Lisa Bowen has been a Woodbridge , VA native for her entire life. A graduate of Hilton High School and George Mason University , Ms. Bowen is currently enrolled in the Masters program in Education at GMU. In addition to teaching Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Art, Ms. Bowen is the keeper of the Ronald McDonald House flame, and creates backdrops for GW's school plays. Her favorite element is Mercury, because it's a liquid metal at room temperature and looks really cool. However, unlike Mercury, she does not cause brain damage or deformity in children.
Algebra II: Algebra II is a one-year college-level course in which students combine the operational skills of Algebra I with the special and logical reasoning skills of Geometry to learn more about the ways patterns of numbers relate to each other numerically and visually. The overall focus of the course is the study of functions and their graphs, including polynomial, rational, exponential & logarithmic functions. Students learn to analyze a mathematical function and predict its behavior. They also learn how these function relationships exist in the natural and man-made world and how mathematical functions can model relationships in the real-world. This course is designed to meet the Virginia SOLs for Algebra II. Prerequisites: Algebra I, Geometry.
Chemistry: Chemistry is an exciting course that will take you on a journey through the world of atoms and how they interact and make up the world around us. Chemistry allows us to understand how and why things explode, how crystals are formed, and what ingredients one would need to make a good soap, or perfume, or cloth. We use chemicals every day to flavor food, heal colds, and clean our house. In this course, we will explore scientific methods and measurements. We will learn how to combine atoms, and see what happens when they come apart. As in all sciences, it is important to see how things work, not to just read about them. With that in mind, this course is designed to have many labs and modeling activities to really be able to see and understand what is heard during the class or read in the book.
Biology : Biology is the study of life, the study of us! When you enter this class, you will learn what makes life on the planet be born, grow, and evolve into new and exciting organisms. This class explores the world of biology from the smallest cell to the ecology of the environment in which organisms live. The students get to experience biology in a hands-on laboratory environment, with many activities and experiences to bring biology to life in the classroom. This course offers students a basic understanding of the ideas found in biology and offers many opportunities for students to independently choose and study topics about which they wish to know more.
Physics: Physics is the basis of all other sciences. It sets the rules. In this class, students will learn the physics concepts that rule the universe, and use them to answer questions like: Is an astronaut in space really weightless?, If you take a running jump, will you go higher than if you take a standing jump?, Why does the lift hill in a roller coaster have to be taller than all the other hills?, Why does an ice skater's spin speed up when she draws in her arms?, Why doesn't the moon fall down?, Why do hot air balloons rise?, Why can you make different notes sound with the same guitar string?, Why does rubbing a latex balloon on your head make your hair stand up?, How does a compass work?, How do batteries work?, How do light bulbs work?, Why do you get a rainbow when you pass white light through a prism?, How do polarized sunglasses work?
Art: Ever since the first caveman painted an antelope on the wall of his cave, people have been looking at art and saying “I could do better than that!” In this class, that's exactly what you'll have the chance to do. This art class is designed to be an introduction to some of the basic skills and principles of different art techniques. Along with actually practicing art, we will be learning about the styles and methods of different artists, so that we can paint pictures that are WAY cooler than anything they could ever do. In this class you will research and become more familiar with these styles, and then take that knowledge and actually produce something in that style.
