AP CHEMISTRY
General Information, COURSE SYLLABUS
Mr Rippeon
SAFETY
This is the single most important issue in this course. There will times during the year when we will be working with a variety of potentially hazardous materials, as well as in contact with things in the room. There is absolutely no reason why you should be in any danger, provided everyone follows instructions and works carefully. Unsafe actions would result in hazards to that person AND others around them. Therefore, persons whose actions suggest that they cannot act in a responsible manner will not be allowed in the classroom.
There will be times when materials are set up within the room. If there are materials out, THERE IS NO REASON that anyone should be touching anything they have not been instructed to touch. There will be occasions when the students will arrive in the classroom prior to the teacher, and there should be no reason for safety to be in any way compromised, provided each of you acts as mature intelligent individuals.
If, at any time you are concerned with the materials we are using, there are Material Safety Data sheets for each chemical in the room, and you should feel free to ask.
THERE SHOULD BE NO UNAUTHORIZED EXPERIMENTS.
(However, if you are curious, and your idea poses no danger, I will be happy to try almost anything, within reason.)
RATIONALE:
The Advanced Placement Chemistry Lecture (and Laboratory) Courses are designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. For some students, these courses enable them to undertake, as freshmen, second-year work in the chemistry sequence at their institutions or to register in courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. For other students, the AP Chemistry course fulfills the laboratory science requirement and frees time for other courses.
AP chemistry should meet the objectives of a good general chemistry course. Students in such a course should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and a reasonable competence in dealing with chemical problems. The course should contribute to the development of the students' abilities to think clearly and to express their ideas with clarity and logic. The college course in general chemistry differs qualitatively from the usual first secondary school course in chemistry with respect to the kind of textbook used, the topics covered, the emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles, and the kind of laboratory work done by students. Quantitative differences appear in the number of topics treated, the nature and the variety of experiments done in the laboratory, and the time spent on the course by students. Successful completion of Chemistry-Honors Level or Chemistry-Merit Level is a required prerequisite; completion or concurrent enrollment in Precalculus and Physics are strongly recommended.
LECTURE COURSE CONTENT:(not necessarily presented in this order)
1. Chemical Foundations
2. Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
3. Stoichiometry
4. Reactions in Aqueous Solution
5. Properties of Gases Chemical
6. Thermochemistry
7. Chemical Thermodynamics, ΔH, ΔS, ΔG
8. Chemical Kinetics: The Study of the Rates of Chemical Reactions
9. Chemical Equilibrium in Gaseous Systems
10. Acid-Base Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions
11. Applications of Aqueous Equilibria
12. Electrochemistry
13. Atomic Structure and Periodicity
14. The Nucleus
15. Bonding: General Concepts
16. Covalent Bonding, Orbitals
17. Liquids and Solids
18. Properties of Solutions
TEXTBOOK, LABORATORY MANUAL, AND SUPPLEMENTS:
Chemistry: The Central Science; Brown LeMay 2009
Labs will originate from numerous source texts and will be provided
A supplemental “Test Prep” text will be provided, however the following text
Mastering the AP Chemistry Test, 9th Edition, Thomson ARCO, 2003 (a good source is Amazon.com)
Could serve as a useful study guide
LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
Students will participate in a variety of activities designed to help them master the major principles ofchemistry. Each week the students will receive three ninety minute lecture/discussion/ homework review sessions. The activities willinclude: demonstrations, lectures and discussions, problem-solving drills, video, video-clip, videotapes, computersimulations and computer-assisted instruction, quizzes and unit tests. For many topics, computer tutorial will be available online or from the instructor. The teacher will beavailable for makeup work or help after school approximately three nights per week.The laboratory experience includes approximately two ninety minute sessions per week to simulate the experience theywould get in most colleges. Most labs require this amount of time for continuing or repeating trials. Remaining timeis used for additional discussion of homework.
The students will be expected to maintain cumulative notebooks containing laboratory work, classwork, handouts, notes, and homework. Homework will be collected and graded. Itis assumed that the student will spend at least six hours a week in unsupervised individual study.
MARKS, (a.k.a. GRADES)
The reason I have placed this category last is to emphasize the fact that your mark should not be your reason for being here. If it is, I fear you may have a certain amount of difficulty with this course. Chemistry is, in many ways, akin to a foreign language for many of you. The vocabulary is very different from that to which you’re accustomed, while the rules of Chemistry’s “grammar” are inflexible and must be followed. There is very little room for interpretation in the basic facts of the course. Therefore, your study of the course must be consistent and regular, as “cramming” will prove less effective than it might in other subjects, especially as the midterm and final are cumulative. Your success in this course will be directly related to your approach.
LABSEach quarter, roughly ten to fifteen labs will be collected at random to be marked.
NOTE: any lab receiving a mark of less than 90% may be resubmitted for additional credit,(up to a 9), any time prior to the test on that material. The first resubmission of the lab must be in two days after the lab is returned to the student, and additional resubs can continue at a reasonable pace after that
It will be in your best interest to do your very best on the initial submission, both in order to earn a mark of ten, and to avoid having as much work in resubs. The resubs are for your benefit, in order to learn the material. However, please note that you will be expected to stay within certain time constraints.
GRADING:
Unit Tests 40% of total grade
Quizzes/Classwork10%
Homework10%
Lab Writeup40%
GENERAL “STUFF”
Late Work receives a penalty of 10% per calendar day it is late
Any lab not resubbed by the test on that material will lose any possibility for earning additional points.
Extra help is always available. Please realize that scheduling conflicts may arise, and that an appointment may be in order. Feel free to stop by any time I’m free. However,if you come unannounced, please don’t be upset if I already have other things scheduled.
It is a guiding principle of my classes that each of you become more effective problem solvers, seeking to reconcile your own questions and to stretch your own limits. It is my hope that during the course of the year, you will not be forced to memorize a great deal of information, rather that you will be thinking about, questioning and testing every new idea as it comes along.
I will do everything I can to help you succeed. Feel free to bring to my attention any way in which you feel that I might better help the class to gain an understanding of the material, and if it is feasible , I will seek to implement the idea.
Please retain the following information
Parents may reach me by phone at (240) 236-8367 or by email at
I check my email regularly, while I cannot be reach directly by phone during the school day, so, if convenient, email would probably be the best method by which to reach me
Thanks,Mr. RippeonGovernor Thomas Johnson Science
AP Chemistry – Fall 2012
GovernorThomasJohnson High School
Mr. Rippeon
Student Name
Block
By signing this page, as a student of this course, I indicate that I have read, understand and will follow the guidelines and rules necessary for success in Mr. Rippeon’s Chemistry class.
The parent or guardian’s signature indicates that they have also read and understand the student’s responsibilities in this course, the resources available for help and the method by which the grade will be determined.
Student Signature
Date______
Signature of Parent or Guardian
Date ______
Parent/Guardian email address or preferred method of contact
This is important, as I will first try to reach you by this method
Student is to return this sheet to Mr. Rippeon by Thursday of the first week of school.