The Ethel Walker School
Curriculum: Science
The Equine Science course is an intense equine biology class that encompasses the anatomy and physiology of all systems of the horse, including nutrition, toxicology, parasitology, health management, neonatology, epidemiology, and sports medicine. Students will explore numerous case studies and immerse themselves in the world of equine medicine. Through hands-on labs at the Frank O.H. Williams Barn, student can apply the skills and knowledge of the class while they perform health and lameness exams and use stethoscopes to listen to heart, lung, and intestinal sounds.
Prerequisites: Current enrollment in or completion of Biology.
Let’s build and tinker with electronic devices! In this highly hands-on, semester-long elective, we will use Arduino microcontrollers to create devices like dimmer switches, motorized robots, and musical keyboards. We will use the engineering design process to design, prototype, and test our devices, and we will use the C++ programming language to control them in the TinkerCad and Arduino IDE coding environments. Along the way, you will develop familiarity with a variety of sensors and actuators, including temperature sensors, light sensors, user-interactive buttons, and motors. If time allows, we can even learn how to solder our own microcontrollers! No previous coding experience is required, but students will be expected to take initiative in the process of researching and troubleshooting to accomplish their project goals. Enrollment in the first-semester course, Electricity Laboratory, will be useful but is not required for this second-semester course.
Offered Spring 2026
Electricity Laboratory
Open to grades 10-12
Credits: .5
Prerequisite: Completion of Physics and/or departmental approval.
Let’s play with electricity! In this highly hands-on, semester-long elective, we will learn about electrical concepts through labs and circuit-building. Our learning will come from a series of experiments with wires, batteries, light bulbs, and capacitors, and we will put it all together through class discussion, argumentation, and collaborative problem-solving in our classroom scientific community. We will start by using circuits to develop conceptual models of electric charge and the flow of charge through a closed loop, and we will build upon these experiments to discover electrical concepts such as resistance, voltage, power, electromagnetism, motors, and more! Along the way, you will build lots of circuits, play with computer simulations, and engage in electrical engineering projects.
Prerequisite: Completion of Physics and/or departmental approval.
Offered Fall 2025
This course will be run in partnership with the Small World Initiative (SWI) and the Tiny Earth Network (TEN), two innovative programs that encourage students to pursue careers in science while addressing a worldwide health threat – the diminishing supply of effective antibiotics. This course centers around an introductory biochemistry course in which students conduct original hands-on field and laboratory research in the hunt for new antibiotics. Through a series of student-driven experiments, students will collect soil samples, isolate diverse bacteria, test their bacteria against clinically-relevant microorganisms, and characterize those showing inhibitory activity. This is particularly relevant since over two thirds of antibiotics originate from soil bacteria or fungi. SWI and TEN’s approach provides a unique platform to crowdsource medical breakthroughs by tapping into the intellectual power of many people concurrently addressing a global challenge and advancing promising candidates into the drug development pipeline. Prerequisites: Completion of Chemistry and Biology and departmental approval. Possible concurrent enrollment with Honors or Advanced Biology.
Have you ever wondered how your body systems are affected by participating in sports, how the honey bee populations are affecting our food supply, or why we get storms in New England? We will explore questions like these in STEAM 6. STEAM is an integration of science, technology, engineering, art and math. This course allows our students to practice the science and engineering skills that professionals use every day, engage in hands-on exploration, and design projects as they explore the natural world. Students in STEAM 6 will use real-world phenomena such as athletic concussions, Lyme disease, honey bee populations, animal habitats, and destructive weather to deeply explore the topics of human body systems, reproduction and growth, energy transfer and weather, and climates and human impacts. Students will learn how to develop scientific and engineering questions that can be investigated within the scope of the classroom, outdoor environment, and museums and other public facilities with available resources. They will also learn how to frame a hypothesis based on observations and scientific principles, specify relationships between variables, clarify arguments, and begin to make models that lead into basic experimentation.
Advanced Scientific Research in Molecular Genetics (Stan-X)
Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Honors Biology and departmental approval
This course is based on the Stan-X experimental biology course developed by Professor Seung Kim of Stanford University. Students will be introduced to fundamental concepts in molecular and cellular biology and genetics, in addition to laboratory and husbandry techniques specific to the fruit fly. The course is focused on laboratory research where students will use transposon biology to create transgenic fruit flies. Favorable strains of flies made and characterized by students will be used by researchers in Dr. Kim’s lab and made available to all scientists working on fruit flies. Engagement with primary research literature, bioinformatics databases and independent laboratory work is expected. To allow for the completion of college-level laboratory experiments, the course meets for an additional 70-minute block each week. Additional laboratory work outside of class time will also be expected.
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Honors Biology and departmental approval
Biology of Women
Open to Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Biology
This course is an introduction to the biology of women and their specific health concerns. This class will also address social and economic factors that specifically affect women’s health and well-being. The first half of the course will be directed at learning about female anatomy and physiology, growth and development, and reproduction. This part of the course will focus on female ontogeny, puberty, pregnancy, abortion, and contraceptives. The latter part of the course will deal with disease and aging, and the cross-section of women’s health in history, society, economy, politics, and culture. Here we will focus on gender identity, reproductive rights, the Cliteracy Movement, representation, nutrition, and more. In both portions of the course, we will address ethical concerns for women that will range from the manipulation of embryos to healthcare access. Through labs and other major assignments, students will examine biological differences between men and women, develop an understanding of their own hormone cycle, and analyze societal expectations and pressures placed on women.
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Biology
Have you ever wondered how and why the planets move, how energy is transferred in ocean waves, or where all the different species in Connecticut have come from? We will explore questions like these in STEAM 8. STEAM is an integration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. This class allows our students to practice the science and engineering skills that professionals use every day, engage in hands-on exploration, and design projects as they explore the natural world. Students in STEAM 8 will use real-world phenomena such as car collisions, tidal waves, fossils and dinosaurs, and space exploration to focus on the topics of forces and energy, energy in waves, mechanisms of diversity, and the changing Earth. This course builds upon the problem-solving mindset developed in STEAM 7 to build skills in extending quantitative analysis to investigations, distinguishing between causation and correlation, and using basic statistical analysis to construct explanations and design solutions supported by multiple sources of evidence.
Have you ever wondered how chemicals interact in the body, how ecosystems are affected by local interactions with people and industry, or how Connecticut was formed? We will explore questions like these in STEAM 7. STEAM is an integration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. This class allows our students to practice the science and engineering skills that professionals use every day, engage in hands-on exploration, and design projects as they explore the natural world. Students in STEAM 7 will use real-world phenomena such as the effects of energy drinks, the Farmington River, rock formations, and Talcott Mountain to focus on the topics of the properties of matter, dynamic interactions within an ecosystem, and geologic changes in the Earth. This course builds upon the inquiry mindset developed in STEAM 6 to build competency in developing, using, and revising models to describe more abstract phenomena and design systems. Beyond just following procedures for experiments, students will build skills in planning and carrying out investigations that use multiple variables and provide evidence to support explanations or solutions.
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Open to Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Biology
The Human Anatomy and Physiology course is designed to give the student an overview of all of the systems of the human body. Students will study the structure, function, and numerous disorders of each body system as well as the interrelationships among the various systems. Students will be exposed to critical thinking and clinical application questions throughout the course as they delve into actual case studies and work through these cases to reach a diagnosis. In addition, students will experience hands-on learning and develop collaborative skills through various labs, activities, and projects throughout the year.
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Biology
Physics 11-12 is designed for students who enter Walker’s after 9th grade and who have not yet taken Physics. This is a laboratory science course in which students develop skills in conducting experiments, working collaboratively, and solving problems that allow them to understand and describe the physical phenomena of the world around them. Through this course, students will explore the major themes of causes and effects of motion and the conservation laws of energy and momentum. Students will be introduced to physics concepts through the investigation of phenomena, hands-on activities, lectures, and interpretation of data. Through this course, an emphasis will be placed on students representing their understanding in multiple ways: verbally, diagrammatically, graphically, and mathematically.
Prerequisite: Algebra 2
Honors Scientific Research in Antibiotic Discovery (S-RAD)
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Chemistry, Biology, and departmental approval
This course will be run in partnership with the Small World Initiative (SWI) and the Tiny Earth Network (TEN), two innovative programs that encourage students to pursue careers in science while addressing a worldwide health threat – the diminishing supply of effective antibiotics. This course centers around an introductory biochemistry course in which students conduct original hands-on field and laboratory research in the hunt for new antibiotics. Through a series of student-driven experiments, students will collect soil samples, isolate diverse bacteria, test their bacteria against clinically-relevant microorganisms, and characterize those showing inhibitory activity. This is particularly relevant since over two thirds of antibiotics originate from soil bacteria or fungi. SWI and TEN’s approach provides a unique platform to crowdsource medical breakthroughs by tapping into the intellectual power of many people concurrently addressing a global challenge and advancing promising candidates into the drug development pipeline.
Prerequisites: Completion of Chemistry and Biology and departmental approval. Possible concurrent enrollment with Honors or Advanced Biology.
Advanced Biology
Open to Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and departmental approval
The Advanced Biology course is our most challenging biology course and parallels a college-level introductory biology class. This course requires strong critical thinking skills and the ability to apply biological concepts to new situations and real-world problems. The class is designed to cover numerous biology topics in an in-depth and hands-on manner using many forms of instruction that include lecture, flipped classroom, problem-based learning, inquiry-based labs, case studies, and field work. This course is for highly motivated students who have a genuine interest in biology, are capable of self-directed and self-paced work, and possess the ability to collaborate with classmates on many different labs and projects. To allow for the completion of college-level laboratory experiments, the course meets for an additional 70-minute block each week. The Advanced Biology course will revolve around the four Big Ideas of evolution, energy, information, and interactions. Students may choose to take the Biology Advanced Placement Test in the spring.
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and departmental approval
Honors Biology
Open to Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and/or departmental approval
The Honors Biology course is designed to give students an overview of the biological sciences such as biochemistry, cellular biology, genetics, evolution, microbial biology, human anatomy and physiology, plants, animals, and ecology. The Honors Biology course proceeds at a faster pace than the Biology course and requires students to integrate multiple content areas at one time in their analysis of the material. Students will develop laboratory skills that include experimental design, data collection and analysis, proficiency with laboratory equipment, and error analysis through numerous inquiry-based labs throughout the year. Laboratory work in this course is more demanding and allows students to have more independence involving laboratory design.
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and/or departmental approval
The Biology course surveys the field of biology from biochemistry, cells, and genetics to evolution, microbiology, and ecology. Many of the most important topics in biology rely heavily on an understanding of the fundamental concepts from physics and chemistry, which is why this course is offered after the completion of these other disciplines. Generous amounts of laboratory work allow students to develop laboratory skills that include experimental design, data collection and analysis, and proficiency with laboratory equipment. Students will work collaboratively and independently as they learn to research numerous biological topics and engage in argument-driven inquiry. Through field work, students will become familiar with the woodlands and ponds that surround The Ethel Walker School and will come to appreciate the biodiversity of life that exists in our community.
Prerequisite: Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry
Open to Grades 11-12
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and departmental approval
The Advanced Chemistry course is our most challenging chemistry course and parallels a college-level introductory chemistry class. Building on the foundation of Honors Chemistry, this course emphasizes the advanced topics of equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics. Students must be prepared for a significant commitment in both time and the level of challenge. To allow for the completion of college-level laboratory experiments, the course meets for an additional 70-minute block each week. This course fully prepares interested students for the Chemistry Advanced Placement Test in the spring.
Prerequisite: Honors Chemistry and departmental approval
The Honors Chemistry course covers content similar to the Chemistry course with the addition of stoichiometry and acid-base chemistry. The course is fast paced and requires a sophisticated depth of analysis. As students progress through the year, their work increasingly focuses on the applications of basic concepts and involves complex, multi-step problem-solving. Laboratory work includes a focus on experimental design and requires more involved error analysis. This is a rigorous course with high expectations for student effort and commitment.
Prerequisite: Physics 9 and departmental approval
Recommended: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in Honors Algebra 2
Chemistry is a laboratory-based course that allows students to discover basic chemical principles and understand how to use them to make sense of the world around them. The course covers the scientific method, measurement, atomic theory, nomenclature, chemical quantities, chemical reactions, aqueous chemistry, bonding, and gas laws. Students learn how to work both collaboratively and individually. Laboratory work emphasizes making careful observations, learning correct measuring and data collection techniques, analyzing data, and discussing errors. Projects each semester enable students to explore how chemistry is relevant to their daily lives.
Prerequisite: Algebra 1
Physics 9 is a laboratory science course in which students develop skills by conducting experiments, working collaboratively, and solving problems that allow them to understand and describe the physical phenomena of the world around them. Through this course, students will explore the major themes of motion, forces, and energy. Students will uncover each physics concept through a hands-on discovery process in which students investigate qualitative and quantitative scientific trends in the laboratory, discuss and argue experimental results to build a class consensus, and collaboratively develop and hone conceptual and algebraic models of the investigated phenomena. Throughout this course, an emphasis will be placed on representing our understanding in multiple ways: verbally, diagrammatically, graphically, and algebraically.
Calling Future
New Girls!
Our Priority application Deadline
is January 15
Our application deadline is coming up soon — submit yours now. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
