Science

The Science Department provides a rigorous program in preparation for college-level coursework. From beginning classes for freshmen through elective courses in senior year, a clear emphasis on analytic problem solving is stressed. In addition to basic mathematical and critical thinking techniques used in science, insight into the laws and principles of the physical world is promoted through challenging laboratory activities. It is a serious goal of the department that all students have the opportunity to advance their understanding of scientific concepts through the use of computer-related technologies, available in the Science Wing. One of the department’s most successful learning aids is the Science Lab, a drop-in tutorial center where students can receive extra help from a member of the science faculty.

Consideration for placement in the honors science program requires:

Approval of department chair

Individual teacher recommendation

Overall A/B student with a minimum GPA of 3.75

General Science Accelerated, Biology Honors and Chemistry Honors require successful completion of challenge exam given in spring

General Science - Grade 9 - Semester course

The word "science" means more than understanding the world. It is a dynamic word, which should stir one’s sense of wonder and desire to explore. This course is designed to provide the student with basic knowledge in chemistry and physics through exploration, teaching, and discovery. The student’s critical thinking skills will be encouraged by asking questions, researching a problem, and making inferences from deductive reasoning. These skills will lay a foundation for future science courses (biology, chemistry, and physics) as well as other subjects. The content of this semester course covers basic scientific facts and skills. It includes using the scientific method and graphing skills in experiments. The student will learn metric conversions, the properties of matter, the atomic structure and how it bonds to form compounds, the properties of different compounds including acids, bases, and water, the three laws of motion, measuring and calculating distance, velocity, acceleration force, work, power and energy.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite: none

General Science Accelerated - Grade 9 - Year-long course

General Science Accelerated is a freshman level, introductory course designed to provide an in-depth study of general science background that includes chemistry, physics, and basic principles of biology and environmental science. Students are selected for this class based upon performance on the entrance exam as well as the challenge exam for science. Placement in Math is also part of the consideration required for this class. This class is a yearlong course that covers a wide range of topics with emphasis on basic chemistry and physics.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Science challenge exam in April and concurrent enrollment in accelerated mathematics

Biology - Grade 10 - Year-long course

Fundamentally, biology is the study of all life. This course encompasses a range of study from the workings of the cell to the interactions of organisms. As we explore the life functions, the role of DNA, proteins and water in shaping the functions and structures of organisms, as well as the systems that support life, we will obtain a sense of wonder on how amazing and delicate life actually is. The content of this course covers biochemistry, the workings of the cell, genetics, biotechnology, comparative anatomy, the diversity of the six kingdoms, classifying organisms, evolution, and ecology.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite: Semester of General Science

Biology Honors - Grades 9-10 - Year-long course

Fundamentally, biology is the study of all life. It is an area of exploration into the smallest workings of the cell, and an examination of the grand interaction of organisms in our solar system. The course will cover a broad range of topics including DNA and heredity, molecules and biochemistry, cell structure and function, human growth and development, plants, ecology, evolution, and biotechnology. The textbook will set a framework for the course, but information from other sources will constitute a large portion of material for the class. Each student will take an active part in pursuing knowledge in biological science through lab work, Internet research, projects, and personal observation.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

All students must have a 3.75 GPA and concurrent enrollment in Geometry Honors or higher.

Challenge Exam Required (February 8, 2010):

General Science Accelerated with “B, B+” or General Science with “A”

Challenge Exam Exemption: General Science Accelerated with “A, A-”

Teacher recommendation and department chair approval

AP Biology - Grades 11-12 - Year-long course

AP Biology is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course. The course content is divided into three general areas: molecules and cells, heredity and evolution and organisms and populations.
Students enrolled in this course are required to take the AP examination in May. No final exam is administered in this course in the spring semester.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Honors Biology with a “B” or Biology with an “A/A-“ both semesters

Honors Chemistry with a “B” or Chemistry with an “A/A-“ both semesters

GPA of 3.75

teacher recommendation, and department chair approval

Chemistry - Grades: 10-11 - Year-long course

Chemistry is the branch of science that deals with the composition of matter and the changes in composition that matter can undergo. In investigating the composition of matter, the structure of the atom and the changes the atom undergoes and formation of new substances will be explored. This is a traditional chemistry class which emphasizes the topics in chemistry that form the basis for college-level courses as well as providing general knowledge on the subject matter. Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills along with the quantitative investigation of matter and its changes are the basis for this course. This class integrates lecture, class discussion, group problem-solving sessions, lab activities, and full lab reports while covering the basic principles of chemistry. Units include: Matter & Atomic Structure, Chemical Nomenclature, Measurements & Chemical Composition, Reaction Types, Stoichiometry, Thermochemistry, Modern Atomic Structure & Periodicity, Chemical Bonding, Gases & Solutions, and Acids, Bases & Equilibrium. This traditional chemistry class prepares students for problem-solving in the Physics curriculum in senior year.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Biology

Algebra I with a B

Environmental Chemistry - Grade: 11 - Year-long course

Chemistry is the branch of science that deals with the composition of matter and the changes in composition that matter can undergo. In investigating the composition of matter, the structure of the atom and the changes the atom undergoes and formation of new substances will be explored. This course explores chemistry as it relates to local and global environments. Societal themes addressed in this course include water supply; resource conservation; use of petroleum; air quality; foods; nuclear energy and radiation; and the role of chemical industries in society. It is a lab-oriented course that provides a thematic approach in which traditional topics covered include: Atomic and Molecular Structure, States of Matter, Reaction Types, Stoichiometry, Equilibrium and Kinetics, Thermodynamics, Qualitative Analysis, and Introduction to Principals of Organic Chemistry. This course is designed primarily for students who plan to pursue careers in fields other than science and mathematics.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Biology

department chair approval

Chemistry Honors - Grades 10-11 - Year-long course

Honors chemistry is an advanced college-prep chemistry course designed to prepare a student for college or university chemistry course work. The course is also designed to prepare the student to take the Chemistry SAT II (Achievement) Exam.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

All students must have a 3.75 GPA and concurrent enrollment in Algebra II Honors or higher.

Challenge Exam Required (February 8, 2010): Biology Honors with B/B+ or Biology with A

Challenge Exam Exemption: Biology Honors with A/A-

Teacher recommendation and department chair approval

AP Chemistry - Grades 11-12 - Year-long course

This course follows the course description for the Advanced Placement Program in Chemistry as per The College Board. This AP course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year.
Students enrolled in this course are required to take the AP examination in May. No final exam is administered in this course in the spring semester.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Chemistry Honors with "A" both semesters

Algebra II/Trig with "A" both semesters

3.75 GPA

teacher recommendation, and department chair approval.

Environmental Science - Grades 11-12 - Year-long course

Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary course, which seeks to integrate concepts from a wide variety of disciplines (such as geology, physics, chemistry, biology and ecology) into a cohesive unit. The course pays special attention to the place of humanity within the natural world and the impact that humans have on the global environment. Current environmental issues will be explored on the local, state, national, international and global levels.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisites: Student must have a 2.5 GPA.

AP Environmental Science - Grades 11-12 - Year-long Course

AP Environmental Science is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science. This course is an interdisciplinary science that integrates geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry and geography. It will stress scientific principles and analysis and will include a laboratory component. In addition to this the curriculum will include the study of environmental issues from a sociological or political perspective.
Students enrolled in this course are required to take the AP examination in May. No final exam is administered in this course in the spring semester.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisites:

Honors Biology with a "B" or Biology with an A/A- both semesters

Honors Chemistry with a "B" or Chemistry with an A/A- both semesters

GPA of 3.75

Teacher recommendation

Physics - Grades 12 - Year-long course

In physics students will study the basic ideas of this fundamental science. The goal is to understand the laws of nature both from a conceptual and a quantitative point of view. In this context, students will learn the problem-solving techniques needed to make predictions about the world in which they live.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Chemistry with "B-" both semesters

Algebra II with "B-" both semesters

Department chair approval

Physics Honors - Grade 12 - Year-long course

This course is designed to provide the student with a first time exposure to the physical processes that govern the world around him/her. The course focuses on traditional curriculum, drawing from mechanics, thermal physics, waves and optics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. Each topic will be investigated at a depth commensurate with a university level freshman physics course, although the breadth of material will be scaled back in order to best accommodate student mastery of the material. The principle skills developed through this course include critical thinking, proper laboratory procedure, and problem-solving and data analysis.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite

Chemistry with "A/A-" or Chemistry Honors with "B" both semesters

Concurrent enrollment in, or completion of, Calculus or Calculus AB AP

3.75 GPA

Teacher recommendation and department chair approval

AP Physics B - Grade 11-12 - Year-long course

In this Advanced Placement class in physics we will study the basic ideas of this very important science. We will cover material from almost every chapter of the textbook with an emphasis on both a conceptual understanding and the development of problem-solving techniques. One of the primary goals of this class is to achieve the level of understanding of physics that is assumed in the top universities for incoming students majoring in the physical sciences. Another very important goal of this class is to complete the AP-B Physics exam in May. The experience that will be gained from the preparation and completion of this test will be a good representation of the national expectations that are held for juniors and seniors.
Students enrolled in this course are required to take the AP examination in May. No final exam is administered in this course in the Spring semester.
UC/CSU approved course

Prerequisite:

Chemistry with "A" or Chemistry Honors with "B" both semesters

Concurrent enrollment in or completion of Calculus BC AP

3.75 GPA

Teacher recommendation and department chair approval.