Unit 01 · Kinematics & Motion
This unit is about describing motion precisely, before asking what causes it. You separate position, velocity, and acceleration — and their signs and directions — learn to read and sketch the three motion graphs, choose the right kinematic equation for constant acceleration, and treat free fall and projectile motion as vertical and horizontal stories that run independently. Mastery means you read a velocity–time graph as the story of a moving object, not a formula to plug numbers into.
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position, velocity & acceleration | Uses the words interchangeably; ignores sign and direction. | Distinguishes the three but mixes up the sign of acceleration when slowing down. | Separates all three cleanly, reasons with signs and directions, and explains why an object can slow while accelerating. |
| Motion graphs (x–t, v–t, a–t) | Cannot read a value or slope off a motion graph. | Reads points but confuses slope and area when translating between graphs. | Reads, sketches, and translates between all three graphs — slope gives rate, area gives accumulation — fluently. |
| Kinematic equations | Grabs an equation at random and plugs numbers. | Picks a workable equation but mishandles a missing variable. | Selects the right constant-acceleration equation for the knowns and unknowns and justifies the choice. |
| Free fall & projectile motion | Treats a projectile as moving in a single lumped direction. | Separates axes but couples the horizontal and vertical times incorrectly. | Analyzes horizontal and vertical motion independently, linked only by time, and predicts range and flight time. |
| Lab technique (timing & motion capture) | Records times sloppily; ignores reaction-time error. | Collects data but does not repeat trials or average. | Uses photogates or video analysis to capture clean, repeated data and reports it with uncertainty. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats the science as isolated facts; makes no cross-domain connection. | Names a link to history, reading, or writing but cannot defend why it matters. | Connects the unit to its anchor across History · Reading · Writing (plus chosen electives) and defends why the connection matters. |
“The cart is slowing down but its acceleration is still negative and constant — velocity and acceleration point opposite ways. On the v–t graph that’s a straight line with negative slope, and the area under it is how far it traveled. I don’t need the formula; the graph already tells me.”
“It’s going down so the acceleration is… zero? And I’d use the one with all the letters in it.”
You demonstrate this unit through motion-capture labs plus short oral checks where you reason from a graph aloud — not a multiple-choice test. A criterion counts as mastered only when you can both take clean motion data and justify the physics behind it. Mastery is demonstrated, not awarded.
A 5-page clipboard packet — unit overview, key terms, the mastery rubric, anchor examples, and a score sheet you can print and grade against.