SCIENCE
Biology 1,2 - Grade 9 - 12
This introductory course is designed to meet college entrance requirements and prepare students for the worlds of school, work, and citizenship. The course is aligned to NGSS, integrating Disciplinary Core Ideas from Life Science and Earth and Space Science, Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Processes. It builds on physical science concepts, and emphasizes mechanisms for the functioning and continuity of the biosphere and examines it interacts with each of the other Earth systems. 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
Laboratory activities have clearly labeled safety precautions and hazardous waste disposal procedures.
Physics 1,2 Advanced – Grade 9
This two-semester laboratory science course is more rigorous and mathematically demanding than the basic physics course. It is designed to provide an introductory experience to the processes of investigating the physical world and the understandings derived from those processes. The emphasis is on developing a qualitative conceptual understanding of general principles and models and of the nature of scientific inquiry. The core content addresses the topics of motion and forces, the conservation of energy and momentum, heat and thermodynamics, waves and electric and magnetic phenomena. The course is aligned to NGSS, integrating Disciplinary Core Ideas from Physical Science and Earth and Space Science, Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Processes.
Physics 1, 2 – Grade 10 - 12
Prerequisites: Integrated Math I A-B (P) or equivalent
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. This course concentrates on conceptual development and provides an enriching laboratory experience; it can be taken by students in grades 9 and 10 as a first course in physics that prepares them for the more mathematically rigorous Advanced Placement physics courses. 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. Students also engage in studying the physics of space while using the science and engineering practices.
Chemistry 1,2 Honors - Grades 10,11,12
Prerequisites: Above-average achievement in previous science course(s) and in Integrated Math I A-B (P) or equivalent; Physics 1,2 (P) and Chemistry 1,2 (P) recommended; concurrent enrollment in Integrated Math II A-B (P) or equivalent recommended; a desire to succeed in a rigorous college-level course environment
Successful completion of this course earns recognition of honors (i.e., weighted) credit by the University of California. Courses meeting UC criteria for honors designation must be comparable in workload and emphasis to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or introductory college courses. A course syllabus, with laboratory activities, and a district-prepared, comprehensive end-of-course examination are required.
The course is aligned to NGSS, integrating Disciplinary Core Ideas from Physical Science and Earth and Space Science, Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Processes.Students who complete this course successfully will gain a depth of understanding of chemical concepts and processes. They will also develop their critical thinking and analytical skills. The class includes experimental laboratory activities, class discussions, reading, and critical analysis leading to a deeper understanding, and it emphasizes human inquiry and the nature of science.
Chemistry 1,2 AP - Grades 10 - 12
Prerequisites: Adv. Physics 1,2 (P), Integrated Math I A-B (P), or equivalents; commitment to succeed in rigorous AP content; concurrent enrollment in college-preparatory mathematics
The AP Chemistry course promotes enduring, conceptual understanding and the content that supports it. This approach enables students to spend less time on factual recall and more time on inquiry-based learning of essential concepts, and helps them develop the reasoning skills necessary to engage in the science practices used throughout their study of AP Chemistry. Those successfully completing this course will attain a depth of understanding of chemical concepts, significant laboratory experiences, and knowledge of current directions that will prepare them for the Advanced Placement Test in General Chemistry.
Chemistry 1, 2 – Grades 11, 12
Prerequisites: Integrated Math I A-B (P) or equivalent
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. Students study the relationship of chemistry to plate tectonics and ocean acidification. They use the science and engineering practices to deepen their understanding of science. Inquiry and the nature of science are emphasized, and all student activities have clearly defined goals for both the content material and thinking skills involved. Laboratory activities have clearly labeled safety precautions and hazardous waste disposal procedures.
Biology 1,2 Advanced - Grade 11 - 12
Prerequisites: “A” or “B” in Honors Chemistry or AP Chemistry and approval of Chemistry teacher.
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 its pace will be faster, it will go into greater depth in selected areas, and it will be more quantitative. The course is aligned to NGSS, integrating Disciplinary Core Ideas from Life Science and Earth and Space Science, Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Processes.
Biology 1,2 AP – Grades 11,12
Prerequisites: An “A” or “B” in AP Chemistry and teacher approval; an “A” in Honors Chemistry and teacher approval.
The AP Biology course is equivalent to a two-semester college introductory biology course. Students successful in this course attain a deep grasp of fundamental biological concepts that focuses on enduring, conceptual understanding and the content that supports it. This approach enables students to spend less time on factual recall and more time on inquiry-based learning of essential concepts, and helps them develop the reasoning skills necessary to engage in the science practices used throughout their study of AP Biology.
Materials used for this course differ qualitatively from those used in other biology courses in both rigor and content and in the complexity of laboratory experiences. Laboratory activities have clearly labeled safety precautions and hazardous waste disposal procedures.
Marine Science 1, 2 (P) - Grades 12
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Biology 1,2 (P), Physics and Chemistry or equivalents; interest in marine science
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 C 1,2 AP - Grade 12
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Precalculus 1-2 (P), Precalculus 1-2 Honors (HP), or concurrent enrollment in calculus or another higher-level mathematics course
This course is the equivalent of a college-level physics course that provides a foundation for college students who will major in the physical sciences or engineering. Methods of calculus are used wherever appropriate in formulating physical principles and in applying them to physical problems. The course is more intensive and analytic than AP Physics I. The subject matter of the Physics C course is mechanics and electricity and magnetism, with approximately equal emphasis in the two areas.
Environmental Science 1,2 AP - Grade 12
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Chemistry 1,2 (P), Biology 1,2 (P), and Physics or equivalents
This advanced-level course is designed as the equivalent of a one-semester college-level course in environmental science. It provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine solutions for resolving or preventing them.
Environmental Science 1,2 Advanced Placement will provide students with an additional laboratory science option at the advanced-placement level, as well as an opportunity to explore their local environments and global environmental issues. Students who normally do not enroll in Advanced Placement courses may select this course as a result of their interest in environmental issues.