Phone-Free Physical Science for Phoenix Grades 6–9: Six Printable Units
Phone-Free Physical Science for Phoenix Grades 6–9: Six Printable Units
Phoenix science teachers working under their district's new phone rules can teach physical science from paper with the Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle. It holds six units for grades 6–9: motion and graphs, forces and Newton's laws, work, energy and power, pressure and buoyancy, electric circuits, and light and lenses. Students graph, sketch, predict and explain at their desks while phones stay off or out of reach.
See the physical science unitsYes, the Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle ($89.99) works in a Phoenix-area classroom where phones are banned during class. Its six units, Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs, Forces & Interactions, Work, Energy & Power, Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids, Electric Circuits, and Light, Refraction & Lenses, are printable materials students use at their desks. It covers the physics side of physical science; lab equipment is not included. Bought separately, the units cost $149.94.
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
Phone rules that change at the district line
In 2025 Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a law requiring Arizona school districts to adopt policies that limit student use of wireless communication devices during the school day. Each district writes its own rule, and Phoenix public schools are split among several districts, so the rule in your room depends on who employs you. Phoenix Union High School District, the city's large high school district, bars personal phone use in class but does not require students to put phones away. Elsewhere in the metro area, Mesa Public Schools requires phones turned off and kept in backpacks, Tolleson Union High School District uses backpacks or classroom lockboxes, and Paradise Valley Public Schools bans phone use all day, including lunch and passing periods. For a ninth grade physical science teacher at Phoenix Union, a phone may still sit on the desk, unused. For a middle school teacher in another district, it may be locked away. Either way, the stopwatch app, the phone camera for recording a lab, and the quick search for a formula are no longer part of the plan. Science lessons need data tables, graphs and diagrams that students produce by hand.
Why it fits
How the six units work without phones
Each unit centers on ideas students can draw, calculate and explain on paper.
- Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs builds the graph reading students can practice by hand.
- Forces & Interactions covers Newton's laws, a topic students can argue through with diagrams.
- Work, Energy & Power is a topic students can practice with pencil calculations, not an app.
- Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids pairs well with a sink-or-float demonstration you run yourself.
- Electric Circuits can run on diagrams students draw if your school has no circuit kits.
- Light, Refraction & Lenses suits ray sketches, a natural paper-and-ruler task for any classroom.
Getting started
A possible sequence for the semester
Adjust this order to your district's science pacing; it is only a suggestion.
- Begin with motion and graphsStart the semester with Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs. Graph reading is a skill every later unit uses, and students can practice it entirely on paper while phones are off.
- Move to forcesFollow with Forces & Interactions. Let small groups argue each case with force diagrams before you show the answer, so discussion replaces the quick search.
- Teach energy as a bridgeUse Work, Energy & Power to connect forces to energy. Keep a calculation warm-up on the board each day so students settle without reaching for a device.
- Add fluids and circuitsTeach Pressure, Buoyancy & Fluids, then Electric Circuits. If your school has its own circuit kits, add them; if not, circuit diagrams on paper still carry the core ideas.
- Close with light and lensesEnd with Light, Refraction & Lenses. Ray diagrams drawn with a ruler make a calm, focused end to the semester, and they suit a review week before finals.
What to buy
Choosing between the physics downloads
Choose the Middle School Physical Science Units Bundle at $89.99 if you teach the physics part of grades 6–9 physical science; the six units cost $149.94 separately. If you want a wider range, the Physics Complete Curriculum Bundle ($129.99) holds 15 units across grades 5–12. The Physics Foundations Bundle ($59.99) is a smaller start for grades 5–9. For a sequenced middle school course, Physics Complete – Middle School starts at $149.90 and covers motion and forces, energy and thermal energy for grades 6–8.
Honest limits
Honest limits
These six units cover physics topics, not chemistry, earth or life science, so they are part of a physical science year rather than all of it. They were not written for Arizona or any Phoenix-area district and carry no Arizona Science Standards (AzSS) codes; check each unit against the standards and your district's plan. No lab equipment, kits or supplies are included. Your district's phone policy is yours to enforce. Department-wide use needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you can exchange the bundle for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is the bundle aligned to the Arizona Science Standards?
No. It is not aligned to, endorsed by or approved under the Arizona Science Standards (AzSS) adopted in October 2018, and no district has adopted it. Topics such as motion, forces, energy and circuits are common in middle school physical science, but compare each unit with the AzSS and your district's scope and sequence before you teach it.
Does it matter which Phoenix district I teach in?
Only for your phone rule, not for the materials. Arizona's 2025 law leaves the wording to each district, so Phoenix Union, Mesa, Tolleson Union and Paradise Valley all handle phones differently. The units are printable, so they work under a strict all-day ban and under a rule that only bars use during class.
Do I need lab equipment?
No equipment comes with the bundle, and the units do not depend on a kit to make sense. If your school has spring scales, circuit kits or lenses, they add a hands-on step. Without them, students still work through graphs, diagrams and calculations on paper.
Will it work for ninth graders?
The bundle is listed for grades 6–9, so it fits ninth grade physical science as well as middle school. In a high school setting, Work, Energy & Power and Electric Circuits often carry more calculation, while Describing Motion & Interpreting Graphs can serve as review for students who missed it earlier.
How do I get the files?
Right after checkout you receive a download link by email. The files also stay in your customer account under Orders, so you can download them again at school or at home and print the first unit before Monday. Nothing is shipped, and there is no wait for a physical copy.
Can I share the units with my science team?
Your purchase covers your own classes. If your grade-level team or department wants to use the bundle too, send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing. Posting the files on a public site, a shared class page or a resale platform is not allowed under the licence.
Physics that students write, draw and graph
Open the product page to see the six units and decide which one starts your phone-free semester.
See the physical science units