Science
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Description: This Biology I course explores the foundational mechanisms of life, focusing on cellular processes like the Central Dogma, energy transfer in ecosystems, genetic inheritance, and the evidence supporting biological evolution. Through data analysis and evidence-based reasoning, students investigate how organisms maintain homeostasis, how populations adapt via natural selection, and how human activities impact biodiversity. The rigorous curriculum emphasizes scientific inquiry and literacy to prepare students for advanced academic study and future careers.
Materials:
- TN Miller & Levine Experience Biology, Saavas
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Description: Building on the foundation of Biology I, this advanced course offers an in-depth exploration of organism classification, evolutionary history, and the diverse life forms on Earth. Students conduct detailed structural and functional analyses of plants and animals, alongside the study of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and complex animal behaviors. By integrating engineering practices, advanced data analysis, and scientific literacy, the curriculum emphasizes "doing science" through laboratory research to develop critical thinkers prepared for higher education and STEM careers.
Materials:
- TN Miller & Levine Experience Biology, Saavas
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Description: This Chemistry I course focuses on the structure and properties of matter, chemical reactions, nuclear processes, and the behavior of energy. Through a curriculum that requires a minimum of 30% hands-on laboratory investigation, students learn science by doing science—combining content knowledge with real-world problem-solving, data analysis, and engineering practices. By exploring core concepts like conservation of energy and chemical forces, this course builds the advanced critical thinking skills and scientific literacy necessary for higher education and future STEM careers.
Materials:
- TN Experience Chemistry, Saavas
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Description: Building on the foundation of Chemistry I, this advanced course introduces increased rigor to the study of matter, chemical reactions, nuclear processes, and energy behaviors. Students explore higher-level concepts including system stability, wave properties, and electromagnetic radiation through advanced problem-solving and deep laboratory techniques. Requiring a minimum of 30% hands-on investigation, the curriculum emphasizes data analysis, critical decision-making, and engineering practices to cultivate highly scientifically literate students prepared for university-level science.
Materials:
- TN Experience Chemistry, Saavas
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Description: This laboratory-based Earth and Space Science course examines Earth’s place in the universe, the interplay of its interconnected spheres, and the ongoing relationships between human activity and planetary systems. Students investigate cosmic history, plate tectonics, weather patterns, and the impacts of global climate change through advanced problem-solving and a required minimum of 30% hands-on investigation. By combining deep content knowledge with science and engineering practices, the curriculum emphasizes data analysis and evidence-based argumentation to develop critical thinking skills and scientific literacy.
Materials:
- TN Earth and Space Science, McGraw Hill
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Description: This research-based Ecology course examines the complex interrelationships of the natural world, focusing on ecosystem dynamics, the cycles of matter and energy transfer, and how natural selection and adaptation drive biodiversity. Students actively analyze human impacts on Earth's systems—including natural resource management and global climate change—while exploring the intersections between engineering, technology, and society. By integrating mathematics, advanced literacy, and engineering design, the curriculum emphasizes data analysis and evidence-based argumentation to prepare students for higher education and future STEM careers.
Materials:
- TN Environmental Science, Saavas
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Description: This research-based Environmental Science course explores the complex interrelationships of the natural world by examining ecosystem dynamics, earth systems, and atmospheric processes like weather and climate. Students identify both natural and man-made environmental challenges—including global climate change and impacts on biodiversity—while actively designing and evaluating engineering solutions to these problems. By integrating mathematics, science literacy, and STEM applications, the curriculum utilizes data analysis and evidence-based argumentation to prepare students for higher education and future job markets.
Materials:
- TN Environmental Science, Saavas
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Description: This laboratory-based Geology course examines Earth's history, its surface and interior structures, and the dynamic processes that affect life on the planet. Students investigate rocks, minerals, plate tectonics, natural hazards, and human impacts on natural resources through active problem-solving and a required minimum of 30% hands-on investigation. By explicitly integrating engineering design and 21st-century critical thinking skills, the curriculum focuses on data analysis and evidence-based argumentation to prepare students for higher education and advanced scientific inquiry.
Materials:
- TN Earth and Space Science, McGraw Hill
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Description: Building on the foundation of Biology I, this advanced course offers an in-depth analysis of the human body's organ systems and how they interact to maintain life. Students investigate both normal and abnormal structures and functions across all major body systems, while exploring real-world STEM applications such as disease diagnosis, medical treatments, and artificial organ design. By integrating quantitative data analysis, scientific literacy, and evidence-based argumentation, the curriculum emphasizes hands-on engineering and science practices to cultivate critical thinkers prepared for higher education and healthcare careers.
Materials:
- Welsh, Hole's Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, McGraw Hill
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Description: This Physical Science course serves as an essential introduction to the foundational principles of both chemistry and physics, focusing on the structure of matter, chemical reactions, forces, motion, and wave properties. Students explore core concepts such as the conservation of energy and electromagnetic radiation through active observation, hypothesis testing, and a recommended minimum of 25% hands-on laboratory learning. By seamlessly combining content knowledge with engineering practices and pattern recognition, the curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and evidence-based argumentation to provide a well-rounded scientific education.
Materials:
- TN Physical Science, McGraw Hill
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Description: This Physics I course provides a comprehensive introduction to the foundational laws governing the physical universe, focusing on motion, mechanical forces, system stability, and the four fundamental interactions of nature. Students explore how energy is stored, transferred, and conserved within physical systems, alongside the behavior of waves and their applications in modern technology. Through hands-on experimentation, creative problem-solving, and engineering design, the curriculum emphasizes "doing science" to build the rigorous analysis, scientific reasoning, and evidence-based argumentation skills needed for advanced academic study.
Materials:
- TN Experience Physics, Saavas
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Description: Building on the foundation of Physics I, this advanced course introduces increased rigor to the study of the fundamental laws governing the universe, focusing on how fundamental properties of matter—such as charge, mass, and spin—give rise to fields and forces. Students delve into the mechanisms of energy storage, conservation, and system stability, with a distinct emphasis on advanced optics, including the speed of light, diffraction, refraction, and wave interference. Through immersive hands-on experimentation, technology applications, and engineering design, the curriculum prioritizes active scientific reasoning and evidence-based critique to fully prepare students for university-level physics and engineering. .
Materials:
- TN Experience Physics, Saavasl
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Description: This Scientific Research course focuses on the nature of science, theory development, and the precise practices utilized in conducting and communicating original scientific investigations. Students learn how scientific knowledge is built, refined, and applied by actively engaging in the process of peer review, utilizing advanced mathematics, and analyzing data from reliable sources. By explicitly combining content knowledge with engineering design and 21st-century literacy standards, the curriculum emphasizes evidence-based argumentation to prepare students for the rigorous demands of higher education and future STEM careers.
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Description: This college-level course offers an in-depth investigation into the mechanisms of life through four overarching "Big Ideas" that unify biological disciplines. The curriculum examines how the process of evolution drives diversity and unity, the pathways through which biological systems utilize energy to maintain homeostasis, the storage and transmission of information essential to living processes, and the complex ways in which biological systems interact. By integrating advanced data analysis and scientific literacy, the course emphasizes "doing science" to cultivate a sophisticated understanding of natural phenomena, preparing students for higher education and future STEM careers.
Materials:
- Biology for the AP Course 1st Edition, BFW
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry course offers a rigorous, college-level foundation that explores the fundamental principles of matter, energy, and chemical transformations. Equivalent to a first-year university general chemistry class, the curriculum bridges the gap between microscopic atomic structures and macroscopic observable properties through nine core units, including chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium. A strong emphasis is placed on practical scientific skills, requiring a significant laboratory component—including at least 16 hands-on investigations—where data analysis, mathematical modeling, and evidence-based argumentation are used to understand how nature works at its most foundational level.
Materials
- Brown, LeMay Chemistry: The Central Science, Pearson
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science course provides a rigorous, college-level exploration of the natural world and the interconnected systems that support life. Drawing from geology, biology, chemistry, and geography, the curriculum covers nine core areas—including ecosystems, biodiversity, energy resources, and pollution—to analyze both natural and human-made environmental challenges. With a heavy emphasis on fieldwork and laboratory investigations, the course challenges participants to interpret quantitative data, evaluate environmental risks, and develop sustainable, scientifically grounded solutions for balancing human development with resource conservation.
Materials
- Friedland and Reya Environmental Science for the AP Course 4th Edition, BFW
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 course offers a rigorous, algebra-based introduction to the fundamental laws governing the physical world. Equivalent to a first-semester college physics class, the curriculum explores topics such as motion, forces, energy, momentum, rotational dynamics, oscillations, and fluids. Through a substantial laboratory component dedication to hands-on, inquiry-based investigations, the course shifts focus away from rote memorization toward critical scientific skills—challenging participants to construct physical models, utilize mathematical routines, and develop evidence-based arguments to explain how objects and systems interact.
Materials
- Knight, Randall, Jones, and Stuart Field's College Physics: A Strategic Approach, 4th Ed., Pearson
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 2 course provides a rigorous, algebra-based introduction to advanced physical concepts, serving as the equivalent of a second-semester college physics class. Building upon foundational physics principles, the curriculum explores the invisible forces and systems of the universe across seven core units, including thermodynamics, electricity and circuits, magnetism, optics, and modern quantum and nuclear physics. A strong emphasis is placed on hands-on laboratory investigations, challenging participants to master critical scientific practices such as visual modeling, mathematical analysis, and evidence-based argumentation to explain complex natural phenomena.
Materials
- Knight, Randall, Jones, and Stuart Field's College Physics: A Strategic Approach, 4th Ed., Pearson
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism course offers a rigorous, calculus-based introduction to the fundamental forces of electromagnetism, making it ideal for those targeting futures in physical science or engineering. Equivalent to an advanced, upper-level college physics course, the curriculum uses differential and integral calculus to explore six core units, including electric charges, magnetic fields, circuits, and electromagnetic induction. Through a significant hands-on laboratory component, the focus centers on building essential scientific practices—such as mathematical modeling, data analysis, and technical argumentation—to deeply understand the math and mechanics behind how electricity and magnetism shape the technological world.
Materials:
- Knight, Randall D.'s Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics, AP Ed., Pearson
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Description: This Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Mechanics course delivers a rigorous, calculus-based introduction to the classical laws of motion, serving as an ideal foundation for future physics and engineering programs. Equivalent to a demanding introductory college course, the curriculum applies differential and integral calculus across seven fundamental units, including kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotational dynamics, and oscillations. A substantial portion of the course is dedicated to hands-on laboratory investigations, where emphasis is placed on developing high-level scientific skills like mathematical forecasting, physical modeling, and evidence-based argumentation to explain how physical systems interact.
Materials:
- Knight, Randall D.'s Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics, AP Ed., Pearson