Courses for 2006-2007 in

Prerequisite:   Current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

This course meets the science requirement for graduation. It will be highly flexible, responding to the individual needs of the students. Content will closely conform to the Learning Standards and State Goals. The cross-disciplinary applications of learning will be augmented by a variety of student-centered techniques, including problem solving strategies, working in groups and as individuals on projects, using computers to access information, producing data bases, and communicating results, opinions and observations. Students will be encouraged to develop design skills and relate science, technology, and society to their work. Learning organizational skills is a major emphasis in this course.

Prerequisite:   Current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

This course will be flexible enough to respond to the special needs of the students enrolled. It will continue on from the first year of Basic Science where the students began their work to develop skills and to understand key concepts. The basis of the first year's work was to integrate the study of all the disciplines of science through the fundamental concept of energy. The unifying concepts were used as the vehicle as often as possible. Here, in the second year, we will also follow a thematic approach using the four unifying concepts as our focus. In the second year of Basic Science, we will continue to build upon the curriculum of the first year, revisiting topics in greater depth and developing links to the unifying concepts, and to those skills associated with problem solving, cooperative learning and design technology.

Prerequisite:   One life science and one physical science course

This one semester lab course is a highly practical hands-on approach to science through the study of materials. Materials science has been responsible for the development of products such as plastic silverware, toothpaste containers, Kevlar, Gortex and silicon computer chips. It is viewed as a mainstream science course in higher education. In this course, students will have the opportunity to learn through a process of inquiry by design, building, testing, and redesigning materials to be used to solve a problem. Students may improve on a present design or invent something that does not currently exist. This course requires students to apply information they have learned from chemistry, physics, earth science, and biology. It will require students to engage in activities that attempt to mirror the experiences of industry, such as research and development, marketing, advertising, and presentation of their final products in written and verbal forms. They will also be assisted in networking with professionals who work in the field of materials science for technical advice. This course may be taken by the same student each semester for credit.

Prerequisite:   Current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

Introductory Biology is a survey course of biological topics. Topics for study include animal kingdom, ecology, elemental chemistry and biochemistry, cells, genetics, evolution, dissection, and plants. This course stresses the development of study and organizational skills, and focuses on general biological concepts. Introductory Biology emphasizes the use of laboratory activities, demonstrations, and class discussions.

Prerequisite:   None

This is an introductory survey course employing lectures, labs, and outdoor studies to emphasize the following topics: biochemistry, cells, genetics, evolution, plants, animals, and ecology. Students will develop the necessary skills to investigate current biological issues. Homework is given frequently and lab work is extensive, including dissections of some organisms.

Prerequisite:   Biology 1 and current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

Anatomy and Physiology/Body Mechanics is a course that offers students a second year of life science. The student who is interested in pursuing a career in medicine or nursing, medical technology, or the student who is just interested in gaining an expanded appreciation for the amazing complexity and organization of the human body, will benefit greatly from this course. Through our studies, students gain an understanding of the inner workings of our systems and the interactions that keep our bodies functioning smoothly. The course delves into the metabolic processes, the unique and specialized cells that make up our bodies, and the skeletal, muscular, and cardiovascular systems. An in-depth individual student project into the most modern cardiovascular techniques wraps up the first semester's work. Through laboratory investigations, Internet searches, interactive computer programs and unique projects, students gain an understanding of who we are. Most students will continue on to second semester of this course. This course is offered first semester.

Prerequisite:   Biology 1 and current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

In this course, students will have the opportunity to visit a medical facility and learn first-hand about medical procedures and the human body. Also, during this semester, students will have an opportunity to design a PowerPoint presentation that examines and integrates their studies, focusing on the homeostatic mechanisms guiding the balance maintained by the body. Students in this course will delve further into the systems of the body, and study the integration controlled by the nervous and endocrine systems. Students will apply their knowledge and understanding to case studies of human diseases, human embryology, development, and inheritance. It is highly recommended that students in this course have completed Anatomy and Physiology/Body Mechanics. This course is offered second semester.

Prerequisite:    1) Chemistry 1 (with a grade of "A" in the first semester) or Chemistry I-H (with a grade of "A" or "B" in the first semester), and 2) current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

This is a college-level biology course emphasizing biochemistry. Students are expected to do outside reading and writing and to take the Advanced Placement Exam as part of this course. Topics include cell physiology, bacteriology, plant and animal physiology, animal behavior, embryology, genetics, evolutionary theory, and the history and philosophy of biological science. Numerous laboratory activities are included.

Prerequisite:   None

This course gives the student a background in chemistry while keeping math computation to a minimum. The majority of the first semester covers topics similar to Chemistry 1: measurement, chemical notation, including elemental and ionic symbols, history of science and technology, atomic structure & nuclear chemistry, energy and fuels, and kinetic theory and gases. The majority of the second semester emphasizes more applied chemistry: bonding, organic chemistry, polymers, food chemistry, food additives, acids and bases, consumer chemistry, chemicals and cosmetics, body chemistry, OTC drugs, mind chemistry, and toxicology.

Prerequisite:   P/S Geometry or Algebra 2

This is the regular chemistry course at the college preparatory level. Motivation, an ability to work independently, a willingness to meet with the teacher outside of class if necessary, and competency in computational skills and algebra are important for success. Topics include: modern atomic theory (quantum mechanics), chemical reactions, molecular structure, energy phenomena, the mole concept, oxidation/reduction reactions, chemical kinetics, equilibrium, basic organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. Laboratory exercises are included.

Prerequisite:    1) Honors mathematics or Advanced Algebra, and 2) current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

This is a college preparatory course in inorganic chemistry recommended for those students planning careers in science, medicine or engineering. Students should have previously demonstrated above average abilities in deductive reasoning, computational skills, and abstract conceptualization. Topics include: modern atomic theory, the mole concept, chemical periodicity, oxidation/reduction reactions, theories of chemical bonding, chemical energetics, acid-base reactions, rates of reactions, equilibrium, and nuclear chemistry. Laboratory exercises are used where appropriate.

Prerequisite:    1) Chemistry 1 or Chemistry 1-H, 2) Trigonometry, and 3) current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

Rigorous treatment will be given those topics typical of a college chemistry course. Topics to be considered include the atom as depicted by quantum mechanics, molecular orbital theory, molecular structure, ligand field theory, reaction kinetics, kinetic molecular theory of gases, solutions and electrolytes, oxidation/reduction reactions, solubility and equilibrium, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, chemical thermodynamics, and extensive treatment of selected topics in organic chemistry and biochemistry. Extensive laboratory work is required with detailed write-ups. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Examination as part of this course.

Prerequisite:   Current teacher or Instructional Director recommendation

Introductory to Earth Science is a survey course of earth science topics. Topics for study include rocks and minerals, astronomy, oceanography, landscape evolution, mapping, geologic time and weather patterns, and man's effect upon the environment. This course stresses the development of study and organizational skills. Introduction to Earth Science emphasizes the use of lab activities, demonstrations, and class discussions.

Prerequisite:   None

Environmental Geoscience involves the study of earth systems and outer space, with a focus on environmental and economic concerns. These include current issues such as a diminishing water supply, waste disposal problems, greenhouse effect, the utilization of the earth's energy, mineral and human resources, and how these problems relate to population growth. It will give the student the ability to discuss environmental issues, issues concerning weather, and how they are linked to the other sciences and to the health of our planet. It is a laboratory and activity-oriented course integrating many of the concepts across the science disciplines, as well as concepts not emphasized elsewhere in the science curriculum (geologic time, vastness of space, etc.). This college preparatory lab science features many challenging laboratory activities and computer simulation exercises that reinforce each unit, as well as some of the latest environmental technology.

Prerequisite:   One year of physical science and one year of biological science, with a “B” grade or better in each course. A summer reading list is a REQUIRED part of this course.

This is a college level environmental science course with extensive lab work that also uses fieldwork and projects as an integral part of many of the units of study. The interrelationships between physical and biologic systems are stressed throughout the course. Topics of study include energy, the cycling of matter, resource use and degradation, environmental pollution, population studies, global changes and consequences, environmental trade-offs, and decision making. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam as part of this course.

Prerequisite:   1 year of Biology and 1 year of Chemistry

Advanced Environmental Geoscience is designed for junior and senior students with strong science backgrounds. A fast-paced, analytical approach will be taken when covering the following topics: diminishing water supply, waste disposal problems, greenhouse effect, the utilization of the earth's energy, mineral and human resources and how these problems relate to population growth. This course requires students to apply the skills and knowledge that they have learned in biology and chemistry to current environmental issues. In addition, students will design and conduct environmental impact studies, analyze their findings and justify their recommendations. Students who have completed the Environmental Geoscience course for freshmen and sophomores may not take this course.
*Students who register for honors credit will be required to expand one of their environmental impact studies into a yearlong investigation and present the results to a field of experts.

Prerequisite:   Algebra 1

This course gives the student a background in physics by the use of logical deduction and intuition. The course will emphasize demonstration and laboratory experiments that show qualitative relationships that exist in the following topics: the laws of motion; acceleration and force; weight; composition of matter; energy transfer; heat and temperature expansion; wave motion; properties of light, colors, lenses, and mirrors; static electricity, magnetism; and basic electrical circuits. Math computation is kept to a minimum.

Prerequisite:   Concurrent enrollment in Advanced Algebra

This is the regular physics course at the college preparatory level. Physics is a science that offers explanations of phenomena in other sciences. The facets of nature explored in this course are: mechanics (the laws that govern motion), kinetic theory (the make-up of matter), heat-temperature-expansion, wave motion, properties of light, lenses and mirrors, electricity and magnetism, static and current electricity, and basic electrical circuits. Labs and computer simulations are employed to further the student's understanding of these topics. Students are also expected to participate in one major group project per year.

Prerequisite:   Trigonometry

This is a course of the level taught in college to prospective lawyers, doctors, and biologists. It stresses the topics of mechanics, wave motion, heat, electricity and magnetism, light, and modern physics. The course is taught using lecture-discussion, demonstrations, and laboratory work. The course is fast-paced and involves extensive problem solving. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam as part of this course.

Prerequisite:   Concurrent enrollment in Calculus

This course is a one-year in-depth study of classical Newtonian mechanics, and electricity and magnetism. The course is typical of the first college physics course taken by engineers or physical science majors. The course is taught using lecture-discussion, demonstrations, laboratory work, and extensive problem solving. Strong student interaction is expected. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement Exam as part of this course.