Teachers: Mr. Driskell & Mrs. Esplin
Contact Information:
Physical Science
- Grade 9
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: None
This course is a survey of physical science including matter and energy, simple machines, basic chemistry, and wave energy.
Biology
- Grades 10-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: None
This course includes lecture, group activities, laboratories of studies of life, principles of ecology, communities & biomes, population biology, diversity & conservation, the chemistry of life, cells-cellular transport & the cell cycle, energy in a cell, mendel & meiosis, DNA & genes, heredity & genetics, genetic technology, evolution, organizing life's diversity, viruses & bacteria, protists & fungi, the diversity of plants, plant structure & function, reproduction in plants, invertebrates & vertebrates and the human body.
AP Biology
- Grades 11-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: Biology, Chemistry
This course is an advanced curriculum that requires the student to complete extensive reading and studying out of the AP Biology textbook, the topics that will be covered and all laboratories. The curriculum of this course will include biological chemistry, cells & membranes, cell structure & function, energy & living cells & cellular respiration, photosynthese, DNA and genetic information. Genetic Expression & Cell Differentiation, Embryonic development in animals, genetic engineering, mendelian genetics, evolution & natural selection, adaptation & co-evolution, population genetics & speciation, evolution-reproduction & the origin of life, classification of organisms, viruses & bacteria, protista & fungi, the plant kingdom, invertebrates, vertebrates, animal anatomy & physiology, animal behavior, and ecology.
Chemistry
- Grades 11-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: None
This curriculum includes understanding conversion factors, structure & properties of matter, ionic & molecular compounds, and periodic table and the elements, chemical and physical changes, chemical equations-causes of change-formula/net ionic equations, acids and bases-titration, balancing chemical equations, oxidation numbers, solubility in compounds and structure of atoms. This course includes activities such as laboratories and research.
Astronomy
- Grades 9-12
- Length of Course: 1 semester
- Prerequisites: Algebra I
This course of study will include various aspects of the earth and its lunar system, an in depth survey of the solar system from the inside out, including but not limited to galaxies, galactic cluster, spacial formations, as in black holes, emission nebulae, absorption nebulae, pulsars, cosmic strings, gravitational lensing of light, and binary systems. This class will include a section of introductory observational astronomy with instruction on how to use a telescope and binoculars for astronomy. There will be an introduction to the celestial sphere, altitude-azimuth, right ascension and declination coordinate systems, how to use a planisphere to find objects in the night sky, a study of constellations and a small section on constellation mythology. This class will require a student project including a formal presentation and report. Students will be required to teach each other. There will be an opportunity for numerous, (a minimum of 3), extra credit observational astronomy late night sessions in order to practice using optics and for the students to become acquainted with the night sky.
Physics
- Grades 11-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
- Prerequisites: Be in or taking Algebra II
This course will cover topics in measurement and motion, motion and force in 1, 2, and 3 dimensions, energy and momentum, waves and sound, light and optics, electricity and magnetism, matter and energy, and tomic theory. Many of these topics were covered only very lightly or not at all in Physical Science. The treatment of these topics in the Physics class will be much more detailed and analytical. where there was very little mathematics in Physical Science, there will be very concentrated mathematical use and development in Physics. How to do college level physics write ups for labs and physical problems will also be a basic element. Come on down! Let's throw things, launch things, blow some things up, make huge sounds, and get crazy with science.
Horticulture
- Grades 10-12
- Length of Course: 1 year
this course will briefly review the Biology of the Plants Cells. The curriculum will then study the diversity & identification of the plantae kingdom, structure & development (life cycles), physiology of seeds & plants, plant propagation-pruning-greenhouse management-floral design-landscape design & zoning of plants, uses of plants. In this course laboratories will be in the greenhouse and in floral design. Projects will include landscape design and leaf collections and at the end of the year, we will hold a plant sale of garden vegetable, bedding plants and hanging flower pots will be sold.
TA: Teacher's Assistant
- Grades 11-12
- Length of Course: 1 semester
- Prerequisite: Instructor Approval
The Teacher's Assistant position is available to students who are self motivated and have preferably, but not held to, taken the course which they will be assisting with. TA's will be responsible for assisting the teacher in setting up classroom assignments, projects, demonstrations, experiments, and labs.
