistors are compared and used in a range of enquiries which involve the constructing of a testable hypothesis, predictions and experimental design to test them.

Building a Strong Physics Foundation
The physics content across the three stages demonstrates a carefully structured progression from fundamental concepts to more complex applications. Students begin with basic measurements and observations in Stage 7, develop their understanding of forces and energy in Stage 8, and consolidate their learning with more sophisticated investigations in Stage 9. This approach ensures that students develop both practical skills and theoretical understanding, preparing them well for further study.