Name: ___________________________________

Honors Chemistry Syllabus

What is Chemistry?
Chemistry focuses on the properties of substances and the interactions between different types of matter,
particularly reactions that involve electrons. Understanding chemistry helps you to understand the world
around you. Cooking is chemistry. Everything you can touch or taste or smell is a chemical. When you
study chemistry, you come to understand a bit about how things work. Chemistry isn't secret knowledge,
useless to anyone but a scientist. It's the explanation for everyday things, like why laundry detergent
works better in hot water or how baking soda works or why not all pain relievers work equally well on a
headache. If you know some chemistry, you can make educated choices about everyday products that
you use.
I.

Purpose of Chemistry
Achievement First University Preps mission is to not only get 100% of scholars prepared to
graduate from rigorous colleges and universities in four years, but to also prepare scholars for
success in majors which will allow them job security in competitive fields. The number of jobs in
the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field is growing at three times the rate of
jobs in non-STEM fields. According to careerbuilder.com, Chemical Engineering has the second
highest starting salary.

The top bar shows the median

salary after 10 years by major.
The bottom bar shows the
median entry-level salary by
major.

We are pleased to offer scholars the opportunity to enroll in Pre-AP Chemistry sophomore year.
The purpose of Chemistry is:
1) To set scholars up for success in rigorous college STEM classes. Many higher
income career fields, such as Medicine, Engineering, and Pharmaceuticals, require
scholars to take Physics and Chemistry. Having a major in Chemistry or Engineering will
make scholars strong candidates for a wide variety of careers. Scholars enrolled in
Chemistry will master more rigorous concepts in Chemistry, and will practice the study
skills and independent work ethic they will need to excel in college. It is the aim that
scholars who have completed Chemistry will be able to walk into a rigorous 1 st semester
college chemistry class with confidence at the end of the course.
2) To enable scholars to have the option of taking the SAT Subject Test in
Chemistry in June 2016 and earn a 680 or above. SAT subject tests are separate
from the SAT 1 and are a pivotal part of a scholars application to most colleges and
universities. The SAT subject tests show colleges how well a scholar learned a particular
subject, and helps the college decide which classes scholars are eligible for.

The SAT Subject test will be 60 minutes long and has 85 multiple choice questions. It is
scored out of 800 points. The average score on the SAT chemistry test is a 666 and the
60th percentile score is a 680, so in earning at least a 680, our scholars will be
competitive with students across the nation.
II.

Structure
Chemistry will meet daily for 52 minute classes. During this time, we will:
Discuss the most essential concepts in chemistry
Complete extended, student driven labs
Use drills to increase fluency in math and problem solving
Review best practices in reading and learning from difficult texts
Watch videos from KhanAcademy and other valuable sources

To mimic the college experience and provide maximum support, Ms. Varner will hold office hours once a
week (time TBD).
III.

Expectations, Procedures and Routines

Scholars who are enrolling in Chemistry must have the drive, dedication, and discipline to work hard in
class and at home. Just as in college, scholars will be expected to be active participants during class time
and occasionally complete mandatory pre-work before class. Scholars will learn new ways to annotate,
take notes, and organize learning which they will be expected to apply as we work to develop a strong
understanding of the interactions of matter which govern how the world around us works.
Scholars should anticipate completing independent work over extended school holidays (Thanksgiving,
Winter break, February Break, April break).
A. Grading
15% Homework

Scholars will be
assigned Problem
Sets each week on
Thursdays. The
homework policy
is explained below
in section E.
Scholars will be
assigned HW 3-4
nights per week.
The HW will
provide scholars
practice with key
concepts and
vocabulary.
Scholars should
anticipate 3-5
hours of work per
week outside of
regularly
scheduled class

15% Classwork,
Participation, and
Notebook
Scholars will be
expected to
actively
participate daily
by asking
questions and
collaborating on
problems
Scholars will be
expected to have
completed their
pre-work as
assessed by
entrance tickets
and notebook
checks.

25% Formative
Assessments

30% Summative
Assessments

20% Interim
Assessments (As)

Formative
Assessments will
have three forms:
1) Small quizzes
(exit ticket,
vocabulary,
POGIL, etc).
These are
typically less
than 15 points
2) Projects (your
History of the
Atom project
is in this
category!)
3) Lab tasks.
Scholars will
keep a Ph. D
level
laboratory
notebook to
record their

Summative
assessments will
be in two forms:
1) Major unit
assessmen
ts (typically
20 points
or more).
There will
be 2-4 of
these per
quarter.
2) Formal lab
reports.
There will
be 1-2 of
these per
quarter.

IAs are the end of

quarter exam
which
cumulatively
assess all the
content
knowledge
students have
learned so far.

time.

laboratory
experiences.

B. Daily Materials
2-3 sharpened pencils (for note
taking, tests, and practice)
A blue/black pen (for their lab
notebook only)

Red pen (for correcting HW)

Spiral notebook
Lab notebook
Calculator

Planner
Vocabulary Cards
Reference Sheets (provided
the first day)


If unprepared for class, scholars will receive an L1 demerit. If scholars do not have their lab notebook
on the date of a lab, scholars will receive an L2 demerit. Scholars will only use pencil or pens with
dark-blue or black ink to write in chemistry. Other colors will be an L1.
C. Absences
If a scholar is absent from class, he or she will be required to pick up the classwork/homework that
was missed in the folder located outside of the classroom. It is expected that scholars will rely on each
other to clarify what was missed, and copy any missed notes before asking Ms. Varner. If you are
absent on a test or quiz day, you must make it up the first day upon your return, in Homework Hall.
Each day that the scholar fails to make up the assessment will result in a deduction of 10%. After 5
days, it will be an L2 and the scholar will be unable to make up the assessment.
If a scholar misses lab, please schedule a time with Ms. Varner via e-mail to complete the lab within
the week. Scholars must also bring a lab partner with you to assist in data collection. If a lab is not
completed within a week, a grade of zero will be assigned for that lab. Being absent for a lab is not a
valid excuse for missing data or copying other scholars data.
D. Homework Policy

Time limitations make it difficult to cover everything in class. Thus, you are responsible for learning
outside of class as well as trying your best in school. Homework gives you the opportunity to learn a
topic more deeply and a chance to practice your skills.

All homework must be completed in pencil, except annotations of questions or text, so that it is
neat, legible, and there are no horrifying cross-outs. If homework requires writing, complete sentences
with proper grammar are expected. If the homework requires calculations, create a reference table with
known and unknown variables, include the equation you used, show your work, and box your answer,
complete with units. Detailed, easy-to-follow work is an expectation to earn a 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry
test and in college courses therefore it is essential that chemistry scholars practice this.

Homework will vary. It will range from assigned readings from the text to practice problems to lab
reports.
Scholars can anticipate 3-3-5 hours of chemistry homework a week. A problem set for the week will
be distributed everyHomework will be distributed 3-4 days a week, Thursday, with opportunities to
review expectations and block out time in your planner for successful completion. Scholars are
required to complete certain portions of the packet usually due Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
During morning ritual, scholars will turn in their problem setstheir HW to be assessed for completeness
and occasionally accuracy. Save the first period class, problem sets will then be returned to scholars
during their chemistry sections. The first 5 min of class will be devoted to going over assigned
homework problems. During this time, scholars should be checking and correcting homework. All
corrections must be in red pen (see below). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOLAR TO HOLD ON
TO HIS/HER PACKET. If a scholar misplaces his/her problem set, it will be an L1. Consequences for
late, incomplete, or missing homework will be an L2.
E. Vocabulary and Fluency
Chemistry contains numerous highly technical (and occasionally esoteric) vocabulary and being fluent
in this vocabulary will be essential for a scholars success in the course. Furthermore, certain skills,
such as determining the charge on an ion or drawing Lewis dot structures for elements must become
automatic so that scholars can access more rigorous material. Scholars will keep track of their new
vocabulary through color-coded, self-created flashcards. Scholars will bring these flashcards to class
daily as a classwork grade. Scholars will be periodically assessed on the vocabulary.

IV.

Chemistry Course Structure

[EQ stands for Essential Question]

Unit 1: Structure and Properties of Matter (~6 weeks)

EQ: How can one explain the structure and properties of matter?

SWBAT develop understanding of the substructure of atoms and provide more

mechanistic explanations of the properties of substances
Unit 3: Chemical Reactions (~5 weeks)
EQ: How do substances combine or change (react) to make new substances? How
does one characterize and explain these reactions and make predictions about
them?
Unit 5: Rates of Reaction and Equilibrium (~ 3 weeks)
EQ: How can one explain the structure, properties, and interactions of matter?

SWBAT explain chemical reactions, including rates of reactions and energy

changes, in terms of the collisions of molecules and the rearrangement of

Unit 7: Nuclear Chemistry and Chemistry of Space (~2 weeks)
EQ: How can one explain the structure, properties, and interactions of matter with
regards to the nucleus of an atom? What is the universe and what goes on in stars?
SWBAT explain the formation and abundance of the elements, radioactivity, and

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