Science Department Course Descriptions
Fundamentals of Science -
Grade 9
This course covers processes that affect the earth. Topics will include basic
chemistry and basic physics. It is a hands-on
course that facilitates understanding and comprehension.
College
Prep Fundamentals of Science -
Grade 9
This course will cover the processes that affect the earth and the earth's
place in the universe. Basic
chemistry and chemical reactions, along with the physics of motion, force,
sound, light, electricity and magnetism will be presented.
Geophysical science is intended to expose students to a broad spectrum
of scientific inquiry.
Biology -
Grades 10 & 11
This lab course is a continual application of the study of biology as it
relates to the everyday world. Through the use of hands-on activities
and a variety of resources, students will learn life processes, cell structure
and function, diversity of living things, how the body works, reproduction,
heredity, disease control and ecology.
College Prep Biology -
Grade 10
This academic lab course requires students to meet the same objectives as
Honors Biology but in less detail. The
program provides a challenging science and academic college prep experience,
and a strong foundation in the fundamentals of biological science.
Honors Biology -
Grades 9 & 10
This lab course provides a comprehensive background in the basic
biological principles of all branches of biology needed to evaluate the impact
of biotechnology on their lives, and to understand the interrelationships
between themselves and the living and non-living environment.
Students are expected to apply biological principles to assist them in
solving higher level problems.
Co-requisite:
Algebra II Honors
must be taken concurrently.
Integrated
Science - Grade 10
This is a non-lab course that covers the fundamentals of biology and
chemistry. It is a hands-on course that facilitates understanding and
comprehension, and serves as a preparation course for the HSPA.
Chemistry -
Grades 11 & 12
This is a general chemistry course with a lab that includes all of the
topics of the college preparatory course with less emphasis on mathematics.
Prerequisite: Algebra I
College
Prep. Chemistry -
Grades 11-12
This is a lab science involving ideas about atomic structure, the nature
of matter, chemical periodicity, chemical bonding, solids, liquids, gases, and
elements. Mathematics is used
extensively throughout the course.
Co/Prerequisite:
Algebra II - CG, CP Biology, and C+ in Algebra I (9)
Honors Chemistry -
Grade 10
This course is an accelerated college
preparatory chemistry program. The subject matter of the course requires that students be highly
skilled in mathematics.
Prerequisite: B in Honors Biology, B in Honors Algebra II
College Prep. Physics -
Grades 11 & 12
This course is a lab science involving the study of mechanics, wave
motion, sound, electricity, magnetism, and light.
The class work and laboratory is dependent on rigorous use of algebra,
geometry, and trigonometry.
Co/Prerequisite:
Pre-Calculus to be taken concurrently.
Honors Physics -
Grades 11 & 12
This course is an accelerated college preparatory physics program that
requires a high level of mathematical ability to handle complex problems.
Co/Prerequisites:
Pre-Calculus Honors, B in Chemistry Honors
Human
Anatomy and Physiology - Grade 12
The course explores human anatomy and physiology. It focuses on organ system
structures and how they function.
Diagnostic
tools and strategies to determine health and
disease are also studied, along with careers in the health professions.
Marine Science
- Grade
12
This lab course explores the physical, chemical, and biological
interrelationships existing in the coastal marine environment.
An ecosystem approach will be used as the course investigates the
character of the north-west Atlantic Ocean, its estuaries, and adjacent coastal
features. Areas of study include
waves, tides, currents, chemical composition of sea-water, energy flow, and land
use planning. Topics of study will
also treat the physiology, anatomy, and behavior of marine organisms.
Marine hobbies, occupations, and careers will also be explored.
Prerequisite:
Biology with lab
Environmental
Science and Energy Ecology - Grades 11 & 12
This course is designed to study how humans interface with
their natural environment. It
provides students with a balanced approach to the diverse study of the
environment, its problems and their impact on the world's future.
Students will apply their knowledge of a variety of earth and physical
sciences to enhance their understanding of the forces that shape the world's
environment. The second semester of the course is designed to explore the various problems
associated with the use of energy in our modern society.
The use of alternative energy sources will be explored along with the
impact of each form of energy use. The
student will become an "educated energy consumer" learn ways to save
energy and money in their future.
Forensic
Science Semester - Grades 11 & 12
The great popularity of media
that portrays crime scene investigation has increased the interest in forensic
science, making it an ideal mechanism to study science. The Forensic
Science course is designed to introduce some specialized fields of forensic
science, to learn the fundamental principles of science and technology upon
which they are based, and to apply them to criminal cases. Aspects of
forensic science involving the examination of physical, chemical and
biological evidence will be explored. The forensic analysis of evidence
will be understood with the application of chemistry, biology, and physics.
The legal issues governing the actions of forensic science will also be
discussed. The course will further develop the student's communication
and critical thinking skills through the scientific method.
Topics in Earth Science Semester- Grades 10 - 12
This is a
half-year elective course designed for students who did not complete
Fundamentals of Science and to prepare students for the science portion of the
New Jersey HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) Exam. Basic
fundamentals of geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy topics will
be discussed. topics will include plate tectonics, surface processes,
Earth's atmosphere and weather, as well as Earth's place in the universe.
Hands-on activities will also be included in order to facilitate
comprehension.
Advanced
Placement Science Courses
Students enrolling in AP Science courses should have been in the Honors
Sciences and Honors Math programs and have completed each of them with a final
average of B or better..
Advanced
Placement Biology - Grades 11 & 12
Advanced Placement Biology is designated to be the equivalent of a
two-semester college introductory biology course. The goals of the AP
curriculum are to help students develop a conceptual framework for understanding
modern biology and to gain an appreciation of science as a process.
Primary emphasis in the AP course is on developing an understanding of concepts,
recognition of unifying themes, and the application of biological knowledge and
critical thinking to environmental and societal concerns. The course
content is divided into three major areas including: molecules and cells,
heredity and evolution, and organisms and population.
Advanced
Placement Chemistry - Grades 11 & 12
The Advanced Placement Chemistry course is equivalent to the chemistry
course taken during the first college year. This course is designed to be
taken only after the successful completion of Honors Chemistry. Students
in this course should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and a
reasonable competence in dealing with chemical problems with emphasis on
chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles.
Themes introduced in the first year high school course such as atomic theory,
the periodic table, nuclear chemistry, solutions, chemical bonding, and chemical
and physical change are expanded upon. Further, topics such as the
structure of matter, kinetic molecular theory, chemical equilibrium, chemical
kinetics, the basics of thermodynamics and inorganic vs. organic chemistry are
presented in considerable depth.
Advanced
Placement Physics - Grades 11 & 12
The instructional goals of AP Physics C are four-fold. First, students
should gain a basic knowledge of the discipline of physics, including
phenomenology, theories and techniques, and generalizing principles.
Secondly, students should have the ability to ask physical questions and to
obtains solutions to physical questions by use of physical intuition,
experimental investigations and formal logic. Next, students should be
able to foster an appreciation of the physical world and the discipline of
physics, creativity, and reasoned skepticism. Finally, students need to
understand connections of physics to other disciplines and to societal issues.