Pre-AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Dr. Brighid Corcoran, Ph.D. Lake Dallas High School Classroom Policies and Procedures The following topics were covered with your child during class: Attendance/Make-Up Procedure Class Materials Extra Help/Tutorials Classroom Expectations Grading Progress Reports Additional Information Please review the attached information with your child, sign the top sheet and return it to the teacher. You will be able to access your child s grade online anytime in Family Access. Parent Signature Student Signature Date
Welcome to Pre-AP Chemistry with Dr. C. Lake Dallas High School 2016-2017 Course Description: Pre-AP Chemistry is a first year chemistry course designed to meet the needs of the student who plans on continuing on in AP Chemistry or eventually taking a college chemistry class. How to Succeed in Chemistry: Stay Organized. A three ring binder will be a very helpful tool in this class. You will receive notes and exercises in many different forms (your text, online videos, lecture notes, in-class activities, etc.). A binder is a great way to keep these many different forms of learning collected and organized. Do your homework. Practice Practice Practice. Attend Tutorials. Don t be afraid to ask questions! Proactive responses are better than last minute panic! Bring your questions and be prepared to listen to the questions of other students. Be a good class citizen. Smile at your classmates and introduce yourself to someone you might not know. Ask someone in the class how their day is going. Turn off and put away all electronic devices while in class. Form a study group. Working with a study group outside of class will help you learn the material deeply. Take advantage of your opportunity to both challenge and assist your peers by studying with them. Use electronic resources. As the school year progresses, I will be suggesting apps and other electronic resources to assist you in preparing for next year s AP exam. However, Google can provide a wealth of extra practice problems once you have exhausted those in your textbook Don t be afraid to google! Attend Falcon Library. Falcon Library offers extra tutoring on M,T,Th from 4-6:30pm. Course Content: The following units will be covered in each course. Objectives for each unit will be provided at the start of each unit. Unit 1: Matter and Change Unit 2: Measurement and Calculations Unit 3: Atomic Structure Unit 4: The Modern Atom Unit 5: Periodicity Unit 6: Bonding and Chemical Formulas Unit 7: Chemical Equations and Reactions Unit 8: Stoichiometry Unit 9: Kinetic Molecular Theory Unit 10: Gas Laws Unit 11: Solutions Unit 12: Acids and Bases Unit 13: Reaction Kinetics Unit 14: General Equilibrium Unit 15: Electrochemistry Unit 16: Kinetics and Nuclear Theory Textbook: Texas Modern Chemistry Required Materials: 1) A 1 subject college-ruled notebook 2) A gridded (graph paper) composition notebook 3) 1 package of college-ruled loose-leaf paper
Grading: Your grade will be determined on the scale: Major Grades (Exams, Major Projects, Most Labs)---------50% Minor Grades (Daily Assignments, Homework, Quizzes)---------50% Progress Reports: Progress reports will be emailed to the parent on record after every exam. Homework: The majority of homework will be not graded in this course; however, it is expected the student complete all homework in order to master subject material. Late work and incomplete work will not be accepted. If homework is not done, it will be difficult to be successful on exams and quizzes. Quizzes: At the start of the class period there will be a quiz. Generally the quizzes will be made by using problems from the most current homework assignment. Missed daily quizzes will not be given for a make-up grade, instead they will be a no count in the gradebook. Assignments: A tentative calendar will be posted on my website every unit with all assignments, quizzes, and exams listed. It is the students responsibility to keep up with the calendar and anything listed on it. Any changes that need to be made to the calendar will be announced in class. Make-up Work: Make-up assignments must be turned in with accordance to the student handbook and labs must be made up within 1 week. Any incomplete work will at that point result in a zero. If there are extenuating circumstances, the student must individually approach the instructor and make other arrangements. Ultimately, it is the students responsibility to get the make-up work completed quickly. Students will also be responsible to take any quiz or exam scheduled on the day they return from an absence if no new material was covered in regards to that quiz/exam. Students who actually miss quizzes and exams will be expected to promptly complete them either before school, after school, or in Falcon Library. AP Referrals: An AP referral will be written after you ve accumulated two zeros. Tardiness: You will be counted tardy if you are not in your seat when the bell rings. I am an instructor who takes tardiness seriously and makes no exceptions unless the student has a proper pass. After a certain number of tardies, your AP will deal you with accordingly. Lab Discipline: This is covered on a separate sheet of rules. Any repeated violation will result in removal from lab with no make-up possibility. Safety in lab is most important. Exam Re-Takes and Corrections: It is my policy to not allow exam re-takes or corrections on exams. Any deviation from this policy will be at my discretion and will be offered to the entire class. Extra Credit: During each six weeks there will be opportunities to collaborate with fellow students to earn five extra points, to be placed on any exam, as well as one homework pass.
Tentative Pre-AP Chemistry Timeline The pace of this course is dependent upon how quickly students master material as well as mitigating circumstances such as bad weather days. We may address these topics earlier or later than listed below. 1 st Six Weeks 2 nd Six Weeks Unit 1: Matter and Change Chemistry is a Physical Science Matter and Its Properties The Elements Unit 4: The Modern Atom New Atomic Model Quantum Model of the Atom Electron Configurations Unit 2: Measurements and Calculations Unit 5: Periodicity (Aka: The Periodic Table As a Scientific Method Cheat Sheet) Units of Measurement History of the Periodic Table Using Scientific Measurements Electron Configuration and the Periodic Table Electron Configuration and Periodic Properties Unit 3: Atoms History of the Atom Unit 6: Bonding and Chemical Formulas Atomic Structure Intro to Bonding Counting Atoms Covalent Bonding/Naming Ionic Bonding/Naming Metallic Bonding VSEPR Theory 3 rd Six Weeks 4 th Six Weeks Unit 6 Continued Unit 9: Kinetic Molecular Theory Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Matter Unit 7: Chemical Equations and Reactions Liquids Describing Chemical Reactions Solids Types of Chemical Reactions Phase Change Diagrams Activity Series of the Elements Water as a unique Substance Oxidation/Reduction Reactions Unit 10: Gas Laws Unit 8: Stoichiometry Gases and Pressure Intro to Stoichiometry The Gas Laws Ideal Stoichiometric Calculations Diffusion and Effusion Limiting Reagents and Percent Yield Unit 11: Solutions Types of Mixtures Concentration of Solutions Ions in Aqueous Solutions
5 th Six Weeks 6 th Six Weeks Unit 12: Acids and Bases Unit 15: Electrochemistry Properties of Acids and Bases Intro to Electrochemistry Acid-Base Theories Voltaic Cells Acid-Base Reactions Electrolytic Cells Determination of ph Unit 16: Nuclear Chemistry Unit 13: Reaction Kinetics The Nucleus Thermochemistry Radioactive Decay Reaction Process Nuclear Radiation Reaction Rates Nuclear Fission and Fusion Unit 14: General Equilibrium What is Equilibrium? Shifting Equilibrium Equilibria of Acids, Bases, and Salts Solubility Equilibrium