Chemistry: Matter, Energy, and Change Syllabus

Instructors

Connor Ahlborn
Jess Clark
Tim Harger

WN 311 202-537-6660
WN 315 202-537-5702
WN 315 202-537-5642

cahlborn@cathedral.org
jclark@cathedral.org
tharger@cathedral.org

Text, Materials, and Resources

Chemistry Matter and Change, Dingrando, et. al., Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2010 do not bring the book to class.
Calculator graphing (preferred) or scientific with logarithmic functions required daily
Course Purpose and Description
Chemistry is the study of all matter, focusing especially on the behavior of very small particles. It is both a body of knowledge
about those particles and a way of finding out how they behave. The course is designed to develop students understanding of
the structure of matter and the changes that matter undergoes. In addition, this course provides students with opportunities to
develop further their problem-solving skills and to enhance their abilities to design experiments and to analyze experimental
data.
Starting with the physical properties of matter, students study the behavior of gases and the role that energy plays in the
behavior of small particles. They discover how to describe mixtures and pure substances. Students then investigate how to
count particles that are submicroscopic and learn how to predict the products of common chemical reactions. After
investigating the ratios of one substance to another in a chemical reaction, students apply these concepts to discover the model
of the structure of the atom en route to understanding the organization of the periodic table. Finally, they learn about acids and
bases, compounds commonly used in daily life.
Enduring Understandings
Ultimately, our understanding of matter is derived from scientifically designed experiments.
Matter has predictable properties based on its underlying composition and structure.
By understanding the properties of matter, the nature of chemical reactions can be studied.
Essential Questions
How does one conduct experiments and accurately collect, analyze, and present data so that it is meaningful to others?
How does the subatomic structure of atoms determine the properties of various types of matter?
How and why do atoms and molecules interact with one another?
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, the student will:
Use appropriate methods to collect, analyze, and present data.
Develop testable hypotheses and design experiments to test these hypotheses.
Classify matter and its changes.
Trace the development of the modern model of the atom.
Predict the structure and nature of chemical compounds.
Classify the types and predict the products of chemical reactions.
Perform stoichiometric calculations.
Compare and contrast the three states of matter and explain phase changes.
Demonstrate an understanding of the inter-conversion of thermal and chemical potential energy in chemical reactions.
Compare and contrast the behavior of acids and bases.
Course Requirements and Attendance
Physics and geometry are prerequisites for this course.
Students are expected to prepare for class, demonstrate good listening skills, contribute positively to class discussions,
and engage actively in class activities.
If you are absent, you are responsible for getting missed material and assignments. I will help you catch up, but you
must take the initiative. A student who misses class is expected to check the chemistry website and her assignment
sheet to obtain missed materials and assignments.

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Be on time for class; you cannot participate if you are not there, and your late arrival hinders/disrupts the work of your
classmates. Students are granted three minutes after class begins to turn in assignments and get settled for class to
begin. Those not prepared to start at this time will be considered tardy; after accumulating five tardies, a detention will
be assigned.
Students who miss only the day of a test are generally expected to take the test on the day they return. When multiple
days are missed, students are expected to make specific arrangements with their teacher on their first day back for
making up a missed test. Students should also speak with their teacher about arrangements for making up missed
laboratory work.

Submitting assignments
Each quarter students have three late days that can be used to turn in assignments late without penalty, but after the
allotted late days are exhausted, the grade on any assignment turned in late will be lowered one full letter grade.
Unused late days expire at the end of the quarter.
Only school days count as late days; thus a weekend counts as one late day. Missed deadlines because of illness do
not count toward late days, but other absences (field trips, doctors appointments, etc.) do count. If you will miss class
make sure that you hand the assignment to your teacher or have another teacher place the assignment in your teachers
mailbox or on your teachers desk. Do not leave the assignment on an unattended desk.
Emailing an assignment is not sufficient to count it as turned in without agreement from the teacher.
Grading
Quarter grades are based on a total point system.
Tests
50-80 points each
Preparation for and execution of lab work
5-10 points each
Lab reports
10-50 points each
Quizzes
40 points per quarter
Quizzes will be unannounced. They occur at a rate of approximately 2 per week, but that is highly variable; some
weeks will have no quizzes and others will have a quiz every day. There will normally be 10-15 each quarter. They
are evaluated on a grade point basis, so a 4 is an A, a 3 is a B, and so on. Missed quizzes are not made up, but your
teacher will give you a blank version of it when you return so that you can see what you missed.
Students are expected to do approximately 35 minutes of homework each day that class has met. The concepts and
skills in chemistry are cumulative and must be mastered day-to-day. Two or three hours of work done on the weekend
will not make up for work skipped earlier.
Students who score below 73% on any test have the option, within five (5) school days and after consulting with their
teacher, of taking a make-up test to raise their grade to 73%. There is not a second make-up test for those missing the
original test.
The semester exam is 15% of the semester grade.
Because of safety concerns, no food, drink, gum, candy, etc., may be consumed in the lab portion of the room. In
addition, students must not handle any equipment/supplies in the room until directed to do so by your teacher. Students
may, however, use the hole punch, tape, scissors, and stapler provided for their use, but these should be promptly
returned to the correct shelf.
Tentative Unit Plan
Unit
Topic

Unit

Topic

Methods of chemistry

Periodic table and bonding

States of matter, describing particles

Chemical reactions

Energy and phase changes

Energy

Describing mixtures and substances

Stoichiometry

Models of the structure of the atom

10

Equilibrium, acids and bases

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