Marine Biology

Course Length: Full academic year (30 weeks)

This Year's Schedule: Click here to view

 

Overview of Dreaming Spires Science Courses

All our science courses use a unique approach to scientific study -- instead of boring, dry textbooks, students are drawn into the subject through reading modern, award-winning books like The Secret Wisdom of Nature for Biology, or The Poisoner's Handbook for the forensics unit in Chemistry.

We focus on not just scientific facts, concepts, and principles, but often looking at the ethics of a topic and how the issue applies to our modern world. Think, for example, how our unit on viruses (where we read The Hot Zone about ebola) is entering a student's discourse with the rise of Covid-19.

The ultimate aim of the Dreaming Spires Science courses is to obtain a working and applicable knowledge of the principles of science, to engage students in an active and enjoyable way, and to encourage them to see how science is something real and concrete and seen all around them.

Aims of the Marine Biology Course

Marine Biology examines earth’s largest biome. We will spend the year discovering marine ecosystems, their interactions, and the organisms that inhabit these systems.  We will revisit the marine organisms we introduced in biology and look more in dept at their unique physiology.  Additionally, we will explore human impact on marine ecosystems including conservation measures of marine resources.

How It Works

Each week students participate in an interactive lecture.  Students are expected to sketch-note their lectures. Sketch noting (also called visual note taking) encourages dual coding and retention of information. Additionally, students will complete a study guide or choose to complete a research paragraph based on something that piqued their curiosity either in our reading assignment or lecture.

We read five subject related living books through the year.  From the reading or within the lectures, students are expected to choose and define 6 words that are new to them or that they do not know very well. Of those 6 words, two are to be broken further into their root words. Lastly, students are expected to write a summary (narration) of their assigned reading and participate in a discussion involving that reading.

How It Supports Your Child's Education

For those pursuing UK-style IGCSE exams this course provides foundational and expanded experiences to use in studying for your exams.   Those pursuing completion of high school transcripts, this course provides an honors level credit in high school science.

Who Teaches Physics?

Kimberly Jones holds a BSN from the University of Texas at Austin and an MEd in Secondary Education from Texas State University. She is currently working on a second master’s degree in Educational Technology with plans to complete her doctorate once her youngest graduates.  Kimberly served in the military as a medic and behavioral health specialist before taking posts in pediatric and post-partum nursing. Since 2001, she has been teaching science in homeschool co-ops while homeschooling her own children -- one of whom attended university, another of whom served in the military, and two more of whom are still at home.
See all courses taught by Kim