Honors Chemistry
Course 303240
2018-2019
Instructor: Mr. Hatch 	                  Voice Mail: (717) 432-8691 ext. 2313		e-mail: thatch@nycsd.k12.pa.us 

Study Assistance: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:40-3:20 or by appointment.

Getting Started: 
The following is a checklist of what you will need to be successful in this course. 

	1. 	A notebook and writing utensils - a three-ring binder and pocket folder are strongly suggested to help organize handouts and keep track of important papers. All papers should be kept on hand for the current semester. 

	2. 	A calculator - a scientific calculator is strongly recommended. You may purchase one at any drug store or department store. A calculator with exponential notation capabilities can be purchased for $10-$20. (I recommend a hard case and solar power.) For students interested in pursuing math or science beyond high school we strongly recommend that you consider buying a graphics calculator such as the TI-84 plus. They cost about $80 or more, depending on the model, but are a worthwhile investment. (For those especially interested in science, the silver edition calculators have some neat science applications, including an interactive Periodic Table. These calculators are about $40 more than those without the extra applications and they also have greater memory capacity.)

3.	Consistent attendance (no matter what you do to make up for missed days, its just not the same as being here) AND consistent PRACTICE. Do your homework TO UNDERSTAND IT, not just to get it done!

4.	MOST IMPORTANTLY – you need a hearty appetite (for learning), so get ready to…

…give your maximum ffort while in class or lab. You’re here anyway – might as well do your best!
…be willing to sk questions when you have difficulty.
…allow your mind to be active -hink, don’t just memorize!

Course Text: 
		Zumdahl, Steven S., Zumdahl, Susan L., DeCoste, Donald J. World of Chemistry. (New York, NY): McDougal-Little, 2002.

Course Timeline (subject to modification due to the needs of the class)

First Marking Period Topics: 
	1. 	Laboratory Safety & Procedures - the scientific method, measuring, calculating, and performing other laboratory techniques in a safe and efficient manner. Main Source - class notes and lab activities. 
	2. 	Scientific Computation - significant figures, scientific notation, conversion factors, and the factor label method. Main Source -class text, chapter 5. 
	3. 	Matter and Energy - classifying matter and changes, including the Periodic Table and measurement of energy change. Main Sources - class text, chapters 2, 3 & 5 and handouts. 

Second Marking Period Topics: 
	4. 	Chemical Compounds - writing formulas and naming compounds, percent composition, formula mass. Main Source - class text, chapters 3 & 4.
 	5. 	The Mole - Avogadro's number, mole conversions, empirical and molecular formulae, and hydrates. Main Source -class text, chapter 6.
6.	Quantitative Chemical Relationships - writing, balancing and classifying equations, mass-mass problems, energy relationships, and limiting reactant. Main Source - class text, chapters 7-9. 

Third Marking Period Topics:
7.	Atomic Theory - development of the atomic concept, parts of the atom, atomic mass, atomic number, isotopes, average atomic mass, nuclear processes and electron arrangements. Main Source - class text, chapters 3 & 11.
8.	Chemical Bonding & Molecular Structure - electronegativity, ionic and covalent bonding, metallic bonding, Lewis Structures, predicting molecular shape, polarity and chromatography. Main Source - class text, chapter 12. 

Fourth Marking Period Topics: 
	9. 	Kinetic Theory & Equilibrium - effects of temperature and particle mass on the motion of particles and the balancing of opposing processes. Main Source - class text, chapters 15 & 23. 
10.	Solids, Liquids and Phase Changes - Crystalline structure, liquid properties such as surface tension and capillary action, vapor pressure, and phase changes along with accompanying energy calculations and diagrams. Main Source - class text, chapter 14. 
11.	Gases - gas laws, the ideal gas equation, molar volume, effects of pressure and temperature changes on a gas. Main Source - class text, chapter 13. 

Additional Topics:
(Time permitting, these may be added at the end of the year or integrated into related units throughout the year.)
	12. 	Solutions - basic terms, concentration and its effects on properties, and colligative properties. Main Source - class text, chapter 15. 
	13. 	Acids & Bases - pH scale, neutralization, salts, acid-base properties of anhydrous materials, acid rain, and other real world applications. Main Source - class text, chapter 16. 
14. 	Organic Chemistry - naming and classification of simple organic compounds, types of organic reactions. Main Source - class text, chapter 20. 

Major Assignments: 
	1. 	Lab Reports - Various topics in the course will be reinforced with experiments which will be culminated in a report of objectives set forth, data collected, observations made, calculations performed, results obtained, and conclusions drawn. Most reports will also include questions about the lab procedure and the scientific principles applied. Some reports will be informal and some will follow a more strict format, but all reports are due five school days after the completion of the experiment (exceptions made to accommodate special concerns relating to the school calendar). This five day period includes TWO DAYS to complete individual portions of the report, TWO DAYS to review and edit partners’ work and a day for final editing and publishing. The format for formal reports is available on the instructor’s web page, and a paper copy may be made available upon request. NOTE: Most labs require one report submitted per group. It is expected and required that all group members contribute equally to every lab report. Failure to contribute fairly to a team effort may result in a student earning a zero for that report. If all efforts to encourage teamwork have failed, students may, as a last resort, be required to write reports individually. 

	2.	ExploraVision – Students will participate in the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition. This involves a fairly extensive project in which teams of 2-4 students cast a vision for the future of an existing technology, and design a website which describes what this technology will be able to do for us 20 years into the future. More details will be provided as needed. If you would like a sneak preview, feel free to visit the ExploraVision web page at www.exploravision.org. There you can get a complete description of the competition rules, prizes, previous winners, and much more…

	3. 	Oral Reports - Course coverage of the Periodic Table will include oral reports, covering the various groups of elements, presented individually, by pairs of students, or in groups of three. This project requires library research (some of which will be accomplished during class periods in the library) on an assigned topic. Each individual, pair or group of three students will be given a different topic to present (with some possible duplication of topics in larger classes). The report presentation dates will vary depending on a variety of factors including school schedule and available library time, but will be researched and presented sometime during the second marking period. Specific dates and a grading rubric will be given to students at the outset of the project. 

	4.	Lab Practical – Time permitting, a lab practical exam will be given in December or January. Students will complete a few simple lab exercises under the observation of the instructor. They will be evaluated on the proper use of lab equipment, technique and safety procedures, and on their ability to record and process the data collected. The lab practical may also include an exercise in which students will use technology to process and analyze data (spreadsheet or graphics calculator). This assessment will be conducted during the latter half of the second marking period and will count as part of their Q2 average.

	5. 	Extra Credit - An optional assignment is offered each marking period for the purpose of extra credit. This option is available only to those students who have completed all regular assignments in accordance with course guidelines, and will be worth a maximum point value of 3% of the student's marking period average. Extra credit for first marking period will be a series of up to three article summaries. The articles must relate to some application of chemistry, a chemistry related environmental issue, a recent discovery in chemistry, etc., The summary must be a "Reader's Digest" version of the article in the student's own words, and must include the bibliographical information of the article. For second marking period, students will have the option to create a study guide for the mid-term exam. The study guide will be evaluated on accuracy, completeness & conciseness, creativity, and organization. It should be developed in such a way that it will be an effective, practical aid for preparation for the mid-term. 
		The optional assignment for third marking period will be a creative project. The only limitation on this project will be that it must pertain to some topic of the course. It can take the form of a poster or series of posters, a model, a game, a puzzle, a scientific experiment, video production, computer program or any other format the student can come up with. The project will be evaluated for its creativity, effort, and relevance to the course. For fourth marking period, students may put together a study guide for the final exam following the same guidelines set forth for the mid-term study guide. All extra credit projects will be due by the expiration date of "Official Certificates" (a.k.a. - "late slips") for the current marking period.

Grading System: 
				This course employs a grading system based on total points. With this system, a student can keep track of his or her progress dividing the total number of points they have earned by the total number of possible points up to that point in the marking period. The result, multiplied by one hundred, gives the student's current percentage. Students should keep their own records and periodically compare them to the ASSIGNMENT BOARD at the rear of the classroom and to SAPPHIRE. Below are some more specifics on the grading system employed in this course. 

Relative Weight of Assignments
Tests – about 100 points*
Quizzes - 15-80 points*
Lab Reports - 15-60 points*
Homework Assignments – 5-20 points*@
Class Participation Grade - 100 points

		*These point values vary, dependent on the importance and extent of the assignment. 
		@Most homework will be checked for completion. It is the student’s responsibility to check the answer keys provided in class and on-line to ensure that they are doing the homework CORRECTLY, and to ask for assistance if they are not arriving at correct answers.

Class Participation

				Each student begins each marking period with 85 points for class participation. Daily behaviors, such as coming to class prepared, taking an active part in class activities, being a reliable lab partner, volunteering for (and reliably performing) class jobs, etc., will increase a students point total. Deductions from a student's total will be earned when a student comes to class late without a pass and/or unprepared (no notebook, pencil, homework assignment, etc.,), when a student is not actively contributing to their lab group either during lab or in the report writing process, or when a student's actions are disruptive to the class. Failure to make up work in a timely fashion and unexcused absences will also result in lowering of the class participation grade. (Note that as a school-wide policy, a teacher may deduct 20% from any make-up assignments - tests, quizzes, etc., - which are missed due to an unexcused absence.) 

Late Assignments

				It is generally unacceptable for assignments to be submitted after the announced and posted due date. Chemistry is a course which builds on itself, so assignments are given with a strategic chronology in mind. However, each student is allowed one late assignment per marking period. Any late assignment must be accompanied by an "official certificate" (one given to each student for each marking period, commonly referred to as a “late slip”) and must be submitted within one week of the original due date, or prior to the expiration date on the certificate - whichever is sooner. The “late slip” is the responsibility of the student. If s/he loses or destroys his/her certificate, a replacement will not be issued and s/he loses the privilege of handing an assignment in late for that marking period. For the benefit of the instructor’s record keeping, any assignments submitted after the due date will be assigned a 1.
Make-Up Work

				In accordance with school guidelines, students will have about one day for each day of their absence to make up missed assignments. This policy may be amended and a student may be asked to complete the work in a shorter period of time if the absence occurs near the end of a marking period, or if an assignment was given to help students prepare for an upcoming test or quiz. If a student has an unexcused absence, any resulting make-up work will be assessed a 20% penalty. (Students are responsible for providing the office with proof of excuse by showing his/her absentee excuse slip within three days of the absence.) If a student misses a lab experiment, the student will be required to (a) make up the lab at the instructor’s convenience or (b) complete an alternative assignment including a mock lab report with all the necessary calculations, questions, conclusions, etc., plus additional research. (The instructor reserves the right to select option a or b.)

Copying. Plagiarism and Cheating 

				Copying from reference materials without proper citation (known as plagiarism), duplicating the work of other students, or using unauthorized "cheat-sheets" will not be tolerated in this course. Such short cuts only short-change the student who uses them. They are detrimental to the learning process. Even when a student is not caught using these tactics, his/her grade will likely suffer indirectly in the long run, for s/he certainly will not learn to his/her potential and s/he will be likely to earn lower grades than s/he should on ensuing tests and quizzes. In the event that a student is caught cheating on an assignment, in whole or in part, s/he will receive a zero for the entire assignment and will face possible disciplinary action (detention or suspension). In the event that cheating occurs on a team assignment, the entire team will receive a zero until individual responsibility is determined. If and when the guilty team member is identified, they will be required to redo the part of the assignment copied, so that their team may receive a grade. The offender will still earn a zero. Cheating on a team assignment is supremely inconsiderate to team members. Repeat offenders will be punished severely and may be banned from team activities and/or given alternative assignments.

		(*NOTE – There is a fine line between “copying” and “working together” when it comes to homework assignments. I encourage students to help each other learn, but when one student is doing all of the thinking, that is NOT “working together.” If I think that you may have crossed over the fine line into “copying” territory, I will ask you to explain how a randomly selected problem was solved. If you are unable to give a reasonable explanation, you have copied and will receive a zero for the assignment PLUS possible disciplinary action.)

Team Work Philosophy

				A percentage of each student's grade (usually ~25-30%) is determined by grades earned as part of a team. To some, this seems unfair, that their grade is affected by the work of others. However, ALL team assignments are assigned with sufficient time allotted for team members to review and edit each other's work before the assignment is submitted. Failure to check an assignment before it is submitted is considered equivalent to approval of the work done, and acceptance of the grade earned. (If YOU fail to check the work, YOU have no right to complain about the grade.) If all students engage in the process as prescribed, the team is bound to earn a higher grade than any of the team members could on their own. Remember…
T.ogether,     E.veryone    A.chieves    M.ore   !

Student Accountability

		It is expected that students will keep track of their own progress. Students can check their progress in two possible ways; (1) They may simply keep a record of the graded assignments handed back to them and do a simple percentage calculation. (2) They may check their grades online using Sapphire. It is very important that students track their progress, not only to maintain an appropriate effort level and know when to seek help, but also to assist the instructor in identifying and rectifying any grade discrepancies which may arise. To make sure students are up to date on all assignments, they may refer to two sources; (1) the assignment board at the front of room 313 and (2) on-line using Sapphire.

SUMMARY NOTE: This contract has set forth many rules about what a student should and should not do. There is one easy way to comply - If students focus on what they SHOULD DO, they will not need to worry about what they SHOULD NOT DO.

Honors Chemistry Course Contract
Find the syllabus in the Resources section of Mr. Hatch’s web page (which you can link to from the school website – www.northernpolarbears.com) and read it to find the answers to the following questions (except #1, check your schedule for that answer). If you do not have internet access, you can do this assignment in the library or request a paper copy of the syllabus.
	1. 	Double mod for lab is scheduled for which day of the cycle? 	________________________________

	2.	Extra help is offered on _______________ from _____ to _____ or by __________________.
	
	3. 	How are missed labs to be made up? 	(a)_______________________________________________
			(b)_______________________________________________

	4. 	Lab reports are due how many days after completing the experiment?	________________________
	
	5. 	How many late assignments are allowed per marking period? 	_______________________________

	6. 	How late may a late assignment be? 	___________________________________________________

	7. 	What must a student do to be eligible for extra credit? 	_____________________________________

	8. 	What is the maximum % value of extra credit in a marking period? 	___________________________

	9. 	How many days are students allowed for make-up? 	_______________________________________

	10. 	What is the penalty for work missed due to an unexcused absence? 	_________________________

	11. 	What grade will be assigned when a student cheats on an assignment? 	_______________________

	12. 	A student found cheating on a team assignment must... ____________ and will receive a ___.

	13. 	All team members are expected to _____________   ______________ to group assignments. 

	14. 	If I don't take the advantage of the opportunity to _________________ and __________  my partner's work I consent to what s/he has done and forfeit my right to complain. 

	15.	In what TWO locations can students find assignment due dates? _______________________

16.	If I focus on what I _____________ do, I needn't worry about what I _________________  do. 

17.	I am hungry (for learning) and ready to E_______ A__________ T__________!!!!!!!

		We have read the policies detailed in the Honors Chemistry - Course 303240 Syllabus, especially those concerning make-up work and late assignments. We understand them and we agree to abide by them for the duration of this course. 

_____________________________	__________________________________	_________
Student Signature 	Signature of Parent or Guardian 			Date 
(See back to complete additional information. 
Parents, please sign BOTH PLACES!)

Communication Information

1.	Student Name: First_______________	Last_______________	Nickname_____________

2.	Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Name(s):
First__________________________	Last__________________________
First__________________________	Last__________________________
3.	Address:	Street______________________________________	
Town______________________	Zip_____________
4.	Phone:	Home_______________ 	Father’s Work ____________ Cell _____________	
		Mother’s Work ___________  Cell _____________ 
(Feel free to list only those numbers you want me to use to contact you.)

5.	Do the student and the parents have internet/e-mail access at home?

Student (circle one): 	Both	internet only	e-mail only	neither
Parent (circle one): 	Both	internet only	e-mail only	neither
(Students and parents are expected to monitor progress on the internet using Sapphire. If you do not have internet access at home, you may set up an account through the Dillsburg Public Library.)

Student e-mail address:	e-mail address(es) of parent(s)/guardian(s): 

6.	Please check one of these…
□	I already have a calculator and will bring it to class regularly.
□	I do not have a calculator, but plan to get one in within the next week.
□	I do not have a calculator and cannot afford to get one at this time.

7.	My (the student’s) goal for this course:

8.	Write a “tweet” (max. 140 characters) in the space below to help me get to know you better. Your tweet may focus on what your interests are, something about your personality, what you think you may want to do after high school, or anything you’d like me to know about you.

PERMISSION TO PHOTOGRAPH: Some class activities are photographed to provide images for the District Web Site, for class slideshows or to support documentation for grant programs. Please check ONE box and sign on the line below to indicate your preference regarding photographs.
		□YES – photographs of my son/daughter may be taken in normal class situations and may be used for the above-stated purposes.
		□NO   – please do not photograph my son/daughter.

		__________________________________________	____________________
		Parent/Guardian Signature		Date