As we continue in our Learning from Home period, I wanted to have a page where parents and students can find out the expectations and resources for students in my physics classes.
Contents of this post
Official District/school updates
The official Travis USD COVID-19/Corona virus status page can be found at this link. Please refer to it for the latest school/district information.
As of today, March 18th, TUSD school buildings will remain closed until at least April 17th; the end of our scheduled spring break.
Physics class updates
When teachers were informed of the physical school closure, we were also informed that we should, to the best of our abilities, continue to provide educational opportunities for our students. Teaching and learning will be different than when students attend school — and I understand that many of my students may be doing ‘day care’ for their younger siblings while parents are at work — but I plan to provide resources to assist each student in learning to their best potential.
Each student/family has its own individual circumstances, and I hope parents and students work together to maximize the learning during this difficult time, while at the same time staying safe and healthy.
Learning resources for all my classes will include:
- Online resources:
- Videos
- Simulations
- Practice problems
- I will be available each day (Mon-Fri) from 11:00-1:00 for Zoom online conferencing. 11:00-Noon will be primarily focused on AP, but you can join any time.
- If you just want to phone in to the Zoom meeting (no video, you won’t see my screen), follow these instructions.
- Zoom requires an internet connection and a free app (Zoom, like many teach companies, is offering free upgrades for teachers and schools).
- Students will need to create a free Zoom account; they can use either their personal or school email address.
- Once a student logs in to Zoom, they join a meeting using the code 569-283-4396.
- At this time I am offering the one-hour session for all students, but if I start getting large turnouts, I may switch to two hours, one for Physics in the Universe and one for AP Physics.
- I am still available by email, ltrampleasure@travisusd.org
- Students may also post a comment or question at the bottom of any web page on this site; I will receive an email when they do and post a response so all can see it.
Websites for each course
Information for my different courses.
Physics in the Universe
We will be using the textbook as the primary learning tool. I will also supplement with resources on my website. While these are not required (students and families have different levels of internet access), students are encouraged to use them.
When we return to campus, students will take an open-notes test to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of the materials they have been studying. This test is not intended to be as comprehensive as a regular ‘unit test,’ but rather an encouragement for students to complete the assigned work.
This assessment/test will be reevaluated if the campus stays closed beyond spring break. We hope it doesn’t come to that, but we will adjust accordingly if it does.
Textbook Chapters
In the first two weeks, we are covering Chapter 18, which has five sections. Students should be covering about one section every two days.
If a student can’t find their textbook, we have scanned the pages and posted them online. We are currently studying Electromagnetic Wave and Light, Chapter 18, which you can find here. We will likely add another chapter for the third week; the teachers are discussing which chapter lends itself best to learning at home.
Students are to read each section, and:
- Take notes summarizing the section.
- Write an answer to each Reading Checkpoint.
- Attempt each Quick Lab if they have the resources at home (some require equipment from school, so skip those).
- Complete any Math Skills sections.
- Complete the Section Assessment (including the Writing in Science section).
After completing each section, students should use their notes to answer the end of chapter Study Guide, Assessment, and Standardized Test Prep.
AP Physics 1
I’m hoping that our juniors and seniors take this crisis as an opportunity to get insight into how college will be: Homework won’t be collected, and finding time for learning is their responsibility.
AP Test and The College Board
The College Board has provided a page for updates about the status of the AP Test.
Online resources
I will add resources to each post on this website (videos, simulations, etc.) as are usefull for each unit we cover.
Flipping Physics
Flipping Physics is an online collection of short lectures (10-20 minute) designed to match the AP Physics 1 curriculum. I will select videos each day for students to watch.
The Expert TA
While homework is not required, I have set up an account with TheExpertTA.com to provide practice problems that are graded as you work them, along with tips (some of my past students have said many of the tips aren’t that helpful, but they are there. TheExpertTA is generously providing free accounts for the rest of the semester due to the COVID-19 crisis.
I strongly encourage students with reasonable internet access to join TheExpertTA.
I have used this system in the past, and my students appreciated the instant feedback and tips. This service normally costs $10/student/year, but for the rest of this year it is free.
Students can sign up for the class here: http://goeta.link/USB06CA-51F289-21B . Email me if you have troubles logging in, and hopefully we can work it out. (As of today, I can see that eight students have signed up.)
Practice problems
In addition to TheExpertTA, I will continue to assign book homework, for those students who prefer that or don’t have reliable internet access. Answers to the odd-numbered questions can be found here.