SCIENCE
Science
Students are naturally inquisitive and have many questions about the world around them. Our job as science teachers is to teach students the tools and skills necessary to seek answers to these questions. To prep our students to be future investigators and innovators, our students will learn:
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How to ask scientific questions,
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Think critically about scientific concepts,
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Analyze and interpret data,
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Design and conduct experiments
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Communicate and present information.
9th grade Earth Science includes major topics such as astronomy, geology, meteorology, and paleontology. All of these branches of science are active areas of research, so we will cover new and exciting discoveries throughout the year. We use project-based learning to develop the habits and skills that scientists and engineers use in day-to-day life. Finally, in each unit, students choose a topic of interest to explore in a project they will present to each other.
In 10th grade biology, students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the study of life and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. To attain this, the class addresses seven key ideas: similarity and differences among living and non-living things; inheritance of genetic information; changes of species and organisms over time; the continuity of life; dynamic equilibrium that sustains life; interdependence of plants and animals and their environment. Students will have opportunities to create authentic projects across each unit while mastering an array of laboratory skills.
In 11th grade chemistry students will learn about matter and energy and how they interact. Through inquiry and hands-on investigations students will explore big chemistry concepts such as scale & proportions, structures & properties, transformation and energy. Students will have opportunities for authentic PBAT investigations in the following units - thinking like a chemist, food chemistry, nuclear chemistry, art in chemistry, and molecules & reactions.
In 12th grade Anatomy and Physiology, students will gain a foundational understanding of the human body, with an emphasis on the way the different body systems connect. An extension of fundamental concepts taught in Biology in 10th grade and content of modern biology will help students develop skills that are integral to the process of science and understand how the human body works. Analysis of such topics will be covered through case studies, dissections, and other activities. There will be a focus on disease/conditions and microbiology. This course provides a clear framework for understanding biology through project based assessments, where students who still need to complete the PBAT will be able to do so.