CHEMISTRY 106 (CHEMICAL CONCEPTS)

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1 CHEMISTRY 106 (CHEMICAL CONCEPTS) Spring 2017: COURSE SYLLABUS Instructor: Professor Dave Swanson Office: Sequoia 337 Office Hours: Dave: SQU 337, Wednesday, 1-2 Morgan: SQU502 T/Th 10 10:45 Nyesha: SQU502 Monday 4 5 Kristy: SQU 337, Wednesday 10 10:45 Meeting times and locations: Discussion: Section 1: Mon, 1:00 1:50 pm SQU-301 Dave Swanson Activity: Section 2: Mon/Wed, 8:00-9:40 am SQU-452 Kristy Minnick Section 3: Mon/Wed, 2:00 3:40 pm SQU-452 Dave Swanson Section 4: Tu/Th, 8:00-9:40 am SQU-452 Morgan Campbell Section 5: Mon/Wed, 10:00 11:40 am SQU-452 Dave Swanson Section 6: Tu/Th, 1:30 3:20 SQU-452 Nyesa Enakaya Required Materials: Text: Conceptual Chemistry, John Suchocki, 5 th edition, ISBN Though it can be found much cheaper online, it is also available in the campus bookstore for sale or rent. Activity Manual: Explorations in Conceptual Chemistry, Jeffrey Paradis, 4 th edition, ISBN Available in the campus bookstore or online. The activity manual should not be purchased used, otherwise some of its pages, which must be turned in for grading, may be missing or marked up. Calculator: An inexpensive one that does +, -,, is fine. You will not be allowed to use the calculator or your cell phone during tests. Safety apparel: Students are required to wear a full-length laboratory coat during all laboratory ( Activity ) classes. Lab coats are available at the campus bookstore. Nitrile gloves are also required for lab work; they can be purchased at the bookstore or at your local grocery, hardware or drug store. Optional Materials: Three-ring binder: For organizing your homework, notes, and tests. Safety Goggles: Safety goggles must be worn during certain laboratory activities. Goggles and cleaning solution will be supplied. If you prefer to purchase your own safety goggles, they can be obtained at any hardware or home-improvement store. Catalogue Description: Principles and concepts of chemistry with applications in the home and the environment. This course satisfies the upper division chemistry requirement for the multiple-subject teaching credential. A Discussion (or lecture) session is one hour per week; two activity (or lab) sessions of one hour and 40 minutes will be held each week. This course does NOT fulfill the credit requirements for the major or minor in chemistry. Prerequisites: GEOL 008 or BIO 007 and ENGL 020 or an equivalent second semester composition course. 3 units. Course Information: This course is part of the Liberal Studies multiple subject matter program for students who are preparing to become K-8 teachers in California. CHM 106 is specifically designed to help students become familiar with the chemistry-related content necessary to teach in accordance with the CA State Science Standards. No previous knowledge of chemistry is assumed at the start of this course. 1

2 Course Learning Objectives: Students will learn the basic principles of chemistry and will be able to develop and present lessons to future K-8 classes based on these principles. Please refer to the Learning Objectives listed on the Cover Sheet of each Activity in Jeffrey s Activity Manual for a detailed description of these principles. Key Dates: Please refer to the handout Tentative Weekly Schedule for a detailed course timeline that includes all Activity, exam, and assignment due dates. Course Philosophy: The course is built around the development of a working model of the structure and behavior of matter. After establishing the particulate nature of matter we explore the nature and structure of its constituent particles. We will examine the effect of temperature and pressure on the particles and explore the nature of solids, liquids and gases. We will then study how these particles interact with one another to form molecular and ionic compounds. After learning about the nature of solutions, we apply this understanding to acidic and basic solutions. Finally, we examine how compounds interact and change during chemical reactions. Whenever possible, conclusions concerning these chemical concepts are based on direct observation and analysis of experimental results. It is the goal of this course that you not only learn chemistry-related content, but how to teach it. The teaching practices used in CHM 106 are supported by findings in the science education research literature. The activity periods will consist primarily of hands-on constructivist group work and student-centered discussions. Workload and Success in CHM 106: Our nation s teachers are truly our future and should therefore represent the best and brightest we have to offer. For that reason CHM 106 has been developed around rigorous but attainable expectations. A good deal of work will be required to earn 3 units of upper-division, college level science credit. In the past, students who have been successful in CHM 106 have mastered time management skills and as a result always come to activity periods prepared. They take responsibility for their learning and they are willing to seek help from peers and instructors when they need it. Successful students pay close attention to the Cover Page of each activity and are precise in all their work for CHM 106. Successful students are not obsessive about their grades; instead, they focus on learning the material so that they can one day successfully teach science in their K-8 classes. For these students, good grades are the resulting bonus that naturally occurs when conceptual understanding and content mastery is the real goal. Course Assessment (see Notes on course assessment below): Tests 1) 2 x 100 pt = 200 pts Cumulative Final Exam 1) 150 pts Pre-Activity Problem Sets 2) (drop lowest) 11 best x 5 pt = 55 pts Post-Activity Problem Sets 3) (drop lowest) 11 best x 10 pt = 110 pts Directed Activities Related to Texts (DARTS) 4) 3 x 10 pt = 30 pts Generic DART worksheets 5) Activities for Monday lecture 6) 3 x 10 pt = 30 pts 4 x 5 pt = 20 pts Classroom Activity Project 7) 100 pts Total = 695 pts Notes on course assessment: 1) Tests and the cumulative final exam will cover material from discussion lectures, laboratory activities, assigned reading, and pre/post-activity problem sets. Although tests will focus on the most recent material, they are to be considered cumulative (especially the final exam). You will have 50 minutes for each test and 2 hours for the final exam. Absolutely no makeup exams will be given so mark the dates 2

3 on your calendar (please see Tentative Weekly Schedule for exam dates). If you have a documented University excuse for missing a test, you can arrange with the course instructors before the exam to make the appropriate compensations for the missed exam. 2) Pre-Activity reading and problem sets must be completed prior to each new Activity class. Dates at which new Activities will begin are listed on the Tentative Weekly Schedule above. Each Activity reading assignment is listed at the bottom of the Weekly Schedule. A Pre-Activity report can be found at the beginning of each Activity in the workbook. They must be submitted at the start of each Activity session. They are worth 5 pts each, and cannot be turned in late for credit. At the end of the semester, your lowest Pre-Activity grade will be dropped. Although most pre-activity problem sets will earn the full 5 points, your activity instructor reserves the right to take off points if the problem set either does not appear to be complete or appears to have been completed without care (typically 1 pt for each blank or insufficient answer). 3) Activity: Activities and all activity-related documents can be found in Explorations in Conceptual Chemistry by Jeffrey Paradis, referred to as the workbook. The performance of the activities, and the reports associated with them, are the basis of learning and, accordingly, grade assignment. The Activity is basically a lab designed to foster the understanding of the concepts listed in the Course Learning Objectives above. This is a full-inclusion class. Knowledge generated will come from class work and discussions, not from lecture-based sessions. Accordingly, the completion of the reading and the preactivity is crucial to your ability to succeed in the class. Lack of class precipitation is not an option. Because the pre-activity problem sets are not graded for accuracy, there will be a student-centered class discussion that will provide you with an opportunity better understand the material and correct any misconceptions you may have. It is crucial for the success of a constructivist classroom that you are fully prepared and are enthusiastic about participating in the class discussion. Students who do not come to the activity with a completed pre-activity problem set will not be allowed to take part in the class discussion or to begin the Activity until their instructor deems them ready. Late or missing preactivity problem sets will NOT be accepted, even with an excuse. This includes pre-activity problem sets that are turned in once your activity instructor has already begun the class discussion. Note that, if class participation is lacing, your laboratory instructor reserves the right to replace the 5 pts from the preactivity problem sets with a POP-QUIZ if he or she feels that the class is either not coming to the activity prepared or if everyone is not actively participating in the class discussions. If given, the POP-QUIZ will deal directly with material that was to be read for that day s activity.. 4) Post-activity problem sets are typically 1-2 pages long. They are worth 10 pts each and your lowest grade will be dropped. Though you will occasionally have time to finish them during the activity period, they will be due at the start of the following activity period. Unlike the pre-activity problem sets, post-activity problem sets are more challenging and are designed to give you practice applying what you have learned during the activity. Post-activity problem sets are similar in difficulty to test questions and provide you with a valuable opportunity to test your level of understanding and to practice your test-taking skills. For this reason, you are expected to show your very best work on your post-activity problem sets. Postactivity problem sets can be found in the workbook, at the end of the Activity. Although the instructors do not mind if students work together on the problem sets, all material submitted for grades must be your own work and in your own words. Students found copying postactivity answers from other students (current or previous) will be given a 0 for that problem set. It is strongly suggested that you put in serious effort on your own before discussing problem sets with any other students. Students who immediately work on their problem sets in a group do not benefit from the self-testing opportunity provided by the problem sets. 3

4 To ensure fairness across activity sections, problem sets will be graded by your activity instructor using a grading key agreed upon by all of the activity instructors. If you have questions or complaints after you receive your graded problem set, you will be responsible for resolving them with your activity instructor. Late post-activity problem sets will NOT be accepted without a valid University excuse. In addition, students who miss an activity will NOT be allowed to submit the corresponding post-activity problem set without getting permission from their activity instructors. If you have a documented University excuse, you must make an agreement with your laboratory instructor as to when missed assignments will be due (typically within 1 week of returning to school). It is crucial that students who miss any activities (excused or unexcused) go over them with their lab partner to ensure that they understand the material. 5) Directed Activities Related to Texts (DARTs) are literacy reports using a worksheet that will be submitted for 10 pts each. The first DART will deal with reading the textbook and is scheduled for the first week of class. The remaining two DARTS have been scheduled during the laboratory period occurring on test days (or the day after). The rational for this is that since there is no preparatory work for DARTS, students can focus on studying for their test. Valuable class time for the improvement of science literacy is used because (1) Reading science texts has been shown to be a skill many students lack; (2) it helps address the science anxiety that many students fac; (3) it will greatly improve the likelihood of student success in the course; (4) it will aid student comprehension of the material; and (5) it is a needed skill for life-long learners. Although some CHM 106 students (roughly 5-10%) already approach their science reading with the level of rigor and self-reflection that is required in the DARTs, it our hope that going through the DARTs will still improve on their ability to communicate often complex science skills to their future students. Late DART worksheets will NOT be accepted without a valid University excuse. If you have a documented University excuse, you must make an agreement with your activity instructor as to when missed assignments will be due (typically within 1 week of returning to school). 6) Three times during the semester, you will be required to complete a Generic DART worksheet along with the textbook readings. The textbook readings that require a Generic DART are identified on the Tentative Weekly Schedule. The Generic DART worksheets are worth 10 pts each and are to be turned in at the start of the activity period along with your Pre-Activity Problem Set. The Generic DART worksheet is designed to help you practice the skills that you learn in DART #1. Late Generic DART worksheets will NOT be accepted without a valid University excuse. If you have a documented University excuse, you must make an agreement with your activity instructor as to when missed assignments will be due (typically within 1 week of returning to school). 7) There are a number of required activities that will be completed during the Monday discussion session (see tentative weekly schedule ). Based on attendance, student will earn 5 pts for each of the required activities. Post-Activity Problem Sets are not collected for activities completed during the Monday discussion section. 8) More information on the Classroom Activity Project is available on the course SacCT site and will be discussed later this semester. Note that a mandatory discussion section early in the semester will discuss details of the Classroom Activity Project. 4

5 9) Note that the class instructor may choose to revise the overall class grading system during the semester by adding, deleting or changing the documents to be submitted as listed above. If changes are made, students will be notified in advance. Attendance: Attendance in each activity session is crucial. It is not sufficient to simply do the pre- and postactivity problem sets using someone else s notes; you must be there and experience the activity first hand if you are going to be able to teach it one day. Arriving late also means that you may have missed any important safety instructions and you may disrupt students who have arrived on time. In addition, preactivity problem sets will not be accepted once they have been returned (typically right at the start of the class). Please make every effort to be on time. If you know in advance that you will be missing an activity period you are encouraged to attend a different activity section. In order to do this, you must arrange permission BEFORE the activity from both your regular activity instructor as well as the instructor of the section you will be attending. When attending a different activity section have the instructor initial all your work to prove that it was completed on time. You are then responsible for showing the completed, initialed work to your regular instructor so that he or she can record your grades. Grading: The final course grade will be based on a straight percentage format. Because competition for grades goes against the philosophy of team-work as practiced in this class, there will be NO CURVE. Although there is no curve in CHM 106, for students who are boarder-line (generally < 0.5% from the next higher cutoff), other aspects of the student s performance will be considered to see if her or she warrants being bumped up to the higher grade. In general, the positive things considered when deciding whether to bump up a student are: good attitude, completion of all assignments, helpful/patient with peers, on time for class, professional and respectful of instructor and peers. Grades will be assigned according to percentages as follows: % = A % = A % = B % = B % = B % = C % = C % = C % = D % = F Students with disabilities: If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008 (916) Please discuss your accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in the semester. Your activity instructor and I will be very happy to make all reasonable efforts to ensure you have a full and enjoyable experience in CHM 106. Professionalism: Distracting behaviors in lecture and lab will not be tolerated. Turn off cell phones before class and do not talk when your instructor is speaking. Students violating basic principles of respect during class will be reproved and may be asked to leave. Students coming to class late or those who will need to leave early are asked to sit near one of the classroom entrances. No photographing, recording, or text messaging is allowed without permission of the instructor. Cheating and plagiarism: Students found copying or assisting other students in copying any graded class assignments will be subject to punishment. Punishment may range from receiving a zero on the assignment to expulsion from the University. The University statement on Academic honesty can be found at: A student tutorial on plagiarism can be found at: library.csus.edu/content2.asp?pageid=353. The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus as needed. 5

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