• Be Systematic
  • Be Flexible

Be Patient

  • Be Confident

HONORS CHEMISTRY PORTFOLIO

Webster says that a portfolio is “a flexible case for carrying loose papers, pictures…” or “a set of pictures…either bound or loose in a folder.”

So?

Sooooo, one current trend in evaluating a student’s performance is by examining a collection of that student’s work, rather than basing evaluation solely on standardized test scores. The basic idea is that even though tests are often unavoidable as a measure of learning, they shouldn’t be the only source of evaluation. Some colleges even now ask for a portfolio from applicants. To prepare you for the possibility that portfolios may be a part of your future, Honors Chemistry has decided to make portfolios a part of the honors program.

Oh, no!!

Now, now, it’s not that bad! Really, it’s not. All you have to do is choose examples of your work that you feel best reflect your learning—your progress—in this class. I’ll even provide a manila file folder free of charge, if you ask for one!

Wow, sounds great!! Please, please, tell me what to do! I want to get started!!

Well, ok, but only because you asked. Aside from showing your true colors, you must do the following:

  1. Include at least one formal lab report (see Lab Report Information Sheet)
  2. Include at least one article and summary.
  3. A position paper on a controversial science-related topic.
  4. Instruction unit on Nuclear Chemistry
  5. Depiction of the quantum model of atoms.
  6. Historical time line
  7. Lesson on two of the enrichment topics.
  8. Include at least 6 examples total of your work. You may include documentations of projects that might not fit in a file.
  9. Turn in a hard copy before MSLs begin at school.
  10. Create an electronic copy of your portfolio

*You should keep all of your work from the beginning of the semester. You may add this work to your portfolio.

Well, that sounds easy and fun!! Of course it does!! If you keep your finished product, along with any other portfolios you do, you will have plenty to choose from should you ever need such evidence of your capabilities.

GOOD LUCK! MAKE ME PROUD!

This paper lists the assignments you will complete as part of the Honors Chemistry course.

  1. You will write a position paper on a controversial science-related topic.
  2. Instruction unit over Nuclear Chemistry. This unit is self-explanatory.
  3. Depiction of the quantum model of the atom
  4. Historical time line project dealing with the development of current major theories in science and the contributions of various scientists along the way.

Article Requirements

  1. You can use articles, radio or television reports and/or editorials to cover your article requirement. All articles must be a minimum of 800 words in length. A copy of the article must be with your summary and question answers.
  2. You need to classify your article underneath the following labels. (Most will apply to more than one area, but choose only one area to classify your article).
  3. Pollution/Environment
  4. Health/Medicine
  5. New Technology/Discoveries
  6. Local Concern (Robeson County, Fayetteville, or NC)
  7. Articles and questions sheets must be turned in .
  8. Except for listing information such as titles, pages, etc. all answers should be given in complete sentences.

Article Questions

  1. List the title, date and pages of the newspaper, journal, magazine or other periodical from which the article was taken.
  2. Where and by whom was the discovery made or product developed?
  3. Briefly describe the chemical principles on which the discovery or product is based.
  4. What are the potential benefits of this discovery or product?
  5. Is there any controversy surrounding this discovery or product? If so, briefly describe both positions.
  6. Is the writer’s opinion expressed in the article? If so, what is it?
  7. State your perspective on this news.
  8. Attach the article to this report form.

Lab Report Instructions

After completing a lab in the classroom setting, sometimes a formal lab report will also be required for labs. This report is a forum where students are to describe what took place in the lab session, and formally state the results of the lab session as well as what they learned from the lab session.

The lab report should consist of the following components:

  1. Title (Lab number, Lab title, Partners Name (s), date)
  2. Objective, Goal or Purpose
  3. Materials Needed
  4. Brief Introduction to the lab
  5. Procedure used in the lab
  6. Data obtained in the lab
  7. A copy of the report sheet used in the lab
  8. Graphs (if necessary)
  9. Post-Lab Questions Answers
  10. Conclusions

Title Page—The title page for each lab should contain the title of the lab, the student’s name, name of lab partner(s), date the lab was performed and the Course Title (Chemistry).

Objective—A brief statement as to the purpose of the lab (what is to be learned from the lab). This information may be taken from the lab handouts, if given, or a new objective may be stated.

Materials Needed—A list of the materials (chemicals, supplies or equipment) used in the lab. This may also be taken from the lab handout.

Brief Introduction to the lab—This section should be written in a narrative style, to give the reader the information they need to know before completing the lab. In this section, you should include any formulas needed to complete the laboratory assignment and an explanation of the variables in each formula. This information should not be copied word for word from the lab handout sheet.

Procedures—This section should briefly list the steps used in the lab. These may be abbreviated from the lab handout.

Report Sheet—This is the sheet where all your original data is taken. Even if it is messy, it must be included in your lab report. The data which you collect in the lab should not be changed once you leave the laboratory setting. If changes are necessary explain why in the conclusion section, but leave the data as is.

Graphs—Any graphs that are requested in the lab handout should go in this section. Some labs will not have graphs.

Post-lab question answers—Answers to the questions following the lab should be included in this section. The questions do not need to be copied if the answers are given in complete sentences.

Conclusion—This section is the section that will be graded the hardest of all the other sections. In this section you are expected to tell what you learned in the experiment, state any problems you encountered in the experiment, explain why they got the results they got, as well as compare the final results that you got from your experiment to the theoretical results.

Please be reminded that in the classroom there should be No eating or drinking!

Dress Code for Lab Days

On lab days there is a dress code that must be strictly adhered to.

  1. Long hair must be tied back.
  2. Do not wear shorts or sandals during lab sessions.
  3. Keep any and all required safety equipment on during the entire lab period.
  4. If a spill occurs on clothing, wash it immediately at the sink using soap and water
  5. Do not wear anything that you don’t mind being damaged.

There should also be no horseplay as the lab can be a dangerous place.

There are no make-ups for missed labs. Since the lab is a hands-on classroom once the lab is finished, it is finished. If you are absent, do not copy the lab data from another student.

Additional Enrichment Topics

Enrichment topics: In-depth study of at least two of the following eight enrichment topics is

required in addition to the extended objectives.

1. Crystal structure

2. Environmental Chemistry

3. Organic Chemistry

4. Nuclear medicine

5. Textile chemicals

6. Polymers

7. Forensics

8. Chemistry of computers

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREATING THE ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO

Instructions for completing the electronic version of your portfolio can be found on the webpage for the class.