Science Course Catalog
Earth Science 1, 2 (6023, 6024)
College Preparatory Course (P). This two-semester, standards-based laboratory science course is intended primarily for grade 9 students. The course provides an overview of the areas of astronomy, chemistry, geology, oceanography, meteorology, and paleontology, and serves as a foundation for further study in physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science. Students in this course will investigate and supplement their understanding by conducting and analyzing experiments, and using technology to collect data and communicate ideas.
Biology 1, 2 (6111, 6112)
This course is designed to meet college entrance requirements and prepare students for the worlds of school, work, and citizenship. It builds on physical science concepts, and emphasizes mechanisms for the functioning and continuity of organisms. Unifying themes of biology are stressed (evolution, homeostasis, energy, matter and organization, continuity, development, and ecology) and the application and relevance of biology to students' lives and to society. Inquiry and the nature of science are important content elements.
College Preparatory Course (P). This is a first year course intended for students with the interest and ability to extend their study of biology beyond the basic course, and/or who are contemplating a science-related career but are not prepared to take Advanced Placement Biology as their first biology course. It covers all the elements of the regular course, including the same inquiry and cooperative strategies, but the pace will be faster, and it will go into greater depth in selected areas. It builds extensively on concepts learned in physics and chemistry and is more quantitative. It addresses state science standards.
* Prerequisites for IB Biology HL
Chemistry 1, 2 (6211, 6212)
College Preparatory Course (P). This introductory course is designed to meet college entrance requirements and prepare students for the worlds of school, work and citizenship. Students learn the fundamental concepts and knowledge of chemistry through thematic units that develop thinking and analytical skills as well as traditional chemistry subject matter and problem solving.
*Prerequisites for IB Biology HL
Biology HL 1 IB 1, 2 (6197, 6198)
UC "d" requirement This two-semester college prep course forms the first year of a two year sequence of courses that prepares students to take the IB Biology HL (Higher Level) exams, and satisfies the Group 4 (Experimental Sciences) requirement for the International Baccalaureate diploma. In this first year of study, students gain insight into the scientific concepts and principles that govern living organisms, using the techniques and approach of the scientific method.
Biology HL 2 IB 1, 2 (6199, 6196)
UC "d" requirement This two-semester course forms the second year of a two-year (mandatory) sequence of courses that prepares students to take the IB Biology HL (Higher Level) exams, and satisfies the Group 4 (Experimental Sciences) requirement for the International Baccalaureate diploma. In the second year of study, students use the scientific method to explore real-life applications of the concepts and principles introduced in Biology HL IB 1,2, performing laboratory experiments, creating group projects, and demonstrating their knowledge of the fundamental concepts of biology, both orally and in writing.
Marine Science 1, 2 (6441, 6442)
College Preparatory Course (P). This course builds on the physical science and life science concepts learned in previous science courses and applies that knowledge to the exploration of the living and nonliving environments of our bays and oceans. Students will participate in a variety of learning experiences, including laboratory experiments, discussions, field trips, projects, independent research, and appropriate use of community resources. Ethical and social issues related to the marine environment may be addressed.
Physics 1, 2 (6311, 6312)
College Preparatory Course (P). This two-semester, algebra-based physics course is designed to provide an introductory experience with the processes of investigating the physical world and the understandings derived from that process. The emphasis is on developing a qualitative conceptual understanding of general principals and models and on the nature of inquiry. The core content addressed in this course includes the topics of motion and forces, the conservation of energy and momentum, heat and thermodynamics, waves and electric and magnetic phenomena.
