Instructor: Chuck Nelson e-mail:
cnelson@ndsion.edu
Availability:
Study Hall; After school by appointment
Course
Description: Students enrolled in General
Chemistry will cover the following topics.
Students are held accountable for all material covered and are asked to
apply learned material throughout the year as all concepts are related.
Concepts:
-Students review the basic
classifications of matter and the organization of the periodic table.
-Students complete an in-depth
study of the relationships between atomic structure, the periodic table, and
the chemical behavior of elements.
-Students learn to represent and
balance chemical equations. Students
learn to classify and predict the products for several different types of
reactions.
-Students apply the principles
of stoichiometry: to a mathematical analysis of chemical
formulas; to mathematical predictions of the outcomes/results of chemical
reactions; and to the behavior and changes in gases.
-Students study solutions and
their use throughout chemistry, including solution terminology, solution
concentration measurements, acids and bases, and titrations.
-Students are introduced to
electrochemistry: leaning to identify
and balance oxidation-reduction reactions and learning the basic components and
functions of electrochemical cells.
-Students are introduced to
organic chemistry. This includes
identifying the basic families of organic compounds, noting the properties of
these families of compounds, noting some uses of a few of the more common
organic compounds, using the IUPAC system to name some compounds in each of the
different families of organic compounds, and noting the general reactions of
these families of organic compounds.
-Students are introduced to
nuclear chemistry. This includes the processes of fission and fusion; and
mathematics of radioactivity.
Text: Chemistry;
Prentice-Hall/Addison-Wesley
Required
materials include
the textbook, writing materials, scientific calculator, and a 1˝-in
notebook. These materials should be
brought to class every day unless otherwise noted. (Notes, homework, laboratory activities, and tests will be kept
in the 1˝-in notebook in an organized manner.)
Classroom
Expectations: Be on time. Take care of personal business BEFORE coming
to class. Be prepared for class
(reading assignments & written assignments completed; class materials with
you). Respect one another in both word
and action.
for
each category is as follows:
Tests/Quizzes 50%
Experiments/Lab Activities 20%
Homework-Daily & Review 30%
Letter grades are assigned to each percentage based on the Sion grading system. At the end of each semester, students will have a cumulative exam that will be 20% of their semester grade.
Tests will be at the end of each
major topic. This should be approximately
every 2-2 ˝ weeks. Tests will be 100 points. Types of questions include multiple choice,
listing, short answer, discussion, matching, and problems. Quizzes, announced and unannounced, will be
5-10 points.
Laboratory work will be done in groups of three for major experiments and most laboratory activities. Some laboratory activities will require groups of six. Each student will turn in her own laboratory report. It is expected that members of each group will work together to analyze the results of the experiment but each student is expected to answer the questions using her own wording. Do not copy the answers of others in the group. Major experiments will be 20 points and labatory activities will be 10 points. If a student misses class when a laborataory activity is done, the student is expected to make up this work during one or more study halls within one week.
( Some laboratory acitivites may not be made up due to the nature of the activity. An alternative activity will be assigned to replace these lab activities.)
Daily
work/homework will
be assigned for each chapter. These
assignments will include worksheets and questions from the text. Each
student is expected to be able to discuss the answers to these questions in
class. Since the daily work will be discussed in class, most of this work will be graded by participation points. The work will be turned in and checked for completion. Certain questions will be graded. Students are encouraged to work together on
these assignments but each student is expected to answer the questions using her own wording. Do not copy the answers of others.
Students
are expected to do their own work on tests, quizzes, review work, and
additional activities. Instances of cheating/plagiarism
will be dealt with according to Sion school policies.
Regular
attendance is
expected of all students. The Sion
policy for making up tests and assignments will be followed. If a laboratory activity is done the day a
student is absent, the work may be made up during 2-3 study hall periods or
after school. A different laboratory
activity may be assigned as make-up work.
No late
work will be accepted for full credit.
For each day late, 25% will be taken off the final score.
Tentative
Schedule:
First Quarter: (Exam after each chapter)
Chapter 1: Introduction to Chemistry
Chapter 2: Matter and Change
Chapter 3: Measurement
Chapter 5: Atoms
Second Quarter: (Exam after each chapter
Chapter 6: Chemical Compounds
Chapter 8:
Chemical Equations
Chapter 9:
Stoichiometry
Third Quarter: (Exam after each chapter)
Chapter 10: States of Matter
Chapter 12: Gas Laws
Chapter 13:
Electrons
Chapter 14: Periodic Table
Fourth Quarter: (Exam after each chapter)
Chapters 15/16: Bonding
Chapters 17/18: Solutions & Concentration (only ceratain topics)
Chapters 20/ 21: Acids & Bases (only certain topics)
Chapters 25/26: Organic Chemistry (only certain topics)
Chapter 28:
Nuclear Chemistry