 |
The Hill School Science Department |
 |
|
The Hill School Science Department |
|
SCIENCE FACULTY
|
The Science Department|Physical Science| |Biology| |Chemistry| |Physics| |Home|We believe that it is not enough to learn and memorize subject matter. We want our students to know how to apply what they learn. We are committed to teaching our students "how to," not just "what," and our courses, therefore, all have lab work built into them, including the chance to form questions and answer them through research. All courses have ample lab time and space, for the laboratories are designed for sixteen students but rarely contain more than twelve. One laboratory has a greenhouse as w ell as large tanks for animals and fish. Beehives are located outside another lab. The science courses at The Hill provide students with a solid understanding and appreciation of the natural and physical sciences. To this end, there are two levels of biology and three each of chemistry and physics, the highest level of each being the Advanced Placement course. Third formers (and some fourth) can take a special biology research class unique to The Hill which gives the students a chance to create experiments. In the first term they learn scientific methods and how to use the Internet fo r research. In the second they create their own projects. The Widener Science Center, built in the 1920s, has recently had its interior completely renovated to house modern classrooms and laboratories. A number of computers are available solely for laboratory simulations and test reviews. Additional computers are available in the classrooms and laboratory so that students can learn to do graphing and writing laboratories. The department computers are networked and have access to both on-line services and the Internet. Homework assignments are placed on the Internet. The department also has a vast video library which is used extensively in the classroom. The school's two new laser disc players are used frequently in our science courses. With the use of video cameras, a computer scanner, and video software, science tea chers are beginning to develop The Hill's own education soft ware for the classroom and laboratory. All first- and second-year courses meet four recitation periods and two laboratory periods a week. Biology 1, Chemistry 1, or Physics I satisfies the diploma requirement of one laboratory science. All second-year courses are restricted in enrollment, and entrance into each course is only by approval by the department chairman. Second-year courses are designed for those students who plan further work in these areas in college and qualify the student for the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations. Hill students traditionally score high on national testing, and courses are offered to prepare for achievement and AP tests. The science department has a term course system which emphasizes the application of science. Courses such as Lasers and Holography, The Physics of Sports, Recombinant DNA, Environmental Chemistry, Electronics, Kinesiology, Ecology, and Botany are some of the courses we have offered to meet the interests and abilities of older students. |