Rules & Procedures
During the upcoming school year you will be learning a wide range of advanced concepts in the subject of chemistry.  You will be expected to complete all assignments in a timely manner, and to participate actively in class from day to day.  Behavior that interferes with any student’s learning will not be allowed.  My job will to be to guide you through your discovery of this subject.

You are expected to be in your seat and ready for class when the period begins.  If you are late for class without a pass, an X-period will be assigned for that day (this is advance notice).  Do not come to class and ask to leave for any reason; if you are going be late for a legitimate reason you will be able to get a pass.  If you are late for a first period class, you must sign in at the main office.

Attendance & Course Content
You should avoid missing class time for any reason - experience shows that this time is extremely difficult recover from.  If you will be absent for a long time, you should arrange to have work sent home and/or set up a schedule with me to make up missed labs and glasswork.  You must make a “catch up” schedule with me within two days of returning to school.

You should bring your text, notebook, and a pencil every day.  A calculator (scientific or graphing) will be extremely helpful but is not necessary until the second half of the year (I won't lend you one in the meantime!).  A three-ring binder is recommended for homework and notes, and a bound notebook is best for lab work.  You may wish to keep a special set of lab clothes and a “lab scrunchy” to avoid staining clothes you really like.  MHS has goggles for use during labs, but you may wish to buy your own pair.  Most hardware stores sell them, but they are not all splash-protectant. If they are not you will be required to use school goggles for some labs.

AP Chemistry is designed to fulfill the requirements of a college freshman level “intro” course.  You will be preparing to take the AP Exam in May, and may wish to earn college credit this way. I will pass on details as they are available.  You are expected to recall the majority of your first year Chemistry course; we will be building directly upon that knowledge.

Grading Policies
Your term grade will be the weighted average of test grades and labs. Your Credit Mark will be the average of four terms (20% each) and your midterm and final exams (10% each).

Homework will be assigned chapter by chapter.  My answers with complete work will be available in the chem lab and the library.  You are completely responsible for checking your homework and keeping current on your assignments.  These problems will not be collected or graded, but they are possibly the most vital assignments of this class - take them very seriously!  I am aware that previous students may make their own syllabus problems available to you, but copying them won't help much: you'll get the answer, , but you won't gain the understanding and skill that doing them yourself will give you, and test grades will suffer.  Labs will be collected on the day they are due.  If you are absent, they are due immediately upon return to class.

In addition to traditional techniques of studying chemistry, we will be reading several short stories with plots revolving on chemistry or physical science. Each story will have several questions to answer. These should be fun, but don't forget that they are required and count as homework points.

There will be several short research papers, that will each count as a lab.  You will get to choose the topics (subject to teacher approval), and/or select from a list of specific choices.  The text of these papers should be about 2-3 pages long, and will be checked for correct chemistry and proper writing (and referencing!).  The key words are short and formal.  They will be excellent practice for any major project report or future scientific writing.

Tests will be of several varieties, including individual class tests, take home tests, group tests, and combinations of these three.  Wherever possible, test questions will be relevant questions from actual AP exams.  You are expected to be well prepared for these tests.  Planning to wait for the makeup test will keep you behind for a long time.

Missing labs and tests must be made up or a grade of zero will be entered.  Missed labs may be made up after school by appointment in room 207.  It is up to you to arrange for a student that has done the lab (your partner?) to work through it with you.

Missed tests will be taken immediately upon return to class.  Tests with an unsatisfactory grade may be retaken one time.  Retest times are by appointment.  The maximum grade will be 100% and the highest grade will be used.

There will sometimes be class time available for group work on syllabus problems or lab write-ups.  It is expected that you will spend several hours a week on homework and independent study.  Please do not dismiss this expectation.  I know that most of you survive quite easily listening to your teachers repeat themselves for shorter attention spans, but that won't happen very much in this class.  The best way to absorb some of this material is to read and re-read and try and re-try and pay close attention in class.  This will be a fun class but don't ever forget that this is also a difficult class.

Cheating will not be tolerated.  This includes (but is not limited to) giving or receiving answers or work on a test or quiz, removing tests or answers from room 207, plagiarism (even homework), and unreported knowledge of these activities.  Working together does not mean “copying.”  The penalty for cheating will be a grade of zero on the work in question, and forfeiture of make-up privileges for that work.  Also, parents, deans, and the National Honor Society may be notified, and letters of recommendation may be rescinded.

Classroom & Lab Conduct
A chemistry lab is a potentially dangerous place to be, and must be treated with respect.  With that in mind, all movement should be at walking speed, and conversation should be at normal volume.  There will be NO eating, drinking, or gum chewing in lab.  Appropriate safety procedures must be followed and long hair must be tied back.  Contact lenses, open-toed shoes, and shorts are not allowed during lab work.  Cell phones will be confiscated and turned over to a dean.

Glassware, other lab equipment, and anything on the front or side benches should be treated as someone else's property - ask permission before touching.  If you are ever unsure about these rules, ask.

There is safety equipment around the room - fire extinguisher, eyewash, acid shower, fire blankets, etc.  Misuse of any of this equipment will immediately result in an X-period, and referral to your dean.

Study Hints
Extra help will be available by appointment with me (or Mr. Watters) after school, and during several other periods per “week” (to be announced).  You are welcome to come and review on your own during any period that I am in the room, or to sit in on another chemistry class.  See me for a pass.  Students looking for tutorial help may ask either of the chem. teachers.  Guidance has a tutor referral list, and Salve and Roger Williams chemistry students sometimes offer to tutor.  Ask me if you need help setting this up.  Some of you may wish to tutor Chem. I students for NHS community service credits.  This is an excellent idea, because it also solidifies your knowledge of chemistry.

There are also several chemistry reference and tutor programs on the computer, and internet access.
ESL and resource students should see me about taking exams in their respective resource rooms, so I can get the exams to their teachers.

An excellent way to study chemistry (or anything) is to do it in a group.  Find a place that you can sit and talk for a while - a basement room, or a local coffee house... and discuss the reading or lab or homework with your friends in chemistry.  Make sure at least one of you knows what's going on, and as long as you stay somewhat focused, you should all improve your understanding.  See me if you need help setting up groups.  Also, you should exchange phone numbers with your lab partner, to get assignments, and study together, etc.
 

The AP Exam
The Advanced Placement Exam is offered in May by the College Board.  Taking this exam is a course requirement. Additional information will be forthcoming from guidance.  A grade of 4 or 5 (out of 5) will be accepted for credit at more schools than the RIC credit.  I have materials to help you prepare specifically for the exam, including several previous exams with keys and scoring rubrics.  Please see me if you are interested.

Standards
The final project will be a standards-based assignment.  This activity will involve standards E2a (writing); one or more of S5 (scientific thinking), S6 (scientific tools and technologies), S7 (scientific communication), and S8 (scientific investigation); and A5 (tools and techniques for working with others).  Check the AP Chemistry internet site (see the next paragraph) for details.  The alignment of this project with the standards is still under development.

Computers and the Internet
It is helpful to have a computer for this class, but it is not necessary.  I prefer labs typed, but homework and tests won't be.  There will be very little need to do research on the internet; we will sign up for a computer lab when it is necessary.   If you would like to explore Chemistry and Science on the internet, check out this web page.  I will rarely require you type any work, but I will require that all work passed in be neat and legible.

You can contact me at ride0943@ride.ri.net.  I check my e-mail every day before school and after school, but rarely at night.

I also maintain a web page (this sheet is part of it) for my chemistry classes containing copies of most labs and worksheets we will use in class.  It will also contain class/chapter notes.  You can obtain a complete copy of this web site on a floppy disc just by asking me J but I won't update the floppy copies.  I will update this page approximately once a week, so there will not be daily assignments or due dates listed.  In addition to this page, I also maintain a first-year Chemistry page and the MHS Drama club page.  The addresses are:

 

AP Chemistry	http://www.dbooth.net/mhs/ap
Chemistry	http://www.dbooth.net/mhs/chem
Drama Club	http://www.dbooth.net/mhs/drama

 

Grade Span Expectations (GSEs)
Beginning in the fall Spring of 2008, Juniors in Rhode Island high schools will be taking state science tests similar to the ones in place in Math and English Language Arts.  Below are the Grade Span Expectations (GSEs) that will be addressed in the introductory chemistry class.  The AP Chemistry course will emphasize curriculum as outlined in the College Board "Acorn Guide" but will consistently revisit and reinforce these GSEs.

Physical Science 1	Students demonstrate an understanding of the structure of matter by…
1.1.a	utililizing appropriate data (related to chemical and physical properties), to distinguish one substance from another or identify an unknown substance
1.1.b	determine the degree of change in pressure of a given volume of gas when the temperature changes incrementally (doubles, triples, etc)
1.2.a	using given data (diagrams, charts, narratives, etc) and advances in technology to explain how the understanding of atomic structure has changed over time.
1.3.a	identifying and explaining the basis for the arrangement of elements within the periodic table (e.g. trends, valence electrons, reactivity, electronegativity, ionization)
1.3.b	predicting the relative physical and chemical properties of an element based on its location within the periodic table.
1.4.a	comparing the three subatomic particles of atoms (protons, electrons, neutrons) and their location with an atom, their relative mass, and their charge.
1.4.b	writing formulae for compounds and developing basic (excluding transition elements) models using electron structure.
1.4.c	explaining or modeling how the electron configuration of atoms governs how atoms interact with one another (e.g. covalent, hydrogen, and ionic bonding).
Physical Science 2	Students demonstrate an understanding of energy by…
2.5.a	describing or diagramming the changes in energy (transformation) that occur in different systems (e.g. chemical = exo- and endo- thermic reactions, biological = food webs, physical = phase changes)
2.5.b	explaining the Law of Conservation of Energy as it relates to the efficiency (loss of heat) of a system.
Physical Science 2	Students demonstrate an understanding of physical, chemical, and nuclear changes by…
2.6.a	writing simple balanced chemical equations to represent chemical reactions and illustrate the conservation of mass.
2.6.b	identifying whether a given chemical reaction or a biological process will release or consume energy (endotheric or exothermic) based on the information provided (e.g. given a table of energy values for reactants and products or an energy diagram)
2.6.c	explaining and/or modeling how the nuclear make-up of atoms governs alpha and beta emissions creating changes in the nucleus of an atom results in the formation of new elements
2.6.d	explaining the concept of half-life and using the half-life principal to predict the approximate age of a material.
2.6.e	differentiating between fission and fusion in a nuclear reactions and their relation to element changes and energy formation.

 

[MHS AP Chem page]