Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11,12
Prerequisites: Passing grade in Algebra II; "C" or better in Biology and Chemistry; instructor approval
Expenses: Cost of AP Exam (approx. $80)
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Standards Addressed: 1, 2A, 3 and 5
This course covers the College Board AP Biology list of topics and will focus on scientific processes, biochemistry and cells, genetics, biotechnology, history of life, biodiversity, plant and animal form and function, and ecology. All of these topics will be studied at the college freshman biology level. A strong emphasis is placed on the student's ability to understand important relationships, processes, mechanisms, and potential extensions and applications of concepts. Approximately one-fourth to one-third of the credit will be derived from laboratory experience and related activities. Experimental design and implementation, data acquisition and analysis, and reporting offer opportunities to problem-solve, practice the scientific method, conduct research, and read scientific literature. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
*ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY (a weighted class) - 80400 
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in geometry, application, instructor approval
Expenses: Cost of AP Exam - approximately $80.00
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Standards Addressed: 1, 2, 5
This course will focus on atomic theory and structure, chemical bonding, molecular geometries, nuclear chemistry, gas laws, solution chemistry, states of matter, reaction types, equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics. All of these topics will be studied at the college freshman chemistry level. Lab work is a large part of the class. Algebra II will be the mathematical tool used for most problem solving. NCAA approved core course. CCHE/HEAR approved course.
*ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (a weighted class) - 80370
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Passing grade in Biology/Physical Science
Expenses: Cost of AP Exam, approximately $80.00
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Standards Addressed: 1, 3, 4, 5
The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. CCHE/HEAR approved course.
*ADVANCED PLACEMENT PHYSICS C - Mechanics (a weighted class) - 80655
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in AB or BC Calculus, application, instructor approval
Expenses: Cost of AP Exam - approximately $80.00
Standards Addressed: 1, 2B, 2C, 4D
This course will focus on Kinematics; Newton's Laws of motion; work, energy and power; systems of particles, linear momentum; circular motion and rotation; oscillations and gravitation. All of these topics will be studied at the college freshman physics level using calculus as the mathematical tool for solving the physics problems. NCAA approved core course. CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Semester: .5 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Fee: $10
Prerequisite: Passing grade in Biology or teacher recommendation
Standards Addressed: 3A, 3B, 5
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Anatomy and Physiology is an advanced course for students who wish more detailed explanations of human body functions and structures beyond those previously covered in Biology. The course is designed for the college-bound biology student, however, the non-biology major will benefit as well. (The student will be asked to perform dissections.) NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Semester: .5 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Passing grade in Biology or Teacher recommendation.
Standards Addressed: 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5
Aquatic biology is an advanced course to acquaint students with the biology and ecology of fresh water and ocean environments. The course is designed for the student who has a general interest in science. Students will survey local aquatic organisms. They will study the ecological importance and the interrelations of these organisms, along with basic water properties. The second half of the semester is a survey of marine ecosystems along with the comparative dissection of selected species of marine organisms. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Semester: .5 credit
Grades : 11, 12
Prerequisite : Passing grade in Physical Science S1 and S2 or Teacher recommendation.
Standards Addressed: 1, 4C
In this class students will focus on movements in the night sky as well as the predominant discoveries which have lead to our current understanding of the universe. Students will learn about the tools used by astronomers. Students will study stars, stellar evolution, our Sun, galaxies, and the universe. Dry lab work will be done and homework is required. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
BACTERIOLOGY AND GENETICS- 80555
Semester: .5 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: A grade of C or higher in Biology or teacher permission.
Standards Addressed: 1, 3A, 3D
Genetics is a broad field whose applications include such diverse fields as agriculture, law enforcement, and medicine. This course will focus on genetics in a modern context, examining how our knowledge of DNA and genes has guided our understanding of the living world. Students will do extensive work in problem solving using inquiry-based laboratory, research, and computer-based projects. Topics to be covered will include: 1) chemical and physical basis of heredity, 2) Mendelian and non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance, 3) human genetics, 4) bio-technology, and 5) legal and ethical issues in modern genetics. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 9 or 10
Prerequisite: A ninth grader taking this course must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Algebra II.
Standards Addressed: 1, 2A, 2C, 3A, 3C,3D
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Biology is the study of living organisms on the cellular level. Concepts such as bioenergetics, genetics and cellular processes will be studied as well as the study of living organisms and the processes and relationships they perform to survive. The following science standards will be addressed: #2A The student demonstrates an understanding that matter has characteristic properties, which are related to its structure. #1: The student demonstrates the ability to design, conduct, evaluate, and present a scientific investigation. #2C: The student demonstrates an understanding that interactions between matter and energy can produce changes in a system, although the total quantities of matter and energy remain unchanged. #3A: The student demonstrates an understanding of characteristics of living things and how they function. #3B: The student demonstrates an understanding of characteristics of cells and the processes they perform. #3C: Understands how organisms and their environment interact. #3D: The student demonstrates an understanding of how species evolve in response to changes in their environment. CCHE/HEAR approved course. NCAA approved core course.
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in Algebra I, currently enrolled in math higher than Algebra I. Passed Physical Science or Biology. Recommended student has passed semester I chemistry to continue to semester 2.
Standards Addressed: 1, 2A, 2B, 5
Consumables Cost: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Chemistry covers the broad concepts upon which modern chemistry rests, including the mathematics of science, atomic structure naming and writing formulas, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, gasses, periodicity, bonding, kinetics and equilibrium, solutions and concentrations, acids and bases, which possible enrichment in: redox, thermochemistry, nuclear chemistry, and organic chemistry/biochemistry. Laboratory work is an essential part of the course requiring extensive data analysis. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Semester: .5 credit
Grades: 11, 12 (10th graders by instructor permission only)
Prerequisite: Biology
Standards Addressed: 1, 2A, 4A
Geology includes the study of rocks, minerals and structural events such as faults and folds in the earth's crust. Colorado's geology will be emphasized. Two field trips will be taken during which students will collect data to explain the origin of local faults and observe processes studied in our classroom. Many labs will be performed. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Standards Addressed: 1, 2B, 2C, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5
First semester examines the structure and resources of the earth and how the resources are used and impacted by humans. Second semester examines how the use of various energy sources and human activities impact water, air, and land. This course will be laboratory based and inquiry driven. It will address current topics from a science perspective. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Year: 1.0 credit
Grade: 9
Consumables Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
This is a laboratory-based course covering basic chemistry and physics concepts. Students will work towards completion of the Douglas County School District Standard(s) for High School Graduation. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Year: 1.0 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite : Algebra II and passing grade in Physical Science or Teacher recommendation.
Standards Addressed: 1, 2B, 2C, 5
This course studies the historical development of ideas about the structure and behavior of the physical world and how these ideas affect the way we live. Students will learn how to determine the physical principles that explain the motion of objects when acted on by a force. The phenomena of electricity and magnetism will also be studied. Emphasis is placed on understanding how the physical world works and using this understanding to solve problems and predict behaviors in the physical world. Many laboratory experiments will be done. This course is intended to be an introduction to the science of physics and will prepare the student to be successful in a college physics course. NCAA approved core course . CCHE/HEAR approved course.
Semester: .5 credit
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: A passing grade in Biology or teacher recommendation.
Standards Addressed: 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D
Consumable Costs: $5.00 (if approved by school board)
Zoology is a fast paced course designed to present the student with representatives of all the major animal groups, their comparative anatomy, evolutionary origins and record, ecology, and behavior. It is primarily lab oriented with dissections. The class is directed toward college bound students.
NCAA approved core course. CCHE/HEAR approved course.
