Science Department

Biology (College Prep)
Prerequisites: 7th and 8th grade sciences
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Successful completion of 7th and 8th grade sciences
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course covers cytology, human anatomy and physiology with genetics, zoology, and botany as well as interactions of all of the above organisms in an ecosystem with biotic and abiotic components. Emphasis is placed on timeframes and mechanisms by which organisms arrived on Earth, comparative and contrasting anatomies and corresponding functions/roles and species of different biomes of Earth with adaptations. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate the form and function of organisms from prokaryote to eukaryote and explain them on various levels of hierarchy (cellular, tissue, organ, system). Interactions between different organisms and between living and non-living components should also be understood.

Biology (Honors)
Prerequisites: 7th and 8th Grade Sciences
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: 7th and 8th Grade Sciences
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course covers cytology, human anatomy and physiology with genetics, zoology, and botany as well as interactions of all of the above organisms in an ecosystem with biotic and abiotic components. Emphasis is placed on timeframes and mechanisms by which organisms arrived on earth, comparative and contrasting anatomies and corresponding functions/roles and species of different biomes of earth with adaptations. A greater level of depth will be covered for the honors course. This will be reflected in quiz and test questions that both require more detail and a higher level of both application and conceptual thinking. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate the form and function of organisms from prokaryote to eukaryote and explain them on various levels of hierarchy (cellular, tissue, organ, system). Interactions between different organisms and between living and non-living components should also be understood.

Chemistry (College Prep)
Prerequisites: Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, and enrolled in Algebra II
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from last science teacher
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course provides an introduction to the structure of the atom and reactions that form molecules, conservation of energy and matter, basic organic and biochemical properties. Emphasis is placed on organization of atomic to molecular structures with nomenclature, three states of matter, temperature, and pressure variables in chemical reactions. Upon completion, students should be able to explain modern atomic structures, quantify by problem solving skill reactants and products.

Chemistry (Honors)
Prerequisites: Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, and enrolled in Algebra II
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from last science teacher
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course provides an introduction to the structure of the atom and reactions that form molecules, conservation of energy and matter, basic organic and biochemical properties. Emphasis is placed on organization of atomic to molecular structures with nomenclature, three states of matter, temperature, and pressure variables in chemical reactions. The honors course covers the material in greater detail. Upon completion, students should be able to explain modern atomic structures, quantify by problem solving skill reactants and products.

Physics (College Prep)
Prerequisites: Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry
Corequisite: College Algebra/Trig or Pre-Calculus
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from last science teacher
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course provides an introduction to classical Newtonian dynamics with kinematic principals of linear and angular motion, thermodynamics and wave functions. Emphasis is placed on forces and gravitational properties by vector analysis, sound, light properties, electrical and magnetic field theories in AC and DC circuits. Upon completion, students should be able to quantify kinematic and dynamic vector analysis of linear and angular motion, analyze wave motion of sound, light, electrical, and magnetic fields.

Physics (Honors)
Prerequisites: Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry
Corequisite: College Algebra/Trig or Pre-Calculus
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Recommendation from last science teacher
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course provides an introduction to classical Newtonian dynamics with kinematic principals of linear and angular motion, thermodynamics and wave functions. Emphasis is placed on forces and gravitational properties by vector analysis, sound, light properties, electrical and magnetic field theories in AC and DC circuits. The honors course covers the material in greater detail and is associated with more mathematical application. Upon completion, students should be able to quantify kinematic and dynamic vector analysis of linear and angular motion, analyze wave motion of sound, light, electrical, and magnetic fields.

Environmental Science (Honors)
Prerequisites: Any level of Biology and Chemistry both successfully completed
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from Biology and Chemistry
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course covers four major goals: ecosystems and how they work, finding balance among population, soil, water, and agriculture, causes and cures of pollution, natural and manmade resources. Emphasis is placed on current events such as global warming, alternate energy sources projects, hybrid cars, and ecosystem and species threats or endangerment. Upon completion, students should be able to explain how ecosystems work in a balanced cycle to minimize wastes and recycle energy and nutrients. Students should understand that man’s interactions must be premeditated so as to keep the balance between the necessities of nature and technology.

Environmental Science (AP)
Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry successfully completed
Teacher recommendations needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from Biology and Chemistry
Credit: 1 per year
Description: Topics covered in course include: Earth Systems and Resources (a study of the interaction of the atmosphere, waters of earth, and soils), The Living World (a study of the earths biomes and principles of energy flow and matter recycling), Populations (how they interact in ecosystems and how the human population affects earth), Land and Water Use (in agriculture, forestry, rangelands, and urban development, mining, fishing, and global economics of earth-related business), Energy Resources and Consumption (current and future research/needs), Pollution of air, water, and soil (including chemical, thermal, and noise varieties), and Global Change (to layers of the atmosphere and as it relates to loss of species biodiversity).

Science Demonstration
Prerequisites: Physical sciences, Biology, Chemistry
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: US Science Department Chair
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course provides support for all topics covered in K4- 6th grade science. High school students receive requests on a given science topic from teachers for presentations and/or experiments that support and increase knowledge for grades K4-6th. The high school students then form groups to research, design, and implement grade appropriate lessons. Hands on and oral presentations accompany visual aides. Emphasis is placed on elementary science topics from physical sciences to living sciences to space, matter, and weather. Upon completion, students should be able to research, organize, and design grade appropriate lessons with hands on demonstrations.

AP Biology
Prerequisites: Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry with a high “B” to “A” average for the year.
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendations from Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry.
Credit: 1 per year
Description: This course covers three major goals: Molecules and cells, heredity and evolution, and organisms and populations. They are discussed under eight major themes including science as a process, evolution, energy transfer, continuity and change, relationship of structure to function, regulation, interdependence in nature, the ethics of science, technology, and society. Emphasis is placed on four concepts that are woven as long threads through course content: emergent properties, repeated patterns, form fits function, and technology (everyday use of science). Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate the concepts of biochemistry intermingled. Anatomy and physiology are explained by molecular design and are demonstrated by laws of chemistry and physics.

AP Chemistry
Prerequisites: Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, and enrolled in Calculus
Teacher recommendation needed and from which discipline: Teacher recommendation from chemistry and physics
Credit: 1 per year (recommended for engineering and science majors)
Description: This course provides college level investigation of the structure of matter, states of matter, types and rates of reactions, periodicity, organic and biochemistry. Emphasis is placed on subatomic to macro molecular structure and nomenclature, quantum mechanics, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, bonding theories, kinetics and equilibrium, and nuclear decay. Upon completion, students should be able to quantify physical properties using mathematics and explain general trends of groups and periods associated to bonding properties. Students should also be prepared to take the AP Chemistry Exam.

AP Physics
Prerequisites: geometry and be concurrently taking algebra II, or an equivalent course.
The AP Physics 1 course is designed to be taught over the course of a full academic year and may be taken as a first-year physics course with no prior physics course work necessary. Although the Physics 1 course includes basic use of trigonometric functions, this understanding can be gained either in the concurrent math course or in the AP physics course itself.
AP Physics 1 can count as credit for a first year college Physics course for non-science majors.