Curriculum Detail

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Science

Scientific literacy is an essential component in the education of the whole person, as are the critical reading and thinking skills that are crucial for proper and well-informed decision making. The science department strives to help the student to understand the diversity and the complexity of the physical and biological worlds and their relationship to everyday life. A major goal is to develop in the student the ability to engage in intelligent, science and technology-related discussions and debates. The department is committed to stimulating the student’s interest in pursuing the fields of science and technology in the future, and to equipping her with the knowledge and skills that she will need to achieve her goals.

  • AP Biology

    The Advanced Placement Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course. It aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. Primary emphasis will be on developing an understanding of concepts rather than on memorizing terms and technical details. Topics will include molecules and cells, including the chemistry of life, cells, and cellular energetics; evolution, including heredity, molecular genetics and evolutionary biology; and organisms and populations, including the diversity of organisms, the structure and function of plants and animals, and ecology. Extensive college- level laboratory experiments are an important part of the course. This course requires independence, dedication and tenacity. Students are expected to do large amounts of preparation daily for this course including pre-reading chapters, preparing for labs and writing essays. Students will be required to attend additional class sessions before school on a regular basis. Note: a significant amount of work will be assigned over the summer prior to the course.

  • AP Chemistry

    The Advanced Placement Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent to the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. As outlined in the College Board’s Advanced Placement Course Description: Chemistry, students in this course will attain a depth of understanding of fundamental chemical properties and competence in dealing with chemical problems. Advanced Placement Chemistry uses a college-level textbook, where an array of fundamental and theoretical concepts is covered in greater detail and depth. Topics to be addressed include atomic theory, quantum mechanics, stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, phases of matter, solutions, reaction studies, chemical equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, descriptive inorganic chemistry, fundamentals of organic chemistry, acids and bases, electrochemistry, and coordination chemistry. In addition, college-level laboratory experiments will serve to supplement instructional lecture and activities. Students will be required to attend additional class sessions before school on a regular basis. 

  • AP Physics

    AP Physics 1 is an accelerated lab course providing an in-depth study of physics concepts. It covers one and two dimensional kinematics, Newton’s Laws of motion, work, power, energy transfer and conservation, rotational dynamics and angular momentum, mechanical waves, sound, and simple DC circuits. AP Physics emphasizes problem solving skills and experiment analysis. A large amount of class time is used for inquiry based labs and activities. It is expected that students enrolled in AP Physics 1will take the AP Physics 1 exam offered during the spring semester. Strong mathematics skills are required to be successful in this course as are good reading comprehension skills. 

  • Biology

    This course provides an overview of the complex web of interdependence that is formed by the environment and the living organisms that inhabit it. The course is designed to build from the microscopic world of the cell to the macroscopic world of the organism. Students will study the following topics: cellular structure, function, and processes, homeostasis, genetics, evolution, zoology, and ecology. Laboratory activities are an essential component to enhance course content. 

  • Biology Honors

    This course covers all of the topics that are studied in the Biology course but with greater rigor, at a faster pace, and with more emphasis on the inquiry-based experimentation, biotechnology and scientific writing. This class is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Biology course.

  • Chemistry

    This introductory college preparatory course will cover general inorganic and physical chemistry with an emphasis on atomic theory, inorganic nomenclature, types of reactions, stoichiometry, phases of matter, gas laws, quantum mechanics, periodicity, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, solutions, acids and bases, and nuclear chemistry. Laboratory activities are an integral part of the course used to reinforce or introduce concepts and teach safe laboratory techniques. 

  • Chemistry Honors

    This course covers all of the topics that are studied in the Chemistry course but with greater rigor, at a faster pace, and with more emphasis on the quantitative aspects of chemistry. Some additional topics are covered as well. Students enrolled in this course are expected to have a facility with mathematics. This class is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Chemistry course.

  • Engineer Your World

    Engineering Your World was developed by a team from University of Texas and NASA engineers. This course uses a unique, multi-level engineering design process that is both accessible to high school students and authentic to the experience of professional engineers. The course highlights engineering’s potential to impact human lives and the world around them. Students discover how engineers design products with users in mind and how solutions evolve over time. Working in teams, students will design products useful in our everyday lives, use computation and programming skills to solve fun and important challenges, and solve complex, system-level design challenges. Students will explore the breadth of engineering fields and professions so that students can make informed decisions about pursuing engineering. 

  • Marine Biology

    This course provides an overview of the biology and the ecology of the marine environment and the organisms that inhabit it. The class begins with a survey of the physical ocean and the special problems it creates for its inhabitants. In the remainder of the course students study the organisms that live in the ocean, from microscopic algae to macroscopic vertebrates. Other topics include: oceanography, food webs, adaptations to the diverse marine habitats, and the natural history of marine invertebrates and vertebrates. This course utilizes laboratory experiments, fieldwork and animal observations to enhance course content. Students will also participate in an overnight field trip in the spring semester. 

  • Physical Geology

    Physical Geology is an in-depth study of how the earth is constructed and the processes that have formed the earth and continue to change the Earth’s surface. Topics will include: the understanding of the formation and identification of rocks and minerals; the types of volcanoes and how and why they erupt; the weathering of rocks and their effects on Earth’s surface and human populations; rivers and groundwater and the ecological impacts of humans on water sources; glaciers, deserts, beaches, and the ocean floor; earthquakes and their relationships to plate tectonics and the effects on humans; how mountains form; and fossils and their relationships to Earth’s past.

  • Physics

    In this course students learn the basic principles that govern the physical world around them. A mathematical model of the world is developed and examined in order to explore relationships among various physical quantities. The first part of the course is devoted to classical mechanics, including kinematics, and dynamics in one and two dimensions. The second part of the course deals with a variety of topics, such as wave motion and energy transfer, sound, and light. Laboratory experiments and group projects are a significant part of the course. A good background in mathematics is essential for success in physics. 

  • Physiology

    This course provides an overview of the complex design and workings of the human body. This course begins with a review of the relationship between structure and function, a basic understanding of body regions and general anatomical and physiological terminology, working towards cellular biology and human tissues. In the remainder of the course, students study each organ system in great detail with an emphasis on each system’s contribution to homeostasis . Students will also learn about diseases associated with each organ system. This course utilizes laboratory experiments to enhance course content. Students are required to carry out dissections on a variety of animals. Utilizing multiple guest presentations, students will also be introduced to career opportunities that involve anatomy and physiology.

Contact

5515 Franklin Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90028

hello@immaculateheart.org
Phone: 323-461-3651

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A Catholic, independent college preparatory school for girls in grades 6 through 12, Immaculate Heart has been located on a beautiful hillside property in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles since our founding by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1906. We celebrate more than a century of nurturing the spiritual, intellectual, social and moral development of students as they distinguish themselves as women of great heart and right conscience.