This course is intended to provide both a theoretical and practical knowledge of chemistry while developing basic laboratory skills necessary to complete a college-level chemistry course. The student will be able to comprehend and utilize terminology associated with chemistry, maintain a safe laboratory environment, understand the basic concepts concerning the structure of elements and compounds along with the properties and relationships of each and relate the importance of chemistry to his/her everyday life. Topics covered in this course will include but are not limited to organization of matter, the language of chemistry, phases of matter, solutions and their behavior, chemical reactions, and organic and nuclear chemistry.
Honors Biology *EOC Course*
This course has a state-mandated end of course test.
Honors Biology is an introductory laboratory-based course designed to familiarize the student with the major concepts of biological science: the cell, molecular basis of heredity, biological evolution and interdependence of organisms, matter and energy, the organization in living systems, and behavior and regulation.
Biology is the science that deals with living things. Of all of the sciences, none can be more relevant to the state of our mental and physical health. What we know today about biology is a result of the inquiry. Science is a way of knowing. Therefore, the process of inquiry in science and developing critical thinking skills is the most important part of this course. The course is divided into units that span all levels of biological organization from atoms and molecules, through cells and genetics, and into interactions among and between organisms.
Honors Biology 2
This level course is designed for students desiring an in-depth, formal background in biology and to gain the foundations needed to continue into the AP Biology course. It includes laboratory work, projects, and a thorough understanding of scientific inquiry. Students study the structures, functions, and processes of living organisms and their interactions with the environment. This course incorporates concepts outside of the scope and sequence of Biology 1 including the classification of living organisms and the physiology and diversity of a variety of organisms including plants, animals, protists, fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Honors Earth Science
Earth Science is designed to explore the earth and its place in the universe, emphasizes developing laboratory and process skills. Topics are drawn from the fields of geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. From these areas of study, students gain both an appreciation for the basic processes of science and an acquaintance with the current problems and ideas in the earth sciences. By the end of this course, students will gain a better understanding of the planet on which they live. Topics covered in this course will lay the foundations needed to continue into the AP Environmental course.
Honors physics is an inquiry-based course providing a college-level general physics content. Students will examine the classical, Newtonian physics by hands-on labs, research, and class demonstrations. Topics will include, but not limited to, mechanics, energy, electromagnetics, optics, and waves. Mathematical models will be commonly utilized in each topic. Students will be expected to conduct labs safely, collect data, analyze data, draw conclusions, communicate and support their results. Introduction of relativistic physics and quantum mechanics may also be included.
Honors Physics/AP Physics 1
This full-year course is the equivalent to a first-semester college course in algebra-based physics. The course covers Newtonian mechanics (including rotational dynamics and angular momentum); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound. It will also introduce electric circuits. The course includes hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply the science practices. Topics covered in this course will lay the foundations needed to continue into the AP Physics C curriculum.
AP Biology is designed to offer students a solid foundation in introductory college-level biology. By structuring the course around the four big ideas, enduring understandings, and science practices students develop an appreciation for the study of life and begin to identify and understand unifying principles within a diversified biological world.
The course is divided into units that span all levels of biological organization, from atoms and molecules, through cells and organs and into interactions among and between organisms. These units have been developed with the four big ideas of the AP biology curriculum framework in mind. The course has been structured to touch on all four big ideas in each unit of the course by explicitly addressing the enduring understandings of each big idea across that content.
At the end of the course, students will have an awareness of the integration of other sciences in the study of biology, understand how the species to which we belong is similar to, yet different from, other species, and be knowledgeable and responsible citizens in understanding biological issues that could potentially impact their lives.
This course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year with an emphasis on mathematical models. Students should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and a reasonable competence in dealing with chemical problems. The course should contribute to the development of the students’ abilities to think clearly and to express their ideas, orally and in writing, with clarity and logic. Topics of study include the structure of matter, states of matter, reactions, descriptive chemistry, and chemical calculations.
AP Environmental Science
The APES course is a full-year course designed to offer students a solid foundation in the introductory college-level understanding of environmental concepts. The goal of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, and to evaluate the risks associated with these problems and examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.
Physics is a study of the physical world, from the smallest particles composing matter to the universe itself. In the AP Physics class, we will study how things behave, why they do what they do, and what things are made of. Students will leave this class with a better understanding of how the world around them works. The aim of physics class is to produce critical thinkers who can demonstrate proficiency with the following concepts: mechanics, energy & waves, electromagnetism, & fluids. Proficiency must include an understanding of these concepts, the ability to communicate these concepts, and the ability to use these concepts in the laboratory setting as well as the everyday world.