Integrated Science is the investigation and comprehensive study of the predominant fields of science. Students will apply the scientific method to a variety of laboratory activities to discover the principles that operate in our world. Students will become proficient in proposing hypotheses and making critical observations, as well as become proficient in collecting data in a variety of methods.

Students will divide their study evenly between physical science (matter and energy), earth science, and life science. Students will explore force, motion, volcanic activity, weather patterns, natural selection, and many other exciting scientific topics in a “hands-on,” collaborative manner.

Integrated Science is designed to expose students to the vast world of science and prepare students to succeed in higher-level science courses.

All course work is aligned with the Vermont Science Standards and Grade Expectations.

Earth and Space Science is the study of the characteristics and processes of earth and space systems. Students will compare the nature and composition of the atmosphere of inner and outer planets, describe the process of star formation, and explain the Big Bang Theory and its effects on the Universe today. Students will investigate the Earth's

rock cycle, explain how the movement of crustal plates shapes the environment, and predict weather for a particular location. Students will examine how technology through time has influenced our understanding of the universe.

Students will work in collaborative groups throughout the year to complete lab activities, in order to deepen their understanding of earth and space systems. Field trips will be offered in order to study Vermont 's unique geological landscape. Research projects will allow each student to investigate a particular interest related to the content of the course.

All course work is aligned with the Vermont Science Standards and Grade Expectations.

This course is an introduction to cellular and molecular biology with an emphasis on cell function, cell diversity and genetics. We will begin with an exploration of the biological sciences on a cellular level and continue with DNA, protein synthesis, and genetics. Emphasis is placed on emerging biological practices, uses, and ethics, such as genetic

engineering, cloning, and other current biological practices. Course work to supplement the ethical discussion includes literature review and analysis of current research topics.

We will engage in several current laboratory procedures such as gel electrophoresis,

plant cloning and recombinant DNA techniques.

This second half of this course will focus on evolution and comparative zoology. Through this discussion we will deal with structure, function and interdependency among systems and other organisms. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of our world and environment as a whole which supported and caused the great biodiversity of the earth. Comparisons among the animal groups, their level of fitness, and the adaptations that allow them to become so successful will be explored. Animals studied include; arthropods, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The course will make use of note taking, projects and laboratories.

This course is an introduction to cellular and molecular biology with an emphasis on cell function, cell diversity, and genetics. We will begin with an exploration of the biological sciences on a cellular level and continue with DNA, protein synthesis, and genetics. Emphasis is placed on emerging biological practices, uses, and ethics, such as genetic engineering, cloning, and other current biological practices. Course work to supplement the ethical discussion includes literature review and analysis of current research topics.

This second half of this course will focus on evolution, biodiversity, and the animal kingdoms. Through this discussion we will deal with structure, function and interdependency among systems and other organisms. Emphasis is placed on the evolution of our world and environment as a whole which supported and caused the great biodiversity of the earth. Comparisons among the animal groups, their level of fitness, and the adaptations that allow them to become so successful will be explored. Animals studied include; arthropods, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. At the conclusion of the course, students will apply their understanding of structure and function to an independent project of a human body system. The student will independently conduct research and create an activity to engage classmates in reaching an understanding of the structure and function of the individual system. The course will make use of note taking, projects, hands on activities and laboratories.

The human body will expose students to how the body works and emphasize the specific changes occurring during the adolescent years and the importance of choices on maintaining a healthy body. During the course of the year we will discuss the physiology of the body systems including muscle physiology, digestion, nervous system, circulation, respiration, and reproduction. At the conclusion of each physiological study the student will self design a laboratory experiment to investigate the relationship of the environment or personal choices on the health of the body system. Anticipated independent topics include the importance of daily activity and exercise, proper nutrition, affects of eating disorders; smoking, alcohol, and other drugs; cancer,

pregnancy, and disease.

A student interested in the course should have a strong desire to pose and answer questions related to the human body. The self designed experimentation will require a student able to work independently, understand the problem, develop hypotheses, develop and implement a plan, manipulate data, and draw conclusions. Apart for the laboratory component, knowledge will be gained with an emphasis on current research, recommendations and treatments. At the completion of each physiological unit the class will create a brochure or bulletin board discussing the physiology of the system and the major conclusions and findings of the independent research to share with the school community.

Significant emphasis will be placed on the quality of the self designed experiments. The experiments must employ appropriate scientific methodology, test a significant and important question, and be able to connect the findings of each experiment to the education of a greater community. The conclusion of each investigation will require a research paper, peer review, presentation of your findings and conclusions, and contribution to the class brochure.

Each of us make decisions every day, and these decisions can positively or negatively impact the environment and our health. Informed decisions that balance sustainable natural resource use with sustainable economic growth are desirable. The long-term goal of this course is to enable students to make responsible and healthy choices for themselves and their world. This will be achieved by helping students develop an awareness of the unique characteristics of Earth that make it capable of supporting a diversity of life.

Educational opportunities include hands-on field and lab investigations, in addition to textbook readings and exercises. This course is aligned with Vermont Standards and Grade Expectations.

To achieve the goals of this class, the student will learn how to design experiments that are mindful of his/her hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, constants, and control; data collection and analysis; and s/he will communicate findings in a scientific report. Understanding of population dynamics is demonstrated in an experiment on the growth of duckweed; principles of population dynamics are transplanted in a study of human population and Earth's carrying capacity for humans. Students will research and report on Endangered Species and their protection and invasive species and their control. The student will study the garbage problems of developed nations and redesign the packaging of a particularly over-packaged product, to show waste reduction, as well as less resource and energy consumption. Owl Pellets are examined

in the study of food webs and energy movement in trophic levels and the laws of

thermodynamics are further explored in our hydropower plant field trip. Students will survey the campus and collect lichen data to evaluate air quality. The student will participate in the longitudinal study of the water quality of the Lamoille River . She/He will use hand lenses and stereo dissecting scopes to classify the orders of benthic macroinvertebrates collected, using the Vermont State Bioassessment protocol. Field trips to the wastewater treatment facility and Morrisville's wellhead is part of our water quality study. After the student analyzes the community garden soil and researches sustainable agricultural methods, he/she will design, plan, plant, and cultivate the class garden plot at the community garden.

CP Environmental Science is the prerequisite for AP Environmental Science, although a student may take CP without going on to AP. This course is offered in the fall semester to give students the opportunity to engage in autumn's outdoor fieldwork that is not part of spring semester's AP experience. The CP Environmental Science course is guided by Vermont and National Science Standards and Vermont Grade Expectations for science. The goal of this course is to cultivate scientific inquiry and science literacy. Students will establish a knowledge base for understanding environmental science by engaging in inquires that provide the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, environmental problems, risks, and solutions.

Students will consistently, competently, and independently design and conduct experiments that include good hypotheses, proper experimental design and procedure, data collection through multiple trials, data analysis and communication in formal scientific reports. Students will demonstrate understanding of the characteristics of earth that make it capable of supporting life. To show their understanding of the recycling of inorganic compounds (matter) and the laws of thermodynamics in the flow of energy through an ecosystem, students will construct pyramids of energy, biomass, and numbers of the food web suggested by the contents of an owl pellet. Students will also diagram and explain the major biogeochemical cycles. The study of population ecology will address science concepts of population dynamics, biotic potential, carrying capacity, in case study simulations, and a controlled lab experiment; and natural selection and evolution will be studied using simulated computer models and in a creative writing project. A study of invasive species in a simulation and in outdoor field investigations will also be explored. Students will participate in the longitudinal studies of water and air quality in Morrisville. Using sophisticated sensors, students will assess the chemistry and physical components of Morrisville's air and water. Students will also conduct bioassessments using lichen for air quality studies and benthic macroinvertebrates for water quality studies. The watershed unit also includes fieldtrips to the wastewater treatment plant and the municipal well. Laws of thermodynamics will be revisited using efficiency calculations during our hydropower plant field trip. As

part of a garbage unit, students will study the garbage problems of developed nations and redesign the packaging of a particularly over-packaged product to show waste reduction as well as reduced resource and energy consumption. You will learn about the biological, physical, and chemical parameters of soil and learn about soil conservation and present day agriculture. Students will design and carry out experiments to test for the effects of a mineral deficiency on plants. Guest lecturers will be invited to class to discuss current practices in natural resources management.

Chemistry is the science that investigates the composition, structure, and properties of matter. This course is an elective course that will provide students with the opportunity to acquire a sufficient mastery of the core concepts, processes, problem solving strategies, and lab skills in chemistry needed to be successful in a freshman-level college chemistry curriculum. Additionally, this course has been supplemented to meet Vermont's Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities .

Whether the student's goals are to build a foundation for Advanced Placement courses in Biology or Environmental Science , prepare for the rigors of college and a future career in science, or just to better understand the world we live in, C.P. Chemistry is the “central science” that will assist the student in fulfilling their aspirations.

The format of this course can best be summarized as a student-centered, investigative

(“hands-on”), multimedia approach to the study of chemistry that stresses concepts and applications. Demonstrations, video presentations, learning activities, interactive computer programs, experimentation, problem solving sessions, reading and writing, all make up the scaffolding upon which the course is built. A modern, “student friendly” chemistry text and lab-based reinforcing activities provide varied, multiple exposures to the key concepts in chemistry, accommodating a variety of learning styles.

Student responsibility for learning is highly emphasized with segments of class time devoted to individualized learning activities and review, maintenance of a comprehensive file, and completion of labs, projects, and various assignments. Multiple assessment strategies are utilized that afford students a variety of ways to exhibit their

growth in science literacy, knowledge, skills, and talents, while meeting the requirements of the course. Labs that review and reinforce concepts, as well as teach basic lab skills and safety, will be conducted. Chemistry is a physical science and is thus very mathematical. A good working knowledge of algebra and some geometry is required to understand and quantify most physical processes and to solve related problems in chemistry.

Did you know that Vermont rocks bring about 73 million dollars/year to the state? And how did all that marble and granite get here, anyway? Do you want to know how to increase the size of our deer herd? What regulations need to be observed while logging? What's happening to our family farms?

Vermont 's Natural Resources and their sustainable use is a course designed to increase student understanding of how natural resources are formed, and how our natural resources support Vermont 's economy. Learn how Vermont 's natural resources are extracted, used in production and manufacturing, transported, and disposed of.

Develop questions and discuss Vermont 's natural resources and their sustainable use with a variety of guest lecturers then show each guest what was learned from them in thank you letters. Guest speakers will be those folks who work in the natural resources industries. Local outdoorsmen, USDA soil experts, lumber/sand/gravel businessmen, farmers, loggers (including one who logs with horses), sugarers, foresters, legisla to rs, and a tracker are among the many and varied guest speakers who will share their wisdom, experiences, mistakes and success s to ries about making a living from Vermont's natural resources.

A student in this class will also practice the scientific method in controlled lab experiments that s/he designs; practice the scientific method in outdoor field investigations following pro to col; and as a member of the Envirothon team, compete in the state Natural Resource Competition.

Specific Local natural resources include:

• Bedrock and minerals: Marble, granite, slate; talc, asbestos, sand, and gravel
• Soils and diversified agriculture
• Forests(habitat management, logging and timber production, tools of a forester, identifying trees, laws)
• Wildlife (habitat, hunting, native, endangered, and invasive species, identifying skulls, tracks, scat, laws)
• Aquatics (water chemistry, pollution, identifying macroinvertebrates, invasives laws)
• Successional change in the composition of soil chemistry, trees, and wildlife over time.
• Energy flow in ecosystems and Vermont 's diverse energy portfolio

Anatomy and Physiology is the study of the structure, function and relationship of tissues, organs and systems within an organism. This class will investigate the anatomy and physiology of both plant and animal species. Discussion will begin with plant adaptation and classification. The focus will be on the evolutionary process and adaptations that led to the diversity of the plant species. Then, how the various systems of the plant maintain homeostasis including transport, nutrition, reproduction, growth and hormonal regulation will be discussed. Laboratory components of this course include an investigation of plant reproduction, transpiration and the movement of water and minerals, natural plant hormones and manipulation that causes increased crop yield and preservation. A discussion of current agricultural practices as well as emerging genetic components to plant production will also occur.

The second half of the course will focus on human anatomy and physiology. Emphasis is placed on the relationships between the systems both in health and disease and on healthy lifestyle choices. Human systems studied include; digestion, circulation, respiration, neurology and senses, immunology, reproduction and animal behavior. At the completion of the class each student will have conducted in-depth research on a topic of their choice. Completion of the research project is a formal research paper, peer review and presentation of your findings and conclusions.

This class employs extensive reading and writing, literature investigation, laboratories and self designed experimentation. Anatomy and physiology is designed as a “stand alone” course and its content is geared to any individual interested in the life and agricultural sciences or the field of medicine. Anatomy and Physiology is a prerequisite for Advanced Placement biology as Anatomy and Physiology is 50% of the content tested on the AP exam.

Physics is the science that studies the physical world. This involves investigations and explanations based on mathematical models of the relationships between matter and energy. College Preparatory Physics , an elective course offered each fall semester, is based on the first half of the College Board's Advanced Placement Physics B curriculum. It is designed as a “stand alone” course that is equivalent to the first semester of a college, freshman-level, survey course in physics. This course is also a prerequisite to Advanced Placement Physics B, offered during the spring semester, which will provide students who choose to continue their study of physics, the opportunity to obtain eight hours of college credit in physics.

Two major units of study are completed in College Preparatory Physics : Newtonian Mechanics and Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics . Newtonian Mechanics includes the following main topics: Kinematics, Newton 's Laws of Motion , Work, Energy, and Power , Linear Momentum , Circular Motion and Rotation , and Oscillations and Gravitation . The topics addressed in Fluid Mechanics are: Hydrostatic Pressure, Buoyancy, Fluid Flow Continuity and Bernoulli's Equation . Thermal Physics includes the study of Temperature and Heat, and Kinetic Theory and Thermodynamics . Identification of vectors and scalars, vector mathematics, data interpretation, presentation and uncertainty, graphs of functions, and overlapping areas involving applications of technology and the history of physics, are included within the major topics.

The major goals of this course are to prepare students for a college curriculum in physics, provide a starting point for the second half of the AP curriculum, and to meet science, math, and technology standards within Vermont 's Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities.

The diverse format of this course provides recurring exposures of the curriculum that accommodate different learning styles. Lectures, textual materials, demonstrations, video presentations, lab work, problem-solving sessions, interactive computer programs, and projects make up the main aspects of this format. Students in this course utilize computer-based learning activities extensively. These involve interactive computer programs, computer-based and calculator-based laboratory exercises, information acquisition via the Internet, and construction and presentation of student performance products.

Traditional laboratory activities along with those that incorporate computer interfacing sensors, and computer simulations to acquire, present, and analyze data

make up a major component of the course. A minimum of twenty-five experiments that review and reinforce physics principles are conducted during the semester.

Student responsibility for completion and documentation of all learning activities is highly emphasized and the student's progress is assessed using multiple assessment strategies. Documentation of meeting all course requirements is accomplished by the student through the maintenance of a Comprehensive Physics File and Electronic Portfolio.

Physics is the science that studies the physical world. This involves investigations and explanations based on mathematical models of the relationships between matter and energy.

Three major units of study and accompanying topics (*) addressed in Advanced Placement Physics B are Electricity and Magnetism (*Electrostatics, Conductors and Capacitors, Electric Circuits, Magnetostatics, and Electromagnetism), Waves and Optics (*Wave Motion, Physical Optics, and Geometric Optics), and Atomic and Nuclear Physics (*Atomic Physics and Quantum Effects, Nuclear Reactions, and Mass-Energy Equivalence ). These units make up the second half of the College Board's AP Physics B

curriculum. A systematic review and extension of the units covered in College Preparatory Physics will also be conducted in preparation for the AP Physics B exam.

A primary goal of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to obtain eight hours of college credit in physics by performing well on the AP Physics B exam administered in May. Emphasis is placed on student responsibility for meeting the rigorous objectives of the AP curriculum and completion and documentation of all associated learning activities of this course of study.

The diverse format of this course provides recurring exposures of the curriculum that accommodate different learning styles. Lectures, textual materials, demonstrations, video presentations, lab work, problem-solving sessions, interactive computer programs, and projects, make up the key aspects of this format. Students in this course utilize computer-based learning activities extensively. These involve interactive computer programs, computer-based and calculator-based laboratory exercises, information acquisition via the Internet, and construction and presentation of student performance products.

Traditional laboratory activities along with those involving the use of computer interfacing probes and computer simulations to acquire, present, and analyze data, make up a major component of the course. A minimum of thirty experiments that review and reinforce physics principles are conducted during the semester.

Continuation of the student's Comprehensive Physics File and Electronic Portfolio from College Preparatory Physics is required. This file will serve as documentation of the student's progress in physics, will be used by the teacher for assessment, and provide the student with a comprehensive review resource for the entire AP Physics B curriculum.

Most of the APES Lab work and field investigations are conducted in College Prep Environmental Science; students CAN take the “AP” section of Environmental Science in the spring ONLY AFTER first successfully completing CP Environmental Science in the fall of the same academic year. In the 60 school days between the onset of second semester and the AP exam in early May, the student will learn how to take the exam and will review key concepts in: the flow of energy; matter cycling; the solid earth, atmosphere, and biosphere; human population; renewable and nonrenewable sources; environmental quality of air, water, and soil; global change; and, decisions and trade-offs, through lecture, notes, and textbook. Large quantities of text will be read and students will be tested frequently. The cumulative score on these tests will determine student eligibility for the AP exam. It is

almost as grueling as it sounds but students will also engage in one more extensive controlled experiment and two field investigations before the AP exam.

Most of the fun during the AP spring semester will occur during the preparation for the Envirothon -the Vermont State Environmental Outdoor competition. The winning team moves on to the Nationals! Students will learn about aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and soils in hands-on labs and fieldwork. Students will also work to solve a resource management problem and must orally defend your position. Students MUST attend one training day on a Saturday in April and will miss one day of school to compete and bring home the prize!

After the AP exam, and the Envirothon both of which occur in May, the student will engage in two community-service learning projects. Each student will design and write A Field Guide to the Soils and Flora along the Nature Trail, and design and write an informational booklet for the community gardeners about the garden's soil and related research, titled, Cultivating Fertile Minds at the Community Garden .

AP Biology is designed to be equivalent to an introductory college level biology course. All students enrolled in this course are expected to participate in the AP examination. Those with successful completion of the AP examination may attain credit from the college for which they plan to enroll.

Extensive note taking and independent study will be required for successful completion of this class. The course is written as a continuation of the Anatomy and Physiology course and will complete the cellular and molecular portion of the biology material that appears on the AP biology examination. The structure of the course is fast paced and is

designed to prepare the student for the rigors of college and satisfactory completion of the AP exam. This includes rigorous tests, independent research, formal laboratories and the practice of free response questions. Topics studied in AP biology include; Cell structure and function, cellular reproduction, metabolism, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, gene expression and genetic engineering, population genetics, evolution and population ecology.

The AP biology course has a substantial laboratory component. These labs are intended to challenge a student's ability to understand problems, develop and implement a plan, manipulate data, draw conclusions, and develop hypotheses. In these labs, students will do experiments in the areas of biological chemistry, cell structure and function, energy transformation, photosynthesis, molecular genetics, heredity, evolution, and populations.