Physics Virtual Courses
Physics Virtual Courses
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We have four courses available during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. All courses are available through June 1, 2026. Participants can join at any time. Participants may earn up to 12 hours of professional development credit in each course. The fee for one course is $200, and each additional course taken in the same school year is an additional $100. Participants who must pay "out of pocket" without being reimbursed by their employer will be offered discounts after registering. These courses will be replaced with new courses in summer of 2026; those who participate in these virtual courses will have their course fees applied as a discount to the fees for the new courses, should they choose to register for those at that time.
The courses being offered are:
Writing Assessment Items in Physics
Projects and Performance Tasks for Physics
Revving Up For Rotation
Flowing Into Fluids
All four courses are now live and populated with participants. Scroll down the page for more information on each course. Click the yellow link above for a detailed listing of the modules available in each course.
Note: No WPP course, seminar, workshop, or institute is not endorsed by College Board, Educational Testing Service, OnRamps, The University of Texas, the National Math and Science Initiative, International Baccalaureate or any other organization named on this website.
WRITING ASSESSMENT ITEMS IN PHYSICS
WRITING ASSESSMENT ITEMS IN PHYSICS
Participants learn how to craft multiple choice and free response assessment items for courses ranging from conceptual and regular physics through AP, IB, and other college-level physics courses. Special emphasis is given in this course to the new questioning styles that will be employed in the 2025 revision of the AP Physics courses.
Multiple Choice Question Styles:
Calculation, symbolic, and proportional reasoning mathematical questions
Comparison questions
Selecting the correct claim and/or the correct explanation
Free Response Question Styles:
Mathematical emphasis questions
Lab-based questions
Multiple representations questions
Qualitative-quantitative translation
Formative Assessments:
Warm-Ups
Quick-writes
Exit tickets
TIPERs style questions
PROJECTS AND PERFORMANCE TASKS IN PHYSICS
PROJECTS AND PERFORMANCE TASKS IN PHYSICS
Participants will explore various content-specific projects and performance-based tasks spanning the entire high school physics spectrum, from conceptual and regular courses up through advanced, college-level courses like AP and IB.
The purpose of these tasks is to allow the student to show their physics understanding in creative, unique, and novel ways, while also connecting their understanding of physical principles to the real world.
Examples of tasks include:
The student modeling their trip from home to school using data tables, motion graphs, and descriptive words.
The student using fully analyzing the projectile motion of an object that they threw.
Creating a circuit-based logical puzzle and trading with another student to solve their puzzle.
Creating a yo-yo that takes a very long time to unroll.
Note: No WPP course, seminar, workshop, or institute is not endorsed by College Board, Educational Testing Service, OnRamps, The University of Texas, the National Math and Science Initiative, International Baccalaureate or any other organization named on this website.
REVVING UP FOR ROTATION
REVVING UP FOR ROTATION
Participants will receive the opportunity to increase their own understanding of rotational motion principles and also several instructional activities and materials to use with their students. Any teacher who wishes to take the course is qualified to do so, but the course is tailored specifically to teachers of AP Physics 1, AP Physics C:Mechanics, and OnRamps Physics I.
Rotational Kinematics
Meaning of theta, omega, and alpha
Tangential, centripetal, and angular acceleration
Translating between Translation and Rotation
Using rulers, fidget spinners, and yo-yos for kinematics activities
Torque and Rotational Equilibrium
Different ways to calculate torque
Balanced forces and balanced torques
Using metersticks, masses, and wooden blocks to teach rotational equilibrium
Rotational Inertia
Conceptually defining rotational inertia
Rotational inertia lab activities
Tactile rotational inertia experiences for students
Parallel-axis theorem
Using integration to find rotational inertia
Rotational Dynamics
Rotational analogues of Newton's Laws
Net force and/or net torque
Newton's Second Law with both translation and rotation at the same time
Activities using yo-yos, metersticks, bike wheels, etc. to teach rotational dynamics
Rotational Energy, Rolling With and Without Slipping
Using energy to analyze objects that only rotate
Rolling without slipping
Rolling while slipping
Angular Momentum and its Conservation
The angular momentum of rotating objects and translating objects
Conservation of Angular Momentum with a single object
Conservation of Angular Momentum with two objects
When both linear momentum and angular momentum are conserved
Elliptical orbits
FLOWING INTO FLUIDS
FLOWING INTO FLUIDS
While any teacher who wishes to participate in this course is welcome to register, this course is specifically tailored to help AP Physics 1 teachers prepare to teach fluid dynamics, which will be added to the AP Physics 1 curriculum for the 2024-2025 school year. The course specifically teaches the content of the Fluid Dynamics unit, includes instructional materials for teachers and students, and also shows hands-on activities and labs that participants can try themselves and engage with students, and that use easy-to-obtain, common materials.
Topics to Be Covered
Geometric Scaling
Density (with activities and labs)
Pressure, Hydrostatic Pressure, and Pascal's Principle (with labs and demonstrations)
Buoyancy (with activities, labs, and demonstrations)
Flow Rate and Continuity (with demonstrations)
Bernoulli's Principle and Law (with activities, labs, and demonstrations)
Note: No WPP course, seminar, workshop, or institute is not endorsed by College Board, Educational Testing Service, OnRamps, The University of Texas, the National Math and Science Initiative, International Baccalaureate or any other organization named on this website.
WHO IS PRESENTING?
These virtual, asynchronous sessions are facilitated by John Frensley. John Frensley's qualifications include:
Teaching high school physics, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2 (and the old AP Physics B), AP Physics C:Mechanics, and AP Physics C:Electricity and Magnetism since 2005.
Teaching at Title I high schools and helping economically disadvantaged students be successful at physics.
Presenting weekend, evening, and week-long professional developments since 2013.
Presenting on behalf of the College Board, the National Math and Science Initiative, Applied Practice, Arkansas AIMS, A-Plus Alabama, and Mass-Insight.
Participating in the AP Physics reading since 2016, including in leadership roles.
Writing items for the AP Physics exams and for AP Classroom.
Writing about half of the scenarios in the AP Physics 1 Student Workbook
Wrote all 140 "Sample Instructional Activities" in the four AP Physics CED documents (the ones effective Fall 2019)
Writing the AP Edition of the Cutnell & Johnson Physics text for John Wiley and Sons Publishing
Formulating physics representations and pedagogical structures you may already be familiar with, including:
The ABCD acronym for scientific argumentation
The SQuARED acronym for writing experimental procedures
Newton's Third Law Four-Squares
The Energy Transfer Cross
Momentum and Impulse Square Charts
John is excited to work with teachers to help them improve, and also to learn neat things from them. John's primary goals for his session this summer are:
To help participant teachers become more effective in the classroom
To help participant teachers become more efficient in carrying out their instruction
To help participant teachers become more marketable as they advance in their careers.
Note: No WPP course, seminar, workshop, or institute is not endorsed by College Board, Educational Testing Service, OnRamps, The University of Texas, the National Math and Science Initiative, International Baccalaureate or any other organization named on this website.
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