Ramsay High School
Advance Chemistry
Course Syllabus
2015 – 2016
Course Name: Advance Chemistry
Course Description
The Chemistry Core content standards are appropriate for high school students. They comprise the Chemistry Core that is to be incorporated into all first-year chemistry courses. The core itself is not intended to serve as the entire curriculum of any course. Scientific Knowledge in the Chemistry Core focuses on an in-depth study of the Matter and Energy strands of the K-12 curriculum. Although emphasis is on these Physical Science strands, many possible connections to Earth and Space Science as well as Life Science topics should be made. Teachers are encouraged to expand their chemistry curriculum beyond the limits of this core content. Different chemistry courses developed from the Chemistry Core will vary in the amount and kind of experimentation, technical applications, and instrumentation. They will also vary in the level of difficulty and abstractness. All chemistry courses developed from this content core should encourage critical thinking and the use of basic chemical concepts and scientific strategies for students to make intelligent decisions and to solve practical problems.
Course Objectives
By the end of the semester students will be able to recognize periodic trends of elements, identify solutions in terms of components, solubility and concentration. Lastly students will have the opportunity to display scientific process through critical thinking and experimentation.
Course Content:
The following topics will be studied in this course.
Scientific Measurement
Matter and Changes in Matter
Atomic Structure
Electron Arrangement in Atoms
The Periodic Table
Chemical Bonding
Chemical Names and Formulas
Chemical Quantities
Chemical Reactions, Reaction Rates, and General Equilibrium
Stoichiometry
The Behavior of Gases
Solutions
Acids and Bases
Thermochemistry
Nuclear Chemistry
Textbook:
Prentice Hall Chemistry 2005 edition
Educational Standards and Resources:
Alabama Course of Study
Career and College Readiness Standards
Laying the Foundation in Chemistry
Teaching Methods
Projects in this class will focus on building students' abilities to express their own ideas. One project which is mandatory is to complete a Science Fair Project. Students will research a topic and conduct an experimental project and complete a poster presentation. More information will be provided later in the semester. There will be another project for students to complete a research project on a career, either assigned or of their choice.
Required Course Materials
3 Ring Binder (1 ½” – 2”)Theme PaperBlue or Black pens
Colored pencilsAssigned Textbook (daily)Pencils (scantron test)
Graphing Composition Notebook5 labeled file dividersScientific/Graphing Calculators
Expectations
Students are expected to:
- Come to class on time, excessive tardiness will not be allowed.
No entry into class, after the bell rings will be allowed without a tardy pass.
- Come to class properly dressed according to the Birmingham City Schools Code of Conduct.
- When the bell rings, be seated at your desk, with book and assignments out and ready to learn.
- Remain in your assigned seat unless you have permission to get up.
- Attend to personal needs before coming to class (restroom, grooming etc.)
- Do not eat, chew or drink anything in class.
This includes chewing gum unless you have a medical condition on file in the office.
- Come to class everyday prepared & ready to learn
(with all supplies and especially #2 pencils and calculators on test day)
- No one is allowed to speak when someone else is speaking.
- Be polite you will be treated as young ladies & young gentlemen.
- Anyone caught cheating in any form (classroom, internet plagiarism, etc.)
Will receive a “zero” for the assignment & may result in an “F” for the semester!
- No talking during test. This will also result in “zero” and a telephone call to parents.
- Follow the teacher’s directions the 1st time given and in a timely manner.
- Wait to be dismissed by the teacher, not the bell.
- Book bags are not allowed in class for safety purposes.
- Do not sit at the teacher’s desk, do not touch or remove items for the desk without permission.
Evaluation
In order to achieve a passing grade, students will:
1. Maintain a science notebook/portfolio and organize their work in chronological order and placed in the specified file area as follows:
a. Bellringers/Warm-ups
b. Notes: All notes given in class either from the Promethean board, handout, or PowerPoint presentations.
c. Teacher handouts: All teacher handouts including worksheets, datasheets, and pretests.
d. Class work: All work done in class (other than labs) and assigned as class work.
e. Homework: All work assigned as homework.
Each student is responsible for the assigned material in the proper format and order, unless otherwise instructed.
2. Tests and Quizzes. Test and quizzes must be taken in PEN except for “Scantron” (computer graded) test which must be taken with a #2 PENCIL. All test and quizzes will be filed in individual folders and kept in the classroom. The folders are available for parent review upon request at anytime.
* Grading Procedure:
All assignments, whether objective tests, projects, or labs, are of equal weight, grades are recorded as a percentage of a possible 100.
The following scale will be used for assigning grades:
100 – 90 A89 – 80 B 79 – 70 C69 – 60 D 59 – 0 F
Grading:
Nine weeks grade = 20% each exams, quizzes,
homework, class work, and lab reports/projects
Semester grade = 40% 1st Nine weeks
40% 2nd Nine weeks
20% Semester exam
Class work and homework will be given as needed.
Students will perform a minimum of three lab experiments per nine weeks.
A typed lab report will be collected one week from the completion of the assigned lab. Students are responsible for keeping up with their lab notes, data, etc. Each student will receive lab report guidelines.
Progress reports will be sent home in September, November, February, and April. You may check your child’s grade weekly on STI. If you do not possess a password, then you should contact Ms. Bester (231-7000).
Policies
If a student is absent from class for any reason, he/she is responsible for finding out what was covered while he/she was out and should obtain assignments from a classmate or the teacher. The student has 3 days to bring in an excuse and make up any missed assignments; failure to do so will result in a -0- (zero). Tests are to be made up before or after school only.
Parent Conference:
Parents may schedule a conference by contacting a guidance counselor.
Methods of correspondence:
Ms. Reese one: 205-231-7000
Please note, ALL conferences MUST be requested and scheduled through counselor.
Tracking Student Progress
Our school district offers parental access to student performance through an online program known as STI. This allows parents to remain knowledgeable of student progress. I would encourage you to sign-up for access to STI if you have not already done so. Grades for this course are posted into STI almost immediately after the assignments have been collected. Therefore, you should expect grades to be updated on a weekly basis. Also, students will receive progress reports and report cards on a regularly scheduled basis.
How Can You Help?
1. Stay informed. All assignments will be issued to the scholar, please check daily planner. Also, I will post all assignments issued weekly to the webpage. The intent is to keep parents informed & abreast of the weekly activities in Advance Chemistry.
2. Reading. Advance Chemistry is a very descriptive course, and the students’ are expected to comprehend a wealth of information. Therefore, it is imperative that they read & comprehend the text. Please ensure that your child is reading & comprehending on a nightly basis.
3. Tutoring (RTI). Is available to students, the student have to make an appointment the teacher. So I, the teacher, will know who is coming to tutoring so that the student will receive a pass to attend and to give to their teacher.
I wish to thank you so much for your support. I look forward to an exciting and successful year in Advance Chemistry. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. My contact information is as follows:
Office: (205)-231-7000
Sincerely,
Lindsey Hall
Mr. Lindsey Hall
Let’s make this a successful academic year!
Advance Chemistry Parent/Student Agreement
I, the undersigned, have read the course Advance Chemistry syllabus and realize that the Advance Chemistry course will be rigorous. I understand the importance of all policies set forth within the syllabus and agree to the following:
•I am responsible for my own safe conduct in the laboratory as outlined by the Advance Chemistry Student Laboratory Safety Agreement.
•I understand and agree to uphold the Advance Chemistry Honor Code.
•I understand that lectures, activities, and labs conducted during a scheduled Advance Chemistry class period are for those purposes only. I will not do any other work during a Advance Chemistry class. This includes: assignments for other classes, reading books or magazines, listening to an iPod/MP3 player and cell phones, Advance Chemistry assignments that were assigned the night before. All of the above will be confiscated.
•I understand that all assignments are due by the beginning of each class period prior to tardy bell with NO EXCEPTIONS!
•I understand that I am responsible for any work/due dates/important class information I miss when I am absent from class. I understand that I am responsible for directly approaching my teacher or other classmates for such information.
•I am aware that it is best to not miss a lab. However, in the event that I do, I understand that I must make up the lab at the teacher’s discretion. In addition, a lab report is expected to be completed in the same time frame described for all lab reports.
•I will work to the best of my ability throughout the year with the goal of doing my best on the final exam.
Please sign and return the portion below.
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I have read the Advance Chemistry syllabus and agree to abide by the all policies set forth within the handbook.
Student Name (print) ______Date: ______
Student Signature ______Date: ______
I, the parent/guardian of the above individual have read the Advance Chemistry syllabus. I agree to ensure that my student abides by all policies set forth within the syllabus.
Parent/Guardian Name (print) ______Date: ______
Parent/Guardian Signature ______Date: ______