Middle School Grade 8 Science delivers instruction, practice, and review to help students develop scientific literacy, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply scientific practices. Students explore concepts such as waves and electromagnetic radiation, energy and forces on Earth and in space, genetics and natural selection, and engineering design.

The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with two to three lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas accessible to students as they discover the nature of science through focused content, interactive mini-investigations, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. Students engage with the subject matter in an interactive, feedback-rich environment as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.

This course is built to state standards.


AP Environmental Science provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. The course draws upon various disciplines, including geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography in order to explore a variety of environmental topics. Topics explored include natural systems on Earth; biogeochemical cycles; the nature of matter and energy; the flow of matter and energy through living systems; populations; communities; ecosystems; ecological pyramids; renewable and nonrenewable resources; land use; biodiversity; pollution; conservation; sustainability; and human impacts on the environment. The equivalent of an introductory college-level science course, AP Environmental Science prepares students for the AP exam and for further study in science, health sciences, or engineering.

This college-prep level course is designed to acquaint you with the physical, ecological, social, and political principles of environmental science. The processes of science are used to analyze and understand the inter-relationships between humans and the natural environment.  Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Biology I. 

(2nd semester of course).