Interactions: The Interactions course introduces students to science as an endeavor, a process we engage in, rather than solely a set of discoveries by others. Through engaging in modeling and scientific explanation, students explore curious aspects of the everyday world, discovering how the unseen world of atomic level interactions and energy transformations are responsible for much of what we observe in the world around us. Interactions meets the Grades 9-12 District physical science requirement
Health: Health education is required in LAUSD for grades K-12. Grade 6: six-week health module is required in each semester of the science course. Grade 7: full semester health course is required, separate from science. Grade 9: full semester health course is required.
Honors and Standard Biology: Biology of Living Earth Honors AB course is defined in the 2016 California Science Framework, including Biology and Earth Science standards from the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The course is divided into six units centered on questions about observations of a specific phenomenon. The units address the concepts of ecosystem interactions, energy flow in a system, evolution, genetics, cell theory, and climate change. Different phenomena require different amounts of classroom investigative time to explore and understand, so each Instructional Segment should take a different fraction of the school year. As students achieve the Performance Expectations (PEs) within the unit, they uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) from Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering. Students engage in multiple Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) in each unit, not just those explicitly indicated in the PEs. Students also focus on one or two Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) as tools to make sense of their observations and investigations; the CCCs are recurring themes in all disciplines of science and engineering and help tie these seemingly disparate fields together. At the end of unit 2 there is a culminating task and a final at the end of the course.
AP Biology: AP Biology is a college-preparatory science courses for students who can profit from its provided enrichment. Other students may profit more from taking AP Biology after having taken other high school science courses. This course may be accepted by colleges for course credit or advanced placement of students who qualify on the Advanced Placement Examination. A college-level course for students eligible for honors classes, AP Biology differs significantly from the usual first-year high school course by the textbook used, the range and depth of topics covered, the kind of laboratory work done, and the time and effort required of students. School administrators should be aware that an AP college-level laboratory is significantly more expensive to operate than a typical high school biology laboratory and requires more time than non-AP science courses. The equivalent of two double periods a week for laboratory work is highly recommended. AP Biology AB meets the Grades 9-12 District life science requirement. It also meets one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science
Marine Biology: The major purpose of this course is to study the specific biological adaptations and interrelationships of organisms within the oceans of the world. Ocean resources, biotic factors and cycles, abiotic factors and cycles within the marine biome, and the natural history of marine organisms will be studied. Marine Biology AB meets the Grades 9-12 District life science requirement. It also meets one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science.
Honors Marine Biology: The major purpose of this course is to study the specific biological adaptations and interrelationships of organisms within the oceans of the world. Ocean resources, biotic factors and cycles, abiotic factors and cycles within the marine biome, and the natural history of marine organisms will be studied. The course is taught via the evolutionary history of life with a strong focus on dissections in the second semester. Honors Marine Biology AB does not meet the Grades 9-12 District life science requirement. It does however meet one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science.
Honors and Standard Chemistry:Chemistry in the Earth System Honors is an NGSS-aligned course that fulfills a physical science laboratory requirement for graduation as well as an entrance requirement for the University of California and California State University schools. Chemistry is a sequential, hierarchical science that is descriptive and theoretical and requires high-level problem-solving skills, such as designing experiments and solving word problems. Students will discover and be able to explain the nature of matter and its transformations when they study atomic and molecular structure, the effects of electron interaction, chemical bonds, and stoichiometry. Additionally, students will study the properties of gasses, acids, and bases, solutions, and organic and inorganic compounds. Students will also explore chemical systems as they study solutions, reactions, and nuclear processes. This Honors course is an in-depth version of Chemistry in the Earth System.
AP Chemistry:Advanced Placement Chemistry is designed for students who have high ability in math and who seek training for future work in science. AP Chemistry, equivalent to a first-year college chemistry course, is for students who have successfully completed high school chemistry or its equivalent. Students study a college-level textbook and do college-level laboratory work. This course should be taught by a teacher who has completed an undergraduate major program in chemistry. Emphasis is placed on chemical calculations and mathematical formulation of principles. College chemistry or lab science credit may be granted to individual students on the basis of their score on the Advanced Placement Examination. AP Chemistry AB meets the Grades 9-12 District physical science requirement. It also meets one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science.
Honors and Standard Physics:Physics of the Universe Honors is a rigorous laboratory-based college preparatory course that establishes a deep understanding of the fundamental laws that govern the universe. The course is divided into coherent instructional segments centered on concepts of force and motion, Newton’s laws, gravitation, electrostatic and other forces, energy conversion and renewable energy, nuclear processes and earth history, waves and electromagnetism, and stars and the origin of the universe. As students achieve the Performance Expectations (PEs) within each unit, they uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) from Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering by applying their understanding of real life situations to explain a phenomenon, solve a problem, or design an engineering solution. Students engage in multiple Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) in each unit and focus on one or two Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) as tools to make sense of their observations and investigations. Throughout each instructional segment, students are challenged to use calculations that describe results quantitatively, as well as be able to explain qualitatively how those calculations represent relationships between the included variables. Honors level students are expected to both apply equations appropriately and fully explain what they mean. Each semester of the course ends with a comprehensive culmination project through which students demonstrate understanding of physics concepts and practice planning and carrying out their own authentic investigations. Physics of the Universe AB Honors meets the District Graduation requirement for physical science
AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C:This course is designed as either a second course for those who have completed a year of physics or as a first course for high achieving students. Two different advanced placement courses exist and both are offered by LAUSD high schools. The "B" course prepares students for the AP Physics "B" exam, and the "C" course prepares students for the AP Physics "C" exam. The Physics "B" course covers all of the major topics in physics and is intended for students who do not intend to major in science at the university; whereas the Physics "C" course covers in depth only the two areas of mechanics and electricity, and magnetism. The "C" course is designed for students who intend to major in science at the university. The complete and up-to-date descriptions of these courses are to be found in the current "Acorn book" Advanced Placement Course Description Physics (Physics “B”, Physics “C”), published annually by The College Board. Upon successful completion of the College Board Advanced Placement Examination, students may be able to receive credit for college-level courses at many universities. AP Physics AB meets the Grades 9-12 District physical science requirement. It also meets one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science.
AP Environmental Science:AP Environmental Science may be taken as an additional course in a sequence of college-preparatory science courses for students who can profit from the enrichment provided. Other students may profit more from taking AP Environmental Science after having taken other high school science courses. This is a college-level course for students eligible for honors classes and may be accepted by colleges for course credit or advanced placement of students who qualify on the Advanced Placement Examination. AP Environmental Science differs significantly from the usual high school course with respect to the kind of textbook used, range and depth of topics covered, the kind of laboratory work done, and the time and effort required of students. School administrators should be aware that an AP college-level laboratory is significantly more expensive to operate than a typical high school laboratory and requires more time than non-laboratory courses. The equivalent of two double periods a week for laboratory work is highly recommended. The AP Environmental Science Development Committee has designated major themes that recur throughout the course. Teachers should emphasize the connections between the themes to assist students in organizing concepts and topics into a coherent conceptual framework. The six themes and their corollaries, which provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course are: science is a process, energy conservation underlies all ecological processes, the Earth can be thought of as one interconnected system, humans can alter natural systems, environmental problems have a social and cultural context, and human survival depends upon developing practices that will result in sustainable systems. AP Environmental Science AB meets the Grades 9-12 District physical science requirement. It also meets one year of the University of California ‘d’ entrance requirement for laboratory science.
Geology: The major purpose of this course is to develop students' understanding of Earth’s history, its processes, and its effects on human society. Laboratory and field investigations are used to demonstrate geologic processes and the related chemical and physical laws that drive them. Physical Geology AB meets one year of the University of California ‘g’ requirement for an elective science class.
