Biology Full Year (Two Semesters) Prerequisites: None Students will be learning biology through
Physical Science Full Year (Two Semesters) Prerequisites: Biology or equivalent AND Science Department recommendation This course provides students with an introduction to physics and chemistry with a focus on skill growth for investigative science studies. During the first semester students will explore energy/motion and how it changes with various forces at play for macroscale systems. In the second semester, students will continue this theme of energy but for various properties of matter at a microscopic level. They will examine how particles of matter behave when their system changes. Students will identify testable questions, design experiments, explore topics through project-based learning, and solve problems modelling nature with class concepts and mathematical models. Chemistry Full Year (Two Semesters) Prerequisites: Biology or equivalent, concurrent enrollment in Math 2, AND Science Department recommendation This course is designed for students to investigate the concepts of chemistry through skills-based learning. Students will be able to track their learning through the four core science skills: investigation, solving with models, collaboration, and communication. Students will practice these five skills through the study of chemistry. Topics covered include: matter, scientific measurement, particle motion, describing substances, internal structure of particles, chemical reactions, counting particles, stoichiometry, the nucleus, and beyond the nucleus. Laboratory investigations, simulations, and projects entailing research, creativity, and applications will enhance understanding of the above topics.
Science
experiments, collaboration and creating class models to explain the world around them with the use of the modeling biology science framework. The topics covered during the course include characteristics and classification of life, population growth and interaction, evolutionary theory, inheritance, energy between organisms and energy within a system. Students will be able to track their learning through the four core science skills: investigation, solving with models, collaboration, and communication.
The Science Department believes that University Liggett Upper School students should be engaged in science in such a way that they become intellectually curious and are inspired to use their knowledge and skills to affect positive change in their community and throughout the world.
• Students will develop into scientifically literate individuals who understand that science is both a process and a body of knowledge. Practicing science in the lab enables students to organize and analyze information. Engaging in laboratory work facilitates a deeper understanding and enhances one’s ability to evaluate explanations. • Students will experience age-appropriate material throughout the curriculum through exploration and active engagement. Their experiences will include place-based learning opportunities, the use of technology, hosting expert visitors, and through the exploration of laboratory investigations and demonstrations, with the student being at the center of their learning opportunities.
• Students will learn how to formulate questions, research and explore topics in a thoughtful and purposeful way, creating meaning to their understanding of concepts and communicating their findings to others. • Students will organically cultivate a passion and a skill set to continue their pursuits for future scientific inquiry.
Honors Biology Full Year (Two Semesters) Prerequisites: Completion of honors prerequisites
The honors-level biology course explores an in-depth foundation in biology, necessary for students interested in one day taking advanced level biology and chemistry courses at University Liggett School. This course will include a greater depth in overall biology knowledge, use of analytical analysis, and a focus on the underlying chemistry of life. Course content encompasses biochemistry, characteristics and classification of life, population growth and interaction, cellular biology, energy between organisms, energy within a system, inheritance, and evolutionary theory. Instruction centers around inquiry-based learning and utilizes the modeling biology science framework. Students will be able to track their learning through the four core science skills: investigation, solving with models, collaboration, and communication.
Students begin their Upper School science experience with a year of biology, followed by a year of physical science (Physical Science or Chemistry). In the eleventh grade, students enroll in at least a semester of physics or chemistry and one more semester elective, with many students choosing a year of physics and multiple electives. The Science Department is aligned around long term technical skills growth and tracking in all courses, focusing on the skills associated with scientific investigation, solving with models, collaboration and technical communication.
2026-2027 ULS Curriculum Guide
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