CHEMISTRY 2016-2017

Room 222

Instructor: Travis Marshall Email: Phone #: (713) 967-8278

Office Hours: M and Th 4:00 to 5:00 pm or by appointment

Course Website: ypwchemistry.com

The website will be updated daily with assignments and notes. The website will be a source for helpful online resources.

Course Description & Goals: The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the basic principles, applications and potential of Chemistry in modern-day life. Past students have found this class exciting but also challenging. Chemistry is by its nature an interdisciplinary enterprise and this is reflected in the material covered in this class. The instructor will seek to present an integrated view of chemistry and its principles. Depending upon their background, some students find the theoretical component harder while others find the mathematic aspects more challenging. Understandably, you will need to work harder to learn the material in which you have had less of a background. The course is divided into nine units and consists of 12 Essential Labs. Each unit will also have a project accompanying it.

I know that each of you are capable of mastering this subject beyond your wildest expectations, but only if you have the desire and will to work hard. This is an extremely important course in high school. Many of my friends that are practicing engineers, doctors, and even accountants cite a course such as this one as a key element in the development of their own interest in science and math. Many of you will learn a very new way to think about and solve problems relating to the world you see around you. Developing a more complete set of problem-solving skills is the goal for this class.

Course Content:

Unit 1 / Building Blocks of Matter / Aug 4.- Sept. 9
Unit 2 / Language of Chemistry / Sept. 12- Oct. 7
Unit 3 / Foundational Math of Chemistry / Oct. 11- Nov. 2
Unit 4 / Looking at Changes in Matter Qualitatively / Nov. 3- Dec. 6
Common Assessment 1 / Dec. 12-14
Unit 5 / Looking at Changes in Matter Quantitatively / Jan. 4-Jan. 25
Unit 6 / Phases of Matter / Jan. 26- Feb. 22
Unit 7 / Thermodynamics / Feb. 23- Mar. 9
Unit 8 / Periodic Trends / Mar. 20- Apr. 13
Unit 9 / Solubility and Molarity / Apr. 17- May 12
Common Assessment 2 / May 18- May 24

Required Materials: Each student will be required to have the following materials for chemistry.

  • 1 ½“- 3” 3 ring Binder w/ 5 dividers
  • Calculator
  • Straight edge/ruler
  • Colored pencils

Homework Policy: There will be a homework assignment nearly every day during the year. Homework may or may not be collected, however, you will have a closed book/closed notes quiz over the homework every Tuesday and Friday. These recitation quizzes will be composed of problems very similar to homework problems (with modifications)

and/or verbatim homework problems. A solution key to homework problems will be posted online at ypwchemistry.com the following day after being assigned. I expect you all to score perfectly or nearly perfectly on recitation quizzes. You may work together with your classmates on homework but don't deny yourself the opportunity to "struggle" with difficult concepts and problems (by having friends "spoon-feed" you answers). It is my opinion that one learns a great deal in this endeavor.... homework problems are your means of "practicing" just as an athlete practices to improve his/her

athletic ability.

Quizzes: There will be a quiz of varying length every Tuesday and Friday. Some quizzes will test different standards and thus be assigned a grade for each standard assessed. More recent quiz scores can replace older quiz scores if they assess the same standard and are higher than the previous score.

Unit Exams: Unit exams will assess multiple standards and thus be assigned multiple grades. Unit exam scores can replace quiz scores if improvement is shown throughout the standard.

Lab Reports and Lab Quizzes: Twelve labs will be completed throughout the course. Each lab will demonstrate and display chemical theories and ideas learned in class. A prelab report must be completed before beginning the lab. After lab completion, a lab report will be due within the following days. An exemplar lab report and rubric will be shared with the student to provide a strong guideline on what is expected. The first two lab reports will be completed in class, but the following ten will be completed as a homework assignment. Lab reports will assess two different standards and therefore be assigned two different grades. The first grade assesses the content of the lab report (did you get the correct results and did you answer the questions correctly) and the second grade assesses the format and the ability to meet due dates and other expectations (the college readiness standard). There will also be a lab quiz assessing the students understanding of the procedure and theory of each lab.

Unit Projects: Unit projects will be a unit long project assigned at the beginning of the unit and due near the end of the unit. A student will be able to turn in their project at any date before the due date. These projects are meant to explore the creative side of each student and hence require each student’s individual touch. These projects should be completed independently and any hint of collaborative efforts will be docked points. A rubric will be provided for each assignment and multiple standards will be assessed for each project. Like in the lab reports, there will be a grade assigned to the student’s ability to meet format requirements and to meet due dates and other expectations (college readiness standard).

Binder Checks: A student’s chemistry binder will be assessed on its contents and tidiness. A binder check may be announced or unannounced and there will be several throughout the course of a six weeks. A binder check may assess the complete composition of the binder or may ask for the student to produce an old assignment or handout. Binder checks assess the student’s ability to be organized and responsible and hence will be a component of the student’s college readiness grade. The importance of an organized and complete binder can be found in the fact that the CAs will assess more material this year and keeping track of all past assignments will help students succeed.

Common Assessments: There will only be two common assessments this year, hence acting more as a final that a student will see in college or at other high schools. The CA in December will assess all materials learned during the first semester (Units 1-4) and the CA in May is cumulative assessing the full scope of what was learned the entire school year (Units 1-9).

Grading Policy: I will strive to fairly grade all of your quizzes, exams, lab reports, and unit projects. High scores on quizzes are expected due to the alignment between the homework and the quizzes and the ability to complete homework at tutorials the day before the quiz. There are a few items for which you will be penalized every time: (i) serious conceptual algebra errors, (ii) incomplete work shown/no work shown, and (iii) errors in units/no units (units are very important and are often the difference between a letter grade on a RC or a number grade on the CA.) If the student ever feels like a mistake was made concerning their grade, please feel free to approach the teacher. It is my hope that each student earns the best grades possible.

Each report card will consist of grades from multiple standards that assess content mastery and one college readiness standard that assesses the student’s ability to meet deadlines, turn in neat and orderly lab reports and unit projects, and meet other expectations that are necessary for a student to be considered college ready. The college readiness standard will be composed of grades from lab reports, unit projects, and binder checks.

A weekly progress report will be given to the student to have signed by their parents. The academic grade of the student as well as a behavioral update will be provided on the weekly progress report. The goal of this weekly progress report is to keep the student and the parents informed of where the student is currently standing in Chemistry.

Student Signature: ______Date: ______

Parent Signature: ______Date: ______