Science
GRADES COURSES OFFERED CREDITS
9 Biology 1
10,11,12 Chemistry 1
10,11,12 ChemCom 1
10,11,12 Geology 1
10,11,12 Human Ecology 1
10,11,12 Physics C 1
10,11,12 Physics M 1
11,12 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1
11,12 Advanced Biology 1
11,12 Honors AP Chemistry 1

 GENERAL INFORMATION CONCERNING SCIENCE COURSES

It is expected that nearly all 9th graders will be enrolled in Biology.  The course which students should consider next will depend in part on the student's level of mathematics skills.

Students who completed Algebra in the 8th grade, or who earned at least a C+ in Algebra in the 9th grade, will usually enroll in Chemistry and/or Physics next.

Students who do not yet have a full credit in Algebra should sign up for Biology in 10th grade (if not already taken). 

Students in this group who have already earned Biology credit can enroll in Geology or Human Ecology in grade 10.

BIOLOGY                                                           

1 credit (1 year)
Grade: 9
Prerequisite: Credit in 8th grade science
This class is designed to be a balanced approach between lab work and discussion.  The course content will include general biology topics such as biological history, cell morphology (structure) and physiology (function), DNA, taxonomy, plant morphology and physiology, genetics, evolution, and a study of animal morphology and physiology.  Other current topics of interest are incorporated into the course content.

CHEMISTRY                                                       

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Equipment: Scientific Calculator
Prerequisite: The student should have a C+ or better in previous Algebra and science courses including Biology.
This course is designed as a rigorous academic course.  Hence students enrolling in Chemistry should have a good foundation in the physical sciences including an emphasis on critical thinking.  This is generally developed in the eighth grade General Science.  The Chemistry course includes the following:  Structure, the Periodic Table, Chemical Bonding, Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations, Stoichiometric Problems including the Gas Laws, Ionization, and Acid and Bases.  A lab is usually done with each chapter.  In some chapters, several labs will be done.

CHEMCOM                                                           

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Equipment: Scientific Calculator
Prerequisite: Biology and Algebra with a C or better.
This course is not open to students who have earned a credit in Chemistry.
ChemCom is a discipline-based chemistry course designed for college-bound students who plan to pursue careers in fields other than science.  ChemCom is a student-centered, activity based, issues-orientated chemistry curriculum that encourages small group learning.  ChemCom stresses societal issues.  The issues include some or all of the following:  supplying clean air and water, conserving chemical resources, utilizing petroleum as both a fuel and a chemical feedstock, and feeding the world.

GEOLOGY                                                              

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Prerequisite: Credit in Biology
This class will survey geology through a combination of discussion, lab work, and field work.  Topics that will be covered are rocks and minerals, topographic maps, geologic disasters, plate tectonics, earth’s history, fossils, and oceanography.  Depending on class size, there should be at least one collecting field trip.

HUMAN ECOLOGY                                                

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Prerequisite: Credit in Biology
This class is a yearlong science lab course.  It explores natural systems and how humans interact with them.  Specific environmental problems, such as extinction, rain forest destruction, ozone depletion, greenhouse effect, acid rain, and water pollution will be analyzed and researched by students.  Solutions to these problems will also be studied.

PHYSICS C                                                         

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Prerequisite: Credit in Biology & Algebra
This course is not open to students who have earned a credit in Physics M.
Physics C, or Conceptual Physics, is an intellectually demanding course that minimizes mathematical problem solving but maximizes the student's personal experience.  This course can be useful to students with widely differing skills, backgrounds, and career plans. Topics covered, to varying degrees, will be mechanics, heat, electricity, radioactivity, and atomic theory.  For the student whose interest in physics is increased by this class, it is possible to enroll in Physics M the following year.

PHYSICS M                                                         

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 10,11,12
Equipment: Scientific Calculator (Graphing would be the best)
Prerequisite: C or better in Biology and previously or concurrently taken Advanced Algebra
This is a rigorous college prep course.  Students majoring in any science area in college need to take this course.  This science course is problem-solving based.  It will help train the brain to solve mathematics, science and human problems.  Some topics studied include motion, forces, gravity, energy, work, waves, and electricity.

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY                      

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 11,12
Prerequisite: Biology and Chemistry
This class is for any student interested in the workings of the human body.  It will be of particular value to those students interested in pursuing careers in physical education, biology, medicine, and veterinary medicine.  Morphology (structure) will be stressed as well as physiology (function).  The systems of the body that will be studied include:  skeletal, muscular, digestive, cardiovascular, nervous, and urinary, among others. A special emphasis will be placed on laboratory exercises and dissection whenever possible.

ADVANCED BIOLOGY                                             

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 11,12
Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry
This course is designed to be a combination of lecture, laboratory work, and individualized study.  The biology topics for the classroom portion of the course will be ornithology, comparative anatomy, cell biology, and genetics.  Roughly one topic per quarter will be studied.  The individualized study will consist of students conducting a background literature search, writing a literature survey section of a scientific paper, and designing and conducting an experiment, as well as delivering their findings in a formal seminar.  As a result, the students will experience and gain insight into the work and thought patterns of a research scientist.

HONORS AP CHEMISTRY                                        

1 credit (1 year)
Grades: 11,12
Equipment: TI-82/83 Calculator
Prerequisite: Strong B or better in Chemistry; Chemistry test scores should average in the solid B or better range;
         Advanced Algebra or Pre-Calculus previously or concurrently.  Physics M previously or concurrently
The course content will include the following topics:  acid-base titration, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, oxidation-reduction quantitative analysis (involves finding out how much of a compound is present), stoichiometric relationships (solving problems such as a mole-mole, mole-mass, mass-volume), qualitative analysis (involves identifying unknown inorganic compounds), and some organic chemistry (the study of carbon compounds).

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This page was last updated February 7,  2007.
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