What I Ask of You As a Chemistry Student

Welcome to Miss Swenson’s Chemistry Class!

EMAIL:

Chemistry is everywhere in our daily lives and this course will prove it! In this class you will learn about important chemistry concepts like the atom, the mole, the periodic table, acids, bases, and chemical reactions. The course will involve a great deal of background information but we will also talk about where the fields of science and technology are heading. Following is a summary of class expectations and policies that will help make this a successful semester!

Materials you should bring every day: Pen or pencil, notebook, 3-ring binder (recommended, not required), scientific calculator (non-graphing is ok), textbook (Modern Chemistry: Holt, Rinehart and Winston)

What I ask of you as a chemistry student:

¨  Ask questions! Discuss! Let me know what’s interesting, boring, confusing, and helpful.

¨  Take responsibility for your actions.

¨  Trust, honesty, personal integrity, and sincerity are always expected of all people, all the time in class.

¨  Make room in your life for a chemistry course.

¨  Stay positive J and keep an open mind—make an effort to see how chemistry affects your daily life.

¨  Stay current—the course is cumulative; falling behind will make the rest of the year more difficult.

¨  Be willing to ask for and accept help. Help is available during class, before, and after school.

¨  When given time to work in class, take advantage of this opportunity.

¨  Always follow proper safety precautions in lab.

Absences:

It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to find out from the teacher what work was missed and needs to be made up. You will have one week upon your return to complete any missed tests, assignments, or labs to receive full credit.

Assessment:

Grades will be calculated by points earned from tests and quizzes (45%), homework assignments (27.5%), and lab work (27.5%). Late assignments (including tests!!!) will lose 10% per day late (with a final maximum of 50% after 5 days).

Letter
Grade / % Range
A / 94-100
A- / 90-93
B+ / 87-89
B / 84-86
B- / 80-83
C+ / 77-79
C / 74-76
C- / 70-73
D+ / 67-69
D / 64-66
D- / 60-63
F / <60

Tardies (I take them seriously!):

You are expected to be in your assigned seat when the bell rings.

If not, you will be considered tardy. 1st tardy is free, 2nd-3rd

tardies each are 15 min. teacher detentions, 4th + each are

detention.

Passes:

You will receive 6 passes to leave the classroom (with a teacher’s

signature). Once you use up your passes you will not be able to

leave the classroom. Use them wisely! Passes may also be used

to keep from receiving a tardy, but must be presented at the time

of entry. Passes will be worth extra credit at the end of the

semester. You are not eligible the extra credit, however, if you

have had any discipline memos or unexcused absences.

Continued on back . . .

Behavior Procedures:

Respect others, respect the adults in your education, respect property and respect yourself. There will be lots of time for discussion with your peers, so when it’s time to listen, you need to be quiet. Never interfere with anybody’s right to learn.

Results of Not Following Behavior Procedures:

1st infarction = verbal reminder

2nd infarction = private conference with me to discuss misbehavior

3rd infarction = student sent to the office and detention is issued

Any severe disruption = student sent to the office immediately

Cell Phones and iPods:

Neither cell phones nor any MP3 players will be allowed in the classroom. You may use your cell phone and listen to music during your 10 minute break between classes. If you are caught in class with a cell phone or MP3 player, it will be taken from you and turned into the office. Only parents will be able to pick up these items in the office.

Lab Safety:

Following the safety rules in the chemistry lab is crucial to your personal safety as well as your lab grade. You will receive a separate list of the lab rules and we will go through these together in class. For each lab you will automatically be given 5 lab safety points. Lab safety points can be taken away if I catch you breaking the lab rules (ex: not wearing goggles while measuring out a chemical). NO FOOD OR DRINK (besides water) is EVER allowed in the classroom!)

Course Outline:

Unit One—Matter, Change, Measurement and Calculations

Unit Two—Atomic Theory

Unit Three—Electrons in the Atom

Unit Four—The Periodic Table

Unit Five—Ionic and Covalent Bonding

Unit Six—Nomenclature

Unit Seven—Moles, % Composition, Empirical and Molecular Formulas

Unit Eight—Types of Chemical Reactions

Unit Nine—Stoichiometry

Unit Ten—States of Matter

Unit Eleven—Gas Laws

Unit Twelve—Acids, Bases and Neutralization

Most Important Things to do in Chemistry Class:

Work hard and have fun!

COME SEE ME ANYTIME BEFORE SCHOOL FOR HELP AND AFTER SCHOOL BY APPOINTMENT! J

To the parent(s) or guardian(s) of

(Student’s name)

I have sent this handout home with your son or daughter, which summarizes my expectations of their performance in my classroom. It is the students’ and parents’ responsibility to read this handout and make sure they understand the meaning. I have taken class time to review the handout, and I ask that you would also take the time to read it.

Please email me with any further questions:

Thank you,

Miss Swenson

I have read this handout and I believe that my son/daughter understands the material discussed.

Parent’s signature: Date

I have read this handout and I accept full responsibility for the information.

Student’s signature: Date