Honors Chemistry 2009-2010

Mr. Alexander Robinson     Room 203       robinson@lansingcatholic.org       (517)-267-2173

COURSE OUTLINE: This order is tentative and subject to change if necessary.

Matter and Change.................................. 2 weeks

Scientific Measurement............................ 2 weeks

Atomic Structure and Periodic Table...... 4 weeks

Chemical Bonding...................................... 3 weeks

Chemical Calculations.............................. 4 weeks

Thermochemistry......................................... 2 weeks

States of Matter.......................................... 2 weeks

Solutions and solubility............................... 1 week

Chemical Reactions................................... 2 weeks

Acid/Base Chemistry................................. 4 weeks

Electrochemistry......................................... 2 weeks

Organic Chemistry..................................... 2 weeks

REQUIRED MATERIALS: suggested if marked with *

• 1” 3-ring binder
• Loose Leaf Paper
• Graph Paper
• Pencils, Blue or Black Pen
• Different Colored Pens for diagrams*
• Graphing Calculator – If purchasing, we will be using the TI-84 Silver Plus Edition
• Separator Tabs Labeled for Notes, Labs, and Returned Work

GRADING:

            Homework................................................... 30%

            Tests............................................................... 30%

            Labs............................................................... 10%

            Class work and Quizzes............................. 30%

            Note: If am assignment grade is marked with an asterisk (*) then the assignment has not been put into the grade book and is not currently factored into your grade.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS:

• Treat all people with respect.
• Do not do anything that will disrupt learning in the classroom.
• Advocate for yourself. This means if you don’t understand something it is your responsibility to ask to have it explained further. If you have any issues with any assignment, test, or anything else it is up to you to speak to me about it.
• No whining during class. If you are upset about something you may talk to me one on one after I am done addressing the class. Whining in front of the class will always result in a negative response and possibly more work.
• All work must be neat and legible. I will not guess what your answer is. If I am unsure what your work says then it is wrong! All writing must be done in pencil, blue, or black ink. Diagrams may use other colors if necessary.

TARDY POLICY: If you are not in the room when the bell rings you are tardy. If you are not in your seat and ready within a minute of the bell ringing you are tardy.

ATTENDANCE: If you miss this class for any reason, excused or unexcused, it is your sole responsibility to find out what you’ve missed. As a general rule, you will have the same number of days that you missed to turn in an assignment you were absent for. If this time frame doesn’t work you can speak to me for an exception.

TESTS: As a general rule, tests will contain a section of multiple choices, a section of short answer, a few essays and possibly some type of graph or graphic organizer to be filled out. Multiple choice questions will usually come from the assigned reading. Everything that you have been told to read will be fair game even if we don’t talk about it in class! All other questions will be taken from in-class discussion. Essays will require original thought and higher order thinking. Essays will be difficult and simply memorizing information will not be enough to answer adequately. ALL TESTS ARE CUMULATIVE! This means that for each test you will be responsible for all topics covered up to that point. Emphasis will normally be on most recent topics.

TEST REVISION: After a test has been corrected and returned, you have the opportunity to gain back half the points you’ve lost. To earn your points you must arrange to correct your answers. For each question, on a piece of lined paper, write the question’s number, the correct answer, and write a description of either how you know the new answer is correct or why the old answer was wrong. You may or may not be allowed to use your notes on some test revisions but never your book. Students who wish to do a test revision must have all of their work completed leading up to the test. All test revisions must be completed    within one week of the test being passed back.

GROUP WORK: There will be many opportunities for group work in class. For many of these assignments every student in the group will receive the same grade. It is your duty in a group to bring all members up to your expectations without doing all of the work yourself. Group work is meant to be just that. I reserve the right to dock points from a group’s grade if I see that all students are not participating. I also realize it is sometimes impossible to get a group member to do their part. If you feel that you’ve done all that you can to get your group or a member of your group to work and they still refuse you may turn in a written complaint. Simply take a piece of paper and write the name of the assignment at the top as well as all members of your group and a description of the negative behavior. I will investigate the matter further and act as I deem necessary.

NOTEBOOKS: All assignments and notes must be kept and organized in a three ring binder.  You should organize your binder using tabbed dividers labeled Notes, Labs, and Returned Work. Each section should be organized in chronological order. I will be collecting your notebooks at different times during the year and grading them. Your notebook must come to class with you every day.

LATE WORK: Late work will be accepted for 75% credit until the unit test. After the unit test late work can be turned in for 50% credit.

EXTRA CREDIT: Extra credit is a means for a student who does their work to improve their score. Consequently only students who have completed ALL of their assignments to date will be allowed to do extra credit. In addition, extra credit must provide extra work for the student while remaining relatively painless to the teacher. As a result, students wishing to do extra credit must submit a written proposal for an assignment that provides a reasonable amount of extra work. This proposal will be accepted or rejected at my discretion.  All proposals must be relevant to the course work.

HALL PASSES: Hall passes will be given at teacher discretion. As a rule only one student will be allowed to leave at a time. There will be a clipboard and a pass by the door. If you are given permission to use the hall pass you must sign out with your name, destination, and time out, as well as your time in upon return. If you forget to sign in upon returning to the class you will be denied the privilege for one week the first offense and more time with each successive infraction. Be conscious of when you ask to use the pass. Be sure that your using the pass will not disturb the rest of the classes learning.

LAB WORK: Lab work is a fun way to learn that can also be dangerous. It is important that a few guidelines are followed.

1)                  Read all lab directions before coming to class.

2)                  Do not touch anything until instructed to do so

3)                  Safety goggles must be worn when the teacher deems necessary. If you have completed the lab and wish to finish the paper work at your desk you may take off your goggles however you may not return to your lab station or any other lab station without your goggles on. You must be sitting at your desk to remove your goggles.

4)                  Improper behavior will not be tolerated during lab time. This includes but is not limited to running, walking away from an experiment, talking loudly, throwing anything, misusing lab equipment, and especially failing to follow the directions. Improper behavior may be grounds for removal from lab. There will be zero tolerance for horseplay in the lab area as it is not only dangerous to yourself but also to everyone around you.

5)                  All lab reports must be done in a two column format which will be explained before the first lab. This will include a written portion which must be done in blue or black ink, and a type conclusion.

It is important to realize that lab work is a privilege. If it is a privilege that you cannot handle then you will be asked to leave the lab. Students who are removed from lab may not finish it and will receive a 0 on the assignment. Students who are removed from lab twice will no longer be welcome in the classroom on lab days and will instead be given a lengthy and painful assignment reflecting the content of the lab.

ESCAPE CLAUSE: Although I plan on adhering to this syllabus things can sometimes be unpredictable. I reserve the right to alter classroom and personal expectations at any given time.