A foundational part of the Rivers Upper School science curriculum, Biology is a year-long course that will cover the essential content and skills of this increasingly dynamic and complex field of study. Through studying content on scales ranging from cells to ecosystems, students will not only cover the core topics of the modern field of biology, but also be trained in essential skills (e.g. data analysis) and perspectives (e.g. a DEI lens) that will drive their future success in science and beyond. With the current freshman-sophomore biology and chemistry sequence having been first introduced about a decade ago, this proposed curricular redesign presents an opportunity to re-envision our big picture goals for upper school science at Rivers and embed those thoughtfully into a new sequence (which includes 9th grade Biology and 10th grade chemistry). Each unit of the course will focus on specific experiential opportunities related to the content of that unit - whether it be labs, hands-on activities, or projects focused on the content of each unit.

Honors Biology covers the same content as Biology, but covers it in more depth and with less scaffolding than the 200-level Biology course.

Biology & Chemistry II is the second year of the two-year integrated biology and chemistry curriculum. Students begin the year with a laboratory investigation to review the concepts of the periodic table, cell structures, macromolecules, and the chemical makeup of compounds. This is followed by a study of the chemistry of biological systems. Students explore the various systems of the human body and their underlying chemical reactions and relationships. Gas laws and the respiratory system are followed by enzymes and how they affect reaction rates. Students then focus on chemical equilibrium as it relates to hormones and explore acids and bases in the context of blood and buffers. In addition, students learn the fundamentals of thermochemistry and nuclear chemistry. Students use basic algebraic and problem-solving skills as they apply chemistry to these biological systems. The culmination of the course is a fetal pig dissection that reviews the human system and the chemical reactions that help it function.

Advanced Biology & Chemistry II covers the same subject matter as Biology & Chemistry II, the second year of the two-year integrated biology and chemistry curriculum. The Advanced Biology & Chemistry II course places a greater emphasis on using algebraic skills and creative problem-solving to address complex problems, while also probing the subject matter in greater depth and with less review.

Students enrolled in Honors Biology & Chemistry II explore the same topics as in Advanced Biology & Chemistry II, but in greater depth and detail and at an accelerated pace. Approval of the department is necessary, and the successful honors student will possess strong algebraic skills to successfully balance chemical equations and solve stoichiometric problems. Honors students should also be self-motivated and independent. Laboratory reports, homework assignments, and tests all require a higher level of engagement and commitment on the part of the student.

This course is designed to give students a conceptual understanding of the major ideas of physics, including mechanics, heat, sound, and electricity. Although the emphasis is on concepts, the course requires students to practice and develop the quantitative skills they have learned in algebra and geometry through laboratories and work with elementary physics equations. Significant stress is placed on students’ growth as analytical thinkers. The ability to tackle new problems using understanding gained from prior concepts is a daily requirement. This course will emphasize developing students’ abilities to provide clear, concise explanations of physical phenomena using fundamental principles and concepts. Simultaneously, students will tie these concepts to skills and concepts studied in their mathematics classes to develop both a conceptual and quantitative understanding of the foundations of physics.

Advanced Physics is designed to give students a broad conceptual and quantitative understanding of the central concepts of physics, including acceleration, forces, circular motion, energy, momentum, heat, pressure and buoyancy, sound, electricity, and magnetism. Significant analytical thinking is required of students as they are asked to apply the physics they are learning to answer new and unfamiliar questions. Tackling new challenges using understanding gained from prior concepts is a daily requirement. The labs give students hands-on experience with the physics they are learning and reinforce the detailed expectations of how to properly write up a lab report. Students are expected to explain physical phenomena with clear written explanations, and to calculate numerical answers using the equations of physics. The course requires a strong foundation of algebra skills.

This is a calculus-based, college-level physics class that covers the fundamentals of mechanics, including linear motion, forces, energy, momentum, statics, rotational motion, and waves. The pace of the course is brisk and the demands are considerable; independence and motivation are vital. The emphasis is on problem solving and analytical thinking. Students are presented with new, unfamiliar physics and math daily, requiring them to persevere and search thoughtfully for means of tackling the challenges presented. A calculus course is not a prerequisite, but students must be adept at mathematics and have a solid background in algebra and trigonometry in order to learn the fundamentals and applications of calculus taught in this course. All students take the first half of the AP Physics C exam, Mechanics, in May.

Steve Jobs once said, “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” This course assumes no prior knowledge and is intended to be an introduction to coding and how computers can help solve problems.  Students begin by learning the basics of variables, input/output, control structures, and the "list" and "dictionary" data structures in the Python programming language.  Although the course includes the basics of information theory, computer memory, and the science of computers, the focus will be solving coding challenges, which increase in difficulty and reward, as well as designing and completing projects, which encourage students to apply what they learned to new challenges.

This course is open to Eleventh and Twelfth graders. The structure and workload of this course is designed such that it can be taken alongside a student’s five core courses in English, History, Language, Math, or Science.

Students in this course continue learning more sophisticated computer science topics like using and writing functions, object-oriented programming, reading and writing from files, and using APIs and web scraping to pull data from websites.  The focus on problem solving and hands-on projects continues from Computer Science I, as the students tackle challenges such as analyzing data, designing and coding their own game using the Pygame package, and using reinforcement learning to train an algorithm to master their game.

This course is open to Eleventh and Twelfth graders. This course is designed to be taken alongside a student’s five core courses taken from English, History, Language, Math, or Science. 

Scientists estimate that there may be more than 100 million species on Earth. In this course, we will explore the many types and lifestyles of organisms that share our planet, including the patterns of evolution that led to their existence. The course includes an ongoing “field” component in which students use class time to document and ask questions about the biodiversity of Rivers campus, and lab activities will use molecular genetics methods to explore diversity in the lab as well. There will also be a trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

This course introduces students to the engineering process through 3D modeling and digital fabrication. Students will learn to use professional grade CAD software to create digital models which they will then prototype using 3D printers and laser cutters in the school’s digital fabrication facility. Students will be introduced to and explore concepts relating to structural, mechanical, and industrial design through exploratory labs and design challenges. Students will engage heavily with the iterative design process, repeatedly designing, prototyping, and testing various components and designs. Students will be expected to do a fair amount of independent work on their projects outside of class as the semester progresses and they become more familiar with these technology platforms. Students should expect that their designs will need multiple iterations in order to function properly, often requiring them to scrap hours of work and start from scratch once a significant issue or obstacle has been discovered. This engagement with the iterative design process is key to understanding the modern method of engineering design and will be a significant theme throughout this course.

This course builds off of what students learned in Engineering I and shifts the focus to systems engineering. The bulk of the semester will revolve around a semester-long group project that will require the design and construction of mechanical, structural, electrical, and software subsystems which must interact with each other to achieve a specific goal. Students will be placed in small groups where they must cooperate as a small design team in an effort to “divide and conquer” the challenge set before them. Through this process, students will apply the skills they learned in Engineering I to more complex, open-ended problems. Students will also be introduced to the fundamentals of electrical circuitry and programming, collecting and processing data from physical sensors through the use of small-system embedded microcontrollers. Students will be expected to work independently on their portions of the project while communicating effectively with their teammates. Groups will be expected to clearly define individual responsibilities, and students will be assessed primarily on their performance on the tasks for which they are responsible.

Our understanding of the human body has been increasing at an explosive rate.  To understand how and why the body works, students must integrate the study of anatomy, physiology, and pathology. In this course, students learn about several of the human organ systems: their microscopic and macroscopic structures, their normal function, and the result of disruption to homeostasis of this system. For a number of weeks during the course, classroom learning is interspersed with hands-on learning at the Harvard Medical School.  For one class period plus one lunch block per week, students don scrubs and a stethoscope to take part in the MEDscience program.  There, students play the role of doctors diagnosing medical cases with a simulated patient, develop clinical skills such as suturing and intubating, and learn from professionals in a variety of healthcare fields.

This one semester course is designed to provide students with an introduction to biology, ecology, and adaptations of marine life. Through case studies, fieldwork, lab experiments and hands-on activities students will explore the diversity of marine organisms and ecosystems, both locally and globally, and the relationships between the ocean’s inhabitants and their environment.

This one semester elective is designed to introduce students to the intricate relationship between humans and the marine world. This course will explore a variety of human-induced issues of climate change, pollution, overfishing and microplastics and how they impact local and global ecosystems. Through labs, water quality measurements, local and regional monitoring programs, students will gather data to supplement their understanding of how marine ecosystems are changing. Students will learn ways that society can work to reduce these stressors and their role in correcting the impacts. 

Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of building functional robots, learning about the structural, mechanical, electrical, and software systems necessary to proper function. No prior experience is required. The semester begins with a focus on learning to program using pre-built robots. Students will learn to write code that takes in data from sensors, processes that data, makes decisions, and then executes a desired behavior. This is accomplished through a series of programming challenges that become more and more complex as students learn more sophisticated programming structures and techniques. The course then shifts to building physical robots. Students will use existing components in our inventory and will also learn to design their own custom components using professional CAD modeling software. These parts will be prototyped on the school laser cutters and 3D printers, enabling students to create more sophisticated solutions to the challenges set to them in this course. Students will also learn the importance of proper circuitry and wiring, distinguish between power and signal wiring, and will be challenged to identify and correct faults introduced into their robot.

In this course, students will build off of the skills developed in Robotics I. Challenges and projects will become more open ended, less guided, and span longer periods of time. Students will be expected to manage their time and work independently to meet deadlines. Students will also begin the process of learning to develop and design in small groups for some challenges, as robots become increasingly complex and sophisticated. Mechanical systems will become notably more complex, and students will need to research existing solutions as they design their robots. Robots are expected to be more autonomous in nature and less dependent on real-time user input. The collection and processing of data from sensors becomes increasingly important in this second semester of robotics. Students should expect to work through multiple iterations of potential solutions to particular challenges, often having to return to the drawing board when designing their robot systems.

This course is the equivalent of a first-semester college course in computer science and follows the AP Computer Science A curriculum, which is in the Java programming language. No prior experience is required, as students learn the basics of variables, control structures, object-oriented programming, data structures of arrays and arraylists, and algorithms like sorting and searching. The class is a balance between learning these new concepts and applying them in robust, hands-on labs, which are a series of coding challenges. Students build problem-solving skills in code analysis, debugging, resilience, creative thinking, and optimization. One of the highlights of the year is when each student codes their own arcade game. Students will take the AP Exam in May.

This course combines natural science, social science, and political science to train students in the root causes of environmental problems, and to provide students with the tools they can use to help fix those problems. Following the nine units of the AP syllabus, the course begins each unit with an essential problem, and the work of the unit identifies how natural, social, and political science can analyze and create solutions to the problem. The course explores core themes in environmental issues (ecology, biodiversity, populations, agriculture, energy, pollution, and climate change) by applying them to current day situations and dilemmas. To solve problems in this course, students must understand not only the underlying science (what chemical reactions caused the ozone hole to form?), but also the societal forces that led to the problem (why were CFCs developed and used across the globe?) and the political forces that can be marshaled to solve them (how did countries align to ban CFCs, enabling the ozone hole to recover?). Nightly reading, class discussions and lectures, laboratory experiments, and field study on and off campus are all used to help develop students’ understanding of the environment. Students are required to take the AP Environmental Science exam in May.

AP Biology is designed to be a college-level introductory biology course, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. The topics covered previously in the integrated biology and chemistry curriculum are covered here in more depth, with greater emphasis on biotechnology, plants, and classification. The required 12 AP Biology Labs are designed to illustrate key concepts as well as relevant laboratory procedures, the analysis of which is detailed in a formal lab report. This fast-paced course requires at least one hour of study per night, and students are required to take the AP Biology exam in May.

This course is designed to provide the student with a college-level introduction to general chemistry course, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. The topics covered previously in Honors Biology and Chemistry II are explored here in more depth both mathematically and conceptually, with an emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles. In addition to classroom work, extensive time is spent in the laboratory. The students further develop their skills and knowledge to conduct a well thought-out chemistry experiment and are able to present their results in a traditional formal laboratory report. Students leave the course with the ability to critically analyze scientific issues. Students should expect at least one hour of homework each night and are required to take the AP Chemistry exam in May.

This course is a continuation of AP Physics C: Mechanics. Students learn the fundamental concepts of electric charge, electric fields, electrostatics, circuits, magnetic fields, and electromagnetism. The emphasis continues to be on problem solving and analytic thinking as students learn more sophisticated applications of calculus to the physical world. All students take the second half of the AP Physics C exam in May.

The overarching goal of this course is to provide students the opportunity to conduct research at a college / graduate level. Each year, the course will tackle a different project, generally in collaboration with research partners (either globally or in the Boston area), taking on ambitious research projects utilizing advanced life sciences research methods and targeting relevant, unanswered essential research questions. The upcoming year will follow the Stan-X program to create and characterize transgenic fruit flies. Through the course, students will learn how to read and discuss cutting edge scientific literature, develop effective research questions, form compelling hypotheses, develop targeted experimental designs, execute experiments with advanced lab methods, and analyze and summarize data. Student projects led by this small group of students will be based out of the Revers Center Science Research space with a dedicated faculty advisor.

Students leverage their knowledge of Python to learn more sophisticated methods of data analysis and data science using packages such as numPy, Pandas, matplotlib, jupyter notebooks, and scikit-learn.  The first half of the year concludes with a project utilizing neural networks, k-nearest-neighbor, and/or decision tree methodologies.  The second half of the course focuses on learning how to pull information from websites (web scraping) and how to build their own websites using Django, Bootstrap and a SQLite database.  The year concludes with a project applying the Agile software development methodology to form teams and create their own websites that serve a purpose on the Rivers campus.

Students in this introductory chemistry class improve their scientific literacy by developing analytical and problem-solving skills through the lens of basic chemical principles.  These include atomic theory, chemical reactions and bonding, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, equilibrium, acids and bases. Students engage in small-group and individual problem-solving,  to hone written and graphical communication. Through regular lab work, students develop skills using different measurement tools and techniques and employ mathematical analyses to describe quantitative relationships or evaluate data.

This program for 11th graders is intended to provide exposure to the core skills of life sciences research. The program trains students on essential aspects of the scientific method for life sciences, and provides students with an opportunity to practice those skills, setting them on the path to becoming proficient researchers. Through a dynamic curriculum, participants will engage with primary scientific literature, design experiments, and master the fundamental laboratory tools essential for life sciences research.

Students in this introductory chemistry class improve their scientific literacy by developing analytical and problem-solving skills through the lens of basic chemical principles.  These include atomic theory, chemical reactions and bonding, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, equilibrium, acids and bases. Students engage in small-group and individual problem-solving,  to hone written and graphical communication. Through regular lab work, students develop skills using different measurement tools and techniques and employ mathematical analyses to describe quantitative relationships or evaluate data.
Chemistry covers the same content as Advanced Chemistry but focuses more on hands-on conceptual understandings than rigorous mathematical analysis. This course also provides more scaffolding to support students in developing essential skills for scientific inquiry and learning.

Honors Chemistry covers the same content as Advanced Chemistry but covers that content in more depth and with less scaffolding. Honors Chemistry places special focus on independent and unguided problem solving and more rigorous mathematical analysis.
Students in this introductory chemistry class improve their scientific literacy by developing analytical and problem-solving skills through the lens of basic chemical principles.  These include atomic theory, chemical reactions and bonding, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, equilibrium, acids and bases. Students engage in small-group and individual problem-solving,  to hone written and graphical communication. Through regular lab work, students develop skills using different measurement tools and techniques and employ mathematical analyses to describe quantitative relationships or evaluate data.

The tenth Grade STEM Seminar Program is designed to augment the existing curriculum and provide students with the opportunity to engage with exciting STEM fields, pushing them to own their learning through hands-on exploration. The overarching goal of the course is exposure to work in STEM that is interesting and relevant to students yet outside the traditional Math and Science curriculum. As effective collaboration is crucial to many STEM fields, students in these seminars will be expected to assist and learn from each other, enhancing the experience and fostering collaborative skills. Seminars will culminate in an opportunity for students to present the results of their work to others, developing communication skills that are crucial in modern STEM fields. We believe in learning by doing, and that this kind of project-based learning is invaluable in preparing our students for an increasingly technological and complex world.