CHEMISTRY

2014-2015

Mr. LeaTrea

Home: (231) 766-3656 until 9:00 PM

School: (231) 894-2661

Classroom hours: 7:15 AM till 3.00PM

Additional Resources:

Text:

Addison Wesley Chemistry;Wilbraham, Staley, Matta, and Waterman. 2002

Introduction to Chemistry

As an Experimental science, chemistry is concerned with the way nature works both at the atomic and molecular level. The behavior of atoms, molecules, and ions determines the world we live in, the reactions that take place, and the behavior of physical and chemical processes. An understanding of Chemistry is an essential part of modern life.

Chemistry Goal Statement

Chemistry is involved in some way with almost everything we do or use and is central to most other studies of sciences and technologies. Chemistry incorporates the understanding of the properties of matter, changes in matter, forms of energy, and energy transformation to solve problems facing our modern society. All objects and substances in the natural world are composed of matter. Students need to understand matter in terms of chemical and physical properties. Matter can undergo change, and the changes that take place need to be understood by observations made by the student. It is crucial that the student understands the role of energy in the breaking and formation of chemical bonds. Left on their own, all systems will naturally move to a state of lowest energy, which is the most stable arrangement and that of maximum randomness.

Coursework and Tests:

This course will consist of homework, quizzes, labs, and tests. Tests, labs and quizzes will be weighted to provide 80% of the overall grade and the remaining 20% will be accountable in the homework. This in no way diminishes the importance of homework students who fail to do the homework will find the tests and quizzes difficult.

It is important to maintain the pace of the class and falling behind with material from one chapter to the next will hinder the students’ ability to perform well on new material. To encourage students to fix misconceptions and trouble areas retakes of chapter tests are offered. Every student has 5 school days from the day they get the test back to come in on their own time and retake the test. The better of the two grades are accepted, the only limitation is that students may not score better than a B+ on a retake, “A” grades are reserved for students who have made the initial effort on the first time through.

“Book Covers”

The amount of material students need to cover in all of their courses makes memorizing impractical. Also, information is at our fingertips, the purpose of science is to think, ask questions, and search for answers. For this course then students will be allowed to use a book cover on tests and quizzes as an equation sheet. Certain material may be excluded due to the nature of the test. It is the students responsibility to acquire and maintain the book cover, and the cover can not be taped to the book nor can other sheets be added to the cover to make. may not be directly attached to the book

Habits of Mind

Commitment, Creativity, Curiosity, Diligence, Fairness, Flexibility, Imagination, Innovation, Integrity, Openness, Persistence, Reflection, Sensitivity, Skepticism, and Thoughtfulness.

Grading Scale:

100-98 / A+ / 89-88 / B+ / 79-78 / C+ / 69-68 / D+
97-93 / A / 87-83 / B / 77-73 / C / 67-63 / D
92-90 / A- / 82-80 / B- / 72-70 / C- / 62-60 / D-