Natural Science - Year I

This integrated two-year high school science course provides the background in earth, life, and physical sciences necessary for success in more intensive college-preparatory courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. The core concepts of modern science are presented in their social and historical context, rather than as abstract theories isolated from each other or their historical roots. We will discover the basic principles underlying both the physical and life sciences, including atomic theory, chemical reactions, motion, energy, electricity and magnetism, classification of living things, ecology, evolution, and cellular biology, along with overviews of the sciences of geology, meteorology, astronomy, oceanography, zoology and botany as we move through the history of scientific ideas from the ancient world to our own time. Students will learn to apply and recognize the limitations and advantages of scientific methodology, experimental and observational methods, and to mathematical methods for data analysis, and to appreciate not only the interrelations between different areas of scientific knowledge, but how the methods of critical analysis of observations developed, and how social forces shaped modern science.

The course will meet once a week for discussion of material drawn from primarily from extensive website reading on the historical background and substance of modern scientific theories. Exercises and lab assignments will help students learn the practical application of the ideas discussed in class.

Students should take this course in preparation for the more advanced topics of biology, physics, and chemistry.

This course is offered through Scholars Online, a non-profit organization supporting classical Christian education through Internet-based courses. Permission to copy course content (lessons and labs) for personal study is granted to students currently enrolled in this course for the Academic Year 2008/2009 or Summer 2008. Reproduction for any other purpose, without the express written consent of the author, is prohibited.