- Seckinger HS
- Course List
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Science
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Advanced Placement Biology
Advanced Placement Biology
This course is designed to be the equivalent of a two semester college introductory biology course usually taken by biology majors during their first year. The AP Biology course is designed to be taken by students after the successful completion of a first course in high school biology and on in high school chemistry. It aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. The topics covered on the course are molecules and cells, heredity and evolution, and organisms and populations.
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Advanced Placement Calculus BC
Advanced Placement Calculus BC
AP Calculus BC is an introductory college-level calculus course. Students cultivate their understanding of differential and integral calculus through engaging with real-world problems represented graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally and using definitions and theorems to build arguments and justify conclusions as they explore concepts like change, limits, and the analysis of functions. AP Calculus BC also includes advanced topics such as polar calculus, parametric calculus and series/sequences.
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Advanced Placement Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry
This course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. Students should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and a reasonable competence in dealing with chemical problems. AP chemistry students should study topics related to the structure and states of matter (atomic theory, atomic structure, chemical bonding, nuclear chemistry, gases laws, kinetic molecular theory, liquids and solids and solutions), chemical reactions (reaction types, stoichiometry, equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics), and descriptive chemistry (chemical reactivity, products of chemical reactions, relationships in the periodic table, and organic chemistry). To develop the requisite intellectual and laboratory skills, AP Chemistry students need adequate classroom and laboratory time. It is expected that a minimum of 290 minutes per week will be allotted for an AP Chemistry course. Of that time, a minimum of 90 minutes per week, preferably in one session, should be spent in the lab. The AP Chemistry course is designed to be taken after the completion of a first course in high school chemistry. In addition, the recommended mathematics prerequisite for an AP Chemistry class is the successful completion of a second-year algebra course. It is highly desirable that a student have a course in secondary school physics and a four-year college preparatory program in mathematics.
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Advanced Placement Environmental Science
Advanced Placement Environmental Science
AP Environmental Science is designed to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course: (1) Science is a process, (2) Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes, (3) The Earth itself is one interconnected system, (4) Humans alter natural systems, (5) Environmental problems have a cultural and social context, and (6) Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
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Advanced Placement Physics
Advanced Placement Physics
AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course that explores topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. Through inquiry-based learning, students will develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills.
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AP Physics C
AP Physics C
AP Physics C is an in-depth look at the mechanics of the world in which we live. Students planning to pursue a career in engineering, mathematics or science should consider this course. Other students with a genuine interest in science may wish to take the course for a variety of reasons including the lab project flexibility and the more moderate pace of the AP course.
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Biology
Biology
Concepts for this two-semester course include the interdependence of organisms; the relationship of matter, energy, and organization in living systems; the behavior of organisms; and biological evolution. Students will investigate biological concepts through experience in laboratories and field work using the processes of inquiry. (Honors Biology and Gifted Biology require an experimental science project.)
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Chemistry
Chemistry
The Chemistry curriculum is designed to continue student investigations of the physical sciences that began in grades K-8 and provide students the necessary skills to be proficient in chemistry. This curriculum includes more abstract concepts such as the structure of atoms, structure and properties of matter, characterization of the properties that describe solutions and the nature of acids and bases, and the conservation and interaction of energy and matter. Students investigate chemistry concepts through experience in laboratories and field work using the processes of inquiry.
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Ecology
Ecology
This course is an in-depth study of ecology. Topics include population ecology, energy flow, cycling of matter, human impact on the environment, and biodiversity. This course is inquiry-based through the lens of science and engineering practices. -
Environmental Science
Environmental Science
The Environmental Science curriculum is designed to extend student investigations that began in grades K-8. This curriculum is extensively performance, lab and field based. It integrates the study of many components of our environment, including the human impact on our planet. Instruction should focus on student data collection and analysis. Some concepts are global; in those cases, interpretation of global data sets from scientific sources is strongly recommended. It would be appropriate to utilize resources on the Internet for global data sets and interactive models. Chemistry, physics, mathematical, and technological concepts should be integrated throughout the course. Whenever possible, careers related to environmental science should be emphasized.
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Forensic Science
Forensic Science
This course includes the study of: probability and statistics, polynomial functions, rational functions, radical functions, right triangle trigonometry, and the creation of models to solve contextual problems.
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Human Anatomy and Physiology
Human Anatomy and Physiology
This course is designed as an advanced elective course for those students with a significant interest in biology and those who anticipate pursuing a career in medicine and other health-related fields. It is a rigorous course that qualifies as a state academic elective. The course is an in-depth study of the structure and function of the major systems of the human body and related disorders. It is required that the student have successfully completed ninth grade biology and tenth grade chemistry prior to taking this course. The course is laboratory-based and also includes lectures, class discussions, group and individual work, library research, guest speakers, and appropriate audio-visuals.
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Oceanography
OceanographyOceanography is a two-semester elective course designed to give students a strong background in Ocean Sciences. The course covers a wide range of material encompassed within the field of Oceanography, including challenging classroom activities, laboratory activities, and individual/class projects. Students will learn about geologic processes that affect our oceans, the physics of ocean waves and sound transmission in the ocean, the complex diversity of marine organisms and their habitats, and how humans impact the oceans of our world.Successful completion of Biology is required, but completion of all required core science would also be beneficial. -
Physics
Physics
The Physics curriculum is designed to continue student investigations of the physical sciences that began in grades K-8 and provide students the necessary skills to be proficient in physics. This curriculum includes more abstract concepts such as interactions of matter and energy, velocity, acceleration, force, energy, momentum, and charge. This course introduces the students to the study of the correction to Newtonian physics given by quantum mechanics and relativity. Students investigate physics concepts through experience in laboratories and field work using the processes of inquiry.