AP Chemistry

Grayling High School

2015-2016
Remind: @ghsapchemi (text to 81010 or register online)

Course Description:

Mrs. Alexandra Ochoa

aochoa@casdk12.net
989-344-3500, ext. 3411
www.mrsochoachemistry.weebly.com

AP Chemistry Syllabus

AP Chemistry is designed to accomplish approximately the same concepts as a first-year chemistry course
at a four-year undergraduate college. Concepts and principles learned in first-year chemistry will be
reviewed and extended; new topics will also be covered. The ultimate goal of this course is to prepare you
to take and pass the AP Chemistry Exam in May 2016 and to receive college credits at the college of your
choice. You will be expected to take the AP Exam on Monday, May 2 at 7:30am.
The AP Exam consists of two sections: 90-minute, 60 multiple choice section (no calculator allowed) and
105-minute, 3 long & 4 short free response (calculator allowed).
In order to succeed, you must possess drive, endurance and self-discipline. I am committed to work hard
to help you to be successful but I can only help you if you take the initiative to ask questions and help
yourself. Be prepared to work harder than you have in the past for any class. It will be necessary for you to
put in at least 1 hour of homework every night to be successful. This includes practice problems, lab work,
and studying for assessments. Were in this together, and Im excited to make this year a difficult yet
rewarding one!

Textbook(s):

Chemistry, 9th ed. Zumdahl & Zumdahl. Brooks/Cole, 2014.

Each student will be assigned a textbook and will be responsible for bringing it to class each day and for
returning it at the end of the trimester in the condition you receive it in. You will be charged up to $159.50
for a damaged/lost textbook. Both hardcover and online versions will be provided.

Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP Chemistry Examination. Duncan et al. Brooks/Cole, 2014.
An online version of this text will be used for text practice in conjunction with the textbook.

Materials:

Scientific or graphing calculator may use iPad in many cases (this is an extremely math
intensive course!)
3-ring binder
Loose leaf paper or notebook
Bound Lab Notebook (will be provided for you)
Pencils & pens (blue or black ink ONLY)
iPad

Classroom Expectations:
Students will respect themselves by:

Accepting responsibility for his or her learning.

Sharing ideas by explaining their reasoning to others.
Upholding all district and school rules/policies/expectations, including those pertaining to
attendance and dress code.

Students will engage in safe laboratory behaviors as detailed in the safety contract
(attached).
Asking for help as soon as is needed.

Students will respect others by:

Demonstrating considerate, cooperative behavior in action and language.

Contributing ideas to class discussions while valuing the ideas of others.
Valuing and respecting the ethnic, religious, and individual diversity rights of others.

Students will respect their classroom environment by:

Treating furnishings & equipment with care.

Leaving the area around their desk or lab station as they found it (or better).
Keeping food and beverages outside of the classroom (except plain bottled water at desks).

Students will respect our class time by:

Coming to class prepared and on time every day.

Doing their best work and remaining engaged throughout every class.

Disciplinary Consequences

The following sequence of consequences will be followed for each offense to the above expectations. The
level corresponds to the number of times a rule has been broken.
1. Verbal warning to correct behavior
2. Written ticket to document offense
3. Conference after class
4. Removal from class & phone call home
5. Removal from class & referral

In case of severe misconduct: Misconduct that includes severe disrespect or danger to a teacher or
student will immediately result in consequence #5.

Attendance:

Superior attendance is required for this class. If you will be missing significant class time, please
consider that all the content you will be missing is necessary for the end exam.
Students not in their seats when the bell rings will be marked tardy.
REMEMBER: two tardies are equivalent to one absence.

Restroom Policy:
You will have five restroom passes for the semester. They will be kept in your class folder for use. If you
have any concerns or special needs regarding restroom use, please see me privately.

Grading Policy:
Trimester grades will be based on a variety of assignments and assessments. The weight given to each
category will be as follows:
Classwork/Homework
Lab Reports
Quizzes
Tests

15%
25%
10%
_50%
100%

In addition to the above breakdown, the final exam will account for 20% of the trimester
grade. Letter grades are assigned based on the following percentage ranges.
A = 93-100%
B- = 80-82%
D+ = 67-69%
A- = 90-92%
C+ = 77-79%
D
= 63-66%
B+ = 87-89%
C = 73-76%
D- = 60-62%
B = 83-86%
C- = 70-72%
E
= 59 and below

The steps for calculating the portion of the trimester grade before the final exam are:
1. Find the percent for each category separately. An example would be: The student received
99 of the 105 HW points, so the percent is: 99/105 = 0.942857 = 94.2857%. The student
also received 99 of the 105 CW points, so the percent is: 99/105 = 0.942857 = 94.2857%.
Similarly for quizzes the student earned a total of 58 of the 65 points possible, and
therefore: 58/65 = 0.892307 = 89.2307%. Finally for tests the student earned 177 of the
200 points. 177/200 = 0.885 = 88.5%.
2. Based on the weighting, calculate the marking period grade. Using the percentages above:
0.20*(94.2857) + 0.20*(94.2857) + 0.10*(89.2307) + 0.50*(88.5) = 90.9% = A3. In order to calculate the final trimester grade, multiply the grade above by 80% (0.80) and
the final exam grade by 20% (0.20). For example, if this student received 75% on the final
exam, the grade would be calculated as follows:
0.80*(90.9) + 0.20*(75) = 87.7% = B+

Classwork/Homework:

Homework is a hugely important part of AP Chemistry. It is used to reinforce concepts learned in class
and in labs. Approximately one hour of homework should be expected per night. While homework is
assigned daily, it will NOT be collected and graded daily. However, failing to keep up with assignments
will make it nearly impossible to keep up with the pace of the course. Homework that is collected and
graded must be turned in at the beginning of class and WILL NOT be accepted for late credit. I am
available most days before and after school (check class calendar) for help and am available via Remind
daily. I would also encourage you to form a study group to work together on homework or study.
Cooperation with other students can be extremely helpful for learning chemistry. Some in-class
assignments will also compose this grade.
Absences:
For all absences, students will find their missing work in their assigned folder and on the class
website. Students are responsible for obtaining other missing work or notes from another
student or the teacher. For excused absences, students will be given the number of class
periods missed to turn in missed assignments and class work. For unexcused absences, the
missed assignment(s) will be given a zero. Extenuating circumstances may require teachers and
student to negotiate reasonable time lines for making up work that both can accept. If a quiz,
test, or lab is missed, arrangements must be made with the instructor to make it up before or
after school.

Lab Work:

You should expect to spend approximately 2 days per week (25% of our time) in lab, as is common in a
college chemistry course. The labs we will be doing together will be more extensive than what youve
experienced before and will serve two purposes: 1) discovery of a new topic; 2) reinforcement of concepts
already learned. While you will be required to keep a lab notebook in class, you will also practice the skill
of scientific communication by submitting written lab reports for each of the labs we complete. Significant

out-of-class time (3-6 hours) will be required to successfully write a clear lab report. Requirements and a
rubric will be given before the first lab report is due.
Since this is a new and important skill, we will practice though peer review and revisions. You will be
allowed to make corrections to your labs after feedback is given (first by your peers and then by me) to
receive half of the points back. Corrected labs should be kept in a complete notebook in case your college
of interest requests a notebook for proof of your lab experience.

Quizzes:

Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. The purpose of quizzes is to check for understanding early
and often to track your progress through a given unit. At least one quiz should be expected per week.

Tests:

Tests will follow the same format as the AP Exam (multiple choice with no calculator and free response
with calculator). Tests will be comprised of both material that has never been tested and review material.
Everything learned in this class is cumulative, and the AP Exam will be as well!
Retakes will be offered for tests as long as students complete the following:
Obtain parent/guardian signature on the original test
Ask for help from peers or teacher
Re-do entire test & turn in for review at least two days before retake date. Student will receive
comments on test corrections to review before the retake day and may receive additional practice
problems to complete before the retake.
Sign up for retake before/after school before the deadline. If any of the above requirements are
not met or the student does not take the test by the deadline, they will not be allowed to retake the
test.
Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration at the teachers discretion if a student
followed all procedures and missed the retake.

Cheating:
Cheating will NOT be tolerated. Copying someone elses work, giving test answers, or storing info on
calculators will result in a ZERO. This includes copying and borrowing homework.