Physics Launch (Grades 8-12)

This curiosity-building homeschool physics curriculum bundle of nine Launch-level Science Unlocked kits will engage your student in hands-on learning for an entire school year. This full-year science high school physics curriculum includes:

• Full-colored student workbook
• Student assessments
• Supplies and equipment needed for experiments
• Real-world application

No prior teaching or science experience is needed! Teachers and parents, you will be well-equipped. Science Unlocked homeschool physics curriculum's detailed teacher guides will help guide you through assisting with hands-on learning experiences with:

• Context and answers to student questions
• Options for including children of different ages and abilities
• Step-by-step experiment instructions
• Lesson planning timeline

The Physics Launch (Grades 8-12) Science Unlocked bundle meets all 15 NGSS HS-PS and 1 HS-ET standards plus 10 additional HST science goals to fill physics gaps we see in NGSS. It includes the following kits:

Unit 1: Energy and Waves (4 Kits)

Transformers

Energy in Disguise

Energy can’t be created or destroyed, but you can design, build, and test devices to convert it from one form to another!

Magnetize Me

Connections Between Magnetism and Electricity

Perform investigations involving magnetism and electricity to learn how magnetic force, voltage, current, and resistance are connected.

UV Defenders

Protecting Against Electromagnetic Radiation

Explore the impacts of electromagnetic radiation and engage in memorable physics activities using UV color changing beads.

Trick of the Light

Lenses, Mirrors, and Illusions

Discover refraction and reflection by testing mirrors and lenses, making optical illusions, and comparing digital and analog transmissions.

Unit 2: Force and Motion (4 Kits)

Newton's Notions

Understanding Newton’s Laws of Motion

Get hands-on with Newton’s three laws of motion, exploring concepts like inertia, acceleration, and reaction forces.

Project Projectile

Motion in Two Dimensions

Hit the mark with this physics kit that aims to help students understand the laws of one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion.

Gravity of the Situation

Gravitational Forces from Planets to Particles

Explore how objects in space stay in orbit, how they escape orbit, and how the force of gravity is related to the forces within atoms.

In Perfect Harmony

Patterns of Motion in Springs, Pendulums, and More

Explore natural patterns of harmonic motion through springs, pendulums, cyclical patterns, balanced forces, and unbalanced forces.

Unit 3: Measurement (1 Kit)

Martian Impact

Analyzing Forces with Accurate Measurements

Learn how measurements and conversions help scientists and engineers design technological solutions to problems in physics.

More information about the learning objectives in each kit can be found in the contents section below. This NAPPA award winning homeschool physics curriculum is based on NGSS science standards for middle and high school science education. Read below in the contents section to learn more about the standards met in each kit. 

More Information

• UV Defenders Safety Information (SDS)
• Gravity of the Situation Safety Information (SDS)
• In Perfect Harmony Safety Information (SDS)

This Launch level Science Unlocked bundle includes:

• Transformers: Energy in Disguise
• Magnetize Me
• UV Defenders
• Trick of the Light
• Newton's Notions
• Project Projectile
• Gravity of the Situation
• In Perfect Harmony
• Martian Impact

• Transformers: Energy in Disguise

• • Learning outcome: Energy can’t be created or destroyed, but you can design, build, and test devices to convert it from one form to another!
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-ETS1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
    • HS-PS3-1 Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
    • HS-PS3-3 Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
    • HS-PS3-5 Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Use mathematical representations to describe the relationships between work, power, time, and force.

• Magnetize Me
  • Learning outcome: Perform investigations involving magnetism and electricity to learn how magnetic force, voltage, current, and resistance are connected.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS2-5 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Use mathematical representations to describe the relationships between the potential difference, current, voltage, and resistance for an electric circuit.
• UV Defenders
  • Learning outcome: Explore the good, the bad, and the ugly impacts of electromagnetic radiation. Engage in memorable physics activities using UV color changing beads.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS3-2 Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects).
    • HS-PS4-1 Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
    • HS-PS4-3 Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other.
    • HS-PS4-4 Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.
• Trick of the Light
  • Learning outcome: Uncover the secrets of refraction and reflection by testing mirrors and lenses, making your own optical illusions, and comparing digital and analog transmissions.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS4-2 Evaluate questions about the advantages of using a digital transmission and storage of information.
    • HS-PS4-5 Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
    • MS-PS4-3 Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Develop a model to describe the relationships between sizes and locations of images and objects for mirrors and lenses.
• Newton's Notions
  • Learning outcome: Get hands-on with Newton’s three laws of motion, exploring concepts like inertia, acceleration, and reaction forces.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS2-1 Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
    • HS-PS2-2 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.
    • MS-PS2-1 Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
    • MS-PS2-2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
• Project Projectile
  • Learning outcome: Hit the mark with this physics kit that aims to help students understand the laws of one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS2-1 Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Use mathematical representations to describe the changes in horizontal and vertical position during projectile motion.
    • Do investigations to determine the relationships between time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration for one-dimensional motion.
• Gravity of the Situation
  • Learning outcome: Explore how objects in space stay in orbit, how they could escape orbit, and how the force of gravity is related to the forces within atoms.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS2-4 Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation and Coulomb’s Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.
    • MS-PS3-2 Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
    • MS-PS2-4 Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Gather information on research in modern Physics to explain the role of studying subatomic particles in understanding the universe.
• In Perfect Harmony
  • Learning outcome: Learn about the natural patterns of harmonic motion by exploring springs, pendulums, and more. Experiment with cyclical patterns, balanced, and unbalanced forces.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-ESS1-4 Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Do an investigation to determine the relationship between radius, mass of an object, and period for circular motion.
    • Do an investigation to determine the relationship between length of a bob, mass of bob, and period for pendulum motion.
    • Do an investigation to determine the relationship between the amount of extension, spring constant, and force for a spring.
• Martian Impact
  • Learning outcome: Learn how measurements and conversions help scientists and engineers design technological solutions to problems in physics.
  • NGSS science standards alignment
    • HS-PS2-3 Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.
  • Additional science standards alignment
    • Describe how the metric system is used by scientists and engineers to communicate and how it can be used to accurately and precisely describe the properties of matter.