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A grade for the class is available if requested. 

This course will give learners a solid understanding of the basics of physics, chemistry, and biology.  We will focus on a particular concept each week starting with physics, then moving into chemistry, and finishing with biology.  Previous concepts will be integrated into later topics when relevant.  Each week there will be a video lecture of approximately 35-45 minutes along with a worksheet that learners can fill out if they would like.  During the video lecture I will explain the concepts using the whiteboard along with demonstrations. I will also go through activities that the learner may do with me if they would like.  I will ask questions during the video that the learner may try to answer before I reveal the answer.  I will then go over the worksheet. The learner may pause the video if they would like to do the worksheet on their own before the answers are revealed. 

There are also activities that the learners can do along with the lecture if they would like, although I will demonstrate them in the video.  During the lecture I will go over the worksheet answers; learners may want to pause the video and fill out the worksheet before I reveal the answers.  

There will also be optional homework assignments each week with answers provided. At the end of each unit, there is an optional assessment, also with answers.   If learners have questions on the homework, the assessments, or lecture topics, they may ask me in the classroom discussion.  

Each week there will be a project for learners to complete that uses simple, easy to obtain materials.  Examples of projects include a balloon-powered car, a paper roller coaster, a lava lamp, and a mitosis flip book.  Learners may send images or videos of their project to me through the classroom if they would like feedback.  

Every unit will contain an optional photo scavenger hunt for the learners.  They will need to find examples of concepts that we have studied in class and capture photos for each.  Examples include something that has a high thermal conductivity, something that has chemical potential energy, or an example of Newton’s First Law of Motion.  Learners may send their photos to me through the classroom if they would like feedback. 

Students should have basic equation-solving skills for the physics portion of the course but a student who catches on quickly may be fine without it.  

Week 1 
 Studies of motion: speed, velocity, acceleration.  After introducing the topics and Galileo’s experimental determination of the earth’s gravitational constant, we will look at calculations involving these quantities.  

Week 2 
Newton’s Universal Laws of Motion, gravity, mass, and weight.  We will explore how Newton’s Universal Laws of Motion apply to space travel as well as the world around us, distinguish between mass and weight and discuss how gravity affects weight.

Week 3 
Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics.  We will look at energy, work, and power and the differences between kinetic and potential energy.  We will explore the first law of thermodynamics and methods of heat transfer.  

Week 4 
The Second Law of Thermodynamics and electrical circuits.  We will explore the tenets of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and discuss entropy.  We will then take a look at electricity and simple circuits along with Coulomb’s Law and Ohm’s Law.

Week 5 
Electromagnetic Waves.  We will explore the relationship between electricity and magnetism.  We will discuss electromagnetic waves and their interaction with matter.  

Week 6 
Models of the Atom.  We will discuss the history of the atom and the various models that led to our current understanding of the atom, the quantum mechanical model.  

Week 7 
The Periodic Table. We will talk about how elements are arranged on the periodic table according to their chemical properties along with discussions of isotopes, valence electrons, atomic mass, and atomic number.

Week 8 
Chemical Bonding.  We will look at how atoms combine with ionic and covalent bonding.  Students will understand how to draw basic Lewis dot structures and how to write the formula for basic ionic compounds.  

Week 9 
Chemical Reactions and States of Matter.  We will learn how to balance chemical equations, examine the states of matter, and look at endothermic and exothermic reactions. 

Week 10 
Organic Chemistry.  We will examine the functional groups of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and esters.  We will examine isomers, see how esters can be formed from alcohols and carboxylic acids, and look at distillation as a method of separating compounds by their boiling points.  

Week 11 
The Cell.  We will take a look at the construction of both plant and animal cells with respect to organelles and transport across the cell membrane and discuss photosynthesis and respiration.  

Week 12 
Proteins.  We will explore how proteins are constructed and how they keep our bodies running by functioning as enzymes.  We will also take a look at how drugs work to correct problems with enzyme function.  

Week 13 
DNA.  We will discuss the function of DNA and take a look at its structure.  We will also see how DNA is transferred to new cells in both mitosis and meiosis.  

Week 14 
The Genetic Code.  We will see how RNA functions to create proteins from the instructions given by DNA and will look at how mutations in the DNA can affect protein function.

Week 15 
DNA manipulations.  We will explore how scientists are engineering DNA to produce insulin and other proteins artificially, how PCR can allow scientists to make large quantities of a particular stretch of DNA, and how DNA is used in forensics science to help catch criminals.