BIOLOGY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 10
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: This is a laboratory science course which addresses the basic nature of all forms of life. Students will explore cellular systems, the molecular basis of heredity, biological diversity, ecosystem dynamics including the flow of energy and the cycling of matter. This course is required for graduation and is a prerequisite for many other science courses. Students are required to take the OSTP Science Assessment at the end of their junior year. This course will cover 50% of material tested on the OSTP Science Assessment (Grade 11).
HONORS CHEMISTRY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 10-12
Prerequisite: Grade of B or better in Biology and Algebra I recommended
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science; advanced class on 5.0 GPA scale
Course Description: Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. Semester “A” topics include: metric measurements including dimensional analysis, matter, atoms, periodic table, electron configurations, bonding, nomenclature, chemical equations and reactions and the mole. Semester “B” topics include: stoichiometry, energy and heat, gasses, solutions, equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry and organic chemistry. Notice that the pacing for Honors Chemistry is faster than Chemistry. First rate Algebra skills are a must for Chemistry as math is used to help explain many chemistry concepts.
HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in Biology recommended
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: This course studies the structure and function of human body systems, as well as, the interactions of the various organ systems in health and disease. The course relies heavily on memorization and analytical skills. Students will complete animal dissections. This course compliments preparation for careers in health professions. The second-semester course work builds on the first semester’s course knowledge. Students must have successfully completed two semesters of Biology 1. NOTE: Course will occasionally cover mature content.
GEOLOGY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Algebra I
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: Physical geology is an introduction to the study of scientific composition and dynamics of the earth from the atomic scale of minerals to the global scale of plate tectonics. The composition, structure, and dynamics of the layered earth include a short introduction to minerals, rocks, weathering, erosion, earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, faults, interior processes, plate tectonics, and earth resources. Emphasis is placed on how the geologic environment affects humans and how humans affect the environment. The student will study the processes forming surface landforms and be able to recognize landscapes characteristic of water, ice, and wind erosion. Students this would be a good course to take if interested in a career as a geologist or engineer.
CHEMISTRY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 10-12
Prerequisite: Biology and Algebra I
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. Semester “A” topics include: matter, measurements including dimensional analysis, matter, atoms, periodic table, electron configurations, nomenclature, chemical equations and reactions. Semester “B” topics include: the mole, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acids and bases and organic chemistry. First rate Algebra skills are a must for Chemistry as math is used to help explain many chemistry concepts.
ASTRONOMY
One Semester Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Algebra 1, Geometry. Physical Science Recommended
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: This course will explore the universe and our place within it. Units covered will include the history of astronomy, the solar system, stars and galaxies. This course will investigate the current research including spectroscopic analysis and the evidence for an expanding universe. Major constellations, with their associated stars and mythologies, will also be described throughout the semester. Instruction will primarily be lecture-based and will include a computer component in the laboratory when appropriate. A general survey of astronomy, including: the solar system and its constituents; stars, their basic properties and evolution; systems of stars including clusters, the Milky Way and other galaxies; the universe, its past, present and future structure; astronomical instruments; topics of current interest including pulsars, quasars, black holes..
METEOROLOGY
One Semester Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Algebra 1, Geometry. Physical Science Recommended
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: Meteorology, which is a laboratory-based and technology-based course, will promote and cultivate the development of student scientific inquiry and scientific method skills, which are important critical thinking skills. Meteorology is particularly suited to these aims because it is an applied science that readily lends itself to familiar everyday life. Weather is not an arbitrary act of nature, weather forecasting has its limits, and the climate future is uncertain. The emphasis on scientific methodology provides a perspective on the accomplishments of meteorologists and the challenges still facing them. Topics that will be covered include 1) how we monitor the weather through local weather stations, radars, and satellites, 2) how the interactions between temperature, air pressure, wind, humidity, and precipitation create our weather, and 3) how to forecast the weather on a daily basis. Other topics include severe weather, like tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms/lightning, and weather human hazards like global climate change, all of which will be embedded within the curriculum.
ZOOLOGY (INVERTEBRATES)
One Semester Class
Grades: 11-12
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: This course will study those smaller marine animals within the Animal Kingdom without backbones. Students will learn the diversity of various phyla and how they survive. Students will learn the taxonomy, physiology and anatomy that helps these animals survive. The lab work will include some dissection, microscope work, and observational skills on animals like sponges, jellyfish, planarians (flatworms), squids, crayfish, insects, and sea stars.
ZOOLOGY (VERTEBRATES)
One Semester Class
Grades: 11-12
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Course Description: This course will study those animals within the Animal Kingdom that have backbones. Students will learn the diversity of various phyla and how they survive. Students will learn the taxonomy, physiology and anatomy that helps these animals survive. The lab work will include some dissection, microscope work, and observational skills on animals like sharks, mudpuppies, reptiles, birds and mammals.
AP BIOLOGY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Grade of B of better in Algebra I recommended and HONORS Chemistry or concurrently enrolled
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science; advanced class on 5.0 GPA scale
Fees: Student pays reduced price for AP exam in May
Course Description: This Advanced Placement course is an elective honors course based on the National AP Biology Curriculum. It will give students the opportunity to take a college-level course while still in high school. College credit is granted to individual students depending on the university and the student’s undergraduate major after successful completion of the AP exam given nationwide in May. The coursework, which is both challenging and stimulating, requires a serious commitment on the part of the student, including dedicated homework time. Sophomores may take this course only if they are concurrently enrolled in Honors Chemistry I or Chemistry. Lab work is similar and equivalent to that used in college Biology courses.
AP CHEMISTRY
Full-Year Class
Grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and Algebra II or concurrently enrolled
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science; advanced class on 5.0 GPA scale
Fees: Student pays reduced price for AP exam in Ma
Course Description: This is a challenging course that will incorporate advanced math skills and prior knowledge from the Honors Chemistry coursework. Students will be learning about formation of various compounds, acids and base properties, equilibrium, electrochemistry, thermochemistry and other fundamentals of chemistry. The course will be equivalent to a freshman year college chemistry class. Students will need to have very good study skills, work ethic and must be able to be willing to do work outside of classroom time to obtain a high grade in this class.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
One Semester Class
Grades: 10-12
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Prerequisite: Biology 1
Course Description: This is a laboratory science course which addresses the basic nature of environmental science. Students will explore the basic concepts of ecology, environmental problems we face today, and solutions towards sustainability.
AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Full-Year Class
Grades: 10-12
Prerequisite: Biology and Algebra 1
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science; advanced class on 5.0 GPA scale
Fees: Student pays reduced price for AP exam in May
Course Description: This is a college level course. The goal of AP Environmental Science is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. The coursework, which is both challenging and stimulating, requires a serious commitment on the part of the student, including dedicated homework time.
BOTANY
One Semester Class
Grades: 10-12
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Prerequisite: Biology 1
Course Description: This is a laboratory science course which addresses the basic nature of plants. Students will explore the differences between plants that are nonvascular and vascular. The course will look at their structures, reproductive methods, and environments.
PHYSICS
Full-Year Class
Grades: 11-12
Credit Value: .5 per semester/Science
Prerequisite: Algebra II
Course Description: Physics is an advanced level science class that satisfies the high school graduation requirement of a physical science class. Students should have successfully completed or be currently enrolled in Algebra 2. The physics curriculum includes interactions of matter and energy, velocity, accelerations, force, energy, momentum and charge. Students will be challenged to apply their knowledge of the laws of physics to solve physics related critical thinking problems. Students will complete a long term science project that will count as multiple test and project grades for each nine week grading period.