South Burlington High School

South Burlington High School

Harwood Union High School

Advanced Placement Chemistry Course Syllabus 2012-2013

Instructor: Mrs. Turley:

Location: Room 101

Course Description: AP Chemistry is designed to be equivalent to a first-year college chemistry course.

NOTE: AP Chemistry is taught as a first-year chemistry course at HUHS. AP Chemistry is fast paced and covers large amounts of material in depth. These factors combine to make the course extremely challenging. Strong algebra-level math skills, time to devote to studying chemistry, and an attitude and desire to want to learn Chemistry and not to just earn the A are essential for success in this course.

Essential Questions addressed throughout the year:

  • What is matter? What are its properties and how is it organized within the materials that make up our lives? Why are there so many different types of matter?
  • What are the different ways in which matter reacts? Why do some reactions happen more often and faster than others?
  • How is chemistry used in our society?
  • How do chemists organize the subject of Chemistry? How do they communicate (nomenclature)?
  • How are energy and matter related? How is energy involved in chemical reactions?
  • Why do chemical reactions occur?
  • How do chemical systems work and interact with each other? How is energy and matter transferred and transformed?

In this course, you will not only learn the fundamental concepts in Chemistry but you will also learn how to problem solve by using information you have learned and applying it to multiple types of problems. You will also learn how to think critically about material that you have learned (Chemistry requires some memorization, but mostly true understanding of the material and analysis of the material). You will analyze and manipulate data in the lab and learn essential laboratory skills needed by any chemist.

Real world applications are discussed, but the emphasis of this course is the fundamentals of Chemistry that are taught in a first year college-level course and appear on the AP Chemistry Exam.

UNITS COVERED with possible labs/activities/Demos

  • Matter and Measurement
  • Searching for a Regularity (An investigation about Density)
  • Atoms, Molecules, Ions, Compounds
  • Separation of a Mixture
  • How many atoms thick is a piece of aluminum foil?
  • Calculations with chemical formulas and equations (Stoichiometry)
  • Finding an Empirical Formula
  • Converting Iron to Copper (Limiting Reactant and Percent Yield)
  • Determination of a Hydrated Compound
  • Aqueous reactions and solution stoichiometry
  • Reactions in Aqueous Solutions
  • Dilutions from Stock solutions
  • Basic Titration
  • Thermochemistry
  • Heat of Fusion of Ice
  • Finding the Calories in a Potato Chip
  • Electronic structure of atoms and periodic properties of the elements
  • Mendeleev Activity- Properties of the Periodic Table
  • Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure
  • Flame Emission Lab
  • Chemical bonding and molecular geometries
  • Modeling VSEPR Lab
  • Gases, Liquids, Solids, and Intermolecular forces
  • Investigating the Pressure/Volume Relationship
  • Cartesian Divers
  • Molar Mass of a volatile Liquid
  • Solutions and Colligative Properties
  • Colligative Properties: Freezing Point Depression
  • Chemical Kinetics
  • Rates of Chemical Reactions
  • Chemical Equilibrium
  • Le Chatlier’s Principle
  • Colorimetric Determination of Keq
  • Acid-Base Equilibria
  • Virtual Titration Lab
  • Antacid Comparison through Titrations (after Exam)
  • Calculating pKa
  • Chemical thermodynamics
  • Heat of Neutralization
  • Electrochemistry
  • Electrolysis of Water
  • Nuclear Chemistry
  • Organic Chemsitry
  • Creating Polymers (after Exam)
  • Organic Molecular Modeling

Text:

Brown, LeMay, Burnsted & Murphy. Chemistry the Central Science.11ed (AP ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009.

You must either bring your text to class everyday or have it available in your locker to retrieve if needed. (Replacement cost is between 50-150 dollars so be careful with them!)

Final Grade: 20% for each Quarter grade, 10% midterm exam grade, 10% final exam grade

Final Exam: The final exam for this class occurs the week BEFORE the AP Exam at the beginning of May. This means that the final exam for my class is the week that you return from April Break. Please be aware of this while planning April Vacation trips. You will not want to miss school the week we return.

Laboratory: Some units have more relevant labs then others, so therefore there will be some dry spells with not very many labs, and some weeks where we complete a lab once a week.

You will be assessed on laboratory work in several ways. You may be asked to hand in the lab packet which includes handwritten answers to questions. You may also be given a quiz where you could be asked to manipulate data in the same manner as you did for the lab, or answer questions relating to the lab. You may also be asked to type up parts of or a complete formal lab write up. The formal lab write-ups are meant to help you develop your scientific writing skills and are practice for how scientists write their reports for Scientific Journals. The formal lab write ups will occur once a quarter. Labs will be worth about 20% of your quarter grade.

Tests: One test will be given per quarter that covers the material of several chapters. Tests are worth approximately 35% of your quarter grade.

All approximate test dates are listed on the HUHS AP Chemistry calendar which will be provided to you on the first day of class. Test dates will occur very close to that date, and will be decided at least 1 week before the test day. Just like in a college course, if you cannot make this test date (because of extracurricular activity, etc.), you must schedule a time to take the test PRIOR to the date on the calendar. If you are sick the day of a test, you must take it the day you return (in college you would receive a 0). Failure to take the test the next day will result in a deduction from your grade. Please put all the test dates on your calendar, and as soon as you find a conflict, please notify your instructor.

Tests are a form of summative assessment and are intended to demonstrate mastery of content; they are not designed to show you how much more you need to study. Therefore there will be no re-takes or test corrections on Tests. Tests are timed (just like in college and on the AP exam) and designed to be completed in an80 minute class period. Students with documented learning disabilities will be provided additional time in line with the student’s plan.Students who have accommodations and who will require more than 80 minutes to complete the test still need to complete it in one sitting (you cannot leave and come back) and should therefore arrange a time during that day to complete the test uninterrupted.

Homework: You will be given a list of problems from the text or a worksheet and asked to complete them at home. Sometimes the homework will be checked off, sometimes it will not be, and sometimes it will be collected. If collected, it will be scanned for solid evidence of showing work for a problem, as well as the correct answer. If the problem is incorrect, it will be circled, and the homework assignment will be returned to you. You will then need to fix the problems that you got incorrect to receive full credit.In Chemistry, along with many other disciplines, practice makes perfect. The more you practice doing problems without the aid of your notes or peers, the more likely you will remember how to do them for the AP Test (and the final exam). ****It is not beneficial to you to copy homework. If homework assignments are collected, and there is evidence of copying, BOTH people will receive ZEROS without any opportunity to make-up. Homework is about 10% of your grade.

Quizzes: At the end of every Chapter a formal quiz will be given. These quizzes are worth approximately 15-20% of your quarter grade. No quiz corrections or re-takes will be given.

Mastery Quizzes: At least once per Chapter, a mastery quiz will be given where you are asked to complete a quiz question, and you must continue to take different versions of the quiz until you master that concept. Once you have mastered it, you will receive full credit for the quiz. A certain amount of class time will be allotted for the mastery quizzes during that day, and if you have not mastered the quiz at that point, you will then need to come in to finish within 3 days. After 3 days, you will receive a zero for that mastery quiz if you have not come in to master it. Mastery quizzes are worth about 10% of your grade.

Review Quizzes: Short quizzes on material that you have already been formally quizzed on will occasionally be given. These will most often be pop-quizzes and therefore unannounced. These quizzes are not worth a large percentage of your grade, but demand that you continue to master past material and keep it current in your brain. These quizzes cannot be re-taken, however the lowest per quarter will be dropped.

Student Performance and Evaluation: Each quarter grade is determined through the point system. Every assignment will have a certain amount of possible points, and you will earn some or all of those points. Different assignments will be worth different amounts of points depending on their weight in the quarter.

Absences: It is extremely important that students and parents minimize absences from this class-including musical lessons.Planned or unplanned absences will most likely negatively affect the student’s understanding and therefore grade for the class and ability to do well on the AP test. For one-day absences, only extraordinary circumstances will excuse a student from an assessment occurring the day they return.If a student misses class the day of an assessment or lab, they are expected to make up the quiz, test, or lab the next day. This may necessitate coming in early or staying afterschool ifstudents do not have other free time. Other times may be available by appointment, but you must schedule that time with your instructor. Lab days will be told either at the beginning of the week or the week prior so that you will know if you are missing a lab day. In the case of an extended absence, (more than one day) students must approach their instructor immediately upon return in order to work out a mutually acceptable make-up schedule.This should occur before school and not during the beginning of class time. In general, students and parents must be proactive and diligent in limiting absences and/or making up work in order to minimize the impact on student performance and grades. Students should email the instructor and check on the wiki when absent.

AP EXAM: All students enrolled in this course must take the AP exam. The AP Chemistry will occur on Monday May 6th at 8 am and will cost $87.00 (current information as of May 31, 2012). Failure to take the AP Exam will result in a failure of the course. Only people with extraordinary exceptions will be exempt from taking the exam, and must provide the instructor with a letter from the principal.

ELECTRONICS IN THE CLASSROOM: All personal electronic devices are NOT allowed for use in the classroom unless specific permission is given to a student for every use.

NO FOOD IN THE CLASSROOM. Any coffee or drink other than water must be in a container that contains a secure lid so if tipped over, it does not spill significantly. Cups from the cafeteria with coffee in it are not allowed.

SUMMER HOMEWORK: There is a summer homework assignment in order to cover all the required material by May 6th. Students who do not complete the summer homework assignment will be asked to switch out of the class. Students must return this signed syllabus in order to take out a book for the summer.

All situations are at the discretion of the instructor. This syllabus will be in general followed, but the instructor has the right to change policy based on her discretion of the situation.

Please read the attached syllabus, and return this portion to your instructor by June 20th 2012 in order to receive a copy of the text that will allow you to complete the summer homework.

I, ______, a student enrolled in AP Chemistry for the 2011-2012 year, have read and understood all aspects of the HUHS AP Chemistry syllabus including the fact that I am required to complete a summer homework assignment and that I am required to take the AP Chemistry exam in order to pass this course.

Signature:______Date: ______

I, ______, a parent/guardian of ______who is enrolled in APChemistry, have read and understood all aspects of the HUHS AP Chemistry syllabus. I understand that my child is required to complete a summer homework assignment, take the AP Chemistry Exam on May 6, 2012, and that the cost of taking this exam is $87.

Signature:______Date: ______

Preferred method of contact: Phone / Email

Phone number: ______

Email Address: ______

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