2012-2013 High School Curriculum Bulletin - McAllen ISD

Page 243255 INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)CHEMISTRY SLLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Rank: IBThis one-year course is designed to meet the Experimental ScienceStandard Level and 1 st year Higher Level requirement for the IBDiploma. This course includes the topics of basic chemistry tools,atomic and molecular structure, states of matter, control of chemicalreactions, and the chemistry of the elements and their compounds.Standard level options include higher organic chemistry, higher physicalchemistry, and environmental chemistry. Students are required tocomplete a practical scheme of work that includes 40 hours of laboratoryexercises which are internally assessed and externally moderated. Thiscourse prepares students to take the IB Chemistry standard level exam.College credit may be grated for scores on this exam.NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3256 INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)CHEMISTRY HLLowest Grade Placement: 12Credit: 1Prerequisite: IB Chemistry 3255This one-year course is designed to meet the second year ExperimentalScience higher level requirement for the IB Diploma. This coursewill include the topics of basic Chemistry tools, atomic and molecularstructure, states of matter, control of chemical reactions, and thechemistry of the elements and their compounds. Higher level Chemistryincludes additional prescribed topics as well as options. Students arerequired to complete a practical scheme of work that includes 60 hoursof laboratory experiments that are internally assessed and externallymoderated. This course prepares students to take the IB Chemistryhigher level exam. College credit may be granted for scores on thisexam.NOTE: This advanced course serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3322 PHYSICS CPLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Biology; IPC and/or ChemistryRank: College PreparatoryStudents will conduct descriptive, comparative and experimentalinvestigations 40% of the time. Students will make informed decisionsusing critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Topics include:laws of motion; changes within physical systems and conservationof energy and momentum; force; thermodynamics; characteristics andbehavior of waves; and quantum physics. This course provides studentswith a conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical andscientific skills. Laboratory investigations encourage students tothink and are centered on real-life situations. Emphasis is placed onlaboratory investigations.3332 PHYSICS PRE-APLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Biology and/or ChemistryRank: Pre-APStudents will conduct descriptive, comparative and experimentalinvestigations 40% of the time. Students will make informed decisionsusing critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Topics include:laws of motion; changes within physical systems and conservation ofenergy and momentum; force; thermodynamics; characteristics andbehavior of waves; and quantum physics. This course provides studentswith a conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical andscientific skills. Laboratory investigations encourage students tothink and are centered on real-life situations. This is a comprehensivephysics course that can be used as preparation for AP or IB Physicsin high school. Emphasis is placed on data analysis, problem solvingand research. NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identifiedgifted/talented student.3335 MYP Physics 1Lowest Grade Placement: 9Credit: 1Rank: MYPThis one-year advanced course is designed to meet the 1st or 2nd yearScience requirement for the IB MYP Certificate, as well as the Chemistry1 requirement of the state of Texas. This course includes the study ofscientific skills and processes; the physical concepts of change, energy,structures, patterns, and systems as well as personal, social and globalawareness. These topics are focused through five areas of interaction.This course prepares students for the IB Diploma Program.NOTE: This advanced course serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3342 ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PHYSICS BLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Physics; credit or concurrent enrollment in Pre-Calculus or CalculusRank: APThis course is a second year physics course designed to prepare studentsfor the AP Physics exam given each May. Students may receive collegecredit for algebra-based physics. This physics course is required formost science majors, all medical and health related careers and in somebusiness schools. It will NOT count in most engineering schools.Engineering students should take AP Physics C (Calculus-based). ThePhysics AP B course content includes Newtonian mechanics, heat,kinetic theory and thermodynamics, electromagnetism, waves andoptics and modern physics. Students enrolled in this class will beexpected to take the AP Physics B Advanced Placement Exam.College credit may be granted for scores on this exam.NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3352 ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PHYSICS CLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Physics; CP credit or currently enrolled in CalculusRank: APThis course is an advanced introductory course in Physics usingCalculus. Content includes kinematics, advanced math skills,vector skills, Newton’s laws of motion, work, energy, power, fluiddynamics, particle systems, rotational motion, oscillation, gravitation,electrostatics, electric current and circuits, capacitance, magnetismand others. This course is intended for students planning to major inphysical science or engineering. Students enrolled in this coursewill take the Advanced Placement Physics C exams. College creditmay be granted for scores on these exams.NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3355 INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)PHYSICS SLLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Rank: IBThis one-year course is designed to meet the Experimental ScienceStandard Level and 1 st year Higher Level requirement for the IBDiploma. This course includes topics in Mechanics, Thermodynamics,Electromagnetism, Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. StandardLevel options include a Mechanics Extension, Atomic and NuclearPhysics Extension, and Energy Extension. Students are required tocomplete 40 hours of laboratory experiments that are internally assessedand externally moderated. This course prepares students to take theIB Physics Standard Level exam. College credit may be granted forscores on this exam.NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3356 INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)PHYSICS HLLowest Grade Placement: 12Credit: 1Prerequisite: IB Physics 3355Rank: IBThis one-year course is designed to meet the second year ExperimentalScience Higher Level requirement for the IB Diploma. This courseincludes topics in Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism,Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. Higher Level Physics includesadditional prescribed topics, as well as options in special and generalrelativity and optics. Students are required to complete 60 hours oflaboratory experiments that are internally assessed and externallymoderated. This course prepares students to take the IB Physics HigherLevel Exam. College credit may be granted for scores on this exam.NOTE: This advanced course also serves the identified gifted/talentedstudent.3412 AQUATIC SCIENCE SDLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Biology, IPC and Chemistry or PhysicsRank: StandardStudents will conduct descriptive, comparative and experimentalinvestigations 40% of the time. Students will make informed decisionsusing critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Students studya variety of topics that include: components of an aquatic ecosystem;relationships among aquatic habitats and ecosystems; roles of cycleswithin an aquatic environment; adaptations of aquatic organisms;changes within aquatic environments; geological phenomena and fluiddynamics effects; and origin and use of water in a watershed. Studentsshould consult their college of choice to determine whether or notAquatic Science will satisfy entry requirements.3414 AQUATIC SCIENCE CPLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Biology, IPC, and Chemistry or PhysicsRank: College PreparatoryStudents will conduct descriptive, comparative and experimentalinvestigations 40% of the time. Students will make informed decisionsusing critical thinking and scientific problem solving. Students studya variety of topics that include: components of an aquatic ecosystem;relationships among aquatic habitats and ecosystems; roles of cycleswithin an aquatic environment; adaptations of aquatic organisms;changes within aquatic environments; geological phenomena and fluiddynamics effects; and origin and use of water in a watershed. Thiscourse is a rigorous presentation of the scientific concepts relating toaquatic environments and is intended for serious students at a collegepreparatory level. Students should consult their college of choiceto determine whether or not Aquatic Science will satisfy entryrequirements.3432 Earth and Space ScienceLowest Grade Placement: 11Credit: 1Prerequisite: Biology and ChemistryRank: CPThis one year course will give the student one credit in the area ofscience to meet graduation requirements. Students will conductdescriptive, comparative and experimental investigations 40% of thetime. Students will make informed decisions using critical thinkingand scientific problem solving. Students study a variety of topics thatinclude: characteristics and conditions of the Earth; formation andhistory of the Earth; plate tectonics; origin and composition of mineralsand rocks and the rock cycle; processes and products of weathering;natural energy resources; interactions in a watershed; characteristicsof oceans; characteristics of the atmosphere; and the role of energy inweather and climate. Students should consult their college of choiceto determine whether or not Earth and Space Science will satisfyentry requirements.