Course Offerings

Biology 20                        5 credits

Chemistry 20                    5 credits

Students will build on knowledge obtained in the Chemistry unit of Science 10 throughout this course. Three major outcomes will carry on throughout the 4 units of the Chemistry 20 course:

1. Use atomic theory and the periodic table to classify, describe explain, and predict the properties of elements.
2. Use atomic, ionic, and bonding theories to describe, explain, and predict the properties and chemical formulas for compounds.
3. Use reaction generalizations to describe explain, and predict chemical reactions.

• Unit A: The Diversity of Matter and Chemical bonding – Students will describe the role of modeling, evidence, and theory used in explaining and understanding the structure, chemical bonding, and properties of ionic and molecular compounds.
• Unit B: Matter as Gases– Students will explain molecular behavior of gases through gas laws, theories and mathematical relationships.
• Unit C: Matter as Solutions, Acids, and Bases – Students are asked to investigate solutions, describing their physical and chemical properties, this will include describing acidic and basic solutions both qualitatively and quantitatively.
• Unit D: Quantitative Relationships in Chemical Change– In many lab experiments, students will learn various lab skills, while being asked to balance chemical equations and indicate the quantitative relationship between reactants and products using stoichiometric analysis.

To be successful in Chemistry 20, a student should have a least 65% in Science 10, as well as very strong math skills at either the Math 10C.

Physics 20                         5 credits

Energy is the science theme common to all units in Physics 20, with change, diversity, equilibrium, matter and systems also playing a role. Energy in its many forms causes change and determines the kind of change matter and systems undergo. The major concepts allow connections to be drawn among the four units of the course and among all eight units in the two courses in the program.

Physics 20 consists of four units of study:

• Unit 1: Kinematics
  In this unit, students investigate changes in the position and velocity of objects and systems in one and two dimensions.
• Unit 2: Dynamics
  In this unit, students investigate causes of change in the position and velocity of objects and systems in a study of dynamics and gravitation.
• Unit 3: Circular Motion, Work and Energy
  In this unit, students extend their study of kinematics and dynamics to uniform circular motion and to mechanical energy and power.
• Unit 4: Oscillatory Motion and Mechanical Waves
  In this unit, students investigate simple harmonic motion and mechanical waves.

Science 20 (5 credits)

(Prerequisite: Science 10) This is an Applied Science course that is recommended for a Career Preparation Credential. This course focuses on the how of science rather than the why. Science 20 uses examples from everyday experiences to examine concepts. The science topics include geology, biology, chemistry and physics.

Science 24                        5 credits

Science 14-24 is a course designed to make the study of science and technology more meaningful to students and more relevant to their everyday lives now and as citizens of the future. The two course sequence satisfies the science requirements for the General High School Diploma. Topics include.

1. Body Systems   
2. Disease
3. Household Science
4. Energy Consumption
5. Investigating the Environment
6. Materials We Use
7. Understanding the Technology
8. Safe Transportation

Biology 30                       5 credits

Chemistry 30                             5 credits

This is an academic course with a Diploma Final Exam worth 50% of the student’s grade.  The themes of systems, energy, and change are central in Chemistry 30.  The components of a system influence each other by the transfer of energy and matter, changes to one part result in changes to other parts of a system.  In Chemistry 30, we explore the nature of organic compounds, electrochemical changes in reactions, thermochemical reactions and equilibrium in acid and base systems.

Physics 30                         5 credits

The diversity of matter and energy are the predominant themes of the Physics 30 course. Physics 30 consists of four units:

• Unit 1: Momentum and Impulse:
  In this unit, Newton’s second law of motion is linked to concepts of momentum and impulse.
• Unit 2: Forces and Fields:
  In this unit, students investigate electric and magnetic forces and fields and their applications in technological devices.
• Unit 3: Electromagnetic Radiation:
  In this unit, students study the nature and characteristics of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), using the wave and photon models of light.
• Unit 4: Atomic Physics
  In this unit, students study the development and modification of models of the structure of matter.

Science 30 (5 credits)