Science 9 — Course Syllabus
MATATAG Curriculum · Key Stage 3 · School Year 2026–2027
| Learning Area | Science |
| Grade Level | Grade 9 |
| Key Stage | Key Stage 3 (Grades 7–10) |
| Time Allotment | 45 minutes daily · 5 days a week · 3 terms |
| Prerequisite | Science 8 |
| Curriculum Basis | MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum (DepEd, August 2023) |
| Calendar Basis | DO No. 009, s. 2026 — three-term school calendar |
| Assessment Basis | DO No. 015, s. 2026 — revised classroom assessment and grading |
| Medium of instruction | English |
The three-term school year
| Term | Months | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | June – September | 1 – 11 |
| Term 2 | September – December | 12 – 22 |
| Term 3 | January – April | 23 – 33 |
1. Course Description
Grade 9 opens on Force, Motion, and Energy — and Quarter 1 is the most crowded quarter in junior-high Science.
Grades 3 to 6 all open on materials. Grade 7 opens on the Science of Materials, Grade 8 on Life Science, and Grade 9 on Force, Motion, and Energy. The four junior-high grades run the domains in a rotation — a 4 × 4 Latin square printed on page 28 of the curriculum guide — so Grade 9's order is Force/Motion/Energy, Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Science of Materials. A teacher who plans Grade 9 Quarter 1 from what Grade 8 did will plan the wrong quarter, and will be seven weeks out.
Quarter 1 carries thirteen competencies across three distinct topics: Newton's three laws, electric circuits, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Every other quarter in this grade carries eleven, and every one of those covers a single connected topic. Quarter 1 does not, which means the teaching weeks divide roughly three, two and two — and the guide supplies three performance tasks for it, one per topic, where every other quarter gets one or two.
The rest of the year is strong and more even. Quarter 2 is Earth and Space: continental drift, plate boundaries — with the Philippines' own geological setting as a named competency — geologic time, the Earth's interior from seismic data, and the origin of the Solar System. Quarter 3 is DNA, genes and chromosomes, then mutations, then biodiversity and the ecosystems of this country. Quarter 4 is chemical bonding: valence electrons, ionic, covalent and metallic bonds, and the formulae that follow from them.
Two threads run right through. Models are built from evidence and revised — the Earth's interior is known from seismic waves, not from digging, and the class should be told which is which. And the Philippines is the case study: its plate boundaries in Quarter 2, its endangered species and ecosystems in Quarter 3, its electricity distribution in Quarter 1.
2. Grade Level Standard
Quoted verbatim from the MATATAG Science Curriculum Guide (DepEd, August 2023, page 26).
Grade 9 — At the end of Grade 9, learners describe that the transmission of traits is determined by DNA, genes, and chromosomes and explain that high levels of diversity help to maintain stability of an ecosystem. They identify critically endangered plants and animals of the Philippines and strategies to protect and conserve them. They describe features of typical Philippine ecosystems and conduct a survey to explore possibilities to minimize the impact of human activities. Learners carry out a valid and reliable scientific investigation, showing the formation of a new substance. They demonstrate an understanding of the significance of valence and identify bonds as ionic, covalent, or metallic. They recognize the symbols of common elements and the formula for common compounds. They describe the properties of ionic, covalent, and metallic substances. They demonstrate critical and creative thinking in producing a learning tool about the role of bonds. Learners exhibit skills in gathering information from secondary sources and identify the location and geological setting of the Philippines to explain its unique landforms and dynamic geologic activity in a global context. They recognize the size and scale of the Earth and describe evidence for a dynamic Earth. Learners demonstrate curiosity and open-mindedness to evaluate theories of the formation of the Solar System. They describe modern scientific processes and technologies used by scientists to investigate the nature and evolution of the Solar System. Learners demonstrate a practical understanding of Newton's three laws of motion and explain everyday application of Newton's laws. Learners explain the features of electricity and electrical circuitry in homes. Learners gather information from secondary sources to describe the nature and features of frequencies across the electromagnetic spectrum and identify practical applications and detrimental effects that electromagnetic radiation can have on living things.
3. Content Domains
3.1 The three content strands — what the learner does
| Strand | What it is at Grade 9 |
|---|---|
| Performing scientific inquiry skills | A valid and reliable investigation showing a new substance forming — the guide names validity and reliability, which means identifying and controlling variables, not just following steps. Guided investigation of current, voltage and resistance. A survey of human impact on a local ecosystem. |
| Understanding and applying scientific knowledge | Newton's three laws; circuits; the electromagnetic spectrum; plate boundaries and the Earth's interior; geologic time; DNA and mutations; biodiversity; ionic, covalent and metallic bonding. |
| Developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and values | Curiosity and open-mindedness in evaluating theories — the grade level standard names this for the formation of the Solar System, which is the one place in Key Stage 3 where competing explanations are weighed rather than a settled one delivered. |
3.2 The four discipline-oriented domains
| Domain | Grade 9 coverage |
|---|---|
| Force, Motion, and Energy | Inertia; acceleration from a net force; the relationship among force, mass and acceleration; equal and opposite forces between interacting objects; action–reaction pairs and force diagrams; electricity as a flow of electrons and its safe handling; current, voltage and resistance in series and parallel circuits; the electromagnetic spectrum, its applications and its harmful effects. |
| Earth and Space Science | Evidence that the continents were once joined; the geological setting of the Philippines; types of plate boundary; fossils and dating; relative and absolute dating and geologic time; seismic evidence for the Earth's internal structure; a scale drawing of the layers; comets, meteoroids, asteroids and dwarf planets; meteor showers; telescopes and space probes. |
| Life Science | The double helix; DNA, genes and chromosomes in the transmission of traits; mutations and what causes them; beneficial, harmful and neutral effects; biodiversity and ecosystem stability; critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable Philippine species; threats and extinction; conservation in the local community; rainforests, swamps, estuaries, mangroves and coral reefs; human impact and a survey to reduce it. |
| Science of Materials | A valid and reliable investigation of a new substance forming; bond formation and breaking as chemical change; the valence electron; ion formation and ionic bonds; formulae and names of common ionic compounds; covalent bonds in water and carbon dioxide; crystalline structures against individual molecules; metallic bonding as a sea of electrons; the properties that follow from each bond type. |
3.3 One quarter, one domain — and every junior-high grade has a different order
| Quarter | Grades 3–6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 9 | Grade 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials | Materials | Life | Force, Motion, and Energy | Earth and Space |
| 2 | Living Things | Life | Materials | Earth and Space Science | Force, Motion, Energy |
| 3 | Force, Motion, and Energy | Force | Earth and Space | Life Science | Materials |
| 4 | Earth and Space | Earth and Space | Force | Science of Materials | Life |
Grades 7 to 10 form a 4 × 4 Latin square: read any quarter across those four grades and each
domain appears exactly once. See science-spine.md §2 and
CG page 28.
Grade 9 is the grade where the rotation is easiest to get wrong in the other direction. Grade 8 finishes its year on Force, Motion, and Energy — acceleration, energy, work and power — and Grade 9 begins its year on the same domain. The two are adjacent in the calendar and continuous in content, and a teacher who reads that as one long unit will plan Grade 9 Quarter 1 as more energy work. It is not. It is Newton's three laws, then circuits, then the electromagnetic spectrum, and only the first three weeks connect to what Grade 8 did.
4. Content Map
Every entry is quoted from the official curriculum guide (DepEd, August 2023, pages 55–60),
committed at docs/research/source/.
Performance tasks here are the guide's, not this syllabus's — page 17 requires at least one substantial performance task for each quarter and supplies the tasks. Grade 9 Quarter 1 is given three.
CG Quarter 1 — Force, Motion, and Energy
Taught in Term 1, weeks 1–8
| Content | Newton's Laws · Force and energy · Electric current · Electrical circuits · Interpreting patterns in data · Electromagnetic waves |
| Content standards | 1. Newton's laws explain and predict how objects move due to the forces that act on them. 2. Electricity is a flow of electrons and can be measured and understood using current, voltage, and resistance in circuits. 3. Electromagnetic radiation travels using transverse waves of different wavelengths. 4. Scientists and engineers use electromagnetic radiation to design modern technologies that benefit people and society. |
| Learning competencies | 1. identify inertia as the tendency for an object to stay at rest or in motion unless acted on by an unbalanced net force; 2. demonstrate in practical situations and describe that acceleration is a change in speed and/or direction as the result of a net force; 3. investigate the relationship among force, acceleration, and mass; 4. explain that when any two objects interact, there are equal but opposite forces exerted between them, which is evident in many practical situations and applications; 5. observe and identify action-reaction pairs in everyday situations such as stepping off a boat, or a book on a table, and draw force diagrams to explain how the pairs affect the motion of objects; 6. identify that electricity is a flow of electrons and show appreciation for the need to observe safe measures in handling electricity; 7. participate in guided investigations to infer the relationship among current, voltage, and resistance in assembled series and parallel circuits with varying number of loads and battery; 8. draw diagrams of and assemble series and parallel circuits, showing switch, battery, loads/resistors, ammeter, and voltmeter; 9. collaborate in a class discussion to recognize the advantages and limitations of using series or parallel circuits; 10. describe electromagnetic radiation (EMR) as energy that is created by the vibrations of electrically charged particles which allows it to travel through materials or space as transverse waves; 11. compare the relative wavelengths and frequencies of different types of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultra-violet, x-rays, and gamma radiation; 12. identify practical applications of electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves used in telecommunications, and x-rays and gamma rays in medicine; and 13. gather information from secondary sources to explain the harmful effects that EMR can have on living things. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners demonstrate a practical understanding of Newton's three laws of motion to describe relationships between variables and use these to explain everyday application of Newton's laws. Through practical investigations, learners demonstrate qualitative understanding of the features of electricity and apply their understanding of electrical circuitry in homes. Learners exhibit skills in gathering information from secondary sources to describe the frequencies across the electromagnetic spectrum and identify practical applications and detrimental effects that electromagnetic radiation may have on living things. |
| Performance tasks (from the guide — three) | A. Design a model vehicle from recycled materials using the Law of action-reaction to carry a 15-gram payload over a 5-meter displacement. Describe the forces interacting and the motions evident when your vehicle is moving, including any vectors that are relevant. B. Use secondary sources regarding problems associated with the distribution of electrical energy from power plants to homes. Use the findings to develop a system that can address the problems. C. Develop a poster that identifies the useful and dangerous attributes of the 7 main energies of the EMS. |
CG Quarter 2 — Earth and Space Science
Opens in Term 1 (weeks 9–11); completed in Term 2 (weeks 12–16)
| Content | Scale, proportion and quantity · Plate boundaries · Structure of the Earth · Geologic time · Origin of the Solar System · Space Technologies |
| Content standards | 1. Evidence for continents moving includes jig-saw matching of coastlines, rock types, and the presence of similar fossils in places separated by vast distance. 2. The movement of lithospheric plates provides a theory for understanding Earth's geological history. 3. The geological time scale organizes major stages in the history of the Earth over more than 4 billion years. 4. Radioactive decay of material inside the Earth since it was formed is its internal source of energy. 5. The Earth's interior is made up of layers of varying characteristics. 6. Models represent the size, structure, and relationship of components of the Solar System. 7. Observable evidence and models help explain the nature and origin of the Solar System. |
| Learning competencies | 1. identify and explain evidence that current continents are separate parts of what was a single continent millions of years ago; 2. participate in a collaborative group or class task to examine and describe the topographical and geological evidence for plate boundaries occurring in the area where the Philippines is located; 3. describe the types of plate boundaries found around the Earth; 4. describe how fossils can be used for dating the age of rocks and sediments; 5. describe how relative and absolute dating techniques are used to determine the subdivisions of geologic time; 6. explain how the geologic time scale helps to recount the history of the Earth; 7. describe how seismic wave data has been used to develop a model for the internal structure and composition of the Earth; 8. create a scale drawing to represent relative thicknesses of the layers of Earth's interior, including the crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mantle, outer core, and inner core; 9. distinguish among comets, meteoroids, asteroids, and dwarf planets, and describe how they help us to understand the nature and formation of the Earth and the Solar System; 10. gather information from secondary sources to discuss the regular occurrence of meteor showers; and 11. explain how modern research about celestial objects uses new space technologies including telescopes and space probes. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners exhibit skills in evaluating information from secondary sources, and draw on their scientific understanding of the location and geological setting of the Philippines to explain its unique landforms and dynamic geologic activity in a global context. They demonstrate an appreciation of the size and scale of the Earth and describe evidence for a dynamic Earth over its long geological history as well as the evidence that is used to build a model for the internal structure of the Earth. Learners demonstrate curiosity and open-mindedness in extending their knowledge and understanding of the dynamic Earth to evaluate evidence for theories for the formation of the Solar System. They describe modern scientific processes and technologies that are used by scientists to investigate the nature and evolution of the Solar System and Universe. |
| Performance tasks (from the guide — two) | A. Design and build a 3D model of the features of the Earth including its interior structure. B. Develop an information report to describe and explain how modern space technologies are used to conduct groundbreaking research about the nature and origin of the Solar System. |
CG Quarter 3 — Life Science
Opens in Term 2 (weeks 17–22); completed in Term 3 (weeks 23–24)
| Content | DNA replication and mutations · Biodiversity and endangered species · Types of ecosystems in the Philippines |
| Content standards | 1. Transmission of traits is determined by DNA, genes, and chromosomes. 2. High biodiversity means populations are more likely to overcome adverse conditions. 3. Human activities can adversely affect animals and plants in a variety of ecosystems. |
| Learning competencies | 1. use models and labeled diagrams to represent the double helix structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid); 2. explain the role of DNA, genes, and chromosomes in the transmission of traits; 3. describe mutations as changes in DNA or chromosomes and discuss some of the factors that cause mutations, such as infectious agents, radiation, and chemicals; 4. use information from secondary sources to explain the beneficial, harmful, and neutral effects of mutations; 5. explain the advantage of high biodiversity in maintaining the stability of an ecosystem during difficult conditions, such as food shortages, disease, and climate change; 6. use information from secondary resources to classify animals and plants of the Philippines as critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable species; 7. discuss as a class how threats to biodiversity can lead to species extinction; 8. use information from secondary sources to research how to protect and conserve endangered and/or economically important species in the local community; 9. describe using labeled diagrams the biotic and abiotic features of tropical rainforests, swamps, estuaries, mangrove forests, and coral reefs; 10. use information from secondary sources to describe the possible effects of human activities, such as deforestation, pollution, and introduction of invasive species, on living things in an ecosystem; and 11. plan to conduct a survey to explore the possibilities for minimizing the negative impacts of human activities on an ecosystem. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners describe that the transmission of traits is determined by DNA, genes, and chromosomes. They explain that high levels of diversity help to maintain stability of an ecosystem. They research to classify critically endangered plants and animals of the Philippines and to identify strategies to protect and conserve them. They use drawings and diagrams to describe features of typical Philippine ecosystems and they conduct a survey to explore possibilities to minimize the impact of human activities. |
| Performance tasks (from the guide — two) | A. Write a report on an environmental action group analyzing their principles and their actions or activities regarding the human impact on the biosphere. B. Conduct a research project on a specific Philippine ecosystem and investigate its biodiversity, ecological interactions, and conservation challenges. Present your research findings through a scientific report or multimedia project. |
CG Quarter 4 — Science of Materials
Taught in Term 3, weeks 25–33
| Content | Valid and reliable investigations · Chemical bonding · Ionic compounds · Covalent compounds · Metallic bonds · Chemical formula |
| Content standards | 1. Valid and reliable scientific investigations include identification and control of variables. 2. Formation or breaking down of ionic or covalent bonds results in a chemical change. 3. Bonds are formed between atoms either by sharing or transferring of electrons. 4. The type of bond formed determines whether the result is a covalent or ionic compound. 5. Symbols for the elements are used as a basis for writing chemical formula of compounds. 6. The properties of pure substances depend on the type of bonding within them. |
| Learning competencies | 1. carry out a valid and reliable scientific investigation to show the formation of a new substance, such as formation of a carbonate (carbon dioxide in limewater), or formation of a precipitate (from silver nitrate solution); 2. explain that the formation of new bonds or the breaking of existing bonds constitutes a chemical change and the formation of a new substance; 3. describe a valence electron as an electron in the outer shell of an atom that can take part in formation of bonds; 4. identify the number of valence electrons of oxygen based on its position in the periodic table; 5. explain the formation of ions as either the loss or gain of electrons to produce ionic bonds, using examples, such as the formation of sodium chloride; 6. write the chemical formula and chemical names of some common ionic compounds, including sodium chloride (NaCl), magnesium oxide (MgO), potassium chloride (KCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2); 7. explain the formation of covalent bonds using a molecule of water and a molecule of carbon dioxide; 8. write the chemical formula and chemical name of some common covalent compounds, including water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ammonia (NH3); 9. show by using models that ionic compounds form crystalline structures whereas covalent compounds form individual molecules; 10. explain properties of metals in terms of their structure and metallic bonding (sea of electrons model); and 11. investigate the properties of ionic, covalent, and metallic substances, such as melting point, hardness, electrical and thermal conductivity. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners carry out a valid and reliable scientific investigation showing the formation of a new substance. They demonstrate an understanding of the significance of the valence electron of an element in the formation of bonds and identify bonds as ionic, covalent, or metallic. They use their knowledge of the symbols of elements to write the formula for a number of common compounds. They draw models of possible structures of ionic compounds and research the properties of ionic, covalent, and metallic substances. They use cartoons/comic strips to create interesting learning tools. |
| Performance task (from the guide) | Create a cartoon/comic strips portraying the main characters as "ionic", "covalent", and "metallic" bonds. The cartoon should communicate each character's role in holding atoms and/or molecules together and may show what happens to them in the way the substances are used in everyday life. |
5. Term-by-Term Scope and Sequence
| Quarter blocks | Q1 → weeks 1–8 · Q2 → 9–16 · Q3 → 17–24 · Q4 → 25–33 |
| The last week of each block | the quarter's performance task, per guide page 17 |
| Within a block | the guide's own competency order, adjacent competencies merged where natural — marked ⊕ |
⚠️ The week mapping is this repository's, not DepEd's. A school's approved Budget of Work replaces every week number below; none has been obtained. The quarter-to-domain assignment is DepEd's and is reproduced exactly — including the fact that Quarter 1 is Force, Motion, and Energy.
Term 1 — June to September
| Week | Focus | CG source | Artifacts in this repo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inertia — the tendency to keep doing what you are doing | Q1 · 1 | — |
| 2 ⊕ | Acceleration as a change in speed or direction and how force, mass and acceleration relate | Q1 · 2–3 | — |
| 3 | Equal and opposite forces, and naming action–reaction pairs | Q1 · 4–5 | ✔ Full set — lesson plans, slides, game, offline activities, worksheets, wall chart |
| 4 ⊕ | Electricity as a flow of electrons, handled safely and current, voltage and resistance investigated | Q1 · 6–7 | — |
| 5 ⊕ | Drawing and assembling series and parallel circuits and what each is good and bad at | Q1 · 8–9 | — |
| 6 ⊕ | EMR as transverse waves from vibrating charges and the spectrum ordered by wavelength | Q1 · 10–11 | — |
| 7 ⊕ | What each band is used for and the harm each can do | Q1 · 12–13 | — |
| 8 | Quarter 1 performance task — the recycled action–reaction vehicle | Q1 · PT | — |
| 9 | Evidence the continents were once one | Q2 · 1 | — |
| 10 | The plate boundaries the Philippines sits on, examined as a class | Q2 · 2 | — |
| 11 | The types of plate boundary found around the Earth | Q2 · 3 | — |
End-of-term block — Term 1 examination, remediation, reporting.
Term 2 — September to December
| Week | Focus | CG source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 ⊕ | Dating rock with fossils and relative against absolute dating | Q2 · 4–5 |
| 13 | The geologic time scale as a way of telling the Earth's history | Q2 · 6 |
| 14 ⊕ | What seismic waves reveal about the inside and a scale drawing of the layers | Q2 · 7–8 |
| 15 ⊕ | Comets, meteoroids, asteroids and dwarf planets and meteor showers and telescopes and probes | Q2 · 9–11 |
| 16 | Quarter 2 performance task — the 3D model of the Earth's interior | Q2 · PT |
| 17 ⊕ | The double helix, modelled and the roles of DNA, genes and chromosomes | Q3 · 1–2 |
| 18 ⊕ | Mutations and what causes them and their beneficial, harmful and neutral effects | Q3 · 3–4 |
| 19 | Why high biodiversity keeps an ecosystem stable under stress | Q3 · 5 |
| 20 ⊕ | Classifying Philippine species by threat level and how threats lead to extinction | Q3 · 6–7 |
| 21 | Protecting and conserving species in this community | Q3 · 8 |
| 22 | Rainforests, swamps, estuaries, mangroves and reefs, diagrammed | Q3 · 9 |
End-of-term block — Term 2 examination, remediation, reporting.
Term 3 — January to April
| Week | Focus | CG source |
|---|---|---|
| 23 ⊕ | The effects of human activity on an ecosystem and planning the survey | Q3 · 10–11 |
| 24 | Quarter 3 performance task — the Philippine ecosystem research project | Q3 · PT |
| 25 | A valid and reliable investigation showing a new substance form | Q4 · 1 |
| 26 | Making and breaking bonds is the chemical change | Q4 · 2 |
| 27 ⊕ | What a valence electron is and finding oxygen's from the periodic table | Q4 · 3–4 |
| 28 | Losing and gaining electrons — ions, and the ionic bond in NaCl | Q4 · 5 |
| 29 | Formulae and names of common ionic compounds | Q4 · 6 |
| 30 ⊕ | Covalent bonds in water and carbon dioxide and the formulae that follow | Q4 · 7–8 |
| 31 ⊕ | Crystals against individual molecules and the sea of electrons in a metal | Q4 · 9–10 |
| 32 | Melting point, hardness and conductivity, investigated by bond type | Q4 · 11 |
| 33 | Quarter 4 performance task — the ionic, covalent and metallic comic strip | Q4 · PT |
End-of-term block — Term 3 examination, closing activities, reporting.
Coverage check
| CG quarter | Competencies | Teaching weeks | PT week | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 13 | 7 | 8 | Term 1, weeks 1–8 |
| Quarter 2 | 11 | 7 | 16 | Term 1 weeks 9–11; Term 2 weeks 12–16 |
| Quarter 3 | 11 | 7 | 24 | Term 2 weeks 17–22; Term 3 weeks 23–24 |
| Quarter 4 | 11 | 8 | 33 | Term 3, weeks 25–33 |
| Total | 46 | 29 | 4 | 33 weeks |
All 46 CG competencies are placed. None is taught twice, and none is dropped.
Quarter 1 is thirteen competencies in seven teaching weeks and it shows. Newton's laws get three weeks, circuits two, and the electromagnetic spectrum two. That is the tightest ratio in the grade and among the tightest in Key Stage 3. If a week has to be found from somewhere, the honest place to find it is Week 15, which merges three Quarter 2 competencies and could be split across two weeks by moving the Quarter 2 performance task into the Term 2 examination block. Nothing in Quarter 1 can be compressed further without dropping a competency.
6. Assessment and Grading
Per DO No. 015, s. 2026, for a Key Stage 3 core learning area: Written Works 20% · Performance Tasks 50% · Examinations 30%.
Transmutation is a year switch. SY 2026–2027 uses an adjusted table in which a raw 70 transmutes to a passing 75; from SY 2027–2028 transmutation is removed.
⚠️ Reported, not read. Two independent search passes returned the same split. Confirm before computing a real grade.
What Grade 9 assessment has to add
A correct statement of the third law is not evidence of understanding it. Equal and opposite
is four words and a learner can produce them fluently while still believing the forces cancel out.
Every instrument in assessment.md therefore requires the learner to name the
object each force acts on — and marks the naming rather than the phrase. An answer that gives
equal and opposite with no objects named scores nothing on those items, and the model answers say
so explicitly so the rule is not a surprise.
The other Grade 9 addition is three performance tasks in one quarter. Page 17 requires at least
one, so the syllabus places the vehicle in Week 8 and offers the other two as alternatives.
Rubrics for all three are in assessment.md §6.
7. Learner Support
| Provision | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Below-level | Sentences before arrows. worksheet-remediation.html draws no force diagram at all until the learner can write every force as A pushes B. |
| On-level | The standard task, with both objects named in every answer, every time. |
| Above-level | Free-body diagrams for two interacting objects side by side; the rocket in vacuum; why a car cannot accelerate on frictionless ice. All three are beyond the competency and all three follow directly from it. |
| Language | All materials are in English. Interact, net force, action–reaction and balanced are said aloud before they are read. Note that reaction in everyday English means a response that comes afterwards, and in physics it does not — the two forces begin and end together. That interference is real and is addressed explicitly on Day 1. |
| Learners with additional needs | Enlarged print, extended time, verbal instead of written response, a peer scribe. The chair activity has a seated alternative that needs no movement. Every digital artifact is keyboard-operable and screen-reader labelled. |
| Absence and catch-up | Every digital artifact is one file that copies to a phone or USB stick and runs offline. |
8. Materials
No-cost / recycled — the default.
- Two chairs that slide, for the push-off — the whole of Week 3 runs on them
- A length of rope for the tug of war
- Balloons, and a drinking straw and string for the balloon rocket
- Recycled bottles, caps and card for the Week 8 vehicle
- Paper and pencil for force diagrams
- Chalk and a board
If available.
- A projector or television for the deck; any browser device for the game
- Dry cells, bulbs, wire and a switch for Quarter 1 weeks 4 and 5
- An ammeter and a voltmeter — the guide names both in competency 8
- Limewater and a straw, or silver nitrate, for Quarter 4 week 25
- A printed periodic table, shared between pairs, for Quarter 4
DepEd's Grade 9 equipment list is not held here. Quarter 1 competency 8 names an ammeter and a voltmeter specifically, and a school without either cannot assemble the circuit as written. A bulb's brightness is a usable qualitative substitute for current and it is not a substitute for a reading;
offline-activities.mdsays which substitutions are honest and which are not.
9. Curriculum Verification — Completed
| Item | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Grade level standard (§2) | CG p. 26 | ✅ Verbatim |
| The four domains (§3.2) | CG p. 19 | ✅ Verified |
| Domain per quarter (§3.3) | CG p. 28 | ✅ Verified — Quarter 1 is Force, Motion, and Energy |
| Quarters 1 to 4 (§4) | CG pp. 55–60 | ✅ Verbatim |
| Performance tasks (§4) | CG pp. 55–60 | ✅ From the guide — eight of them across four quarters |
| Week mapping (§5) | This repository | ⚠️ Proposal — the Budget of Work is unobtained |
| Three-term calendar | DO No. 009, s. 2026 | ⚠️ Adopted, from reporting |
| Assessment weights (§6) | DO No. 015, s. 2026 | ⚠️ Adopted, from reporting |
What opening the guide changed
| Assumed | Actually |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 Quarter 1 continues Grade 8's energy work | Quarter 1 is Newton's three laws, then circuits, then the electromagnetic spectrum. Only the first three weeks connect to Grade 8 at all. |
| Newton's laws are covered somewhere in Grade 8 | Grade 8 does acceleration, energy, work and power. The three laws are Grade 9 Quarter 1 competencies 1 to 5, and the third law is competencies 4 and 5. |
| Electricity is its own quarter | It is four competencies inside Quarter 1, sharing eight weeks with mechanics and the electromagnetic spectrum. |
| Plate tectonics is Grade 10 | Continental drift, the Philippine plate setting and the types of boundary are Grade 9 Quarter 2 competencies 1 to 3. Grade 10 takes it further. |
| DNA is senior high | DNA, genes, chromosomes and mutations are Grade 9 Quarter 3 competencies 1 to 4. Grade 8 did the Punnett square; Grade 9 supplies the molecule underneath it. |
| Chemical bonding is Grade 10 | Ionic, covalent and metallic bonding is Grade 9 Quarter 4, the last quarter of the year. |
| Each quarter has one performance task | Page 17 requires at least one. Quarter 1 is given three and Quarters 2 and 3 are given two each — eight in the year. |
Part of the E-turo MATATAG artifact set. Companion files:
lesson-plan.md · lesson-plan-ilaw.md ·
assessment.md · offline-activities.md ·
slides.html · game.html