Science

Designed to help students transition to learning science in the Upper School, the emphasis of this course is providing students with opportunities to be active and to learn by doing science. Throughout the year, students develop science-specific and general academic competencies that they will continue to practice in future science classes. After learning about scientific methods, students study environmental science, including climate change and other environmental issues, and the particle model of matter, including investigating temperature, pressure, light, sound, and states of matter. Throughout the year, students are encouraged to make connections to other areas of science and to the world around them. As part of this, students learn about scientists working in a variety of fields and also learn about their surrounding habitats while nature journaling. Building on previous science courses, students gain an ability to more independently complete scientific investigations, to learn science concepts while reading a variety of sources, and to write about experimental results. Students also learn through the design thinking process, including developing their ability to demonstrate resilience while learning through trial and error and learning from failure. Students also develop their ability to collaborate with classmates while obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, including while practicing effective study strategies and while participating in class discussions. The course ends with an interactive assessment in which students demonstrate the scientific skills they have learned and developed throughout the year.

This course is an investigative journey through the human body. The course is designed to hone students’ foundational skills, while doing a deep dive into understanding the principles of human biology and their own bodies. Beginning with basic cellular biology, students will learn about the smallest order of organization in the living world. From there, they will apply their knowledge of the underlying structure and function of cellular processes to a thorough survey of each human body system. 
The skills-based goals of the course focus on lab literacy, written communication, and reinforcing their notetaking and study skills. Students learn to collaborate with classmates on more involved lab experiments, and take ownership of the entire experimental process, from reading complex procedures to taking detailed notes and observations. They will learn to use the content learned in lectures to support and explain their lab findings. Over the course of the year, students will learn to write detailed and logical lab reports centered around evidence and clear scientific reasoning.
By the end of the course, students will come away with a complete picture of the complicated interconnected systems within the human body, and a skillset that will launch them into a successful future in science classrooms.  In prioritizing hands-on learning and connecting the classroom to the real world, this course is designed to not only bolster students’ academic skills, but inspire them with a love and appreciation for biology and scientific inquiry. 

This course provides students with a foundation in the principles of physical science essential for future high school biology, chemistry, and physics classes. With an emphasis on developing the skills involved in acquiring, analyzing, and communicating data through lab work, discussion, and writing, students gain confidence working in a scientific setting and become comfortable learning through trial and error. Building on the skills learned in previous classes, students develop their ability to work more independently and also collaboratively with their peers to answer challenging questions and to learn new concepts. Topics of study include properties of matter, states of matter, energy, climate science, electromagnetism, atoms and the periodic table, chemical reactions, forces and motion, and environmental justice. Throughout the year, students make connections between what they’re studying and current events, which enables them to develop an awareness and appreciation for how science progresses through the efforts of scientists working throughout the world. The course ends with a hands-on project in which students demonstrate the scientific skills they have learned and developed throughout the year.