Introduction
Design of Lessons
Each lesson title gives you the major idea on which to focus. Each lesson contains objectives, a reading assignment, a discussion, and an assignment.
Objectives. A set of objectives provides a framework for your study of the textbook chapters you read for each lesson. These goals give you the basis for what you are to understand after you complete the reading and exercises in the lesson.
Reading assignment. Your textbook is your primary resource. It is especially important that you complete each reading assignment from the textbook, Conceptual Physical Science: Explorations: Second Edition, by Paul G. Hewitt, John Suchocki, and Leslie A. Hewitt before moving on to the course guide lesson. Browse through chapter 1 to see how the authors have arranged the main headings for the chapter, the “Concept Checks,” and particularly the “Chapter Review” with its key words and various other important features.
Discussion. The “Discussion” section gives you the important topics covered in the lesson. It serves as an introduction to the lesson, just as a lecture would in the classroom. Obviously some textbook readings are more difficult than others. The “Discussion” section helps you learn this material with additional examples and further explanations.
Assignments. You will submit an assignment for grading at the end of each lesson. Full instructions appear there, but here are some further guidelines to follow for these assignments:
- IMPORTANT: Please note that your submitted assignments must be written using Microsoft's Word word processing program. Additional details are described in each lesson's assignment.
- Please complete all the questions on the assignments. If you don’t understand a question, don’t skip it; instead, explain your problem(s) with it on the Word document you submit. Your instructor can be most helpful if you describe your difficulty as specifically as possible. Unanswered questions can substantially lower your grade.
- Correct spelling and grammar are also important, as are complete responses. It’s much better to answer a question as well as you can than it is to omit something. Respond in your own words; don’t quote from the textbook or other source.
- The number of points each question is worth will vary with each lesson, according to the number of questions in the lesson and the amount of thought or work required to answer it.
In returning graded assignments to you, we attempt to minimize turnaround time, but there are always possible situations that may delay your receiving graded material. It is wise to await the return of one lesson before submitting the next one, as questions in some lessons depend upon a previous lesson. If you have your corrected work available, you may well eliminate subsequent errors.
