Science
Paul Mezick, Science Program Coordinator for Daniel Hand High School, explains the redesign of science HS offerings as curriculum phase starts and student voice is considered.
- Overview
- Guiding Documents
- Kindergarten
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
- High School
Overview
SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY
The aim of the Madison Public Schools Science Program is to give each student the opportunity to satiate their innate curiosity and open their eyes to the wonders of science all around them. Students will regularly engage in problem-solving through exploration, experimentation and collaboration by creating innovative design solutions to local and global issues. This is accomplished by a curriculum that intentionally spirals content and skills with the goal of increasing complexity and critical thinking to enable students to build upon prior experiences as they grow as learners.
DELIVERY METHODS
The role of the science teacher will be to spark excitement for science through phenomenon-based units, which will allow students to develop questions that will guide the investigative and experimental process, leading to deeper engagement with the content as they work to uncover the scientific basis of a phenomenon. Students will engage in practices that will not only allow them to act authentically as scientists, but also allow them to hone important life skills such as using evidence to support claims, engaging in thoughtful discourse, asking questions, and critically thinking about and analyzing current research and issues.
STANDARDS
Our instruction incorporates National Science Standards, the Vision of Madison Public Schools and the 21st Century Capacities. The Next Generation Science Standards emphasize learning through immersion in science and engineering practices. As a result, our curriculum targets three-dimensional learning, in which students learn content through inquiry and engage in the Engineering Design Process. Science instruction goes beyond lessons that focus on disparate, discrete pieces of knowledge to instruction that is designed to enlighten students through exploration and that honors the interwoven concepts and patterns on which all science relies. Students will be required to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives and a variety of sources to draw sophisticated conclusions and consider future implications and consequences on a local and global scale. Our curriculum development is driven by the necessity of ensuring that the content and experiences in which students engage are meaningful and relevant, not only to students, but to the global society.
Science Transfer Goals
Students will be able to…
- Make observations and ask questions to define a problem based on prior knowledge and curiosity that stimulates further exploration, analysis, and discovery.
- Use the scientific process to generate evidence that addresses the original questions.
- Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to interpret patterns, draw conclusions, and/or make predictions.
- Create models to explore complex systems, show mastery of key science concepts, and/or develop solutions through creation of a product open to testing and redesign.
- Evaluate scientific claims and analyze issues to verify the credibility of the source, data, and/or approach.
- Communicate effectively based on purpose, task, and audience to promote collective understanding and/or recommend actions.
Guiding Documents
Kindergarten
Kindergarten Science
Plants & Animals
In this introductory science unit, kindergarteners will explore the basic needs of plants, animals, and humans, discovering how living things interact with and change their environments to survive. Through engaging activities, hands-on investigations, and guided discussions, students will learn about the connections between organisms and their habitats, including how plants rely on sunlight and water, animals depend on food and shelter, and humans modify their surroundings to meet their needs.
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Pushes & Pulls
In this unit, students explore the concepts of force and motion through hands-on investigations. The focus is on how different strengths and directions of pushes and pulls affect the movement of objects. Young learners will engage in simple experiments to compare these effects and analyze whether their designed solutions successfully change the speed or direction of an object. This foundational knowledge supports their understanding of cause and effect in the physical world.
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Caring for Our Earth (mini unit)
In this unit, kindergarteners will explore how their actions and choices can impact the land, water, and air. Through hands-on activities, read-alouds, and guided discussions, they will learn that even young children can help protect the environment by recycling, conserving water, and not littering. Students will understand that caring for the Earth supports all living things, and that working together as a class, family, and community can make a meaningful difference.
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Weather Patterns
This unit engages Kindergarten students in exploring how sunlight affects the Earth's surface, how to design shade structures to reduce heat, and how weather patterns help us prepare for daily activities and extreme conditions. Students will observe, record, and analyze local weather, participate in hands-on experiments, and design simple solutions to protect against the sun’s warming effects. Through inquiry, collaboration, and exploration, students will develop foundational scientific understanding and problem-solving skills.
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Oscar the Grouch Marker Recycler
Madison Kindergarten classes have partnered with Crayola ColorCycle to turn used markers into energy in order to help our Kindergarten students make a real impact in support of their new science unit: Our Environment.
All around the elementary schools, students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. The markers will be sent to a facility where they will be converted into clean fuel. This fuel can be used to power vehicles, heat homes, cook meals and more!
You can help support our efforts by sending your students in with any used markers you may have around the house – even non-Crayola brands. A drop-off box will be located in the front hallway of each elementary school for your child to deposit the markers.
Grade 1
Science Grade 1
Exploring Light & Sound
This Grade 1 Science unit, Exploring Light and Sound, introduces students to the fascinating world of vibrations, light, and communication. In the opening portion of the unit, students engage in hands-on investigations to discover how vibrating materials can create sound and how sound can cause materials to vibrate—using selected lessons from Mystery Science to support and enrich their learning. They then explore how light is necessary for us to see objects and how different materials interact with light by allowing it to pass through, partially blocking it, or reflecting it.
Building on these foundational ideas, students will apply their knowledge and creativity to design simple devices that use light or sound to communicate over distances. By the end of the unit, students will gain a deeper understanding of how light and sound help us experience the world and connect with others.
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Animals & Plants: Traits & Survival
This unit engages students in understanding how living organisms survive through their physical traits, behaviors, and inherited characteristics. Through hands-on activities, read-alouds, discussions, and investigations, students will explore how animals and plants use their external parts for protection, communication, and survival. Additionally, students will examine patterns in how parents care for their offspring and how traits are inherited, leading to similarities and differences between parents and their young. To support this learning, select activities and video content from Mystery Science are used to help students observe and identify inherited characteristics in plants, reinforcing the concept that young organisms often resemble their parents.
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The Sun, Moon, & Stars
This unit introduces first-grade students to observable patterns in the sky, focusing on the sun, moon, and stars. Students will investigate how the movements and appearances of the sun, moon, and stars follow predictable patterns. To support and enhance these investigations, select lessons from Mystery Science are incorporated, providing engaging videos and activities aligned with the unit's learning goals. Through observation, hands-on activities, and guided inquiry, students will deepen their understanding of how the sky changes during the day, night, and across seasons.
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Grade 1
In Grade 1, students began their science studies with a unit on the Earth, Sun, and Moon. During this unit, students participated in many activities to learn how the position of the Earth, Sun, and Moon cause the patterns we see on Earth, such as the lunar cycle and season. Students also engaged in the Engineering Design Process when they designed their own rocket ships and some students had the opportunity to share their designs and get expert feedback when they Skyped with a NASA Rocket Engineer! This unit also includes a visit to a planetarium so that students can develop a better perspective of Earth’s place in the universe.
Grade 2
Science Grade 2
Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth
In this unit, students will explore how natural forces like wind and water shape the Earth’s surface through processes like erosion and weathering. They will distinguish between Earth events that occur quickly, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and those that happen slowly, like the formation of the Grand Canyon. Through hands-on experiments, model-building, and problem-solving activities — including selected lessons from Mystery Science — students will investigate how land and water are interconnected and examine ways to slow or prevent changes to the land caused by erosion.
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Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases
In this exciting and hands-on science unit, Grade 2 students will explore the three states of matter—solids, liquids, and gases—through observations, investigations, and engaging class experiments. Students will become matter scientists as they observe real chemical reactions, conduct scavenger hunts, and investigate how different types of matter behave and change. Using their Study of Matter Journals, students will draw, write, and reflect on their findings throughout the unit.
From “super absorbent” chemistry to a mystery milk spill and melting ice cube races, students will deepen their understanding of the properties and behaviors of matter. They’ll also learn how heating and cooling can cause materials to change—sometimes in ways that can be reversed, and sometimes not.
This unit is designed to spark curiosity, support NGSS-aligned learning, and build foundational science skills like observation, data collection, comparison, and explanation.
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How Plants & Animals Work Together
This unit immerses second-grade students in an inquiry-based exploration of how plants grow, how animals support plant reproduction, and how different habitats support a variety of living things. Students will develop foundational science practices by planning investigations, building models, making observations, and communicating findings.
The unit begins with imaginative storytelling and hands-on planting experiments to help students understand that plants need sunlight and water to grow. Using real-world scenarios and anchoring phenomena like time-lapse germination, students test variables in plant growth, record data in journals, and analyze outcomes in collaborative groups. Next, students explore animal and plant interactions, focusing on how animals disperse seeds and pollinate plants. Through videos, experiments, and a design challenge, students investigate seed dispersal strategies and create their own “Smarty Plant” adapted for a specific pollinator. The final focus of the unit is on habitat diversity. Students compare different environments to understand how the variety of plants and animals differs from place to place, using Mystery Science lessons to examine real-world examples.
The unit culminates in student-led presentations where children share findings from their plant experiments The learning experience promotes scientific thinking, collaboration, and creativity while deepening students’ understanding of life science concepts and interdependence in ecosystems.
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Grade 3
Science Grade 3
Weather & Climate
In this unit, students build on their previous learning by exploring how scientists study and record weather patterns over time and across different locations. By analyzing weather data, students will learn how patterns can help predict future weather events. They will organize this data into tables and graphs to describe typical weather in Connecticut and compare it to the weather in another region of the world. Select lessons from Mystery Science are incorporated to support student understanding of how weather works and how scientists observe and interpret weather-related phenomena.
The unit also introduces the connection between weather patterns and natural hazards. Students will learn that certain natural hazards, such as hurricanes and flash floods, are directly related to weather processes.
The guiding question for the unit is: "How can people use weather patterns to predict weather events, and how can steps be taken to reduce the impacts of natural hazards?" To answer this, students will complete a performance-based assessment (PBA) where they design a structure to mitigate the effects of a specific weather-related hazard. This hands-on project emphasizes problem-solving and real-world application of scientific principles.
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Forces & Interactions
This Grade 3 science unit, Forces and Interactions, is designed to build students' understanding of physical science concepts through hands-on exploration and inquiry-based learning. Anchored by the engaging phenomenon of an "ice board," students begin by observing and questioning how forces act in real-world scenarios. From this initial investigation, they construct conceptual models that they will revisit and revise throughout the unit as their understanding deepens.
Organized around key concepts—Forces & Motion, Friction, Predicting Motion, and Magnetism—students engage in a variety of interactive lessons drawn from Mystery Science and supported by experiments, engineering challenges, and performance-based assessments. They explore how forces act as pushes and pulls, investigate how friction impacts motion across different surfaces, and study the predictable patterns of motion. In the final portion of the unit, students delve into magnetism, discovering how magnetic forces can attract and repel and act at a distance. The unit culminates in an engineering design challenge where students apply their learning to create a magnetic toy or game, demonstrating their grasp of scientific concepts in a creative and meaningful way.
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Survival of Organisms
In this engaging and hands-on science unit, third-grade students will explore the compelling question: What helps organisms survive in their environments? Using ants as the anchoring phenomenon, students will begin by generating observations and wonderings about what makes ants so successful as a species. The unit unfolds across four major conceptual understandings: life cycles, traits and environmental influences, survival through group behaviors, and adaptations to changing environments. Through a blend of Mystery Science lessons, interactive simulations, scientific modeling, and project-based tasks, students will develop a foundational understanding of how organisms grow, change, and adapt in order to survive. Key science concepts such as inheritance of traits, metamorphosis, and natural selection are explored in developmentally appropriate ways that encourage curiosity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Throughout the unit, students will participate in meaningful activities that allow them to apply their learning in authentic contexts. They will explore life cycles with crafts, try a pollination experiment, study traits passed down in animals, and play games like Camouflage Mouse to learn how the environment affects survival. The unit culminates in a project-based learning task where students research an animal from a chosen biome and explain how its structural and behavioral adaptations help it survive. By the end of the unit, students will be able to make connections between an organism’s traits, its environment, and its survival, laying the groundwork for future studies in ecology and biology.
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Grade 4
Science Grade 4
Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth
In this unit, Grade 4 students will explore the dynamic processes that shape Earth's surface over time, including the role of rock formations, fossils, weathering, and erosion. Students will examine patterns in rock layers and fossils to understand how landscapes change and investigate the effects of natural processes like water, wind, ice, and vegetation on the Earth’s surface. The unit also focuses on the importance of maps in recognizing patterns in Earth's landforms and natural hazards, while challenging students to think critically about how human-engineered solutions can reduce the impact of these natural processes.
Through a combination of Mystery Science investigations, additional hands-on activities, and data analysis, students will engage with scientific concepts such as how rock layers and fossils provide clues to past environments, how weathering and erosion reshape the land, and how engineers work to protect people from natural disasters. By the end of the unit, students will have a deeper understanding of the forces shaping Earth's surface and the role of engineering in minimizing the effects of geological events like earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions.
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Energy Transfer by Collision & Electricity
This Grade 4 science unit introduces students to the foundational concept of energy and how it causes change in the world around us. Students begin by observing everyday phenomena to identify and describe different types and forms of energy, such as kinetic, potential, light, sound, heat, electrical, and chemical. Through engaging demonstrations, multimedia resources, hands-on activities, and read-alouds, students develop a concrete understanding of how energy can be seen and felt in their daily lives. Select lessons from Mystery Science are incorporated to help students explore energy-related phenomena in accessible, real-world contexts. Activities like energy scavenger hunts, flashlight and sound demonstrations, and connections to music and literature help students explore cause and effect relationships—reinforcing the core idea that energy is the ability to cause change.
Building on this knowledge, students investigate how energy and motion are related. They explore how speed and mass affect kinetic energy through ramps, marbles, and real-world applications like roller coasters. The unit then progresses to energy transfer, where students discover how energy moves from one object or place to another. Through circuit building with Snap Circuits, heat spinner experiments, and "Power Stations" labs, students observe energy moving through light, heat, sound, and electricity. Aligned with NGSS performance expectations, this unit is designed to cultivate curiosity and scientific thinking through observation, experimentation, and collaborative inquiry—laying the groundwork for deeper understanding of physical science concepts in the grades ahead.
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Plants & Animals-Structure, Function & Information Processing
In this engaging life science unit, Grade 4 students explore the fascinating ways plants and animals have developed special structures that help them survive in their environments. The journey begins with an anchor phenomenon that challenges the idea of “survival of the fittest”: how can slow-moving animals like the sloth and the horseshoe crab survive in the wild? Students kick off the unit by observing sloths and making initial claims about their survival strategies, which they revisit and revise as they uncover more evidence. Through hands-on experiments, interactive Mystery Science videos, and purposeful readings, students investigate both the internal and external structures of a variety of animals and plants. They examine how body parts work together as systems to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction—whether it's the claws of a tiger, the roots of a tree, or the sensitive hearing of an owl.
As the unit progresses, students learn how animals use senses, memories, and instincts to gather and respond to information from their environments. From camouflaged frogfish to highly sensory raccoons, students discover that organisms don’t just survive—they adapt in incredible ways. They also learn that plants, like animals, have structures and responses that support their survival, such as growing toward sunlight or transporting water through internal tubes. The unit culminates in a transfer task centered on the horseshoe crab, a living fossil that has endured for over 445 million years. By the end of the unit, students will be able to explain how structures and behaviors—some surprising, some familiar—have enabled plants and animals to thrive across time and ecosystems.
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Grade 5
Science Grade 5
Properties of Light & Sound
This Grade 5 unit explores the properties of light and sound through engaging, hands-on phenomena and inquiry-based learning. Students develop foundational understanding of wave properties and the interactions of waves with materials. Through activities such as using lenses to focus sunlight, building models of the eye, and experimenting with prisms and mirrors, students examine how light behaves—including concepts of reflection, refraction, and the visible spectrum. The unit includes lessons on vision and optical tools, helping students connect how human eyes perceive light and how lenses can correct vision. Students investigate the difference between convex and concave lenses, build eye models, and apply their learning to real-world problems through a transfer task on optometry.
The sound portion of the unit emphasizes how vibrations create sound waves, how sound travels through different materials, and how humans and devices can encode and decode information using sound patterns. Students conduct experiments with cup telephones, visual and auditory codes, and wave modeling with ropes to understand how frequency and amplitude affect pitch and volume. Through NGSS-aligned Mystery Science lessons and custom-designed activities, students also investigate sound in space, the role of air in vibration transmission, and resonance phenomena. By the end of the unit, students can model and explain how light and sound travel, how they interact with matter, and how technologies leverage wave properties for communication and problem-solving.
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Earth & Space
This Grade 5 Science unit engages students in understanding how Earth's movements influence day/night cycles, seasonal patterns, and gravitational forces. Throughout the unit, students will investigate Earth's rotation and its effects on day and night using models, text-based evidence, and interactive activities like globe and flashlight demonstrations. They will also explore time zones and analyze how Earth's rotation causes different locations to experience different times of day. As they transition to learning about seasonal patterns, students will discover how Earth's axial tilt and orbit lead to varying sunlight angles and changes in the length of daylight throughout the year. They will model the cause of seasons and examine extreme variations in daylight at the poles. Finally, students will explore gravity, investigating its role on Earth and other celestial bodies, and how it affects movement, weight, and planetary orbits within the Solar System. Through hands-on experiments, data analysis, and a targeted Mystery Science activity, students will gain a better understanding of how Earth's physical properties affect things around them locally and globally.
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Matter & Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
Through four interconnected concepts—Roles in an Ecosystem, Plants and Photosynthesis, Energy Flow in Ecosystems, and Matter Cycling in Ecosystems—students develop a deeper understanding of how organisms depend on each other and their environment to survive. Early in the unit, students learn how producers, consumers, and decomposers each play unique roles in sustaining ecosystems. Using videos, vocabulary exercises, and interactive activities such as building food chains and webs, students construct models to visualize how energy moves from the sun through various organisms. A nature walk reinforces these roles through real-world observation and data collection.
The second concept centers on photosynthesis, guiding students through hands-on labs that simulate how different factors affect plant growth. Students apply scientific inquiry skills to design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and communicate findings, all while deepening their understanding of how plants use air, water, and sunlight to produce food and oxygen. Students also build a model of the carbon-oxygen cycle to explain how matter is conserved during photosynthesis. As the unit progresses, students dissect owl pellets to trace energy transfer through trophic levels and create food webs from familiar meals, connecting ecosystems to everyday human choices.
In the final concept, students investigate how matter cycles through ecosystems, emphasizing the roles of the water, carbon-oxygen, and nitrogen cycles. A creative poster project allows students to model these processes visually. To wrap up the unit, students monitor decomposition firsthand, using a banana peel investigation and outdoor scavenger hunts to identify real decomposers and their function. The unit culminates in a performance-based assessment where students apply their knowledge to a real-world scenario—evaluating a proposed ecosystem for growing food on Mars. By the end of the unit, students can explain how energy and matter cycle through ecosystems and how human actions can support or disrupt this balance.
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Grade 6
Science Grade 6
Thermal Energy
This 6th grade science unit, adapted from OpenSciEd, explores how different materials and design features affect thermal insulation. Students begin by comparing the rate of temperature change in a standard plastic cup versus a commercially marketed insulated cup. They investigate how variables such as lid design, wall thickness, and the presence of openings influence heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation. Through hands-on investigations and simulations, students discover that drinks warm up due to the absorption of radiant energy and the transfer of thermal energy from the surrounding environment, then use this understanding to engineer a container that meets specific performance criteria.
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Weather and Climate
In this unit, students will learn how weather forms as a result of the complex interactions between temperature, humidity, and air pressure. Through the study and creation of forecasts they will understand how other conditions play a role in weather. Additionally, students will learn how tools and technology are used to create forecasts and how these forecasts can be used both locally and globally. Working both independently and with their peers, students will practice real world skills in predicting and interpreting the weather. Students will apply their knowledge of weather, weather patterns and the cause and effect relationships of weather and weather systems to a culminating project investigating changes in Earth's climate. Students will be required to use graphs to interpret data and use this data to justify their claims regarding the future of Earth's climate, citing specific references to various locations around the world. This unit was adapted from OpenScied.
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Cells & Systems
In this unit, students explore how the human body repairs itself after an injury. The learning journey begins with a real-world scenario: a middle school student who needed stitches, pins, and a cast after an accident. By analyzing doctor reports and developing initial models, students investigate what happens inside the body during the healing process. Students then dive deeper, discovering that our bodies are made of cells that work together to help us move and function. Through hands-on investigations, they examine how cells create new cells, what they need to grow, and how different body systems work together to heal injuries. By revisiting their initial models and analyzing a timelapse of a healing wound, students apply their learning to explain the process of healing. Finally, they extend their understanding to explore how children grow into adults, connecting their knowledge of healing to growth at growth plates in bones. This unit is adapted from OpenSciEd, a research-based science curriculum designed to engage students in figuring out real-world phenomena through inquiry and collaboration.
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Grade 7
Science Grade 7
Ecology and Human Impact
This unit will focus on ecosystem dynamics as students investigate how changes to an ecosystem can have far-reaching effects. The unit will begin with an environmental phenomenon that students will work to decipher through their content investigations. Students will develop a model of an ecosystem, investigate the interdependence of the biotic and abiotic factors, and recognize how just one change can alter the balance of an environment. Students will further investigate ecosystem dynamics by performing an experiment on the effect of certain chemicals on aquatic environments. In doing so, students will be able to quantify how different concentrations of widely used pollutants can damage our local aquatic ecosystems and use this data to support their explanation for the environmental phenomenon that launched this unit. Students will engage in a Field Study of Bauer Park to assess the health of that ecosystem. The culminating experience will ask students to develop and promote a pollution mitigation plan to help decrease water pollution in Madison, using scientifically-based justifications for their claims. This unit answers the guiding question, "What effect do changes in the physical and biological components of an ecosystem have on the overall health of that ecosystem?"
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Genetics
Through the examination of several natural phenomena related to the evolution of adaptation in organisms, students will craft evidence-based explanations for traits that enable organisms to survive in their environment. Students will engage in a variety of simulations and examine case studies as they uncover the principles of natural selection that result in large variety of differences within and between species. As a foundation to this study, students will learn the basics about the genetic code and how sexual &asexual reproduction and genetic mutation give rise to the variations that are crucial for the success of populations.
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Geologic Processes
This unit will begin with students examining "Why is Mt. Everest growing taller?" Students will need to apply their understanding of geologic processes to propose an answer to this mystery and justify their solution with scientific evidence. Throughout this unit, students will be exploring various geologic processes such as continental drift, plate tectonics, rock strata formation over time, distribution of Earth materials, earthquakes and volcanoes and apply their understanding of the processes to natural phenomena. Students will also discover the process of how a scientific theory evolves and becomes accepted by examining the history of geologic discoveries and how these understandings helped us to recognize patterns that allow us to predict future geologic events. Students will use maps and data to provide evidence for their claims as they explain how geologic processes shape the Earth, past, present and in the future.
This unit creates a picture of the geologic evolution of our planet. This unit answers the guiding question, "What processes cause the Earth's surface to change?"
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Metabolic Reactions
This unit on metabolic reactions is adapted from OpenSciEd and begins with students investigating a real case study of a middle school girl named M’Kenna, who visits her doctor with symptoms like trouble concentrating, headaches, stomach issues after eating, low energy, and unexplained weight loss—even though she seems to eat a healthy diet. Her case raises questions about what might be going wrong inside her body and why.
To figure this out, students examine evidence from M’Kenna’s case, including doctor’s notes, growth charts, endoscopy results, and microscope images. They also conduct lab experiments and use digital tools to learn how food moves through the body and is broken down, stored, and used. By working to explain M’Kenna’s symptoms, students uncover what happens to food after we eat it and how problems in body systems can lead to health issues.
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Engineering & Design
Student will apply their understanding of the functionality of simple machines, that they gained during several inquiry-based experiments, to devise a chain reaction machine. The Engineering Design Process that students have utilized in prior grades will guide their planning and design through several iterations as they work to devise a machine that will complete a given task. At the conclusion of the unit, students will present their machine to the class and explain the physics behind each of the simple machines utilized in their design. This unit is completed if there is additional time available at the end of the school year as it is a supplemental unit to Grade 8: Forces in Motion.
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Grade 8
Science Grade 8
Forces & Motion
By performing several investigations that demonstrate the laws of physics, students will develop an understanding of the forces that are at work everyday in their lives. Students will begin the unit by being challenged to create a working roller coaster that meets a set of requirements. As students engage in hands-on, inquiry-based experiences they will uncover not only how their roller coaster demonstrates the laws of physics in its performance, but also how our world operates according to these laws. In order to engage in, and quantify how Newton's Laws impact the world around us, students will apply their understanding of math and graphical analysis to solve physics problems and communicate experimental results. Students will demonstrate their understanding of Newton's Laws in regards to forces and motion when they complete a Mars Mission task to design, construct, test and revise a rover and lander. At the end of the unit, students will tie together all of the concepts they have investigated as they complete their final unit model to demonstrate their level of understanding of the concepts taught in the unit, and answer content and design process related questions.
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Astronomy
Students will demonstrate their understanding of how the relationship between Earth, Sun, and Moon cause the patterns and phenomena we experience here on Earth as they explore these celestial bodies and their place in the universe. Students will develop an understanding of Earth's position and movement through space, the impact of gravity and inertia, the reasons for the seasons, moon phases, eclipses, and tides. Students will make scientific discoveries through inquiry-based laboratory investigations, virtual labs, and problem-solving challenges. Students will be asked to create models that will serve to correct misconceptions using scientific claims that are justified with evidence and data and ultimately make their learning visible and to close the unit, they will create and deliver a narration to a science video featuring the Earth, Moon and Sun in motion. The unit answers the guiding question, "How are we connected to the patterns we see in the sky and space?"
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Chemistry
Students will develop an understanding of the structure of matter at the atomic level, including how atoms combine to form molecules, how substances can be identified by their properties, and how chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of atoms to create new substances with different properties, emphasizing the concept of conservation of mass during chemical reactions. Students will be able to synthesize and apply these concepts to laboratory experiences where they will need to identify if a chemical reaction has occurred and analyze reactions to determine the reactants, products, and types of solutions produced. Students will model chemical reactions and create balanced equations to illustrate the atomic and molecular changes that occured. Additionally, students will gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing
Invisible Energy: From Vibrations to Voltage
Students will explore how energy and information move through waves and fields. They model wave behavior and learn how wave amplitude relates to energy. Students will investigate how waves reflect, absorb, or transmit through materials and compare analog and digital signals to see why digital is more reliable for communication.
The unit also connects to life science as students learn how sensory receptors detect stimuli and send messages to the brain. Finally, students explore electric and magnetic forces, conducting investigations to see how these invisible fields work and how their strength can be changed.
By the end of the unit, students will understand how waves and forces shape both natural phenomena and human-made technologies.
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High School
High School Science
- Agricultural Science
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Biology
- Biotechnology
- Chemistry
- Chemistry for Health Science
- Conceptual Astronomy
- Conceptual Chemistry
- Honors Biology
- Honors Chemistry
- Honors Physics
- Physics
- Conceptual Physics
- Environmental Science
- Infectious Disease
- Marine Science & Technology
- Physics and Engineering
Agricultural Science
Sustainable Agriculture
Students will explore the principles, concepts, and techniques of sustainable production of crops. This will cover biological, social, and economic components of sustainable farming systems; including soil and water management, cultural practices, pest control, and harvest. Studies of human activities that affect the condition of the atmosphere and how sustainable agriculture can be used to undo the damage caused to the earth's systems will be examined. Students will perform an analysis of traditional vs. industrial farming through the lens of alternative perspectives, competing interests, the increasing human population, and environmental protection. Ultimately, students will apply their understanding of farming techniques and environmental health to develop and justify a farming plan.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Alternate Perspectives, Decision Making
Greenhouse
This unit is designed to introduce students to gardening and horticulture techniques. Greenhouse time will be spent in the care of individual plant projects. In addition, students will spend time outdoors working on landscaping projects and caring for established plantings on school property and Bauer Farm. The students will learn to use reference sources in planning and implementing their projects. Throughout the course, students will be in the greenhouse germinating seeds and growing plants. Depending on the trimester, students will either grow plants that can be used for holiday decorations (mums, poinsettias, etc.) or plants that can be used for the Bauer Farm garden plot or home gardens (tomatoes, vegetables, herbs).
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Anatomy and Physiology
Organization of the Human Body
The unit is focused on the discovery of how healthcare professionals communicate with each other about how the human body is organized. Students will investigate the meanings and applications of various directional and landmark vocabulary that will be important to know in subsequent units. Students will be expected to apply their understanding of feedback mechanisms and homeostasis gained from a prior course in Biology as they investigate how each body system is reliant upon other body systems in order to function properly. The culminating assessment for this unit will be a student-created reference website that clearly explains a specific body system and correctly and appropriately uses anatomical terms. Important to note, this course is largely a student-directed, self-paced investigation of body systems of the students' choosing. Some units incorporate dissections, others do not. However, throughout the course, there will be an ongoing teacher-led dissection that will allow students the opportunity to examine all of a mammal’s body systems. If students prefer not to dissect or not to look at the teacher-led dissection, alternate learning experiences will be provided.
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Nervous System or Cardiovascular System
After performing experiments regarding the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the students will have the choice of which system they would like to investigate in depth. The nervous system unit will include an investigation of one sense of the student's choice. The cardiovascular system unit will include an investigation of a cardiovascular disease. Throughout the unit, students will work to uncover the details of their chosen system and develop a model and website to explain the structures and functions of the body system. The website, which will include the student-developed model, will be used for the summative assessment in which students will analyze a case study and determine the physiological cause of the symptoms. This unit will include a dissection. If a student does not want to participate in a dissection, they may opt to perform an alternate assignment.
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Endocrine or Musculoskeletal System
After viewing images of the manifestations of various endocrine and musculoskeletal disorders, the students will have the choice of which system and disorder they would like to investigate in depth. Throughout the unit, students will work to uncover the details of their chosen system and develop a model and website to explain the structures and functions of the body system. The website, which will include the student-developed model, will be used for the summative assessment in which students will analyze a case study and determine the physiological cause of the symptoms.
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Respiratory System or Digestive System
After performing experiments focused on the respiratory and digestive systems, the students will have the choice of which system they would like to investigate in depth. Throughout the unit, students will work to uncover the details of their chosen system and develop a model and website to explain the structures and functions of the body system. The website, which will include the student-developed model, will be used for the summative assessment in which students will analyze a case study and determine the physiological cause of the symptoms.
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Blood or Immune Systems
After engaging in learning activities focused on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the students will have the choice of which system they would like to investigate in depth. Throughout the unit, students will work to uncover the details of their chosen system and develop a model and website to explain the structures and functions of the body system. The website, which will include the student-developed model, will be used for the summative assessment in which students will analyze a case study and determine the physiological cause of the symptoms.
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Biology
Ecology & Ecosystems
This unit introduces students to the broad fundamental principles governing living things. Students will explore the integral parts of an ecosystem, specifically the linear flow of energy as it moves within and between organisms. Students will learn about selective pressures driven by relationships among and between different organisms, and nonliving factors within the biosphere that affect populations. Students will explore population dynamics influenced by limiting factors such as predator-prey relationships, climate, and availability of natural resources. Students will investigate what factors lead to a balanced, healthy ecosystem and, through a case study, learn about how ecosystems become unbalanced and the factors that cause this disruption. Through collaborative work, they will develop and revise a model to explain an anchoring phenomenon, and use this model to make predictions about related phenomena. By the end of the unit, students will have a deeper understanding of the essential processes that sustain life on our planet and the delicate balance between matter and energy within ecosystems.
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Energy Flow in The Earth System
In this unit students will explore the interconnected processes of photosynthesis and respiration, and how these processes play a crucial role in the cycle of matter within the biosphere. They will learn how matter is constantly moving and being recycled within ecosystems, and how it is essential for the survival of living organisms. Additionally, students will discover the cyclical nature of matter in contrast to the flow of energy, and how physiological changes in organisms can affect this balance. Through collaborative work, they will develop and revise a model to explain the Feeding Frenzy anchoring phenomenon, and use this model to make predictions about related phenomena. By the end of the unit, students will have a deeper understanding of the essential processes that sustain life on our planet and the delicate balance between matter and energy within ecosystems.
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Cellular Transport
This unit aims to deepen students' understanding of the vital role played by cell transport in the functioning of living organisms. Through an exploration of cell structure and function, students will gain a grasp of the intricate physiological processes that occur within and between cells. They will come to appreciate how the interactions and communication between cells form the basis of higher levels of organization, from tissues to organs to whole organisms. By delving into topics such as the regulatory function of the cell membrane and the concept of solubility, students will gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental importance of cell transport in sustaining life. Ultimately, this unit will extend students' learning in unit 1 and 2 to demonstrate the intimate connection between cellular interactions and the broader interactions and communication among and between organisms.
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Inheritance
The final unit brings together several concepts studied during the year. Students will investigate the relationship of DNA and chromosomes in the processes of cell division for growth, repair, and sexual reproduction. Students will uncover how genes are passed from parent to offspring and apply probability rules to determine the likelihood of passing on certain traits. As students engage in applying their understanding of genetics and inheritance to evolution, they will uncover how natural selection is driven by primarily by environmental changes and heritable genetic variations. Students analyze the genetic and physical changes in the populations of the ecosystem they explored in Units 1 and 2 as they examine how and why the populations changed following an environmental shift. In doing so, students will develop and justify scientifically-based explanations for the population shifts.
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Biotechnology
Introduction to Biotechnology
This unit will provide historical context to the field of biotechnology including a survey of the industry, applications of biotechnology, steps in the production and delivery of recombinant DNA products, and the bioethical implications of these techniques. As this is a career-based experience, students will be using highly specialized equipment and laboratory procedures that are identical to a professional laboratory. As such, biotechnology lab safety and aseptic technique will be emphasized in this introductory unit in preparation for various laboratory investigations that will be conducted throughout the course.
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DNA/Protein Structure and Function
This unit will begin with an overview of macromolecules with a focus on nucleic acids including both their structure and function. Students will then take a closer look at the mechanisms of both DNA replication and protein synthesis. Students will perform lab experiments which apply this content, such as an examination of the molecular basis for Drosophila (fruit-fly) eye color. The unit ends with a holistic look at how DNA and proteins play a role in the genetic flow of information, known as the Central Dogma (DNA → RNA → Protein → Trait).
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DNA Analysis Using Restriction Enzymes
In this unit students will learn what restriction enzymes are, how they are used in nature, and how they can be exploited by the field of biotechnology for the purposes of DNA analysis and manipulation. Students will also be introduced to the common DNA analysis technique called gel electrophoresis. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) will be covered from the perspective of their use in forensic science, genetic markers for genetic disorders, and paternity tests, for example. This unit is lab-based and students will need to apply their content understanding from prior units to the laboratory investigations they will perform throughout the unit.
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DNA Analysis Using Gene Amplification
This unit will be taught primarily through an extensive, complex lab experience using the common industry technique called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Students will learn how to amplify, analyze, and manipulate DNA using PCR as they conduct a multi-day protocol. Students will be looking for a particular piece of DNA that is present in the genes of many people. Students will have the opportunity to use their own DNA, from their cheek or hair follicle, during this procedure, to determine if they have the gene in question. Students will also explore various applications of this technology in the field of biotechnology.
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Bioinformatics
The field of Bioinformatics is a multidisciplinary field that leverages computer science, math, and information processing and analysis to interpret biological data. Students will explore the biological side of this field in their classroom as they utilize the laboratory procedures and techniques from prior units to extract DNA from fish purchased from various sources. In doing so, students will begin the process of genetically determining if the species of fish that is advertised is authentic or fraudulent. Students will then send out the extracted DNA for detailed genetic analysis and then analyze the results through an online bioinformatics tool (BLAST) to develop their conclusions. The bioinformatics tools students will learn to use are those provided on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website.
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Recombinant DNA Technology, Transformation, and Genetic Engineering
This unit will provide clarity on the course phenomenon of the "Glowing Axolotl" as students manipulate the genes of bacteria to insert a "glow gene". The unit will begin with an exploration of bacterial genetics including why bacteria are used extensively in biotechnology. Exploration of the bacterial chromosome and plasmids, operon structure and function, bacterial growth conditions/types of growth, and the importance of aseptic technique when working with bacteria will be emphasized. Students will also investigate the steps involved in the production of recombinant DNA, bacterial transformation, and selection of transformants. CRISPR Cas9 technology may also be introduced as a cutting edge technology for the creation of recombinant DNA. Students will be introduced to applications of recombinant DNA technology in the form of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for the creation of therapeutic compounds and other products and gene therapy.
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Chemistry
Classification and Properties of Matter
UNIT 1
Students are introduced to Chemistry through the study and classification of matter and its properties at the macroscopic level. Students will become familiar with the language of the course, various laboratory techniques, safety etiquette, elements of the Periodic Table and basic chemical compounds. Students will perform laboratory investigations and observe chemical phenomena allowing the students to distinguish between chemical and physical changes. Students will make precise measurements and use both qualitative and quantitative observations to process experimental data.
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Atomic Structure and Electron Structure
UNIT 2
Students explore the Periodic Table as an organizing framework for the fundamentals of chemical behavior. Students take a deeper dive into their understanding of subatomic particles, the relationship between the particles and their relevance to atomic mass and isotopes. Students will describe the quantum mechanical model of the atom and an in depth study of the electromagnetic spectrum as the anchoring phenomenon will lead students to develop a model for the electronic structure of the atom. By evaluating electron configuration and orbital diagrams, students will explain Periodic Law. Students will apply their understanding of periodic law to interpret and predict properties of elements including ionization energy, electronegativity, and atomic radius and their relationship to the electron structure of each element.
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Chemical Bonding & Intermolecular Forces
UNIT 3
Students will focus on bonding in ionic and covalent compounds as a continuum ranging from equal sharing of electrons to an effective transfer of valence electrons from one atom to another. The degree of electron sharing impacts bond type and is predicted through evaluation of electronegativity, a periodic property, and the differences in electronegativity between bonding atoms. Students, through constructing Lewis dot diagrams, will show how electrons are shared in covalent bonds. Students predict the shapes of small molecules as well as molecular polarity using two dimensional Lewis Structures and the Valence Shell Repulsion Theory as the basis for their predictions. Students use this knowledge to identify the intermolecular forces present in a molecule and how these forces explain and predict the physical and chemical properties of that molecule. The unit will then explore the application of this phenomenon to everyday applications.
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Nomenclature and Types of Reactions
In Unit 4, students focus on a study of nomenclature, the highly structured process of writing names and formulas of ionic compounds, molecular compounds, and organic compounds. Next, they will apply the nomenclature they learned to help develop formulas within chemical reactions. Students will continue by learning how to balance chemical equations and then identifying the types of reactions by looking given reactants. To finalize students will be asked to predict the states of matter of reactants and products, to predict the products of given reactions based on the observations of the reactions and classify the types of reactions observed.
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Chemical Quantities
In Unit 5, students begin to take an in depth look at chemical quantities in order to begin developing a better understanding of the quantitative properties of matter and eventually chemical reactions. Students begin by learning mathematical approach to problem solving. From there, students will complete simple conversions between moles, mass, and particles of a certain substance. Based on the concept of the mole, students will be able to determine the percent composition of a substance and deduce the empirical and molecular formula of an unknown hydrate.
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Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions
In Unit 6, the previous learnings of Units 4 and 5 are brought together as students begin to quantify substances that react and are produced in a full chemical reaction. Students begin by learning how to apply molar ratios from a balanced equation to use as a conversion factor to compare one substance in a chemical reaction to another. They expand on this by comparing reactants and products in terms of mass, moles, and particles. Students will continue to learn what a limiting reactant and what an excess reactant is, as well as using these data to accurately predict a theoretical yield from a chemical reaction and determine the amount of excess reactant remaining at the conclusion of a chemical reaction where an excess reactant occurs. The end of the unit concludes by determining percent yields of chemical reactions both theoretically and experimentally.
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Chemistry for Health Science
Aqueous Solutions
Unit 1 will focus on the characteristics of aqueous solutions. Students will explore the polarity of water and its relevance to body chemistry, electrolytes, diffusion and osmosis, osmotic pressure (isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic solutions for intravenous application), pH and buffers. Emphasis will be on the importance of ions in the body and units of concentration used in intravenous solutions (percent, parts per million, and molarity). As a culminating experience, students will research the application of solutions, diffusion, and osmosis in the human body and/or medical field and present their findings to the class.
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Organic Chemistry
As students engage in a variety of hands-on laboratory experiments, they will be developing skills necessary for laboratory investigations in a chemistry course while also learning about the types of molecules that are essential for life. These skills and understandings will support students as they advance in this course and any future chemistry courses. Content emphasis will be on the structure of organic compounds, how different functional groups impact the properties of organic compounds, and types of macromolecules in the human body. To demonstrate their ability to apply their understanding from this unit, students will research the application of organic compounds to health science.
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Conceptual Astronomy
Interpreting Starlight
In this unit, students will explore the idea of how the universe may have formed. Students will learn about light and its composition as well as how it can be used to identify, explain, and predict movements of celestial objects in our galaxy and beyond. Additionally, students will learn how the tools in astronomy and advances in technology are used to acquire information about distant celestial objects and their movements. Working both independently and with their peers, students will utilize essential skills such as mathematics, reading for information, critical thinking, and problem-solving to enhance their understanding.
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Origin of the Solar System
This unit is designed to enable students to independently analyze quantitative and qualitative data and use the scientific process to solve complex problems. The core Understandings center on the idea that the Sun's energy generation, stability, and influence—driven by nuclear fusion and energy transfer—are governed by fundamental physical laws. Students will also grasp that the formation, structure, and motion of all orbiting bodies, including phenomena like elliptical orbits and retrograde motion, are predictable consequences of universal laws of physics, such as gravity and conservation of momentum. Essential Questions driving this unit include: How do observations of the Sun inform our understanding of stellar internal workings and its impact on Earth? and What scientific evidence explains the origin, structure, and movements of planets in our solar system?
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Conceptual Chemistry
The Study of Matter
The study of matter and the periodic table are the focus of this first unit in Conceptual Chemistry. Students will understand how matter is classified and the role of the periodic table in the organization of matter. Students will understand how matter is organized using Bohr models and Lewis structures. Students will explore how chemical formulas are derived and named. Students will use the periodic table as a reference to calculate molar mass. Students will engage in a variety of activities that will emphasize scientific inquiry skills such as collecting, analyzing, and communicating data with tables and graphs as well as making claims that are supported with data and evidence.
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Chemical Reactions
Chemical reactions are the focus of this unit in Conceptual Chemistry. Students will understand how substances change and they will explore the Law of Conservation of Matter as they perform and analyze chemical reactions. Students will balance equations and apply their understanding of the periodic table and periodic trends to the types of reactions and the reactivity of different elements. Students will engage in a variety of laboratory experiments that will emphasize scientific inquiry skills such as collecting, analyzing, and communicating data with tables and graphs as well as making claims that are supported with data and evidence. Students will experience activities that will require them to follow safety protocols and appropriately use laboratory equipment. Students will work with mathematical conversions, commensurate with the level of challenge and rigor found in Algebra 1.
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Honors Biology
Biochemistry
Students will begin their study of Biology by engaging in scientific investigations that allow them to hone their laboratory skills and refine and apply their understanding of proper experimental design. Through the lens of biochemistry, students will work through several complex laboratory experiments. Ultimately, students will plan and conduct their own experiment to develop a deeper understanding of the processes and properties that determine the function of macromolecules. Throughout this unit, students will learn the four major categories of macromolecules and their structures and functions and begin to uncover why these molecules are essential for organisms. As students move through this year of a molecular-based biology course, they will continually engage in content that requires an understanding of macromolecules. Students will not only apply prior knowledge of macromolecules to new situations, but also enhance and deepen their understanding of biochemistry as the year progresses.
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The Cell: Structures, Functions, and Feedback
Students will explore the cellular processes that govern organisms. Beginning with case studies that involve errors in cell functions, students will uncover basic cell types, organelles, and how the molecular structure of the cell membrane allows material to pass into and out of the cell. Students will use microscopes to examine cellular structures, compare and contrast cell types. The levels of organization and the organization of cells into tissues, organs, systems and organisms will allow students to go from microscopic to macroscopic focus. Lab experiments will help them visualize the movement of water into and out of the cell as it works to maintain homeostasis. Ultimately, students will return to the analysis of case studies as they apply their understanding of cell structure and function to scenarios that people frequently experience that are part of feedback mechanisms controlled by cell processes.
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Inheritance
Students will explore the molecular basis of inheritance of traits as they apply their understanding of cellular organelles and processes to how organisms pass traits from parents to offspring. Beginning with the study of the cell cycle, students will take a deeper dive into the cell as they learn about the structure and function of DNA and RNA, control of cellular reproduction and inheritance. Students will use basic mathematical probability to determine the likelihood of offspring expressing or carrying genes. Students will also learn about mechanisms such as mutation and nondisjunction that can result in unexpected changes to the genetic or chromosomal makeup of organisms. Ultimately, students will use all of the knowledge in this unit to analyze and design a model that explains how DNA sequence impacts protein synthesis and the expression of traits.
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Energy and Matter in Ecosystems
Students will explore ecosystems through the macroscopic lens of ecosystem dynamics and then from the molecular level when they examine the processes that sustain life on Earth. Students will investigate what factors lead to a balanced, healthy ecosystem and, through a case study, learn about how ecosystems become unbalanced and the factors that cause this disruption. In doing so, students will need to apply their understanding of the cellular processes and chemical reactions, analyze data and consider what it means to have balance in an ecosystem.
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Mechanisms of Evolution
The final unit brings together several concepts studied during the year. As students engage in applying their understanding of genetics and inheritance to the mechanisms of evolution, they will explore the genetic basis of natural selection as well as the scientific evidence for evolution. As students analyze phylogenetic trees, adaptations, and examples of natural selection, they will be synthesizing their knowledge of molecular biology, inheritance, and populations. In order to demonstrate their understanding of the dynamic process of evolution, students will analyze examples of natural selection in species to make and justify scientifically-based claims regarding the mechanisms that drove the evolution of the species.
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Honors Chemistry
The Structure of Chemistry
Students will begin their study of honors chemistry by describing matter on the macroscopic scale. Students will perform laboratory investigations and observe demonstrations of chemical phenomena in order to describe matter both qualitatively and quantitatively. Students will classify matter, describe chemical and physical properties of matter, and learn how to make precise measurements. Students will solve problems using dimensional analysis, a problem-solving method that will be used throughout the year. Students will apply proper laboratory skills as they perform laboratory investigations involving separation techniques and the use of a calibration curve to predict the sugar content of beverages.
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Quantitative Calculations in Chemistry
Unit 2 begins with students learning the way to write chemical names and formulas for ionic and molecular compounds. Students will apply this knowledge in order to explore the microscopic domain of chemistry. That is, students will apply the fundamental concept of the 'mole' in order to count particles using the mass of a sample. Based on the mole concept, students will be able to determine the percent composition of a substance or deduce the empirical and molecular formula of an unknown compound. Ultimately, students will balance chemical equations and analyze the amounts of reactant and products involved in a chemical reaction. Throughout this unit, students will participate in hands-on activities and laboratory investigations in which they apply stoichiometric methods to quantify a chemical reaction.
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Reactions in Aqueous Solutions
Students will explore three types of reactions occurring in water (the universal solvent); acid-base reaction, precipitation reactions, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Students will understand how to write and balance chemical reactions that take place in aqueous solutions, and how to predict and identify precipitates. Students will conduct several experiments to learn to recognize which specific groups of particles are involved in each reaction type. Titration experiments and gravimetric analysis experiments will be used to determine quantities of reactants and products involved in these reactions. The culminating PBA requires students to work with their lab partners to identify eight unknown solutions, based on analyzing the different reactions that occur when the unknown solutions are mixed with each other.
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Gas Laws
Students will begin the Gas Laws unit by observing what happens when various items are placed inside of a bell jar. They will record their observations and draw models of what they think is happening at the molecular level. Throughout the unit they will refer back to and revise their model using their understanding of gas laws. Students will understand how gas laws describe and predict the behavior of gases. Students will use online simulations to observe the behavior of gases under various conditions and will observe several other gas laws demonstrations. Students will participate in a laboratory investigation to calculate the molar volume of a gas. Students will enhance and deepen their understanding of the atomic theory of matter and the kinetic molecular theory of gases.
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Thermochemistry
Students will begin the thermochemistry unit with a phenomenon about endothermic and exothermic reactions. Students will explore how energy plays a role in chemical reactions throughout the unit by being absorbed or released during a chemical reaction. Students will use calorimetry and specific heat to quantify the heat change in a chemical reaction. Students will participate in a laboratory experiment where they will use an aluminum can as a calorimeter to determine the energy released when food is burned. This unit will draw connections between students understanding of the Law of Conservation of Matter and the Law of Conservation of Energy.
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Atomic Structure, Electron Configuration and Periodic Relationships
Students will describe the quantum mechanical model of the atom and explore the scientific evidence that led to the development of this model. By evaluating electron configuration and orbital diagrams, students will explain the Periodic Law. Building on this, students will apply their understanding of periodic relationships among elements to interpret and predict properties of elements including ionization energy, electronegativity, and atomic radius, are related to the valence electrons of each element.
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Chemical Bonding, Molecular Geometry, and Intermolecular Forces of Attraction
Students will focus on bonding in ionic and covalent compounds, through constructing Lewis dot diagrams through which students will show how electrons are shared in covalent bonds. Students will learn that, on a continuum bonds, range from equal sharing of electrons to unequal sharing of electrons, to an effective transfer of valence electrons from one atom to another. The bond type is predicted through evaluation of electronegativity, a periodic property, and the differences in electronegativity between bonding atoms. Students' understanding of Lewis structures, resonance, and the use of formal charge to assess candidate structures for a molecule, will lead to the study of three-dimensional shapes of molecules. Students will learn that the shapes of molecules will vary depending on the number of atoms and electrons involved and that molecular shapes can be predicted using the Valence Shell Repulsion Theory (VSEPR). The presentation of three bonding theories (Lewis, Valence, and Molecular) will lead students from diagrams of Lewis structures, to the prediction of shapes, bond angles, molecular polarity, to hybridization of bonding orbitals, which in turn explains the different bond angles that we can measure. Knowing the shape and subsequent polarity of a molecule, students will be able to explain and predict the physical and chemical properties of that molecule. The culminating experience for this unit sets the stage for students to create a video which follows the evolution of material science through an analysis of compositional changes of a consumer product, through the ages.
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Physical Properties of Solutions
In this unit, students will focus on the role of intermolecular forces in the dissolving process and the physical properties of the resulting solution. Solubility is presented as an imbalance between solvent-solute bonds and the sum of bonds holding the solute together and the bonds holding the solvent together. Students will characterize physical properties of solutions (such as osmotic pressure, boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and vapor pressure lowering) in 16 case studies which demonstrate how these properties affect real-life occurrences.
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Unknown Aqueous Solutions Lab
In this experiment, students were given deionized water and a set of seven solutions, identified only as A-H with a number. By combining solutions with each other and observing the reactions, students determined the identity of each unknown. Students then wrote the net ionic equations for precipitation and acid-base reactions.
Honors Physics
Kinematics
Throughout this unit, students will explore one dimensional and two dimensional, projectile, motion. Beginning with evaluating the nuances of distance vs displacement and velocity vs speed, students will learn about scalars versus vectors and how they affect signs and acceleration. Students will discover the various graphical representation of motion and will apply this knowledge to critically analyze motion graphs. Students will expand upon this prior knowledge in linear motion, to begin evaluating two-dimensional motion. Beginning with demonstrations that pose questions about two-dimensional motion, students will explore the relationship between horizontal and vertical motion of objects. Ultimately, students will be evaluating motion to determine the range (landing position), maximum height and time in the air for a given projectile. Students will be able to solve numerical word problems and extend these skills to solve for multiple physical variables.
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Forces
Students will explore forces as being a push or a pull. They will begin by evaluating if a system of forces is balanced or unbalanced. They will be introduced to the creation of free body diagrams as a modality to analyze and survey motion in order to determine if the motion is, or is not, accelerated. Students will explore Newton's three laws of motion and apply their understanding to real life situations. With this new understanding, students will explore the principle of force of frictions as an application of Newton's Third Laws of Motion. Ultimately, students will be using these skills to help them understand the Physics of a person skydiving as well as other complex concepts like Atwood machines and inclined planes. At the end of the unit students will explore the concept of torque as well as balanced and unbalanced situations of torque and apply this knowledge in analyzing objects in static equilibrium.
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Circular Motion
Students will explore and analyze objects that move in a circular path. This analysis is based on prior units, however, allows students to apply their reasoning and problem solving to specific real world situations with which they are familiar, such as; why they feel like they are pushed to the outside of a car when the go around a curve, why they lift off their seat at the top of a roller coaster hill and why they feel heavy at the boom of the Ferris wheel. This unit will lead them into the next unit which is the study of the motion of satellites and celestial bodies.
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Gravitational and Planetary Motion
In this brief unit, students apply their knowledge of circular motion and forces to analyze the motion of man made and natural (celestial) satellites. Students will study the laws of physics that govern the motion of planets, moons and the universal law of gravitation that holds the universe together. As a culminating experience, students will determine the mass of Neptune using the Law of Gravity and their understanding of circular motion from the prior unit.
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Work and Energy
Students will explore three different types of mechanical energy: kinetic energy, potential gravitational energy, and potential elastic/spring energy as well as conservation of energy, the work-energy theorem, and power. Students will begin by analyzing the three common types of mechanical energy (kinetic, potential gravitational, and potential elastic). They will analyze the transformation between these types of energy to uncover the conservation of mechanical energy and the transformation of energy from one form to another. They will continue by analyzing the transformation of work in energy and energy into work in order to uncover the work-energy theorem. Students will also engage in real-life application of this theorem as they explore mechanical energy. Students will also investigate the six types of simple machines and their advantages and disadvantages. Students will learn how to calculate actual mechanical advantage, ideal mechanical advantage, and efficiency. Finally, they will uncover the rate the energy transfers is called power. As a part of this unit, students will also spend time looking at the importance of units and unit conversions in calculations and understanding of what units and numbers really mean.
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Momentum
This unit focuses on Newton's Third Law of Motion, specifically on the resulting change in motion on two objects when they collide, and the effect of an object exploding on the resultant pieces of the object after the explosion. Students will look at the impact of safety features in automobiles (seat belts, air bags, crumple zones) and why they are designed and how their implementation results in less force on the driver. Ultimately, students will apply their understanding of the content to analyze a car crash and present their scientifically-based conclusions in a mock trial.
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Electrostatics
This unit focuses on the electric field, and the electrostatic force between charged objects. Through this unit, students will extend their knowledge of the Field to include electric fields, and find correlations between the law of gravity and the Coulombs law of electrostatic force. Students will apply their prior knowledge of forces, motion and the atomic model of the atom to analyze situations and problem sets. This unit provides foundational knowledge for the study of electricity.
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Electricity
Students will perform investigations into the behavior of series, parallel and combination electric circuits. Students will design circuits for specific behavior with a focus on an analysis of household circuitry. Electric power and the cost of electricity will be studied, in addition to AC and DC electricity.
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Magnetism
In this unit, students learn the relationship between electricity and magnetism, by exploring the impact of moving electrons has on both. In this highly interactive and lab based unit, students apply fundamentals of physics to experience how motors, generators, speakers, compasses and other real-world devices function. Students will have the opportunity to fabricate devices that take advantage of forces caused by changing magnetic fields. Students will also explore how the earth's magnetic field affects life on this big beautiful blue marble hurling through space at 67,000 mph around the sun in a solar system hurling 514,000 mph around the galaxy.
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Vibrations and Waves
Properties of waves are introduced as we explore the wave velocity equation by finding the frequency and wavelength of different types of waves. Simple harmonic motion is introduced with a discussion of spring force and spring potential energy, pendulums and other oscillatory motion and how that motion relates to waves. Throughout the unit, students will apply the fundamentals of wave characteristics to different scenarios and problems. Students will integrate prior units (force, energy) and integrate this content into their analysis. This unit serves as a fundamental base for the student of sound and light.
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Sound
Students will continue building on their prior knowledge from the previous unit, waves, and apply it to understanding musical instruments and everyday technologies like Doppler effect. Students will start by exploring the mechanics of sound in wind and stringed instruments and relate instrument design to pitch. They will continue by exploring harmonic frequencies and their relationship to the instruments' quality and timbre. Ultimately students will explore advanced topics as Doppler effect, beat frequency and sound transmission in various media.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Collective Intelligence
Light and E-M Radiation
Students will explore electromagnetic radiation with emphasis on visible light. They will begin by exploring electromagnetic radiation and its spectrum in order to correlate frequencies and wavelengths. They will also explore the relationship between the frequency of a wave and its energy and real life applications of this principle. They will further evaluate the relationship between frequency, wavelength and speed as quantitatively described in the wave equation. They will continue exploring light and electromagnetic radiation's Law of Reflection and the principle of refraction and how it manifests in real life in terms of color mixing and polarization. Ultimately students will apply their new learning in exploring Ray diagrams for converging and diverging lens as well as for converging and diverging curved mirrors. If time allows, students will explore lenses as they relate to optical instruments and the functioning of the eye.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Collective Intelligence
Modern Physics
This survey unit covers applications of areas of Modern Physics, including the Photo Electric effect, electron transitions and isotopic emission spectra, Special and General Relativity, Matter-Energy relationships, nuclear decay and fusion and a brief introduction to elementary particles (beyond the proton-neutron-electron). The majority of the unit will be student-driven as they complete and present a research project in an area of modern physics in which they are interested.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Collective Intelligence, Product Creation
Physics
Kinematics
Students will explore one dimensional motion. Beginning with evaluating the nuances of distance vs displacement and velocity vs speed, students will learn about scalars versus vectors and how they affect signs and acceleration. With this new understanding of vectors and scalars, students will embark on problem solving techniques, experiments, and graphical analysis of motion. As a part of this unit, students will also spend time looking at the importance of units and unit conversions in calculations and understanding of what numbers really mean. Ultimately, students will be using these skills to help them develop their own procedures for an end of unit project.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Design, Collective Intelligence
Projectile Motion
Students will expand upon prior knowledge in linear motion, to begin evaluating two-dimensional motion. Beginning with demonstrations that pose questions about two dimensional motion, students will explore the relationship between horizontal and vertical motion of objects. Students will continue to develop their understanding of vectors and scalars. Ultimately, students will be evaluating motion to determine the landing position of a projectile.
This unit focuses on the study of motion in two directions and the analysis of projectiles.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing
Forces
Students will explore forces as being a push or a pull. They will begin by evaluating if a system of forces is balanced or unbalanced. They will be introduced to the creation of free body diagrams as a modality to analyze and survey motion in order to determine if the motion is, or is not, accelerated. Students will explore Newton’s three laws of motion and apply their understanding of which to real life situations. With this new understanding, students will explore the principle of force of frictions as an application of Newton's Third Laws of Motion. Ultimately, students will be using these skills to help them understand the Physics of a person skydiving.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing
Circular Motion
Students will explore and analyze objects that move in a circular path. This analysis is based on prior units, however, allows students to apply their reasoning and problem solving to specific real-world situations that they are very familiar with; why they feel like they are pushed to the outside of a car when they go around a curve, why they lift off their seat at the top of a roller coaster hill and why they feel heavy at the boom of the Ferris wheel. Students apply their knowledge of circular motion and forces to analyze the motion of man-made and natural (celestial) satellites. Students will study the laws of physics that govern the motion of planets, moons and the universal law of gravitation that holds the universe together.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Collective Intelligence
Work and Energy
Students will explore three different types of mechanical energy: kinetic energy, potential gravitational energy, and potential elastic/spring energy as well as conservation of energy, the work-energy theorem and power. Students will begin with analyzing the three common types of mechanical energy (kinetic, potential gravitational, and potential elastic). They will analyze transformation between these types of energy to uncover the conservation of energy theorem. They will continue with analyzing the transformation of work into energy and energy into work in order to uncover the work-energy theorem. Students will also explore the six types of simple machines and their advantages and disadvantages and uncover how to calculate actual mechanical advantage, ideal mechanical advantage and efficiency. They will uncover that the rate the energy transfers is called power. The unit will also include a focus on the change in motion of two objects in a collision or an explosion. Students will connect these ideas to safety features in automobiles (seat belts, air bags, crumple zones). Students will be ale to describe how these safety features result in a smaller force on the passengers in a vehicle. As a part of this unit, students will also spend time looking at the importance of units and unit conversions in calculations and understanding of what units and numbers really mean. The unit lasts approximately 3.5 weeks, spending around 2 weeks on Work and Energy and 1.5 weeks on Momentum.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Design, Collective Intelligence
Waves and Harmonic Motion
Students will explore the anatomy of waves, types of waves, and wave interactions. Students will begin with analyzing common oscillators, objects which make repetitive motions (such as pendulums and springs). Through this analysis, students will uncover the periodic motion of oscillators and waves, as well as what factors dictate their motion. Ultimately, students will analyze how information can be transmitted on waves.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Idea Generation, Design
Light
Students will explore electromagnetic radiation with emphasis on visible light. They will begin by exploring electromagnetic radiation and its spectrum in order to correlate frequencies and wavelengths. They will also explore the relationship between the frequency of a wave and its energy and real life applications of this principle. They will further evaluate the relationship between frequency, wavelength and speed as quantitatively described in the wave equation. They will continue exploring light and electromagnetic radiation's Law of Reflection and will qualitatively explore the principle of refraction and how it manifests in real life in terms of color mixing, polarization and curved mirrors. If time allows, students will explore lenses as they relate to optical instruments and the functioning of the eye.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Design
Waves and Sound
Students will continue building on their understanding of waves to apply it to understanding musical instruments and everyday technologies like Doppler effect. Students will start by exploring the mechanics of sound in wind and stringed instruments and relate instrument design to pitch. They will continue by exploring harmonic frequencies and their relationship to the instruments' quality and timbre. Ultimately students will qualitatively analyze the Doppler effect and relate the increase apparent frequency to an object (moving vehicle or a moving galaxy) approaching and the apparent decrease in frequency to an object going away from the observer.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Collective Intelligence
Physics - Experimenting With Waves
Conceptual Physics
Kinematics
Students will explore the relationship between forces on an object and the motion of that object. Students will examine how physics operates in everyday life as well as the objects they create in class. Students will engage in lessons that challenge them to use the scientific process as they perform several inquiry-based experiments to uncover and investigate fundamental principles of physics, such as acceleration and velocity. Students will practice important science skills such as metric system measurements and conversions as well as creating and analyzing graphs.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Forces & Energy
Students will explore the relationship between forces on an object and the motion of that object. Students will examine how physics operates in everyday life as well as the objects they create in class. Students will engage in lessons that challenge them to use the scientific process as they perform several inquiry-based experiments to uncover and investigate fundamental principles of physics, such as acceleration and velocity. Students will practice important science skills such as metric system measurements and conversions as well as creating and analyzing free body diagrams. These topics will carry over into further Physics classes.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Design
Environmental Science
Environmental Science
Throughout this Environmental Studies course students will learn the dynamic interaction between Earth's four spheres and the impact humans have on the environment. They will learn how to analyze local and global environmental issues through a wide variety of perspectives. Students will develop the skill of fully analyzing environmental issues through the lenses of: Politics, Economics, Society, Technology, Law and the Environment, by applying the PESTLE analysis tool. Throughout the course, students will understand the political forces connected to many environmental issues and consider the economic impact of decision makers, technological innovations and the varying impact on global and local stakeholders. Students will learn how to keep the earth healthy, the amazing scientific innovations that are occurring throughout the world and the varying impact people can have on the environment. The goal of the course is to empower students to deeply analyze, interpret or critique complementary and competing approaches, experiences, and world views to develop an empathetic perspective on local and global environmental issues.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Alternate Perspectives
Infectious Disease
Outbreak!
This introductory unit will expose students to the chain of infection and the epidemiological triad by which all infectious diseases operate. This will serve as a foundation for students to research one disease through the lens of an epidemiologist by developing chain of infection and epidemiological triad models. Topics to be explored include: types of pathogens, factors that contribute to the spread of disease, and mechanisms of infection. Special thanks to Dr. Linda Niccolai and Dr. Danyell Stewart for their assistance in the development of this course. This unit should take approximately 5 weeks.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
The Agent
Students will explore the world of microbiology as they investigate microbes to better understand how pathogens are able to cause disease, become resistant, and spread through vectors. Students will be able to classify and differentiate various types of pathogens with an emphasis on treatment and prevention of different pathogenic illness. Students will utilize standard laboratory procedures, such as gram-staining and bacterial culturing, including interpretation of the zone of inhibition and microscopic analysis, as they analyze a case study of a person suffering from a mysterious illness. Students will grapple with global issues with regard to the factors that influence the susceptibility of different countries to the spread of disease as well as how globalization has increased exposure to pathogens. Additionally, students will engage in discourse about the various societal issues impacting disease transmissions such as the availability of medicines for treatment and prevention as well as the ongoing concerns about vaccines and overuse of antibiotics and the associated consequences. Ultimately, students will synthesize their understanding of infectious disease, treatment, and transmission as they analyze and diagnose a patient and propose a scientifically-supported prevention plan.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Inquiry, Analyzing
Marine Science & Technology
Unit 1 - Science - Ecosystems
Science – Ecosystems
In this unit, coastal ecology will be explored including, the rocky shore, sandy shore, estuaries, and salt marsh. Interdisciplinary projects will also be incorporated to widen the student’s understanding of maritime-based careers and life. Students will work to identify problems, conduct scientific studies, analyze data and offer solutions to help improve our local ecology. Field studies on each marine ecosystem will be done to support student understanding of the concepts in this unit. Units like this one, where students use their hands, help them build confidence and problem-solving skills useful for life's experiences.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Unit 3 - Science - Water Quality and Its Effects on Living Systems
Science - Water Quality and its Effects on Living Systems
In this unit, water chemistry will be explored through the raising of trout in the classroom and environmental testing of the Hammonasset River and local shell fishing beds. Hammonasset and shellfish bed water quality and population of soft-shelled clams will be assessed by the students through hands-on activities and partnerships with the Town of Madison town engineer and shellfish commission. Water testing results will be forwarded to the state and be used as a base data set. Field studies on the Hammonasset River and local shellfish beds will be conducted to reinforce the unit concepts and add to the longitudinal data used to assess the health of Long Island Sound. Units like this one, where students use their hands, help them build confidence and problem-solving skills useful for life's experiences. With appreciation to Robert Russo, Office of Town Engineer, for his help with the development of the water quality testing experiences.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Unit 1 - Tech - Protocols and Boating
Tech - Protocols and Boating
In this unit, students will learn how to safely use a variety of hand and power tools in a shop-based environment to build a Field Trip Tool and start on their fishing rod or landing net project to get familiar with shop tools and practices for later use in their Interdisciplinary project. Students will take a short safety exam to ensure that they can work in a safe and respectful manner. The goal of each student is to learn how to reflect and persevere along each step of a procedure list when building their field trip tool. Students will also learn Boating Safety. As a result of the content in this unit along with successful completion of the state of Connecticut (CPWO) assessment, students will be eligible to obtain a Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation (CPWO) through the CT Sportsman Database. This is required to operate a powerboat or vessels over 19 1/2 feet on all state waterways.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Product Creation, Self-Awareness
Unit 3 - Tech - Product Creation
Unit 3 Tech - Product Creation
In this unit, students will safely use a variety of hand and power tools in a shop-based environment to complete their fishing rod, landing net project and the engineering component of their Interdisciplinary project. Students will also be responsible for maintaining the class boat used for school experiments. The PBA will have students construct the engineered solution from the independent project proposal from trimester 1.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Idea Generation, Product Creation, Self-Awareness
Unit 2 - Independent Study
Independent Project: Fall Trimester
The purpose of the Marine Science and Technology Independent Project is to explore marine-related issues through an approved project of their own design. This will help students become more independent, develop perseverance, and become better critical and creative thinkers to help them plan their futures. The entire course examines the chemical, biological and geological properties of the sound as well as marine-related careers from boat building to aquaculture. Boat construction, fishing rod building, maintenance of organisms, physical, chemical, and ecosystem studies related to oceanography are part of this “hands-on” course. Select field trips support the curriculum and provide experiences that students can apply to their individual projects as well as provide practical school to career experience.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Idea Generation, Citizenship
Unit 4 - Final Presentation
Independent Project: Final Presentation
The purpose of the Marine Science and Technology Independent Project is to explore marine-related issues through an approved project of their own design. This will help students become more independent, develop perseverance, and become better critical and creative thinkers to help them plan their futures. The entire course examines the chemical, biological and geological properties of the sound as well as marine-related careers from boat building to aquaculture. Boat construction, fishing rod building, maintenance of organisms, physical, chemical, and ecosystem studies related to oceanography are part of this “hands-on” course. Select field trips support the curriculum and provide experiences that students can apply to their individual projects as well as provide practical school to career experience.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Citizenship
This two trimester course, which is an interdisciplinary with CTE, providing 0.5 credits in Science and 0.5 credits in CTE, is a very hands-on course. In this course, students will be out in and around Long Island Sound. Students will receive their Safe Boaters Certificate and conduct some classes on the water. Students will also be making tools for field trips and a fishing rod or net as part of their assessments.
During both trimesters (Fall and Spring) students will work to solve a problem in our local ecosystem. They will construct a device to solve this problem during the wood shop portion of the class. Students will also be maintaining the classroom fish tanks. Our trout tank that is currently hosting 200 eggs that will hatch soon. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates here! These trout will be released into a local river in the spring by our Marine Science students. Students will also be testing local water for pollutants and providing this official information to the State of Connecticut through a partnership with the Madison Assistant Town Engineer, Robert Russo. You can read more about Mr. Russo’s involvement in the Science Curriculum online.
Physics and Engineering
Modeling and the Engineering Process
During this introductory unit, students will begin to apply the Engineering Design Process and principles of physics to a variety of modeling activities. Students will explore these concepts through laboratory activities as well as computer simulations as they learn the MatLab software program. This program is widely-used at the college level to allow students to create and test models through online simulations. Students can simulate tests, gather data and use this data to revise their models, develop a deeper understanding of the principles of physics and learn the underlying patterns and relationships that govern the study of physics. Specifically, students will apply their experience to predict the rate of fall of a set of "non-ideal" objects, simulating the work done by NASA and SpaceX when designing spacecraft.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Interfacing Hardware and Software
During this unit, students will develop tools and techniques for bringing data generated in the real (analog) world into the computer (digital world). Real world data analysis often struggles to get high fidelity data into the computer; sampling rates can limit the precision of data and introduce inherent errors. Data can be read into analysis software either in real time, or subsequent reading of data that a data acquisition system stores in a file or on board in memory. Students will develop techniques and algorithms to interface their modeling system to standard data acquisition systems. Ultimately, students will apply their knowledge to solving a real-world problem involving data acquisition and analysis.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Asteroid Warning!
Students will apply their knowledge of the universal law of gravitation to analyze the threat of near earth objects to our planet and/or our moon. Students will apply knowledge of computer modeling to model the behavior of a moving object to predict its future position given the presence of multiple external forces. This unit allows students to communicate complex models and complex data into a simple graph or pictorial representation for a wider audience. Students will research the challenge of detecting near earth objects (NEO) and build a system to predict if an object (comet, asteroid, etc.) will crash into the earth.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation
Rockets
Students will build a mathematical model of the flight of a rocket based on theory. Students will build different rocket designs and test their flight characteristics. Using real time data monitoring and acquisition, students will analyze flight data taken from rocket launches in a computer model that they build. This model will be used to make design modifications and ultimately improve the flight of their model. Students will program models in the MATLAB computer system, and present their findings to the class. A strong focus is placed on modeling non-ideal conditions, in an effort to move from the theoretical world of the text book to the real world that engineers deal whit on a daily basis.
Profile of a Graduate Capacities: Analyzing, Product Creation