Instructor:  Mr. Brian Whitson

Fall 2006 – Salisbury High School

Prerequisites:  Chemistry I and Algebra II

Description:  This course will serve as an extension of the introductory chemistry course.  The topics will be covered more intensely than in Chemistry I.  The course is designed to allow students to bypass general college chemistry.  Students will be required to take the AP Chemistry exam scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 2007 in the morning session.  If a student earns a grade of “3” or higher, he/she will normally receive some type of college credit.  Since students will have the opportunity to receive college credit, the course will be taught as the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually required during the first year of college.  The class will be weighted as mandated by the state of North Carolina.   Students will receive an additional two (2) quality points for completing this course.  The course will be very rigorous and demanding.  In order for you to do well, you must be very committed to this course.  This means that you will have homework every night.  It is expected that students spend at least five (5) hours each week studying/reviewing AP topics.  Also, students will be required to come to class at special times to complete lab.

Required Materials:             

3 ring binder (2 inches or larger)                        Loose leaf paper                      

Lab Notebook (3-Ring Binder, 1 ½ in)             Graph Paper (for lab notebook)                       

Colored Index Cards (4 x 6)                             Colored Pencils

Calculator (TI-83, TI-84, or TI-89)

Exam: The exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 2007 during the morning session.  The exam is 180 minutes (3 hours) and divided into two parts.  The first part is 90 minutes and consists of 75 multiple-choice questions.  You may NOT use calculators on this section at all.  The multiple-choice section is worth 50% of your grade while section II is worth the remaining 50%.  Section II is the free response section.  Students will be permitted to use calculators during the first 50 minutes of section II.  During the last 40 minutes, students will not be permitted to use calculators.  Extensive reviews before the exam will begin during the last part of April and continue till the exam date.

Course Objectives:  Below is the percentage of course that will be sent on each topic:

Ø      Structure of Matter                               20%

Ø      States of Matter                                    20%

Ø      Reactions                                             35-40%

Ø      Descriptive Chemistry                           10-15%

Ø      Laboratory                                           5-10%

Evaluation:  Your grade will be determined according to the following scale:

                        Test and Projects                               50%

                        Labs                                                    35%

                        Quizzes and Homework                     15%

Each assignment, quiz, test, and lab will be worth a certain number of points and your grade will be recorded as the number correct out of the total number possible.  As evidenced by the grading scale, tests and labs are very important.

Labs:   In recent years, the lab program associated with AP Chemistry has come under criticism from colleges.  Therefore, it is imperative that you keep a well-organized and up-to-date lab notebook.  A hand out on the desired notebook set up will be distributed at a later date.  You will also be required to write formal lab reports.  Computers will be widely used in the laboratory portion of this course.  Students are expected to follow all lab rules at all times.  The work you do in lab will demand a high degree of maturity from the students.  As always, goggles must be on at all times!

Technology Use:  Students will be expected to use computers widely in this class.  Recent surveys of first-year chemistry programs have shown computer use to be widespread across the nation.  Therefore, a high degree of computer competency is expected.  Programs to be used include:  Microsoft Word (for constructing formal lab reports), Microsoft Excel (for manipulating lab data and constructing graphs), Microsoft Powerpoint (for constructing presentations based on your research or laboratory experience), the Internet (for locating valuable websites and emailing capabilities).

Additional Help:         Because of the demanding nature of the course, the teacher will offer additional help sessions as needed.  Most of these sessions will be offered after school.  Other sessions may be set up with advanced notice to the teacher. 

Discipline:  Because of the nature of the class, students will need to be on task for the entire period.  It is expected that students come to class ready to learn.  The teacher expects to have no discipline problems whatsoever.  Should problems arise, they will be handled as mandated by school wide policy.

Tardies:  The school wide tardy policy will be enforced.  If a student accumulates more than four (4) tardies per quarters, then he/she will receive a “NC” (No Credit) for that quarter.  Students will not be permitted to make up tardies. In order to discourage tardies and avoid a “NC” being issued, any student who has an unexcused tardy will be assigned to detention.  The first offense will be a 15 minute detention; the second offense will be 30 minutes.  The third offense will result in a 45 minute detention while the fourth offense will be one hour.  It is expected that the students enrolled in AP Chemistry will not have trouble with tardies.

Absences:  The school wide absence policy will be followed.

Extra Attendance:  Due to the rigorous nature of this course, students will be expected to commit to spending additional time in the classroom.  Some labs will require weekend attendance.  Advanced notice will be given as soon as possible.  Due to the nature of the chemicals used, it will be impossible to complete labs outside of the prescribed times.  Exceptions due to extracurricular activities will generally not be made.  Students are advised to consult with Mr. Whitson regarding school activities.