The Art of Sequencing High School Science Classes: What Order To Teach

In this podcast episode, we delve into the sequencing of high school science classes, exploring why they're typically taught in a specific order and the mathematical foundations required for each course. We'll discuss the rationale behind this traditional approach and how it aligns with the graduation requirements of both public and private schools.

From biology to chemistry and physics, we'll dissect the progression of topics and concepts, highlighting the mathematical skills essential for success in each class. Additionally, we'll explore alternative pathways to science education, considering how different curricular structures or educational philosophies might impact the sequencing of courses and the mathematical prerequisites. I'll discuss electives and AP courses, making tailoring your science curriculum to your academic goals easier. 

Whether you're a student navigating your science curriculum or an educator seeking insights into instructional design, join us as we unpack the intricacies of high school science education pathways and their mathematical underpinnings.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Today we're tackling a common question that crops up this time of the year, and that is in what order should I teach high school science? What is that progression? Now, before we dive in, it's crucial to recognize that there isn't a one size fits all. Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics. The path you choose should align with your goals, your student interests and any college requirements of the college that you're interested in. So this is going to mean you're going to have those conversations with your student. Now Think about those colleges and look at what they are requiring for any interest that your child may have, if they are college bound. Most high schools, believe it or not, do not even mandate a full four years of science, but colleges will be looking at this. They will be comparing your transcript with others to see not only how many sciences you take, but what types of sciences you take, especially for STEM and medical fields. For the second part, I'm going to tackle this question from the point of view of the progression of classes in a public high school. Now, when I say progression, I'm talking about the order of classes that are typically recommended for students to take from ninth grade through to graduation. Another reason why I want to tackle this question from the point of view of a public, or even private school is that generally, my parents that are asking this are asking because they want to know what the students that are graduating from public or private school have on their transcripts, so that they can provide a comparable experience.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Let's start with the standard progression. A standard progression path for graduation is to start with biology in ninth grade, chemistry or physical science in tenth grade, and a third science as an elective in eleventh grade. Now, there are some states that have reduced this from three to two years, but biology is generally always a requirement, and the reason biology is generally always a requirement is that biology is part of the state school grade. Now, that third science that I mentioned is usually described by schools as a rigorous and lab based science. What that means is that that science includes some type of lab component. These sciences can be environmental science, physical science, human anatomy and physiology, but they're not going to be those electives that are more behavioral sciences like psychology. If you're in doubt as far as which elective or which other science would qualify, I strongly recommend getting a hold of your state or local school district's course of classes and reading those descriptions. They usually have a progression chart that will tell you what classes and electives that they allow to be counted toward graduation.

Speaker 1: 3:13

Now, as mentioned earlier, for students that are even considering careers in STEM, you definitely want to make sure that they have the full four years of science and I recommend starting with biology in ninth grade, chemistry in tenth grade, then moving on to advanced sciences, depending on a career path, such as honors or AP chemistry honors or AP environmental and physics. Whether that's standard honors or AP, many of the students that I've worked with would either take AP chemistry followed by AP environmental. They may take AP chemistry followed by physics, or they may focus on physics by taking physics followed by AP physics. So with those examples, you can see that it really depends on your students interests, what college they want to go to and what their interests are in career paths. I mentioned a lot about AP and you may be wondering how can my child participate in the AP or advanced placement program by college board if they're not enrolled in a public or private high school?

Speaker 1: 4:17

If you follow me on social media, then you have heard me say that homeschool parents can apply for their own account with college board, and it's not difficult to do. In my experience, college Board wants to make their program accessible to all students. Now, this is College Board not the school, but College Board and at the time of this podcast, it is not difficult to do. All you need is to submit the notice on letterhead that you submitted to your school district, your state, whichever it is that you had to do, declaring your intent to homeschool your child. Then you go through a process similar to every other educator where we have to submit a class audit, and this is basically submitting your syllabus and the textbook that you attend to review. Now, the syllabus may sound intimidating, but it is not. There is a course description and examination document that I use as my syllabus. It is designed by College Board and is actually recommended for use. I've never had an audit rejected whenever I submitted the CED as my syllabus and selected one of their recommended textbooks, and, in addition to getting accepted, the CED just makes sense. The topics in the order to teach them are logical and it's a great document that is packed with information. I can get carried away with this because I am a huge proponent for any and every student that want to participate in an advanced placement program having that opportunity, whether or not they attend a public or private school. So I will dive deeper into this in the later episode, so be sure to stay tuned or the follow to be notified Now.

Speaker 1: 5:53

This would be a good point to incorporate math into the progression because it is essential to consider the math prerequisites for each science course. For instance, students should complete algebra before taking chemistry. The reason behind this is that a solid understanding of algebra provides a strong foundation for the mathematical concepts involved in chemistry. I often get from my students wait a minute, I thought this was a science class, not a math class. Well, keep in mind that while you can have math without science is not necessarily the other way around. Math supports the concepts in science. So where the lower levels you did not incorporate so much math, that was only because their math was not at the level that they needed to understand the deeper concepts.

Speaker 1: 6:40

Now that they're in high school they are expected to be able to incorporate the math within their science concepts, especially if they're going on into STEM fields. So you want to make sure that you are giving them that foundation and keeping the math aligned with the course. So we know that algebra needs to be completed before chemistry and for physics you want to have trigonometry completed, because you're going to have to use sine, cosine and tangent functions quite a bit, from finding the angle of displacement to the missing distance. Each of these math classes should be completed before, not in conjunction with, the science class. The reason is that some of the concepts, for example, that students will use in chemistry at a point in the class are not yet covered or built up to be covered in algebra. I've ran into this quite a bit when I've had students taking a math class. That should have been a prerequisite in conjunction with the science class. I'm not saying it cannot be done, but many students struggle quite a bit, not because they could not handle the math, but because they did not have the foundational math skills that build up to the skill they needed in order to complete the calculations in chemistry, physics or AP.

Speaker 1: 7:57

The two progressions that I've discussed so far is the standard progression, where we start with biology in ninth grade, generally, chemistry in tenth grade, a third and rigorous lab-based science and maybe another science after that, depending on your child's interest. And then we have the more advanced progression, where we start with ninth grade biology, followed by tenth grade chemistry, and then the remaining years are open to a combination of standard honors or AP, depending on your goals after high school. Now there are alternatives to this, depending on your situation, your interests and where you may be coming from. From middle school, as mentioned earlier, there are some students that take biology in eighth grade. Usually these students are on an advanced track where they have algebra one in eighth grade, and by taking biology along with algebra one, it prepares them to take chemistry in ninth grade and open up even more grades for advanced sciences.

Speaker 1: 8:57

Now others may struggle more in math and decide to take biology, followed by physical science in tenth grade because they need more time in algebra. And then others, regardless of whether they struggle in math or not, may not have a love for math or science, and then they may take biology, followed by physical science and another elective, depending on what the state allows. So you definitely have to go back and check on what your state allows for graduation, especially in the case where your child may not be interested in math, may not be interested in science, but they need to have that on their transcript to receive that state's diploma. So you can see that there are multiple ways to do this, but it definitely depends on your state's requirements and whatever you plan to do after high school, and this path can further vary based on any changes your child has in their career plan, what they've already taken and a lot of other factors.

Speaker 1: 9:53

So whether you are aiming for a career in STEM or simply want to nurture a love for science in your student, you will not want to miss a single episode. Let me know if you have any questions or if you've experienced any other situations you'd like to share. Head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencemintercom, then select Podcasts from the menu Subscribe now to the Home, school and High School Science Podcast for your regular dose of motivation and just-in-time science ideas, and together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. And until next time. Remember curiosity leads to endless opportunities.