Matanzas High School

Course Description

AICE Biology is an advanced Biology course designed to help students dive deeper into complex biological topics, develop effective skills for scientific communication, and apply this knowledge in a laboratory/practical setting. This course reviews key concepts including cells as the units of life, DNA as the molecule of heredity, and a review of basic mammalian anatomy and physiology.

Additional Information

Prerequisite: Pre-AICE Biology

This course has a prerequisite of 9th grade regular or Pre-AICE level Biology. Students must sit for the AICE Exam, which may occur after the end of the school year.

Course Number: 2000321

Course Description

For more information about this Cambridge course, visit the curriculum page of the Cambridge Assessment International Education website. 

The key concepts for Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry are:

• Atoms and forces: Matter is built from atoms interacting and bonding through electrostatic forces. The structure of matter affects its physical and chemical properties, and influences how substances react chemically.
• Experiments and evidence: Chemists use evidence gained from observations and experiments to build models and theories of the structure and reactivity of materials. Theories are tested by further experiments and an appreciation of accuracy and reliability is gained.
• Patterns in chemical behavior and reactions: Patterns in chemical behavior can be identified and used to predict the properties of substances. By applying these patterns, useful new substances can be designed and synthetic routes created.
• Chemical bonds: The understanding of how chemical bonds are made and broken by the movement of electrons allows us to predict patterns of reactivity. Appreciation of the strength of chemical bonds leads to the understanding of a material’s properties and its uses.
• Energy changes: The energy changes that take place during chemical reactions can be used to predict the extent, feasibility and rate of such reactions. An understanding is gained of why and how chemical reactions happen.

Additional Information

Prerequisite: Pre-AICE Chemistry

 Students must sit for the AICE exam, which may occur after the end of the school year.

Course Number: 2003371

Course Description

For more information about this Cambridge course, visit the curriculum page of the Cambridge Assessment International Education website. 

In this non-lab science course, you can expect to learn the following:

1. sustainability
2. the water cycle
3. the atmosphere
4. basics of ecology and ecosystems
5. the application of the scientific method to the collection of reliable data (This section is the only lab section of the course)
6. how environmental data is collected free of bias
7. ways to mathematically analyze data including Lincoln index, Simpson's diversity index, and ACFOR scale, how big data is collected
8. Human population analysis by country including calculating population density and dependency ratios
9. explaining how the age structure of a population impacts that population
10. evaluate ways to manage human population growth
11. Biomes and the importance of conservation of biodiversity
12. describe and evaluate practices as well as legislation about how biodiversity is managed
13. human impacts on ecosystems including describe and explaining / evaluating human impacts in Antarctica and tropical rainforests
14. describing food security including describe and evaluate practices used to manage food security
15. describing energy security including describe and evaluate practices used to manage energy security
16. describing waste management practices, including describe and evaluate practices used to manage waste production and sustainability
17. describing global water supplies including describe and evaluate practices used to manage global water supplies
18. describing acid deposition including describe and evaluate practices used to manage acid deposition
19. describing photochemical smog and other air pollutants, including describe and evaluate practices used to manage air quality
20. describing ozone formation and depletion including describe and evaluate practices used to manage the ozone layer
21. outlining climate change, difficulties caused by climate change, and describing and evaluating practices used to manage climate change.

Additional Information

 Students must sit for the AICE exam, which may occur after the end of the school year.

Course Number: 2001381

Course Description

For more information about this Cambridge course, visit the curriculum page of the Cambridge Assessment International Education website. 

In AICE marine science, you can expect to learn about:

1. How to graph / The scientific method
2. Density, layers, and mixing of ocean water
3. Basic chemistry and biology (macromolecules)
4. The development of the theory of plate tectonics
5. How sedimentation, weathering, and erosion create ecosystems
6. How plate boundaries create features on the ocean floor
7. Types of littoral zones made by weathering sedimentation and erosion
8. Tides
9. Ocean currents
10. El Nino
11. Symbiotic relationships in our oceans
12. Differences between photosynthesis chemosynthesis and respiration
13. How nutrients cycle within the oceans with an emphasis on the carbon cycle
14. Classification of marine life, including features about macroalgae, marine plants, chordates, echinoderms, crustaceans, bony fish, cartilaginous fish, as well as how to make an use a dichotomous key to identify these creatures
15. How biodiversity creates stable or unstable ecosystems
16. How to use the Lincoln Index, Simpson's diversity index, Spearman's rank index, and ACFOR scale to measure and quantitatively compare diversity of ecosystems
17. Learn about specific ecosystems such as the open ocean, sandy shore, mangrove forest, tropical coral reefs, and rocky shores.

Additional Information

Students must sit for the AICE Exam, which may occur after the end of the school year.

Course Number: 2002515

Course Description

Study of the human body and how it works utilizing interactive labs and activities.

Additional Information

Prerequisite: Biology/Pre-AICE Biology

Honors and Advanced Level Course Note: Advanced courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.

Course Number: 2000360

Course Description

Biology is a course which helps learners to better understand the biological world in which they live and take an informed interest in science. This course aims to review several of the major concepts that are essential to the study of life, including cells as the basic unit of life, DNA as the molecule of heredity, and review of ecological principles and relationships.

Additional Information

EOC exam counts for 30% of overall course grade.

Course Number: 2000310

Course Description

Earth/Space Science is a high school science course that engages students in investigating and understanding Earth and its place in the universe. Students identify, analyze, and relate the internal processes of Earth’s systems (such as geological and atmospheric interactions) and external (astronomical) conditions that influence climate, geologic activity, and Earth’s environment. The course includes exploration of topics such as Earth’s spheres, space phenomena, and the broad effects of space exploration on society and scientific knowledge.

Additional Information:
Prerequisite: Biology

Course Number: 200310

Course Description

This course is all about the environment and how we interact with and impact the Earth. It is the branch of science that deals with the world around us.

Course Number: 2001340

Course Description

The course Health Science Anatomy & Physiology (8417100) is designated as an equally rigorous (EQ) science credit. This course is part of the secondary Health Core consisting of an overview of the human body, both structurally and functionally with emphasis on the pathophysiology and transmission of disease. Medical terminology is an integral part of the course. Medical terminology is an integral part of the course.

Additional Information

Anatomy and Physiology Honors (2000360) may be substituted for the course Health Science Anatomy & Physiology (8417100).
*Students must pass Anatomy and Physiology Honors or this course to advance to the next level of the Allied Health Program.

Course Number: 8417100

Course Description

During this interdisciplinary science course, students can expect to learn about:

1. Water and how the oceans got water as well as how this water became salty
2. How water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles in the oceans
3. How water can regulate climate
4. How waves, tides, and currents influence marine life
5. How plate boundaries shaped the ocean into what it looks like today
6. About life in the ocean, including trophic relationships and energy flow, symbiosis, biodiversity, invasive species
7. Resources we depend on from our oceans, and lastly
8. How humans have impacted the oceans.

Course Number: 2002500

Course Description

During this interdisciplinary science course, students can expect to learn about:

1. Water and how the oceans got water as well as how this water became salty
2. How water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles in the oceans
3. How water can regulate climate
4. How waves, tides, and currents influence marine life
5. How plate boundaries shaped the ocean into what it looks like today
6. About life in the ocean, including trophic relationships and energy flow, symbiosis, biodiversity, invasive species
7. Resources we depend on from our oceans, and lastly
8. How humans have impacted the oceans.

Additional Information

Honors and Advanced Level Course Note: Advanced courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.

Course Number: 2002510

Course Description

Pre-AICE/IGCSE Biology helps learners to understand the biological world in which they live and take an informed interest in science. This course aims to review several of the major concepts that are essential to the study of life, including cells as the basic unit of life, DNA as the molecule of heredity, and review of ecological principles and relationships. Learners also develop an understanding of the scientific skills essential for progression to Cambridge International AS Level Biology.

Additional Information

EOC exam counts for 30% of overall course grade.

Course Number: 2000322

Course Description

Pre-AICE Chemistry is a laboratory-based science course with mathematical applications designed to prepare students for the AICE Cambridge equivalent. Students will be introduced to the study of the composition, properties, and changes associated with matter. Laboratory activities, research, technology, and effective communication as scientific investigations will be integral components of this class. Successful completion Pre-AICE Chemistry will give students a solid foundation in chemical principles and concepts and develop strong critical thinking skills.

Additional Information

Honors and Advanced Level Course Note: Advanced courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.

Course Number: 2003372