THS Science Courses

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Credit: 1.0
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: None.

This course has been designed to be both a fun and challenging freshmen course that will provide students with the scientific background necessary to be successful within all other science courses offered at Tigard High. It has been crafted for those who wish a deeper understanding of their physical universe and desire the power to make predictions about the future based on known patterns and observations made in the present. Through lab work, investigations, demonstrations, activities, lecture, and discussion, students will learn about how matter and energy interact (physics), properties of matter and changes it undergoes (chemistry), and how physics and chemistry play out on our planet and other celestial bodies (Earth & space science). Much of the course work will be done in class, although students should expect nightly homework assignments as well as several long-term projects.

Students will discover through reading, discussion and experimentation, the concepts of biology and the facts upon which they are based. These topics were chosen to match the state 10th grade benchmarks in Life Science that are covered on the state science assessment test. The topics include the principles of cell biology, genetics, evolution and ecology. Students earning an A or a B in this class may be eligible to take IB Biology 2. This is a required class for all freshmen.

IB BIOLOGY 1 (PCC credit available)
Credit: 1.0
Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Physical Science or Chemistry

This course is designed for students who want to continue the advanced science sequence. It is the first course in the IB Biology Higher Level sequence and is excellent preparation for Biology II or Anatomy/Physiology. It emphasizes both the concepts and processes of science through readings and lab work. Topics include chemistry of life, cell biology, genetics and genetic engineering. Students may earn 4 PCC credits for this class.

IB BIOLOGY 2
Credit: 1.0 (PCC credit available)
Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisite: IB Biology 1 or Biology with teacher recommendation.

This second year biology class offers an in depth study of living systems. Topics covered include classification and biological diversity, plant science, zoology, human anatomy and physiology. Several organisms will be dissected in this class. Although not required, students taking this class will be prepared to take the IB Higher Level Biology exam. Students can also use topics covered in this course for their IB extended essay. Students can earn an additional 8 PCC credits for this class, providing they have completed IB Biology 1.

CHEMISTRY
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: C or better in Algebra 1.

Chemistry is an experimental science that combines academic study with the acquisition of practical and investigational skills. It is called the central science, as chemical principles underpin both the physical environment in which we live and all biological systems. Apart from being a subject worthy of study in its own right, chemistry is a prerequisite for many other courses in higher education, such as medicine, biological science and environmental science, and serves as useful preparation for employment. Introductory topics will include atomic theory, periodicity, bonding, stoichiometry, states of matter, and acids and bases.

This course begins where our first-year chemistry course left off and will provide students considerable hands-on, laboratory experience as they delve deeper into the study of chemistry and tackle the rigors of the IB chemistry program. Topics covered will include solution stoichiometry, equilibrium, acids and bases, kinetics, energetics, oxidation and reduction, and organic chemistry. It is strongly recommended that all students who plan to take chemistry at the college level also take IB Chemistry 2 for a more in-depth study of these topics. Upon successful completion of this course, students should feel well prepared to take the Standard Level IB chemistry exam.

This course is an extension of the material that is taught in IB Chemistry 1. Topics covered will include solution stoichiometry, equilibrium, acids and bases, kinetics, energetics, oxidation and reduction, organic chemistry, and the uses of chemistry in industry and technology. Upon successful completion of this course, students should feel well prepared to take the Standard or Higher Level IB chemistry exam.

PHYSICS
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: C or better in Algebra 1

This course is a conceptual adventure into physics with emphasis on seeing physics in the world around you. Topics may include mechanics (motion, forces, energy), matter, heat, light, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. This is a “hands on” course that relates labs and demos to key ideas. Students will keep a lab summary notebook with descriptions of labs and demos and are expected to explain the ideas behind them to family and friends. Students will be required to complete one or more projects or investigations of their own design. Basic math skills are reviewed but math is limited to algebra and is primarily used to reinforce ideas.

IB PHYSICS 1
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Algebra 2.

This course concentrates on topics from mechanics (motion, forces, energy, momentum and gravitation). The goals are to show students that physics is everywhere and to help them develop powerful problem solving strategies. Labs and demonstrations form an integral part of the learning process and allow students to relate concepts in physics to hands-on activities. The level of math requires using trigonometric functions in algebraic equations.

IB PHYSICS 2
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: IB Physics 1

This course is an extension of the material that is taught in IB Physics 1. Students will perform extensive laboratory investigations in heat and temperature, electricity, magnetism, simple harmonic motion, and waves and light. Additional topics may include relativity, astrophysics, and modern physics. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be prepared not only to continue their science studies beyond secondary school, but also to test in IB

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Biology or instructor approval.

Human Anatomy and Physiology is a course designed to survey body systems. Systems to be covered include integumentary, skeletal, muscular senses, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and digestive. Students will become familiar with the anatomical structures and their associated physiological functions. Students will use the skeleton, anatomical models and a cat dissection to relate these structures to the human body. Laboratory exercises are closely integrated with lecture, allowing students to visualize and apply concepts presented during lecture hours. This class meets Honor School requirements.

ECOLOGY OF MARINE AND WILDLIFE ECOSYSTEMS
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent enrollment in Biology.

This class will study the ecosystems of the land and sea concentrating on the wildlife and marine organisms that live there and their relationships to the environment and one another. This course includes dissections and outdoor lab activities, as well as state science benchmarks and work sample opportunities.

This course will study the Earth and its place in the Universe. It will combine the disciplines of Astronomy and Geology. This course will include state science benchmarks and work sample opportunities.

OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Credit: 1.0
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Algebra 1 and either Earth and Space Science, Physics, or Chemistry

Start a lifelong learning experience and see how science exists outside the classroom! Navigate the night sky! Impress your friends and family! In short, become an astrogeniosity! You will observe objects in the heavens using naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes. You will learn about the night sky, the stories behind the stars, the physics that explain them, and the exciting new ideas in astrophysics. To appreciate the physics of the universe, Algebra I and an upper level science course are required pre-requisites.