AP Chemistry Course Syllabus Welcome to Ms. Khanis's 11 th grade AP Chemistry class! Name: Date: Room: 427 Period: Course Description Welcome to AP Chemistry! Over the course of this year you will have the opportunity to learn a great deal about chemistry, much more than you learned or would have learned in the first year class. We will explore in much greater depth the concepts you have learned as well as new material that will build upon your previous knowledge. Ultimately, this class will serve a number of functions. It will give you a chance to experience what a college class may be like, it will challenge you with new information, it will prepare you to take the AP exam next May, you will use your knowledge in performing labs, thus seeing and doing those concepts you learn in class, and you will develop a greater understanding of how chemistry affects the total environment in which we live. This course is not a revamped, upgraded version of Regents Chemistry, but rather an in-depth study of more advanced chemical concepts. The course is challenging in both academic content and laboratory procedure. You will be challenged academically, yet the workload is not unbearable. You should review your work every night, and under no circumstances should you allow yourself to fall behind. If you need help, it is always available. I also suggest that you form peer groups for study sessions or form on-line discussion groups for help with homework and study. You will need to set aside time to study the material, come to class prepared, and ask many questions! You will find all relevant course material on our class website: www.cimschemistry.weebly.com. Attendance Attendance is very important! Please be on time to class every day. This means that your Do Now is completed and ready to be stamped by the fourth minute of class, no exceptions. It is your responsibility to get the material you miss if you are absent. Please plan accordingly and contact your peers to get the notes and assignments for the day. *** Missed assignments are due five days after your return to class, no exceptions. *** ** Missed Labs must be made up within two weeks after your return to class, no exceptions. ** Expectations This is a college-level course and I expect us to conduct ourselves in that manner. Materials: You need a notebook, pen and pencil, scientific calculator, and a two 3-ring binders (one for class and one for labs) every day. You will need to reference previous homework assignments, previous notes, and worksheets. Language: For all of us to feel safe, we must all behave and participate as respectful adults. That means that we
will respect ourselves and others by refraining from foul language, obscenities, any kind of gender, racial, sexual orientation, religious or other stereotypes. Complement each other and ourselves! Food and Drink: Because there are chemicals in the room EVERYDAY, we cannot eat or drink in here. You can t assume that the clear liquid spilled on your tabletop is water. If you need to eat or drink, please ask to step outside for 2 minutes. Labs: Please plan ahead and dress appropriately for lab days. You will not be able to participate in labs if you are not dressed appropriately. You will wear goggles every time we have a lab. You will also be prepared for the lab by reading the lab beforehand and completing the pre-lab. A comprehensive laboratory experience is essential to your success in AP Chemistry. The labs completed require following or developing processes and procedures, taking observations, and data manipulation. Students communicate and collaborate in lab groups; however, each of you will submit your own lab report. Various types of laboratory reports will be submitted. A specific format will be given to you for each lab. You must follow that format. AP Chemistry lab reports are longer and more in depth than the ones completed in Regents chemistry. Therefore, it is important that you don t procrastinate when doing pre-lab and post-lab work. Late labs will not be accepted. Most of the experiments will take more than one hour to complete. During the pre-lab session you need to make sure you understand what is required and clarify anything that is not clear. This will expedite the experiment and make it more enjoyable for all of us. Homework: Homework is found on our class website. It is due AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. You are welcome to collaborate with each other and support each other, but copying is a form of PLAGIARISM and will not be tolerated. Your homework will receive a zero the first time, and if it occurs again, will involve a parent meeting. I will collect formal homework problems from you during the course of the year. These problems can be from the textbook, practice problems, as well as studying and reading assigned from the textbook and notes. The AP test as well as science in general is problem based and solving problems will give you practice, skill, and confidence in solving the type you will find on the AP exam and class exams. There will also be ample time to ask questions about any assignment problems and get help in class. There are also suggested problems on my AP Chemistry website with solutions to the problems. Solve the suggested problems and then check the solution. Do not rely on just looking at the solution it is more important for you to understand the concepts and processes to solve the problems. Any of these suggested problems you can expect to find on exams and quizzes, with modifications of course.
You will also be assigned vocabulary lists for some chapters. These vocabulary lists are required assignments to be collected at each test and there will be quizzes on the terms during the year. Homework bridges the gap between the classroom and home so that students can reinforce what they have learned and ensure retention of the information. Late Work: With the exception of lab reports, assignments may be turned in late with a penalty of one letter grade for each date late up to 5 school days. After 5 school days the missing assignment will be assigned a grade of zero. Exams: There will be two types of exams you will take in this class. The first type will be take home tests. These tests will be rather involved and time consuming. The second type of tests will be designed for you to gain practice for the AP test. They will be of the same format as what you will find on the AP test and will be structured in such a way as to give you in class practice at timed test taking. This is the time for you to begin to develop the speed and skills necessary to do well on the AP exam. You will find questions on your exams that will be similar to types found on the AP Chemistry exam and you must learn how to complete them in a timely manner. The take home test portion and in class portion will be combined to give a unit exam grade. Grading Classwork / Do Now / Group Work: 15% Participation 15% Tests / Quizzes / Exams: 20% Marking Period Final Assessment: 20% Performance Tasks (Labs, Projects, etc.): 20% Homework: 10% The goal of the class is that you know and can do a specified set of objectives. To get you there, you will have the opportunity to re-do ANY test or quiz. The requirement to retake something is to practice the concepts through a variety of means, bring the practice to me, and trade for a second (or third or fourth) chance to demonstrate you know the material. Missed assignments are due three days after your return to class, no exceptions. Missed Labs must be made up within two weeks after your return to class, no exceptions. Class Rules 1. Be respectful to all class participants 2. Be present for class: on time and prepared 3. Begin the Do Now before the bell rings 4. No food, drinks, or gum 5. Ask questions! Ask any question!! 6. Do your best! Keep going!!
Lab Rules 1. Come prepared with a completed pre-lab and having read the entire lab 2. Wear appropriate lab attire: closed-toed shoes, pants or long skirt, sleeved shirts, loose clothing and hair tied back. 3. Wear goggles for the entire lab period 4. Be respectful and careful of each other, the equipment, and the chemicals around you. 5. Take detailed notes, observations, and stay on target. Leave all the negative attitudes outside of this classroom. AP Chemistry is hard but it will be much easier with a positive attitude. Remember this class was your choice. Consequences If you choose to disrupt a classroom participant's right to learn, including your own, you are choosing to accept a consequence. 1. Warning 2. Second warning / Class disruption 3. Call home 4. Guidance Counselor Conference 5. Parent Conference Helpful Websites: http://www.chemtutor.com http://www.webelements.com http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/index.shtml http://www.chemmybear.com http://www.chemtopics.com/lectures.htm Thoughts from Ms. Khanis: My job this year will be to prepare you to take the AP exam in May and to give you a good background to be successful in college chemistry. To achieve this I will incorporate typical exam questions on tests and quizzes and hopefully set aside the two weeks prior to the AP exam for review so you will be as successful as possible. I will demand more from you than in Regents Chemistry and the pace of the class will be much different from other classes. I realize many of you are taking other AP classes and have much work for those classes as well; therefore I will not require out of class projects until after the AP exam. Given this, the burden is on you to study and learn much of the material. I will do everything possible to help you be successful but considerable effort must be made on your part. The College Board suggests you spend about an hour a day on AP Chemistry or about 5 hours per week. My take on that is this: you know how well you want to do, you know the grade you want to earn from this class, you have your own expectations and only you can meet them. You must put forth the necessary effort to meet your goals. I would like for all of you to earn an excellent grade in this class and urge you to strive for that. Almost there!
In order for you to be successful in this course keep the following in mind as we continue throughout the year: 1. You must PRACTICE!!!!! This means that you have time in class to practice solving problems in small groups. Sharing information and problem-solving strategies and working on them with your fellow students will be of great help to you. You must practice at home as well and homework will be devoted to your practice or essential concepts. The more you practice deciphering and solving problems the more success you will have on quizzes, tests, and the AP exam. 2. You must WRITE!!!!! This means you must learn to write answers and explanations for problems and practice this. Part of the AP exam involves you writing answers that must communicate your thoughts concisely and clearly. You will also be assigned a formal lab report each semester that will require you to write in a different manner than you will find in your Language classes. We will practice writing answers to questions, conclusions to laboratory experiments, and essential elements of formal reports.
AP Chemistry Syllabus Due Monday, September 11, 2017 Please only turn in this page. Name: Period: Date: After you have read through the course syllabus, please go over it with your parent or guardian. Both you and your parent or guardian should sign below. We will keep this on file as a record of understanding. You: Name: Signature: Phone #: Email: Parent/ Guardian: Name: Signature: Phone #: Email: Comments/ Questions:
Ms. Khanis Chemistry Room 427 Collegiate Institute for Math and Science Dear Parent / Guardian, I am very excited to get to know your student and help them achieve success in AP Chemistry! I hope that you and I will also get to know each other to best help your student. I am Ms. Khanis, your student's Chemistry Teacher. I am proud to be a part of the Team here at Collegiate Institute for Math and Science (CIMS). I look forward to the 2017-2018 school year. Throughout the year, I will plan many different activities for your student to explore the Sciences. A little history about myself: I graduated from a high school in San Diego, California and attended the University of California where I graduated with Honors in Chemistry with a focus in Environmental Toxicology. I taught college-level Chemistry at Penn State and then worked in the biotechnology sector. I then ran a tutoring business helping high school students reach their potential. Choosing to pursue education, I moved to New York City as a New York City Teaching Fellow May 2016 and am attending Lehman College for my Masters in Education in the evenings. In my classroom, I want your student to feel comfortable to explore what they see around them, to ask questions, and to try new things. To this end, I will work to have interesting experiments, grow plants, and maintain an open door policy for you and your student. As a final note, I want your student to take a keen eye and a questioning stance from this class and to question the world all around them and be able to find the answers. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child s success. Sincerely, Ms. Khanis You know a little of me, Ms. Khanis, and I would like for you to tell me a bit about your student which may be helpful in your student s education. Their likes and/or dislikes, special attitudes, needs.., etc PRINT Student Full Name Period
Chemistry Laboratory Requirement Memorandum Dear Parent or Guardian, Your student is enrolled in an Advanced Placement(R) (AP) Science Course. This course, AP Chemistry, includes a mandatory laboratory requirement that MUST be completed in order to successfully complete the course and achieve a passing grade. This class is designed to be at the rigor and challenge of a college-level course and your student will be held accountable to these high standards. Please encourage your student to study at home, keep organized and thorough notes, and take this course seriously. Your student needs to meet the lab and course requirements to be eligible for the AP exam. Therefore, absences, lateness or incomplete labs or lab reports may jeopardize your student's eligibility to take the AP exam and/or failure for the term. Your student MUST attend the lab class; MUST be punctual to the lab class; and MUST complete the required lab reports to gain credit for the lab activity and for the Chemistry class. Sincerely, Ms. Khanis, Chemistry. I have read this memorandum and understand that my student must complete the lab requirement for this AP course. PRINT Student Name: Period PRINT Parent Name: Parent Signature: Date: Home Phone #: Cell Phone #: Email: - - @