High School Science Courses

We offer a range of science courses to help students develop their scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. These courses may include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and more specialized topics such as Marine Biology. Additionally, we offer advanced coursework options such as AP® Physics for students who seek to delve deeper into the subject matter. Lab activities are incorporated into all science courses.

Science

AP® Science

AP® Biology is designed to provide a college-level experience and prepare students for the AP exam in early May. Students will be provided with a foundation for developing an understanding for biological concepts through scientific inquiry, investigations, interactive experiences, higher-order thinking, real-world applications, writing analytical essays, statistical analysis, interpreting and collecting data. The key big ideas of the AP Biology course are system interactions, evolution, energetics, information storage, and transmission. Students will participate in a variety of engaging activities that enhance their mastery of biology concepts

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology, Chemistry, and Algebra 1

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement® examination.

The AP® Chemistry course provides students with a college-level foundation to support future advanced coursework in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry-based lab investigations as they explore content such as: atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium.

Requirement: Students will receive a lab kit to complete the required lab component

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, and Algebra 2

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

 

The level of rigor in these AP® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement® examination.

AP® Physics 1 is equivalent to the first semester of an algebra-based college-level course in physics and prepares students to seek credit and/or appropriate placement in college physics courses. This course is structured around the six big ideas that are intended to encourage students to think about physics concepts as interconnected pieces of a puzzle. The solution to the puzzle is how the real world around them actually works. Students will participate in inquiry-based explorations to gain a more conceptual understanding of physics concepts. They will spend less of their time in traditional formula-based learning and more of their effort will be directed to developing critical thinking and reasoning skills.

A special emphasis will be placed on capturing important aspects of the work that scientists engage in, with learning objectives that combine content with inquiry and reasoning skills. With teacher guidance, students explore physics, perform hands-on labs, engage with a suite of virtual labs and participate in online discussions with their peers. A variety of assessments are delivered at regular intervals to monitor learning progress.

Requirement: Students will receive a lab kit to complete the required lab component

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 2 and Trigonometry or concurrent enrollment in Pre-Calculus

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement® examination.

With the current changes in global climate, rising sea levels, and warming oceans, it is important for students to discover the state of Earth’s systems and the consequences of human activities. AP® Environmental Science provides students with a global view of their world and their role in it. It examines the scientific principles and concepts required to understand the interrelationships between ocean, land, and atmosphere that guide the natural world and allow Earth to be a planet suitable for life.

Laboratory activities within the course support their learning of these relationships through reflective, hands-on, or virtual experiences. In addition, students identify and analyze environmental problems that are natural and human-made, determining their own ecological footprint in the world to discover how their activities affect the world around them. They evaluate the relative risks associated with environmental problems and examine alternative solutions, such as clean energy, sustainable practices, and conservation, for resolving or preventing future environmental problems.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1 and 2 years of high-school science with labs

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement® examination.

AP® Science

AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this website.
How to sign up for the AP Exam as a homeschool student

Laurel Springs does not administer AP®exams, nor do we assist students in finding a testing location. Students wishing to take an AP® exam are responsible for finding their own physical testing location and having a test ordered for them by following the process for independent students.
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