Teachers and Courses:

Mr. Peter Apps
pcapps@yorkcsd.org
Physics

Mrs. Heather Kent:
hmkent@yorkcsd.org (Department Chair)
Earth Science

Mrs. Cara Kingsley:
cmkingsley@yorkcsd.org
Living Environment, AP Biology

Mrs. Trisha Pangrazio:
tjpangrazio@yorkcsd.org
Science 7
Mr. Michael Yang: 
mgyang@yorkcsd.org
Chemistry

Course Descriptions:

Accelerated Science 6 - 40 weeks:
This is a yearlong study of 7^th grade level life science.  We will be learning about the characteristics of living things and how living things interact with each other.  We will also be learning important laboratory skills and techniques that we will be practicing throughout the year.  Units will include lab skills, cells and cell processes, genetics, the human body, and the six kingdoms.  Some of the activities we do will include making 3D models of cells, creating slides of living cells, extracting DNA from fruit, and dissecting frogs!  Students must maintain an average of 85% or higher to continue in the course.

Science 7 - 40 weeks:
This course is a life science course.  We will be learning about the characteristics of living things and how living things interact with each other.  We will also be learning important laboratory skills and techniques that we will be practicing throughout the year.  Units will include lab skills, cells and cell processes, genetics, the human body, and the six kingdoms.  Some of the activities we do will include making 3D models of cells, creating slides of living cells, identifying protists, extracting DNA from fruit, making travel brochures of the human body, and dissecting frogs!

Accelerated Science 7 - 40 weeks:
We will be learning the 8th grade, physical science curriculum during their 7th grade year.  Physical science is the study of matter and energy, and the relationship between the two. In this course, we will study chemistry and physics with some limited Earth science. We will practice vital lab skills that will help us to think and act like scientists. While studying physical science, we will work in teams to identify problems, make observations and measurements, as well as to design and perform experiments.  This course will include the final year of preparation for the Intermediate Level Science State Assessment.  In order to remain in the accelerated program, students must maintain an average of 85 or higher.  They will be on a probation period from September until January to be sure this average is maintained.

Science 8 - 40 weeks:
Physical science is the study of matter and energy, and the relationship between the two. In this course, we will study chemistry and physics with some limited Earth science. We will practice vital lab skills that will help us to think and act like scientists. While studying physical science, we will work in teams to identify problems, make observations and measurements, as well as to design and perform experiments. We will create hypotheses and formulate theories about the physical world and its properties. Throughout this course, students will draw on previous experiences while gaining skills that can be used throughout high school and beyond. This course will include the final year of preparation for the Intermediate Level Science State Assessment.

The Living Environment - 40 weeks - 1 credit:
The Living Environment curriculum is designed for understanding important relationships, processes, mechanisms, and applications of concepts pertaining to biological processes. The curriculum is organized to cover nine topics which include: characteristics of living things, homeostasis in organisms, genetics, reproduction and development, evolution, ecology, human impact on ecosystems, scientific inquiry, and laboratory skills.

Students taking this course will be scheduled to take a lab class that meets every other day. Laboratory time involves hands-on learning activities and implementation of the scientific method. There are specific labs that will be tested on in part D of the Regents exam. Students must meet the appropriate lab write-up requirements in order to take the Regents exam at the end of the year.

Regents Earth Science- 40 weeks - 1 credit:
This course is a study of the earth's atmosphere, surface, interior and the interactions between them. The approach used is commonly called investigative. It stresses the chain of reasoning from observation and classification, through inference, verification, and prediction, to theory and generalization. It explains that the chain does not end; for each understanding, there is a further investigation.

In this process, we meet basic concepts such as energy and its conservation, cyclic change, and dynamic equilibrium. We are encouraged in our belief that a study of the present can explain the past and foretell the future.

This method involves the study of the present to a greater degree than the traditional descriptive approach. As a result, it gives a greater opportunity for a direct experience of earth processes that hopefully will sustain and intensify student interest as the course proceeds.

The Regents course includes laboratory periods every other day that provides the framework for the inquiry-oriented approach described above. Thirty complete lab reports will be required of each student before the Regents examination can be taken in June. Students who do not meet the lab requirement cannot take the Regents final. Part of the final examination is a laboratory practical.

Regents Chemistry - 40 weeks - 1 credit:
Prerequisites: Students must have successfully completed the first two semesters of Math Course A (including a minimum of 65 on the regents) and be currently enrolled in the third semester. It is also recommended that students have achieved at least a 75 on the Living Environment Regents exam.

Completion of this course leads to one unit in high school laboratory science. Topics of study include atomic structure, formulas and equations, the mathematics of chemistry, physical behavior of matter, the periodic table, bonding, properties of solutions, kinetics and equilibrium, oxidation-reduction, acids and bases, organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. Participation in labs and satisfactory reports on such labs are required before the Regents examination can be taken in June.

Local Chemistry - 40 weeks - 1 credit:
This is a course of study leading to one unit of local credit in high school science. The New York State syllabus in general chemistry is the basis for course content. Units of study include similarities and dissimilarities of matter, preparation and separation of substances, structure, and properties of simple organic compounds, chemistry in the home, water and air pollution.

Regents Physics - 40 weeks - 1 credit:
Prerequisites: Students must have successfully completed the first two semesters of Math Course A (including a minimum of 65 on the regents) and have completed or be currently enrolled in the third semester. It is also recommended that students have achieved at least a 75 on the Chemistry Regents exam.

Completion of this course leads to one unit in high school laboratory science. Topics of study are based on the New York State Core Curriculum for Regents Physic. This involves describing the physical world using mathematical models. This introductory physics course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic principles of physics. In this course, students will explore motion, energy, electricity, waves and some quantum theory. This course has a lab component during which we will work in teams to identify problems, make observations and measurements, as well as to design and perform experiments. Students will create hypotheses and formulate theories about the physical world and its properties. Participation in labs and satisfactory reports on such labs are required before the Regents examination can be taken in June.

Advanced Biology/GCC Biology - 40 weeks – 1 credit:
GCC Biology is an introductory-level college course that is offered in conjunction with Genesee Community College. Students who register and pay tuition to GCC will receive up to 6 college credits upon successfully completing the class. These credits may be transferable, depending on the college the student chooses to attend and the grades received. Students who choose not to register with GCC may take the class as Advanced Biology and receive high school credit.

Students interested in Advanced Biology must have successfully completed Earth Science, The Living Environment, and Chemistry.

The course is divided into two semesters:

• Cell Biology – biochemistry, cell structure and function, cellular energetics, photosynthesis, cell communication, and cell reproduction.
• Human Biology – organization of the human body: locomotion, digestion, circulation, respiration, nervous system, endocrine system, and the immune system.

We will explore each area in depth, with an emphasis on process analysis, inquiry, and laboratory discovery.

7th Grade Health:
7th Grade Health course is required for the middle school that meets for one semester. The purpose of this course is to build a foundation in health knowledge and develop the skills necessary that will allow them to take charge of their health. Topics include Social Health and character development, Physical Health, Mental and Emotional Health, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, human growth and development and communicable and chronic diseases.


10th Grade Health - 20 weeks - 1/2 credit:
The 10th Grade Health course is a required Senior High Course that meets for one semester. The purpose is to provide a basic understanding and knowledge of health through the development of habits and attitudes that can promote a positive state of physical, mental and social well-being. Topics include: mental health, personal health care, the human life cycle, drugs, disease and health in society.