Science Courses

Principles of Science:
Principles of Science is CCSC's two-year middle school integrated science course. Through this two-year course, students learn basic science reasoning skills such as making hypotheses, using data to evaluate them, and presenting evidence for theories and facts. In addition, students spend nearly 5 hours a week in science class, which enables them to gain knowledge in all major science disciplines with both breadth and depth.

Principles of Science 1 (7th Grade):
Students in Principles of Science 1 learn about earth science (including mapping, history of the earth, and plate tectonics) and life science (including evolution, classification, reproduction, ecology, and the human body.)
Teachers: Becki Norris and Tory Tolles

Principles of Science 2 (8th Grade):
Students in Principles of Science 2 learn about life science (including the human body, cell biology, and genetics), physical science (including basic chemistry and physics), and space science.
Teachers: Becki Norris and Marianna Zimbardo

Physics and Connections (9th Grade):
Physics and Connections is an introductory high school physics course that surveys various topics in motion, energy, momentum, heat and heat transfer, electricity and magnetism, and wave theory. This course also covers various student skills, such as, note taking, word problem dissection, following directions and data taking, to help students become more successful scientists.
Teachers: Heather Haines and Corinne Kielbasa 

Chemistry (10th and 12th Grade*):
CCSC uses the Living By Chemistry curriculum. Designed to help all students to learn real chemistry, Living By Chemistry is a full-year high school curriculum that exceeds state and national standards. Using a standards-based, guided-inquiry approach, students ask questions, collect evidence, and think like scientists. The course is organized around units that are relevant to students’ real world experience such as Smells, Toxins, Weather, and Fire.
Teachers: Heather Haines and Tory Tolles
* Note: Beginning in 2011-2012, all seniors will take Engineering

Advanced Biology (11th Grade):
Advanced Biology is a college-prep science course that aims to challenge students to think and work on a post-high school level. The course content is modeled after a college general biology course. The major units include: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, Evolution, Ecology, and The Human Body. Students will learn how to write a college-level lab report, gain experience performing labs, and research several current biological issues.