Honors & regents chemistry course sequence

Honors & regents CHEM-IS-TRY syllabus

Chemistry is not impossibly difficult, but it does require the student arrive each day with a willingness to learn and know when to ask for extra help. Chem is "TRY" is a very fortunate spelling. It is not Chemiswatch, and it is not a spectator sport.

I expect all students to meet high learning standards, and students should set a meaningful goal for the grade they wish to achieve in this class.  Grades are earned, not given. I will give a clear path to success for students to achieve their individual goal.  I believe every student in this class can be successful, and benefit from that success if they are willing to put in the effort.  

Science is a process that builds new knowledge by combining previous knowledge with new information. Learning science involves the same process. You can’t skip learning something and hope it won’t be important. It will be, and not knowing it will make new material more difficult to learn.  A prime example is if you don’t bother to proficiently learn atomic symbols, formula writing and naming, then the rest of the year becomes almost impossibly difficult.  You won’t be able to speak the language of chemistry.

During certain periods of the year, students are tempted to relax and not remain studious.  Unfortunately, those typical times such as holiday break, winter break and Spring break also coincide with extremely important theoretical concepts that must be proficiently understood.  The last 5 weeks of school is also a time when students start to “take their foot off the gas.”  Resist this as much as possible.  I promise that your final grade Chemistry Regents score will be either positively or tremendously negatively affected by how you persist through the last month.

Course Objective:

The student will understand how matter is categorized, how matter reacts, the atomic and molecular theories, the causes of chemical reactions, and the properties and structure of matter. The student will understand and appreciate the development of chemistry which is an abstract science.  The students will be prepared to pass the NYS Regents Examination for Chemistry.

Grading & Late Work Policy

Course Average = (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4 + Regents Exam)/5

Regents Chemistry Quarter Average = (Exams x 60%) + (Labs & Activities x 40%)

Honors Chemistry Quarter Average = (Exams x 65%) + (Labs & Activities x 35%)

Quizzes & Exams

• Student learning is assessed using a variety of quizzes, performance assessments, and exams.

• Students always know the dates of assessments in advance.  Assessment dates are distributed with each unit plan.

• In general, quizzes are eligible for a retake. 

• In general, exams are eligible for corrections.

• Quizzes usually consist of 10 total questions with 7 or 8 multiple choice and 2 or 3 constructed response from a database of past Regents exams.

• Unit Exams usually consist of 20-30 questions with about 5 constructed responses from a database of past Regents Exams

• Short Performance Assessments (SPA) have a variable number of questions with a scientific model, a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) response, or both.  SPAs assess the student's learning based on the High School NYS Science Learning Standards and the three dimensions of Science & Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross Cutting Concepts.

Labs & Activities:

• • • All lab reports are submitted as GROUP WORK.  Therefore it is expected that all report submissions will be ON TIME.

    • All lab due dates will be given verbally and documented on Google Classroom and in the gradebook.

    • Due dates for labs may be extended by the teacher depending on various factors including complexity of the lab, changes to the experiment/report requirements or other factors.

    • Students are responsible for documenting the due date.

• • • After five days late, parents/guardians will be notified and students in the the lab group must meet with the teacher to discuss corrective actions for turning in reports on time. 

    • Late submissions may not be turned in after graded work is sent back to the class.

    • Late submissions with grade deductions may still count for lab minutes if the report is graded as satisfactory prior to the deduction.

    • Students experiencing exceptional circumstances should request an extension prior to the lab due date.

Classwork & Homework:

• • • All homework assignments whether notes, review, test corrections or other assignments will be given a due date.  The due date may be communicated to students on the Unit Plan, on the Agenda in the classroom or verbally.  The Agenda in the classroom supersedes all other dates.

    • Homework and classwork are generally not graded and are NOT directly included in the student's quarterly average.  Grading homework and classwork is grading behavioral compliance.  

    • Homework and classwork grades may be entered into the gradebook for informational purposes only.  The grades that appear in the homework and classwork category have 0% weighting in the student's quarterly average.

    • Completion of homework and classwork is a necessary part of obtaining acceptable grades.

Lab Experiments & Reports:

• Students complete laboratory reports to meet the NYS Department of Education requirement for a minimum of 1200 hands-on laboratory experience with submission of satisfactory reports.  In my Regents Chemistry sections, students are responsible for creating and submitting digital/electronic reports utilizing school-supplied Chromebooks, PCs, personal mobile technology or other resources.   Every student will have the opportunity to complete at least the minimum laboratory requirement for Regents Exam eligibility.

• Students are expected to perform background research and design an experiment that answers the question of the lab.  Shenendehowa’s Academic Integrity Policy applies so students should cite sources by providing links to web pages or videos or creating a works cited page using a common format such as MLA, APA, etc.

• Laboratory experiments are designed for students to be successful in an inquiry learning environment based on the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) P-12.  The problems to be solved are achievable in the time given with the content knowledge of any student having a minimum passing grade in the course.  They are meant to be challenging, engaging and academically rewarding.

• Modeling future requirements for college and career readiness, lab reports are also group work with all members taking defined roles and having separate responsibilities.  All members of a lab group are expected to make meaningful contributions to the design and execution of the experiment and completion of the report.  If group dynamics become an issue, any student may request a team meeting with the teacher to address any issues that are limiting the group’s ability to succeed in the experiment or if one or more members are not “carrying their weight.”