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Syllabus

Advanced Chemistry

Mrs. Testen

Contact Information: mtesten@learningcommunity202.org

Welcome to Advanced Chemistry!

This course will be similar to an introductory chemistry course at a university, and should prepare you for the AP test and any chemistry classes you take in college. This is not an AP class, because the one thing I cannot give you is the kind of laboratory that you will experience in college. I just can't pack that into a 56 minute class. I will give you AP practice test questions and my tests will be as close as possible to college level/AP tests.

About me:

I was born and raised on the Southwest side of Chicago, in a Polish, Italian and Mexican neighborhood, half a mile from Midway airport in the days before noise barriers. After surviving High School, I got a BS in Chemistry from Loyola University and worked at a testing lab, where we took apart Playskool toys, tested Lincoln Logs and plating solutions. Next stop was the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I went to become a teacher. I received a Masters Degree in Inorganic Chemistry and my Thesis was the chemiluminescence of luminol. But I didn=t become a teacher right away B first I worked at a sewerage plant and the Public Health Department, where I ran the lab and was the Beach Grinch for many years. Finally after my husband got his PhD in Engineering and got a job at Argonne, we moved down here, and I finally got to teach. I have two kids, three cats and not enough time for my hobbies. I hope to get back into playing guitar and archery sometime before I retire.

Topics:

During the first semester, we will cover chapters 1-10 and 24, 25 in General Chemistry As we begin each unit, I'll provide you with a list of objectives. These will be the important areas covered in each chapter.

Supplies:

In addition to the normal school stuff, keep a 3-ring binder.

Scientific calculator (not necessarily graphing- TI 30 is fine)

If you don't know how to use Excel, let me know

Bound lab notebook

A whiteboard marker (optional)

Classroom Procedures:

Once the bell rings, you are on chemistry time.

There will be a three-ring binder on the lecture table. It will have a calendar for you to write personally-important school events into. That is, you should note school events that may affect your ability to get your work done for this class. Examples would be major rehearsals for a play or concert, away games, or academic contests. I will take these into consideration for class planning.

The three-ring binder will also have seating charts and a tardy sheet. If you are late for class B

which means not working when the bell rings B sign the sheet. As you know, there are progressive penalties for each tardy.

Absences:

This is an advanced class. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the notes from another member of your class. You will be responsible for assigned homework. Any handouts will be in the maroon milk crate at the side of the room. Any handouts will be arranged by chapter/topic and have the day they were planned for on them.

LATE WORK:

If you will have trouble getting an assignment in on time, come and talk to me about it. Talk to me about any problems before the due date. Late work will be accepted, but except in truly unusual cases, there will be a penalty of 10% per school day the assignment is late.

Lab Safety:

Before you can do any laboratory work, you will need to pass the safety exam with a 90% correct score. Before any laboratory work, we will do a quick review of safety rules that apply in particular to the lab work we will be doing. I take safety very seriously. If you are doing something unsafe in lab, you will do desk work and get a zero for that assignment.

Laboratory Notebooks:

Each of you will record your laboratory data in your laboratory notebook. This is a bound (stitched) notebook, usually called a Acomposition book.@ You will also write the drafts of your lab reports here. However, I will expect a typed final report for your laboratory work, in addition to your notebook.

Data Recording and Corrections:

In Areal life@ science labs, all data is written in permanent ink, preferably black. Errors are never erased, whited out, or otherwise made unreadable. If you make an error, or change your mind about a conclusion, draw one line through what you are correcting. The original must still be legible. Make corrections this way on lab data and exams.

Getting help with chemistry:

Chemistry can be very hard and very tricky. We will often work together in class on the topics we are exploring. If you don't understand something, please ask a question. Ask me. If you are working in a small group, ask another group member. Don't decide you'll just figure it out laterB ASK NOW!! If I make a mistake (or if you think I've made a mistake), question me. I have bad days too. Remember that I've been doing this stuff for a long time, and I may forget that you haven't; or different classes may find different materials confusing or simple. You need to tell me. I don't read minds very well.

I have no problem with groups of students working on homework together. I do have a problem with one student doing the work and others copying it.

Finally, I will usually be at school by 7:15. Some days I have other duties, but generally I'll be getting ready for class, grading papers or doing other-class-related things. I'll be around, but I might be hard to find. I have classes in 217 and 117. If you want to meet with me, let me know and I'll be in 217. Because of my kid's schedules, staying late is more of a problem, but we can work out times. Also check 224, the science office..

Grading:

As you know, advanced chemistry is worth more than a standard course for your GPA. I will use a modified point system for determining your grade. I will tell you how many points an assignment, quiz, test or laboratory is worth before you begin working on it. The grading breakdown for the Honors Chemistry courses is:

Homework 15%

Quizzes 10%

Labs 25%

Assessments 30%

Final 20%. ( Not all of you will have to take the final - the rubric adjusts for this)

Homework:

Homework is assigned for your benefit. When it is assigned, we will review it the day it is due. Points vary by difficulty, and if I forget to tell you the point value, remind me. If you made a good effort at getting it done, you'll get all the points; if you didn't you'll get less or 0 points. All your homework together is worth 15% of your grade. I will collect all the homework for a section on the day of the test for that section, so don't wait for the last minute and ask questions.

Laboratory and Lab reports:

In the laboratory, you will learn important skills, apply lab safety rules, write reports, answer questions, and, I hope, have some fun. The laboratory is where chemistry happens. For every lab you will have a pre-lab. You won't be allowed to go into the lab area to work until your pre-lab is ready. In the laboratory you will have skills to learn and apply. I will have a checklist, called a rubric, that will allow me to know how well you have learned these skills. Toward the end of every lab task, I'll be walking around checking this off. I may ask you questions.

You will have to record your lab data carefully and neatly in your lab notebook. The data you use must be your own, unless I give you special written permission to use someone else's.

You will be responsible for some form of lab report. It may be a fill-in-the-blanks or a formal typed report, depending on the type of lab we are doing. I will always let you know what type of report I expect and what needs to be in it. Insert the report into your lab notebook and hand both parts of the lab in. Typed lab reports do not need to be a certain page length, but they do need to be in 10 or 12 point font and printed in black. The lab reports should be clear, concise and precise. It is better to say something well in two sentences than poorly in two pages.

Laboratory work is worth 25% of your grade. It will include:

Pre-lab

Lab skills observation

Data recording/Lab notebook

(These will include points for working with your lab partner(s))

Lab report

Practical laboratory assessments of skill and knowledge

Assessments:

Quizzes:

Will cover specific topics that you will need to be proficient with in order to successfully master a larger area, examples would be oxidation numbers and balancing equations.

Exams:

These may be scantron, open response, or a mixture. Where you show your work, you will need to be clear in your explanations and I need to be able to read what you have written. The point values for each question will be on the exam. We will go over the exams after you take them, and I will keep the exam papers until the end of the year. You may take notes when we review the exams. Exams will be worth 30% of your grade.

Finals:

20% of the grade is the final, unless of course, you are one of those seniors who is excused from Finals

Projects and presentations:

May be either lab or assessment points.

Grade Rubric:

Grade % (taking final)

= ((Homework points/possible homework points) x 0.15) + ((Quiz points/possible quiz points)x 0.1)

+ ((Lab points/ possible lab points) x0.25) +((Exam points/ possible exam points) x0.3)

+ ((Final points/possible final points)x0.2)

Grade % (not taking final)

={ ((Homework points/possible homework points) x 0.15) + ((Quiz points/possible quiz points)x 0.1)

+ ((Lab points/ possible lab points) x0.25) +((Exam points/ possible exam points) x0.3) } /0.8