Level: Form III (7th–9th grades)
Subject(s): Science/Nature Study
Description:
Current for 2026–27
Physical Science is designed to draw students into the world of physics and chemistry, developing knowledge, skill, and delight in understanding and experimenting with the physical world God created. Students will develop scientific understanding, lab skills, study skills, and the ability to communicate their findings in writing.
Topics covered include types of matter, energy, order and design in creation, forces and fields, measurement, motion, sound and light, electricity and magnetism, and the nature of scientific knowledge. The textbook and course are rooted in a Christian worldview, viewing God’s orderly creation as something we can investigate and come to understand better. Studying God’s world with awe and wonder brings him glory and benefits humanity. The text also integrates the humanities, art, literature, music, architecture, technology, and epistemology in order to broaden the scope of students’ learning.
This class meets for 2 hours per week for lecture, class discussion, and labs. Students may also join in optional field learning opportunities. Students should expect to apply the knowledge gained from reading and lectures to the labs performed in class, including measuring and recording data, performing calculations, and creating graphs.
On a weekly basis at home, students will complete the assigned reading from the text, complete assigned chapter exercises, and complete an online quiz. When necessary, students will complete lab journal entries and/or lab reports at home. In class, students will be expected to contribute to class discussions, participate fully in labs, and work on lab journals and lab reports as time is available. Students will complete 4 lab reports throughout this course, with help and guidance from the instructor. Students will take cumulative end-of-semester exams in the fall and spring.
Materials:
Required Materials:
- Novare’s Physical Science, 3rd Edition, ISBN: 9780998169910
- One 3-ring binder with 5 tabbed dividers + lined paper
- Grid-ruled, 5×5 graph, (bound) composition book (such as this)
- Pencils and erasers in a pencil pouch
- 12” ruler with metric units (cm and mm), such as this one; instructor will inform students when it is needed
- Lab goggles (such as these)—Goggles must fit up against the skin all the way around the eyes, and vented goggles are recommended. Siblings enrolled in science classes at different times may share a set of goggles.
- Scientific or graphing calculator* such as this
* Once in Algebra 1 and up, BHSC math students are required to purchase a graphing calculator. Families may choose to purchase the graphing calculator now in anticipation of future high school math classes, or families may purchase a less expensive calculator for this class and save the larger purchase for later classes. For the Pre-algebra class, it is recommended for the students to have a simple scientific calculator (all TI-30X or TI-33X models are acceptable) for at-home assignment use. In planning for future high school math classes, please consider the note below regarding recent changes to the SAT Calculator Policy.
NOTE: As of May 2025, the SAT Calculator Policy has been revised and graphing calculators (with CAS) are no longer allowed for the PSAT or SAT. While CAS is beneficial in college, for our high school students please see the following options:
- Purchase a calculator with CAS (Mrs. Panam prefers TI-89 and up with CAS) that is suitable for use in college STEM programs—even though such calculators cannot be used on standardized tests like the PSAT and SAT. If choosing this option, also select one or both of the next two options if your student plans to take standardized tests like the PSAT/SAT.
- Use an online calculator (like DESMOS)—this means the student will need access to a laptop/desktop/tablet with access to internet. It is recommended that students master using this online calculator prior to taking a standardized test to avoid any issues during testing. (Students can also practice using the provided online test calculators via practice online PSAT/SAT tests.)
- Purchase an allowed calculator following the College Board’s instructions—here are some examples of allowed TI calculators, the underlined ones are BHSC’s recommendations:
- TI-83 Plus graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator
- TI-84 Plus CE Python graphing calculator
- TI-Nspire™ CX graphing calculator
- TI-Nspire™ CX II graphing calculator
