SCIENCE
Science & Literature TK/K
Instructor: Abigail Soto
$50/month ($200/semester); 50 minutes/week
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners will all benefit from this course that will toggle between hands-on science and hands-on literature.
The science portion will use Mystery Science which introduces a concept in a two minute video presented in the form of a mystery. That leads to discussion questions where they further explore the concept and then a hands-on science experiment which solves the mystery in a way students can understand and remember.
For literature lessons, the course that will feature an illustrated classic children's storybook and include a variety of hands-on activities centered around the story. Using the unit study model, topics covered could include history, geography, art or science.
Math/Science Lab (Botany) 1st-2nd; 3rd-5th
$50/month ($200/semester); 50 minutes/week
This course will alternate math one week and science the next. Both are 50 minutes.
Instructor: Alison Orozco
The Math lab will focus on improving recall of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts depending on level. Math facts will be practiced with fun games, puzzles, and group activities. Techniques will be introduced to help with speed and recall. In addition, logic and problem solving activities will be done to aid in solving more complex math problems.
Instructor: Nicole Nyborg
The Science lab will will focus on Botany. This course will cover the nature of botany and the process of classifying plants. Students will learn about the development of plants from seeds, the reproduction processes in plants, the way plants make their food, and how plants get their water and nutrients and distribute them throughout the body of the plant. As students study these topics, they also learn about many different kinds of plants and where they belong in the plant classification system.
The activities and projects will make the lessons come alive! They include making a “light hut” in which to grow plants, dissection of a bean seed, growing seeds in plastic bags to watch the germination process, making a leaf skeleton, observing how plants grow towards light, measuring transpiration, forcing bulbs to grow out of season, and forcing pine cones to open and close.
All labs are non-sectarian and supplemental in nature. Parents who would like to further explore this topic with students at home can get the source textbook with full lessons for all labs done in class.
STEM: Lego SPIKE 1st-2nd; 3rd-5th
Instructor: Abigail Soto
$60/month; $240/semester
This one semester course will repeat for new students in the second semester.
Lego Spike lessons include motorized projects with a coding component.
1st and 2nd graders will be introduced to engineering design skills in Unit 1 where they’ll learn about the steps that are involved in defining a problem, brainstorming solutions, and testing and refining prototypes to improve their ideas.
Unit 2 for 1st and 2nd graders will introduce students to computational thinking. They'll begin to understand what a sequence is, be able to follow instructions to create a sequence, and describe the sequence to their peers. They'll learn how to break problems down into smaller parts, identify cause and effect, and understand simple loops. Finally, they'll explore the process of testing and debugging programs to ensure that their programs work as intended.
For 3rd-5th graders, the first unit will develop an understanding of computer science as students create sequences and loops, decompose problems, and improve programs to meet specific needs. They will investigate ways of accurately describing the decisions they’ve made when creating a program, carry out fair tests, and develop their ability to generate and debug multiple solutions.
The second unit for 3rd-5th will develop an understanding of energy, energy transfer, and collision. Students will explore ways of using observation skills as they anticipate the outcomes of changes in energy during a collision, describe the relationship between energy and speed, and predict how energy moves from place to place. They’ll also broaden their understanding of energy conversion (potential and kinetic) by investigating a solution that converts energy from one form to another, testing the solution to improve and refine its function.
Pokemon Zoology 3rd-6th
Instructor: Alicia Scull
$43/month; $172/semester
This is a one semester course and will repeat in the second semester for new students.
In this class we will study mammal taxonomy in the context of the Pokemon world, learning what traits and behaviors each order shares with our favorite Pokemon characters. We will work with Venn Diagrams, Cladograms, and Dichotomous Keys in comparing/contrasting these groups. Students will wrap up the semester by designing their own classified mammalian Pokemon, and presenting it to the class.
Middle School Science: Astronomy/Biology (Real Science 4 Kids) 6th-8th Grade
Instructor: Cameron Lanteigne
$50/month ($200/semester); 50 minutes/week
Track 1 and Track 2 are identical. We offer the class at two different times to accommodate demand.
Textbooks for student use will be provided and must be returned at the end of the semester.
Students will complete a worksheet for homework each week. Tests will be given twice each semester.
Fall Semester: Real Science 4 Kids Astronomy will introduce students to the essentials of astronomy. Students will learn about the history of astronomy, telescopes and space tools, how the Moon creates tides, the chemistry of the Sun, the planets in our solar system, other solar systems, our Milky Way Galaxy, other galaxies, nebulae, comets, asteroids, and more.
Spring Semester: Real Science 4 Kids Biology - This course will introduce students to biology concepts such as cells, how a plant grows, what protozoa eat, life cycles and ecosystems. The laboratory portion will include hands-on experiments that incorporate the biology concepts found in the student text. Students will explore how to sort living things, how plants make food, the life cycle of a frog and much more. The experiments are teacher-directed and will be conducted in class.
A-G Biology Lab 9th-12th Grade
Instructor: Tina Nassar
$60/month ($240/semester); 80 minutes/week (Includes supplies/specimens and lab manual)
This is a two semester course but students are welcome to add at any time.
Light lectures will be done at the beginning of every lab to provide students with the information needed to perform the lab with understanding. At times, the students will also be required to complete some additional work at home to prepare for upcoming labs.
Students will be expected to complete the labs and will be assigned grades for their work and participation.
It is important to understand that this course only fulfills the lab portion of a biology curriculum. The students should be doing their own biology curriculum at home in addition to this lab class.
This lab course can be used with any biology textbook and we have charts available showing correlation of experiments to many common textbooks.
Check with your school to ensure this lab course will comply with a-g requirements.
Students will use the QSL Biology Lab Manual (included).
Spring Semester
Fungus - Yeast
Monocot vs. Dicot (leaf, root, stem)
Parts of a Flower
Plant Leaves
Lichen
Dissection: Sea Star
Dissection: Worm
Dissection: Crayfish
Dissection: Grasshopper
Dissection: Fish
Blood
Muscle
Bone
Genetics
Dissection: Frog
A-G Chemistry Lab 9th-12th Grade
Instructor: Tina Nassar
$60/month ($240/semester); 80 minutes/week Includes supplies/specimens and lab manual
This is a two semester course, but students are welcome to add at any time.
Light lectures will be done at the beginning of every lab to provide students with the information needed to perform the lab with understanding. At times, the students will also be required to complete some additional work at home to prepare for upcoming labs.
Students will be expected to complete the labs and will be assigned grades for their work and participation.
It is important to understand that this course only fulfills the lab portion of a chemistry curriculum. The students should be doing their own chemistry curriculum at home in addition to this lab class.
This lab course can be used with any chemistry textbook and we have charts available showing correlation of experiments to many common textbooks.
Algebra 1 is a prerequisite. Students will be doing algebraic equations and graphing.
Check with your school to ensure this lab course will comply with a-g requirements.
Students will use the MicroChem Manual, which is included with the tuition.
Spring Semester
Mole Ratios
Melting Points
Freezing Point Depression
Le Chatelier’s Principle
Reaction Rates, Concentration
Reaction Rates, Temperature and surface area
Solubility Product Constant
pH and pH Indicators
Buffers
Organic Chemistry Models
Hydrocarbon Models
Polymer Models
Cross-linking of a Polymer
Nuclear Decay Simulation