501 Astronomy: Stars and Planets ACP/H

 Gr 12 | 3 Class Credits .5 Lab Credit |Semester-Long |  6x per Cycle

PREREQUISITE: Students must have completed one year of physics and one year of chemistry.  This course is offered at ACP or Honors level.  Students will solidify their level at the beginning of the course.  This course is limited to seniors.

Are we alone in the universe?  The culminating question of this course can be examined after first covering topics including comparative planetology of the solar system, stellar evolution, and astrobiology.  The goal of this course is to gain an understanding of the wide range of characteristics a planet needs to create an environment in which life can develop and thrive. Discussions will include the potential locations for life within the solar system and the feasibility for life to exist elsewhere. 

This course is offered as a mixed H / ACP course.  Honors students should expect to complete outside reading and online discussions as a primary component of the additional honors curriculum, in addition to extended lab analysis questions and project components.  In addition to labs, all students will complete a number of projects to demonstrate their understanding of the content, many of which will require class presentations.  

 This course is offered at the combined ACP/Honors level. Students will be placed in the Honors section for scheduling purposes only. Students will be able to designate which level they would like to be assessed at in the fall once they learn about course expectations. 

Essential Skills in the Astronomy: Stars & Planets ACP/H Classroom

SKILL 1: Investigating Practices

Students will be able to solve problems mathematically using relevant content in familiar and/or unfamiliar contexts. 

Students will be able to use proportional reasoning to solve problems using relevant content in familiar and/or unfamiliar contexts. 

SKILL 2: Sensemaking Practices

Students will be able to analyze and interpret data using relevant content in familiar and/or unfamiliar contexts. 

Students will be able to construct an explanation for a scientific phenomenon using relevant content in familiar and/or unfamiliar contexts.