AP Chemistry
General Information, Tips,
Expectations, & Policies
Welcome:
Welcome to AP Chemistry
at Fossil Ridge High School. We
are starting a tradition of exceptional academic science achievement at “The
Ridge”. The theme for this year is “We
can do this!” We are about to
embark on a very challenging yet rewarding course of study. Many of you will be stretched beyond
anything you have encountered thus far in your academic career. Of course, hard work brings large rewards! When you complete this course and the AP Exam
successfully, you will earn college credit, be very well prepared for higher
education, be sought after by the university of your choice, be exempt from
freshman chemistry coursework, have exemplary chemical knowledge, and most
importantly; have the self satisfaction intrinsic in having completed probably
the most demanding course high school has to offer.
Objectives:
·
To prepare students for the AP Exam in May.
·
To instill the chemical knowledge outlined in the course objectives –
equivalent to, or exceeding, a college freshman chemistry course.
·
To prepare students to be extremely successful at higher education.
·
To have fun!
Goal:
Everyone enrolled in class will take the AP exam AND score a 3 or better!
Expectations and Policies:
§
THIS IS A COLLEGE COURSE!
·
Attendance: students should avoid missing
even one AP class at all costs and NEVER be tardy!
·
Time requirements:
o
AP Chemistry will meet 4 times per week. There will be a “zero” hour Friday morning for 50 minutes. Currently, the CollegeBoard is
requiring that AP Chemistry classes meet for 290 minutes per week. Fossil Ridge meets only 220 minutes per week
per class. This will bring us up to 270
minutes. The
purpose of zero hour is to practice AP Exam type questions and to have an
informal question and answer time and/or complete long labs.
There will be no formal lesson plan but new material will be introduced
through discussion.
o
Students are expected to spend AT LEAST 1 hour per night (even nights
when we do not meet the next day) doing homework, reading the text, writing
labs, and reviewing objectives. This
amount of time is for those students who understand the material and need
practice. All others will need to spend
considerably more time, and come to every help session and/or get outside
tutoring.
o
Students are expected to attend help sessions, even when they think
they understand the material. See “Office Hours” on the website.
·
Course Objectives: The
objectives for the course, and displayed on the website, are comprehensive and
were written to show students what can be on the AP exam. Not all the objectives will be taught in
class! Some of the material was
covered in general chemistry (the student is expected to review or relearn on
their own). Material may be assigned
(reading, problems, etc.) but not mentioned in class. Students will be tested on this material (just like in
college). Review the objectives and
the course concept map frequently!
·
Website: You may obtain most materials from the website: homework, labs, notes,
objectives, etc. Students are expected
to make copies of and review the appropriate notes and labs before they come to
class.
·
Materials: Bring to class everyday;
o
Scientific calculator
o
Lab journal
o
Periodic Table (from website)
o
Pencil & Pen
o
Binder to hold copies of notes, lab directions and resource materials
o
Solubility rules (from website)
o
Metal Activity Series (from website)
o
Equation Tables (from website)
o
Standard Electrode Potentials (from website, not until 2nd
semester)
o
A smile!
·
Technology: We will be using Logger Pro 3 software and computer sensor interfaces
with many labs. Students may
want to check out a disk of the software and load it on their computers at home
(I will have several disks available for one night checkouts on a first come
first serve basis. The licensing agreement with Vernier allows my students to
do this). This software may be very
helpful for finishing labs and graphing.
The program is loaded in several computer labs at school.
·
Grading:
o
Tests (~ 50% of total grade)
o
Labs (~ 30%)
o
Homework and pop quizzes (~ 20%)
o
Tests may NOT be retaken, however, tests may be “curved or scaled”.
o
Grading is on a traditional scale (90-100% = A; 80 –89.9% = B, etc.)
o
Incentive:
§
All underclassmen that earn a 5 on the AP Exam will automatically be
given an A in the course!
·
Laboratories: There are many required labs
for AP Chemistry, some we did in general chemistry. We will be doing at least 15 labs this year. Students will be keeping a lab journal
(Instructions on how to do this will be given in class). The labs may not always correspond to what
is being discussed in class. Although I
will do my best to have taught or assigned the material associated with a
particular lab before we do that lab, it is the responsibility of the student
to learn any new material mentioned in labs.
·
Homework: Homework will be assigned
every day.
·
Memorization: You will be tested on the polyatomic ions. You will also need to memorize the solubility rules, however, I
will not formally test you on this until October. When you use them, keep making mental notes
as to what is soluble and what isn’t.
By the time October gets here you will have most of them
memorized.
·
Study Groups: We are going to approach this
year with a team concept. Perhaps our
theme should be written; “we ALL can do this”.
In order to make your learning more effective and make studying more
fun, all students are expected to be in a study group. The most successful college students usually
have study groups for all their difficult courses. Study groups will be formed
during the first week of class and must have at least three members per group –
no maximum number. Study groups should
plan on meeting at least 2 – 3 times per month and whenever needed. Choose your groups wisely – make sure you
can work with members in your group AND your schedules are similar. A good study group will be your most
valuable tool when it comes to learning and retaining difficult concepts.
·
Late Assignments? NO.
·
Extra Credit:
o
AP students are expected to come to the general chemistry help sessions
to tutor those students. Not only will
you earn extra credit for this, you will develop a commanding knowledge of this
material, which will help immensely on the AP Exam. If no general chemistry student shows up to the help sessions, it
will be devoted to AP Chemistry.
o AP Students will be assigned holiday extra credit assignments (one for each winter break and spring break). Although these assignments are extra credit, the material may show up on the exam and it will not be taught in class. They are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED extra credit assignments.
Note: Although there is no limit on how many extra credit points can be allowed. Extra credit may not change your final course grade more than 5%!
Perceptions: (perceptions section was, in part, taken from the
introduction to Mr. William Bond’s AP Chemistry course, Snohomish H.S.,
Snohomish, WA.)
PERCEPTION: “I have always
been a straight ‘A’ student, and always will be”.
REALITY: AP
Chemistry can mean death to a 4.0 grade average. Although I expect many A’s, the demands of this course are so
intense that in reality a minority of students will earn an A. Other AP Chemistry teachers have told me
that it is exceptional if 1/3 of the students earn an A. (Keep in mind that most AP Chemistry
students are usually ‘A’ students coming into this course.)
PERCEPTION: I can miss class (sports, activities,
family vacations, jobs, field trips, etc.) and catch up on my own. I always have before.
REALITY: YOU
CAN’T!!! In AP Chemistry, you have to
give up a lot to get a lot. Missing
class is the number one reason why students fall behind, get lost, give up, get
a low grade, or even drop the class.
You cannot be gone for three days and expect to get caught up with a 10
minute session after school. I cannot
teach in 10 minutes what it took 3 or more hours to teach earlier. (Amazingly, some students do expect that)
You cannot expect to just figure it out for yourself or get help from a friend
– the material is just too difficult and/or you will be slowing your study
group down. Therefore you will have to
say no to things that will take you out of class such as field trips, band
trips, student council, and the multitude of other excuses for missing
class. Families are asked to take
vacations during school holidays only.
You have got to get to a college level of maturity, where even though
you have a legal excuse to miss class, you choose to not miss class!
PERCEPTION:
Like all teachers, Mr. Anastasia is exaggerating about the difficulty of
the course and how much work is involved.
REALITY: I’m
not exaggerating! You must trust me on this one.
PERCEPTION:
Mr. Anastasia is making this class a lot tougher than it needs to be.
REALITY:
Never forget; THIS IS A COLLEGE COURSE, not an advanced high school
course. If I am doing my job, students
will learn as much or more in this course than in a freshman level college
course. Also, I cannot make the course
easier and still accomplish the goal of preparing the students for the AP exam
in May.
PERCEPTION: If the majority of the class falls
behind, Mr. Anastasia will just have to slow down so that we can catch up.
REALITY: I
CAN’T!!! You will find that time is of
the essence in this course. As much as
I may like to and as much as the students may need it, our schedule cannot be
adjusted to accommodate those who cannot keep up. Students will be expected to study the text on their own and
class time will be used for notes to clarify the text and for clearing up
questions as well as performing required AP Labs. A schedule is posted (Syllabus) on the website and we will stick
to it! If we do not, you will be taking
the AP exam and faced with questions on material that we never discussed.
PERCEPTION:
All this work Mr. Anastasia is talking about must be just for the
“dummies”. I’m smarter than that!
REALITY: ALL
students who are successful in this course will have to spend time after school
and in help sessions getting assistance on content & assignments,
completing lab work, attending EVERY zero hour, tutoring general chemistry
students, and reviewing for tests.
Remember, there are no “dummies” in this class.
Lastly,
now that I have sufficiently scared you, I want to refer back to our theme; WE CAN DO
THIS!!! I want it to be fun for
everyone. Friday mornings we can bring
in food and/or coffee. I will also take suggestions on how we can make the class
even more fun. I will do my best to
show you and allow you to participate in as many neat and exciting chemistry
demonstrations as possible. I will also do everything in my power to help you
be successful, just remember, I can only provide the framework, tools and
assistance, you have to do the learning.
I am truly looking forward to this challenging and exciting year for all
of us.
Sincerely,
Mr.
Anastasia
AP Chemistry Teacher