Biology & Chemistry

Design Science Middle College High School

Spring Semester update: We are STILL online. To clearly communicate assignments and homework, I've added links to the grade-level homework pages on the Biology and Chemistry pages of this website. These pages will be updated by each teacher, in addition to communicating our weekly plans.

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the Science Information Page for Biology and Chemistry! This is your information hub for important information and staying up to date on what's happening in science. Please take a few minutes to look over the links for your student's science class and complete the Google Form checklist. I have been working hard to plan and prepare for the distance learning format we'll use to start this school year. I look forward to an amazing year of learning and doing science!

I am so excited for you to be a part of my class! I look forward to the exciting and rewarding learning experiences we will all have this academic year. My mission as a science teacher is to foster a sense of scientific inquiry and to empower students to become confident critical thinkers and problem solvers. My goal is to work with students, parents, and the Design Science team to ensure each student's success.

Sincerely,

Mrs. LaPlaca

Biology is the study of living things. This course is divided into six Instructional Units, in which we will discuss energy transfer in Earth’s living system, evidence of evolution, cellular structure, function, the processes that drive inheritance, and ecosystem stability and change. This course pays special attention to systems and the interactions that occur between living systems.

Chemistry is the study of nature and the composition of matter. This course is divided into five Instructional Units, in which we will study the heat and energy of combustion, the properties of the individual atoms that make up all matter, the bonds they form with other atoms, and how they interact in chemical reactions to influence real-world phenomena including climate and Earth's oceans.