Curriculum Detail

Upper School Science

The Science Department believes that science is a process rooted in curiosity, awe, understanding and respect for the natural world in which we live. Students are encouraged to become autonomous learners in a
collaborative environment. We teach students to be critical thinkers who use logic, experimental design, and problem solving as vehicles for discovery. Through a carefully constructed curriculum, our students develop scientific literacy, understand the research process, and hone effective communication skills. We apply the scientific method throughout a student’s experience at St. Margaret’s and empower budding scientists to formulate interesting questions, develop a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze results, and report a thoughtful conclusion. Our students learn to think logically and critically and to transfer scientific knowledge and skills to other disciplines. It is our hope that students will mature into responsible stewards of the Earth and build lifelong interest in science.
 
The Science Department seeks to impart to its students through its curriculum, an enduring understanding of how to approach problems or questions of interest. Our students learn how to:
  • Apply the scientific method.
  • Utilize the principles of Design Thinking.
  • Build the foundations of scientific literacy and work to make bridges across the curriculum.
  • Think logically and critically.
  • Become independent learners while recognizing the value of collaboration and communication.
  • Make connections to their inner and outer environments.
Graduation Requirements: Three years, including one year of physical and one year of biological science.
 
Physical Sciences that fulfill the requirement include: Conceptual Physics, Physics, Chemistry, Chemistry Honors. Biological Sciences that fulfill the requirement include: Biology, AP Biology.
 
The traditional course of study begins with Physics in Grade 9 followed by Biology in Grade 10 and Chemistry in Grade 11. Students, with the help of Department consultation, may then branch out into elective or Advanced Placement courses. Alternate routes of progression may occur after Physics in Grade 9 with department approval.
 
Click here to view the department overview.

  • Conceptual Physics

    (yearlong course)

    Conceptual Physics is a required foundation course intended to develop student skills and interest for future study in physics, chemistry, and biology. Students learn to think scientifically by studying concepts of Physical Science including the Scientific Method, Statics, Kinematics, Newton’s Laws, Momentum and Energy Conservation; Introduction to circuit design, Radiant Energy and Waves. Students are guided by lecture, demonstration, lab investigation, reading, problem solving, model making. Students learn basic laboratory skills and operation of PASCO and Vernier lab equipment; and they apply mathematics to problem solving, scaling, slopes, formulas, graphing, linear equation.

    Corequisite: Algebra 1B or higher level math.
    Meets Physics requirement for grade nine.

  • Physics

    (yearlong course)

    Physics is an algebraic, trigonometric, and geometric based study of classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism including laws of motion, forces, momentum, work, energy and wave motion, rotational motion, electric charges, electric currents, circuits, magnetism, and magnetic effects. The course provides a critical understanding of general scientific principles, with an emphasis on the fundamental principles that govern the physical universe, including the principles underlying physical theories and processes of scientific discovery, and the nature of scientific evidence upon which contemporary physics theories are based. Students will apply physical principles and concepts to problems that affect their lives, in particular, and our society, in general. They will also analyze physical systems, solve problems, and answer questions using mathematics appropriate to physics and performing calculations appropriate to the task. The course will allow students to clearly communicate fundamental knowledge particular to physics with their peers using appropriate vocabulary and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the basic principles of Newtonian dynamics, kinematics, energy, and momentum. Students will also develop a clear understanding of the scientific method and its application in all areas of problem solving.

    Corequisite: Geometry or higher level math.
    A required course for students in grade nine.

  • Biology

    (yearlong course)

    Biology provides a college-preparatory introduction to the basic principles of the study of life. Topics include the chemical basis of life, cell theory, microbiology, mitosis, genetics, evolution, ecological relationships, plant structure and function, human anatomy and physiology, and an introduction to invertebrate and vertebrate biology. This course emphasizes inductive reasoning and an analysis/problem-solving approach to critical thinking. Material is introduced through lecture, labs, discussion, models, charts, and living or preserved specimens. Biology emphasizes inductive reasoning and an analysis/problem-solving approach to critical thinking. Material is introduced through lecture, labs, discussion, models, charts, and living or preserved specimens.

    Prerequisite: Conceptual Physics or equivalent.

  • AP Biology

    (yearlong course)

    The goal of Advanced Placement Biology is to provide advanced preparation in biology and to meet the objectives of a college-level general biology course. Topics include cellular/molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, plant structure and function, taxonomy, biotechnology, biochemistry, biostatistics, human anatomy and physiology, evolution, and ecology. The instruction relies on lecture/discussion, projects, simulations, research, group analysis, and in-depth laboratory activities. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement exam in biology.

    Prerequisites: Chemistry or Chemistry Honors (preferred) and department approval.

  • Astronomy

    (yearlong course)

    In this course, students will have the opportunity to engage with contemporary texts from a diverse range of scientists in the field to learn about current theories and research pertaining to some of the most relevant and pertinent questions in Astronomy today. In class, students will work collaboratively to discuss and unpack the texts, while simultaneously learning the background content knowledge necessary to support their understanding of the material. Students in this course will also explore the various interpretations and knowledge of the stars, planets, and moons across different cultures and communities throughout history, while also considering their own personal connection to the night sky. In addition to Astronomy content, students will have opportunities throughout the course to develop broader, transferable skills such as, communication, empirical and quantitative reasoning, and understanding self and others. These skills will be scaffolded and developed through class activities, and discussions, and demonstrated through a self-directed project at the conclusion of each unit.

    Prerequisites: Geometry, Biology and Conceptual Physics/Physics 9.
    An elective course for students in grades eleven and twelve.

  • Physiology

    (yearlong course)

    Physiology is the scientific discipline that deals with the vital processes or functions of living things. Students explore how the human body is organized and how it functions. Understanding, analyzing, and predicting responses of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems to stimuli are the major goals of the course. The course also includes an anatomy component that studies anatomical structures, their microscopic organization, and the process by which anatomical structures develop. Individual dissection and examination of a representative mammal gives students the opportunity to apply information acquired through lecture and assigned reading to an actual organism.

    Prerequisite: Biology.
    An elective course for students in grades eleven or twelve.

  • Marine Science

    (semester course)

    Marine Science is an additional non-weighted, semester-long science elective, designed to encourage all students to complete four years of science in the Upper School. Topics discussed in class will cover life in a marine environment, the chemical and physical features of seawater, marine ecosystems, anatomy and physiology of marine organisms, and the human impact on the oceans. The course will be designed to train students in using the scientific method and in using proper scientific methodology for collecting, recording, analyzing and presenting data. This class has a heavy lab component and takes several off-campus field study trips.

    Prerequisite: Biology.
    An elective course for students in grades ten through twelve.

  • Advanced Biotechnology Studies, Honors

    (semester course)

    The Advanced Biotechnology Studies, Honors course is designed to give students the unique opportunity to experience the challenge and rewards of scientific research while still in high school and is directed at those students who are considering majoring in science and/or participating in undergraduate research in college as it will be invaluable preparation for those experiences. Students will be taught both literature review and hands-on, wet-lab research methods in life science. For seniors considering pursuing a research project for the Independent Senior Project, this class can be a useful preparatory step to develop the skills needed in that endeavor as well.

    Prerequisite: Biology. 
    Corequisite:     Completion of or enrollment in any other AP science course.

  • AP Environmental Science

    (yearlong course)

    The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. This course draws upon a broad scientific base, including biology, chemistry, earth sciences, geography, ecology, and physics. The topics are explored in a variety of formats and locations, including the laboratory, the outdoor environment, and on field studies. This course has a large hands-on component, and students are required to become active participants in class activities. In addition, students are asked to explore and connect the various topics discussed throughout the year through individual projects and reports.

    Prerequisites: Biology or AP Biology, Chemistry or Chemistry Honors, and department approval.

  • Chemistry

    (yearlong course)

    There are two main goals for students in Chemistry. First, through this course students will develop an understanding of Chemistry and the nature of science. This course provides students with an introduction to fundamental concepts and analytical skills in order to understand the "Central Science." It is the second goal of this course to challenge students academically, while at the same time providing them with a variety of study tools with which they can meet this challenge. A variety of instructional styles including lectures, demonstrations, laboratory work and guided activities will be used to make this class approachable for students with differing learning modalities. Multiple assessment methods, including quizzes, tests, essays, presentations and lab practicals, allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a number of different ways. The essential topics to be covered include atoms and atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, gases and states of matter, equilibrium and solution chemistry, acid base chemistry, thermodynamics, and nuclear chemistry.

    Prerequisite: Biology or equivalent.
    Corequisite: Algebra II or Algebra II Honors.

  • Chemistry Honors

    (yearlong course)

    Chemistry Honors is an accelerated course targeted for those students with a strong math background and work ethic who have an interest in pursuing further courses in biological or physical sciences at the Advanced Placement level. This course seeks to provide students with a rigorous conceptual and analytical foundation in chemistry through lectures, demonstrations, laboratory work, and extensive problem solving. The course topics include: stoichiometry; properties of gases, liquids, solids, and solutions; chemical equilibria; chemical thermodynamics; atomic and molecular structure; chemical kinetics; periodic properties; nuclear chemistry; and descriptive chemistry of the elements. This course prepares students to take the SAT II test in Chemistry in June.

    Prerequisites: Physics and department approval.
    Corequisite: Algebra II or Algebra II Honors (preferred).

  • AP Chemistry

    (yearlong course)

    The Advanced Placement Chemistry course is a second year high school chemistry course, intended to be equivalent to a first-year college course. In the process of working through the recommended AP Chemistry curriculum, students should learn to self-assess their own mastery of the material that they acquire through their use of a variety of available learning tools. Students explore the fundamentals of general chemistry through lectures, laboratory investigation and group problem solving. They are assessed by AP questions and standards at all phases of the course. Topics such as atomic theory, molecular bonding, kinetic theory of matter, chemical equilibria, reaction kinetics, acid-base chemistry and thermodynamics are presented in depth and at a rapid pace. The course prepares the student for the Advanced Placement exam in May.

    Prerequisites: Chemistry Honors and department approval.
    Corequisite: Precalculus AB or Precalculus BC Honors.

  • Introduction to Engineering

    (yearlong course or semester course) 
     
    This course builds upon the student's knowledge of science using a project-based approach. It is very student driven course with the instructor in the role of mentor. The course has units of design from different areas of engineering (electrical, mechanical, computer, robotics, etc.). The students work together in project teams. During the first semester, the students learn electrical and mechanical skills by building and programming a robot. The robot has several servos that are driven by a microcontroller with programs written in a BASIC language. During the second semester, the student teams choose an engineering project that will require additional research on the sensors, transducers, actuators, etc. needed to solve their problem. Upon the completion of the project, the teams prepare a written report on the success or failure of their project to the mentor instructor and give a 10-minute presentation on their project. This course may be taken by a student for a grade or by a junior or senior student as a pass/fail course grade. 
     
    The course is designed to engage high school students through a combination of activities-based, project-based, and problem-based learning. Our objective is to incorporate the concept of 21st century learning. This approach to learning not only creates an environment for applying engineering concepts to real problems, but also prepares students to:
    • Solve problems 
    • Participate as part of a team 
    • Lead teams
    • Speak to a public audience
    • Conduct research
    • Understand real-world impacts
    • Analyze data
    • Learn outside the classroom 
    • Apply real world concepts 
    Prerequisite: Conceptual Physics or Physics.
    Corequisite: Algebra II or Algebra II Honors.

  • Advanced Engineering Honors

    (yearlong course)

    Space flight brings together a variety of engineering disciplines in order to send people and satellites out into the solar system: aerodynamics, propulsion, structural, material, electrical, communications, some computer science, and of course astronautics. The space flight theme of this course allows us to tie these engineering fields together, including a final project where teams will work to make and deploy a scientific payload aboard a high altitude balloon or rocket that will communicate its location and sensor data to a ground station. This course is intended to prepare students for project-based STEM classes at the university level, combining rigorous mathematical and scientific foundations, technical writing, and exciting but challenging collaborative projects.

    Prerequisite: Introduction to Engineering or departmental approval.
    Corequisite: AP Calculus AB.

  • AP Physics C - Mechanics

    (yearlong course)

    The subject matter of the AP Physics C: Mechanics course is classical mechanics. This means it includes topics in kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion, work, energy and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; circular motion and rotation; oscillations; and gravitation. AP Physics C is a calculus-based course that will use definite integrals and derivatives. At the end of the course, students will only take the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam. This class is equivalent to the introductory physics semester-long course taken by science and engineering students at most colleges and universities.

    Corequisites: Calculus or AP Calculus AB (preferred) and department approval.

  • AP Physics C - Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism

    (yearlong course)

    This course is a two-part course broken up into AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. The 23 Mechanics portion of the class includes units on kinematics, Newton’s Laws of Motion, work, energy, power, linear momentum, circular motion, angular momentum, oscillatory motion, and gravitation. The Electricity and Magnetism portion of the class include units on electrostatics, conductors, capacitors & dielectrics, electric circuits, magnetic fields, and electromagnetism. At the end of the course, there are two AP tests, one for each section of the course. AP Physics C is a calculus-based course that will use definite integrals and derivatives. The Mechanics portion of the class is equivalent to the introductory physics sequence taken by science and engineering students at most colleges and universities. The Electricity and Magnetism portion of the class is equivalent to the second semester of the introductory physics sequence typically offered at colleges and universities.

    Prerequisite: Precalculus BC Honors or AP Calculus AB.
    Corequisites: AP Calculus BC and department approval.
  • Mr. Edmund Herlihy
    US Science; Department Chair; Swimming & Diving Coach
    University of California, Irvine - M.A.
    University of the Pacific - B.A.
    Credentialed
  • Dr. Stephanie Capen
    Director of Institutional Research & Astronomy Teacher
    University of Hawaii, Manoa - PhD
    University of Hawaii, Manoa - M.Ed.
    Eastern Nazarene College - B.S.
  • Ms. Andrea Chou
    US Chemistry
    University of California, Berkeley - B.S.
    University of Texas at Austin - M.A.
  • J Horton
    US Science Lab Tech
    San Jose State University - B.S.
  • Mr. Christian Kim
    US Science; US Mathematics
    University of California, Irvine - M.S.
    Franklin and Marshall College - B.A.
  • Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola
    US Science
    University of Notre Dame - Ph.D.
    University of San Diego - B.A.
  • Ms. Anza Spinelli
    US Biology
    University of California, Santa Barbara - B.S.
  • Mr. Steve Sprecher
    US Physics
    University of California, Los Angeles - J.D.
    University of California, Los Angeles - MBA
    United States Naval Academy - B.S.
  • Dr. Eric Trumbauer
    US Science & Engineering
    University of California, Irvine - PhD
    University of California, Irvine - M.S.
    University of California, Berkeley - B.A.
  • Mrs. Staciana Winfield
    US Physiology; Head Swimming & Diving Coach; MS Health; Personal Fitness & Wellness
    Concordia University - M.A.
    University of California, Berkeley - B.S.
    Credential - Multiple Subject

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School

31641 La Novia Avenue
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 661-0108
 
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An Independent Preschool Through Grade 12 College-Preparatory Day School in Orange County California

Non-Discrimination Policy
St. Margaret's Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid, hiring and athletic policies or in other school-administered programs.