SCIENCE 9 AND EITHER ACADEMIC BIOLOGY OR APPLIED BIOLOGY COURSES ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS.
SCIENCE 9 - 1 credit
Grade 9
***Participation in the “Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Educational Program” is mandatory.
This course will help students to understand the environmental, ecological and earth science of the world around them. Topics studied in this course are: environmental science, ecological studies, geology, and astronomy and earth space science. The physical science and ecological standards of this course become an integrated sequence of the studies of interactions of matter, humans and science. The relational study develops a culminating view of humans faced with comprehensive problems of resource depletion and technological and socioeconomic decision-making. The focal point of this course is to better prepare our high school students to investigate and understand these topics as they are related to the
SCIENCE 9 HONORS - 1 credit
Grade 9
Required: Student should demonstrate the ability to do honors level work as evidenced by scoring “Advanced” on the PSSA assessment. Administration may make exceptions based on review of the student’s academic record.
Level: Honors Challenge
***Participation in the “Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Educational Program”” is mandatory.
This honors weighted course is an accelerated and in depth approach to the course work presented in the “Environmental, Ecological and the Earth Science for Pennsylvania High School Students”. This course is intended for the highly motivated student. The course will help students to understand the environmental, ecological and earth science of the world around them. Topics studied in this course are: environmental science, ecological studies, geology, and astronomy and earth space science. The physical science and ecological standards of this course become an integrated sequence of the studies of interactions of matter, humans and science. The relational study develops a culminating view of humans faced with comprehensive problems of resource depletion and technological and socioeconomic decision-making. The focal point of this course is to better prepare our high school students to investigate and understand these topics as they are related to the
APPLIED BIOLOGY - 1 credit
Grades 9,10
Required: Grade 9 General Science
The topics taught are scientific process, genetics, ecology and nutrition. This is a hands-on biology course that is task oriented and will appeal to a wide variety of learning styles.
ACADEMIC BIOLOGY - 1 credit
Grades 9,10
Required: Science 9
Level: College Prep Challenge
This course is taught with emphasis on biological concepts. An inquiry-based, hands-on approach is used when appropriate. Topics include cellular, organismal and environmental biology. This course is mainly for students who are planning to attend a 4-year college.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT BIOLOGY - 1.5 credit
Grades 11,12
Level: Advanced Placement Challenge
The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in a science field or science related field take both Chemistry I and Physics I. This course will place emphasis on molecular and cellular biology, genetics and populations and organismal biology. This course is taught at the college level and is designed for the highly motivated student.
Students will be required to take the Advanced Placement exam. The cost of the exam will be covered by the school district.
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
A grade of “81" in Academic Biology or “84” in Applied Biology is recommended
Level: College Prep Challenge
This course is an in-depth coverage of human anatomy and physiology. Activities include lectures, group and cooperative work, presentations and dissections. The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in science or a science related field take both Chemistry I and Physics.
PHYSICS I - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
A minimum grade of “84” in Algebra I is recommended
Level: College Prep Challenge
The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in science or a science related field take both Chemistry I and Physics I. Physics I is an introduction to basic modern physics with laboratory experiences. Basic concepts of motion, energy, work, kinetic theory and the gas laws are presented. Students who are planning or required to take Physics in college are strongly encouraged to take Physics II as well.
PHYSICS II - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
A grade of “84” in Physics I is recommended
Level: Honors Challenge
The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in science field or science related field take both Chemistry I and Physics I. Basic concepts of waves, sound, light, optics, DC electricity and nuclear energy are presented in Physics II.
CHEMCOM - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
Required: Science 9 and Biology or Applied Biology
Chemistry in the Community is a hands-on inquiry based course. Chemistry in the Community will explore the chemistry of the chemicals that surround students in their everyday life. Chemicals such as those used under the sink, in the student’s house, in the garage, in foods and additives, in the water we drink, in drugs and medicines, in industry, in the atmosphere, in the human body and at work will be discussed at length.
This course is intended for students not preparing for college chemistry. Chemistry in the community sets the following goals:
- To help students recognize and understand the importance of chemistry in their life.
- To develop problem-solving techniques and critical-thinking skills that will enable the student to apply chemical principles in making informative decisions about scientific and technological issues through laboratory experiments.
- To acquire an awareness of the potential as well as the limitations of science and technology in regard to the chemicals that students encounter in their daily lives.
CHEMISTRY I - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
Required: Algebra I
Level: College Prep challenge
The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in a science field or science-related field take both Chemistry I and Physics I. Students who are planning or required to take Chemistry in college are strongly encouraged to take Chemistry II or AP Chemistry as well. The focus of this course is the study of matter, its composition, structure, properties and changes, with appropriate laboratory experiences. Atomic theory, periodic law, chemical bonding, equations and acid/base theory are the components of this course.
CHEMISTRY II - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
A grade of "84" in Chemistry I is recommended
Level: Honors Challenge
The science department strongly suggests that all students who plan to pursue a career in a science field or science-related field take both Chemistry I and Physics I. Chemistry II is a brief review of the topics covered in Chemistry I and more detailed study in the areas of stoichiometry, gases and gas laws and organic chemistry. The course stresses skills and knowledge needed for first-level college chemistry.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY - 1.5 credits
Grades 11,12
A grade of “84” in Chemistry I is recommended or department approval
Level: Advanced Placement Challenge
This course will place emphasis on the states of matter, chemical reactions, descriptive chemistry, chemical calculations and laboratory work. This course is a rigorous course designed for the highly motivated student. AP Chemistry covers the topics required for the Advanced Placement Chemistry exam and parallels a first-level course of college chemistry. The student will be required to spend additional time learning material not learned in class. The student who enrolls is expected to prepare seriously to take an Advance Placement Examination in Chemistry.
Students will be required to take the Advanced Placement exam. The cost of the exam will be covered by the school district.
EARTH SPACE SCIENCE - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
Required: Science 9 and Biology or Applied Biology
This course consists of an advanced study in various disciplines of the Earth Sciences including meteorology, astronomy, oceanography, and geology.
DIVERSITY OF LIFE - 1 credit
Grades 10,11,12
Required: Science 9 and Biology or Applied Biology
***Please Note: Students with allergies to animals and animal dander may be affected by the environment in this classroom and should consider this fact before signing up for this class.
This course will provide you with an enjoyable and informative hands-on overview of the biological kingdoms, including microorganisms, plants and animals. Students will learn about life’s diversity, form, function, and importance. Students will be required to care for organisms (mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plants) during the course.
ESSENTIALS OF BIOLOGY - 1 credit
Grades 11,12
Level: College Prep Challenge
**Students must follow Dual Enrollment procedures and qualify for this program. See your Guidance Counselor to determine if you are eligible to take this college level course.
This course is designed to provide the foundation skills necessary to succeed in higher level biology courses, especially those in the Allied Health fields. Basic topics such as the metric system, atomic structure, and informational literacy will be covered, as well as more in-depth biological subjects such as cell structure and function, and human genetics. This course will concentrate on the principles of biology related to the human body, but will not cover body systems, evolution and other topics of general interest.