Printable Physical Science Units for Honolulu's New Phone-Free School Day
Printable Physical Science Units for Honolulu's New Phone-Free School Day
Hawaii's first statewide cellphone policy took effect this school year, and Honolulu middle schoolers now keep phones off and away from first bell to last bell. The Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle gives science teachers six printable physics units for that kind of day: motion and graphs, forces and Newton's laws, work and energy, pressure and buoyancy, electric circuits, and light and lenses.
Browse the physics unitsThe Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle ($89.99) holds six units for Grades 6–9: Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs; Forces & Interactions; Work, Energy & Power; Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids; Electric Circuits; and Light, Refraction & Lenses. Student work is printable, which suits Honolulu classrooms under Board of Education Policy 301-11. The bundle is not written for Hawaii, and it contains no lab equipment, so you supply any materials for hands-on demonstrations.
The resources
Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle | Motion, Forces, Energy, Pressure, Circuits & Light | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Physics Complete Curriculum Bundle | 15 Ready-to-Teach Units | Grades 5–12
Physics Foundations Bundle | Measurement, Motion & Forces | 3 Complete Units | Grades 5–9
Physics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Physics
The real problem
Policy 301-11 in a middle school science room
On February 12, 2026, the Hawaii Board of Education adopted Policy 301-11, Cell Phone Use by Students in Schools, effective with the 2026–27 school year. Because the Hawaii State Department of Education runs every public school in the state, Honolulu schools follow the same rule as the rest of HIDOE. Students went back to class in early August under it. For elementary and middle or intermediate students, phones stay off and away from first bell to last bell. High school students keep them off and away during instructional time, and schools can set rules for lunch and passing periods. In science, that change shows up in small ways. Students can no longer film a falling object to measure its speed, use a phone stopwatch, or look up a formula they forgot. Motion graphs, force diagrams and circuit sketches all have to be drawn and read on paper. That is solid physics practice, but it needs worksheets that walk students through the reasoning and give them space to draw. A ninth grader at a high school campus has slightly different rules from a seventh grader at an intermediate school, so material that runs without any personal device works across both.
Why it fits
How the six units match a phones-away science class
Every unit covers a core physical science topic that students can reason through with pencil, paper and whatever classroom equipment you already have.
- Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs has students build and read motion graphs by hand.
- Forces & Interactions covers Newton's laws with diagrams students draw themselves.
- Work, Energy & Power lets students calculate and compare energy without a phone calculator app.
- Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids gives an island classroom a natural topic: why things float or sink.
- Electric Circuits works through circuit diagrams on paper, with any real circuits from your own supplies.
- Light, Refraction & Lenses suits sketching ray paths, with no phone camera required.
Getting started
A semester sequence for an HIDOE physical science class
This order is a suggestion for a Grade 7 or 8 class. Match it to your school's course plan.
- Weeks 1–3: motion and graphsStart with Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs. Have students time walks across the classroom with a wall clock or a classroom stopwatch, then graph the results by hand.
- Weeks 4–6: forcesMove into Forces & Interactions. Students draw force diagrams for pushes and pulls they can see in the room, which builds the habit of sketching before calculating.
- Weeks 7–9: work, energy and powerUse Work, Energy & Power to connect forces to energy. Keep a set of school calculators on hand if your students need them for the arithmetic.
- Weeks 10–12: pressure and buoyancyTeach Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids with a tub of water and objects from the classroom. Students record predictions and results on paper before discussing why.
- Weeks 13–18: circuits and lightFinish with Electric Circuits and Light, Refraction & Lenses. Both rely on diagrams, so the shift to phone-free work feels natural by this point in the semester.
What to buy
Which physics resource suits your Honolulu class
Choose the Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle at $89.99 if you teach the physics part of a Grades 6–9 physical science course; bought separately, the six units cost $149.94. For a larger collection reaching into high school, the Physics Complete Curriculum Bundle ($129.99) has 15 units for Grades 5–12. The Physics Foundations Bundle ($59.99) is a smaller start with measurement, motion and forces. If you want a fully structured middle school physics program with inquiry practices, Physics Complete – Middle School starts at $149.90, or $189.90 with the Teach-Life-Balance course.
Honest limits
Honest limits for Hawaii teachers
These units are not written for Hawaii or for HIDOE, and they carry no Hawaii or NGSS codes. Check them against the Next Generation Science Standards your school uses and your course plan. The bundle covers physics topics only, not the life or earth science parts of a physical science year. No lab kits, circuit parts or lenses are included. You print the pages, and slides need a screen. If colleagues at your school want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days you can exchange it for store credit of equal value if it is not a fit.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to NGSS or approved by HIDOE?
No. Hawaii uses the Next Generation Science Standards for science, but this bundle is not aligned to them and has not been reviewed or approved by HIDOE or the Board of Education. It covers common middle school physics topics. Check each unit against the performance expectations in your course before you build a unit plan.
Does Policy 301-11 apply to my ninth graders?
Under the policy, elementary and middle or intermediate students keep phones off and away from first bell to last bell, while high school students keep them off and away during instructional time, with schools setting rules for lunch and passing periods. Ask your school which rules apply to your classes.
Do I need lab equipment to teach these units?
The units run on printed worksheets and diagrams, so you can teach them without a lab. Demonstrations with water, springs, batteries or lenses make them stronger, but no equipment comes with the bundle. Use what your school's science room already has, and plan any demonstrations around those supplies before you start each unit.
Can students who missed class catch up on paper?
Yes. Since the student work is printable, you can keep a folder of each unit's pages for absent students. That matters on days when schools close for weather, as Oʻahu public schools did on March 13, 2026 ahead of severe weather. Students can pick up the printed pages and work through them at home.
How is this different from the Physics Complete Curriculum Bundle?
This bundle has six units aimed at Grades 6–9 physical science. The Physics Complete Curriculum Bundle has 15 units for Grades 5–12, so it reaches into high school physics. Pick the smaller one for a middle school course and the larger one if you teach several levels.
When can I start using it?
Right away. It is a digital download, available as soon as you check out, with a link by email and a copy in your customer account under Orders. You can print the first unit the same day and have it ready for your next class, without waiting for a shipment or setting up any accounts.
Bring physics back to paper this semester
See all six units on the product page and download them right after checkout.
Browse the physics units