Course Description: Chemistry Is The Study Of Changes In The World Around Us

Chemistry Syllabus Verification Mr. Moser - 2014-2015

I, , hereby verify that I have read the syllabus for Chemistry and that I agree to abide by the rules set forth regarding late work, test corrections, lab reports and grading scales.

Signed Date

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

2014-2015 Safety Contract Mr. Moser

I, , hereby agree to obey the safety rules set forth by as stated in class and the written safety contract. I also understand that at any time the teacher may append or change these rules depending on the lab. I also agree to abide by these spoken instructions of the teacher.

Safety is an important part of the lab, and so I understand that if I habitually break safety rules, or perform unsafe or unauthorized experiments, I may be asked not to do lab work. In this case, an academic penalty may exist.

Signed Date

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

Sign and return no later than Monday September 8, 2014. DO NOT PRINT THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT! The only required printing is the first page to sign and return to your teacher.

Chemistry

Course Overview: Chemistry is the study of changes in the world around us. This course is designed to be an introductory chemistry course. This class will place equal importance on both the theory of Chemistry and the lab applications. We will cover topics such as: chemical and physical changes, atomic structure, chemical names and formulas, stoichiometry, periodicity, electronic structure, acids and bases and gases.

Other Materials: Three ring binder (it is advised to keep papers after they are returned) Scientific Calculator (graphing not required) Lab Notebook (some way of binding your labs together) Periodic table (recommended) Goggles (if you want your own pair)

Classroom Grading Policies: Quarter Grades are as follows: Tests/Quizzes 40% Lab Work 40% Problem Sets 10% Worksheets 10% Marist Grading Policies: Semester Grades are as follows: Quarter 1 40% Quarter 2 40% Final Exam 20%

Lab Work: An important part of any science class is lab work. This class will have labs and demos that require data taking almost every week; the process of learning how to interpret data is as important as knowing the concepts themselves. Labs and demos all have students taking data either in groups of students or as assistants to the teacher. Some labs will be chosen to perform formal lab write-ups. These labs are bold in the Course Outline section.

Formal Lab Write-Ups:

Formal lab write-ups need to follow the format given below:

Abstract This is a brief explanation of what you will be doing and the basic technique that you will be using (titration, force probes, microscope size calculation etc). At the end it also includes a brief summary of the results. This section should be around one paragraph in length. Think of it as DO NOT PRINT THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT! The only required printing is the first page to sign and return to your teacher.

“what” are you investigating, “why” are you investigating, “how” will you investigate and “what” did you find out.

Background Explain the background knowledge and the new knowledge you have learned that is appropriate to this lab. You present the concepts, ideas and equations that will govern the laboratory procedure. It would not be far from the truth to think of it as a summary of your current understanding of the chapter. This section should flow in paragraph form and use good sentence structure to convey the topic from the history of the topic to what you know through how you will be investigating it. Any references used should be cited (including the textbook).

Procedure (only needed if you personally design the procedure) This is the numbered step by step descriptions of what the investigation entailed. This should be in the past tense and should not use personal pronouns.

Results This is a complete, detailed and organized record of all the data collected. Data should be presented in tables, graphs, charts with labels and titles. Each object should have a caption that states what is shown.

Discussion This is the section where the connections are made between the results and the background. Instead of merely describing what the results show, explain what they mean. This would be a good time to address the ideas and questions that are in the lab handout, but this should always be in a paragraph form and not a question and answer session.

References This section contains a list of all the resource materials that you used in writing the lab report. This could include the textbook, internet resources and other books used in determining the accuracy of your data.

Late Work: All late work may receive up to a 50% penalty from the grade that the assignment would have originally received, with the exception of late homework, which may receive one-third credit. DO NOT PRINT THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT! The only required printing is the first page to sign and return to your teacher.

Marist Science Lab Safety Contract 2014-2015

A crucial part of any successful science class is laboratory work. Lab work gives you a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. You will also gain practice at being comfortable in the laboratory – a major part of being successful in a college science class. With this experience comes the responsibility of acting safely, in accordance with the following rules.

The Rules: 1. Follow all directions of the teacher. 2. Use common sense. If you’re not sure, ask!! 3. No horseplay of any kind during laboratory experiments. 4. Know the procedure of the lab and perform the pre-lab exercise if there is one. 5. Know what to do if there is an emergency. 6. Know the individual precautions and dangers for the specific lab that you are performing. 7. Know the location of safety devices such as the shower or fire extinguisher. 8. Wear goggles (or any other safety device) if instructed by the teacher. 9. These rules are not static; the teacher may add rules depending on the situation at hand.

While it would be impossible to foresee all types of accidents in the lab, some common ones are outlined below. The first step whenever an accident occurs is to notify the teacher!

Fire: The teacher will tell you to do one of two things: 1. Stand back and let the teacher put the fire out. 2. Evacuate the room and pull the fire alarm on the way out.

#1 will be the most common in a laboratory setting. Remember that the severity of the fire is to be determined BY THE TEACHER. Under no circumstances is a student to pull a fire alarm or use the fire extinguisher without the permission of the teacher. A student may use a fire blanket if someone is on fire, but NEVER spray a person with a fire extinguisher.

Spills: Dangerous spills will be most common in chemistry, but some chemicals are used in other classes as well. If a spill occurs, tell the teacher immediately. The teacher will give you instructions on how to clean it up. It is important to do pre-lab work so that you will know the precautions of the chemicals you are using. Either ask for assistance, or head for the shower and get the teacher’s attention on the way. Make sure you know which chemicals you are using so you can tell the teacher in case of a spill. DO NOT PRINT THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT! The only required printing is the first page to sign and return to your teacher.

Burns: Heating is a part of many lab exercises. Always remember to tell the teacher if you are physically injured. 1. If you burn yourself on a hot plate or by grabbing a hot dish, place the burn under cool running water and get the teacher’s attention. 2. If you are chemically burned (such as with hydrochloric acid or any other chemical), DO NOT place the burn under water without the approval of the teacher. Some chemical burns can be intensified or spread with water.

Broken Glassware: By far, the most common accident will be broken glass. This happens several times every year. Try hard to be careful with our expensive equipment. A student may be held responsible for replacing the glassware that she/he has broken. Here is what to do in case of broken glass. 1. Determine if anyone was injured. If so and the cut is minor, THE PERSON WHO IS CUT should apply pressure to the cut. A bandage will be provided or the student will be sent to the office for one. If it is more serious, or if blood is on the floor or counter, the teacher will take care of it. DO NOT COME UNNECESSARILY IN CONTACT WITH ANYONE’S BLOOD! 2. Tell the teacher. The teacher will clean up broken glass. 3. As with any injury in the lab, the teacher must be notified so that it can be documented. This must be done no matter how minor the injury appears to be.

Consequences: The consequences for disobeying a lab rule will be severe. The reason for this is that student safety must be of foremost concern. If the rule violated is minor (at the discretion of the teacher), a warning may be issued prior to consequences. After the warning, normal classroom consequences apply and you may receive no credit for the lab assignment. For example, if you take your goggles off, you will be warned before consequences. But if you are doing something more dangerous such as running in the lab or playing with fire, you might as well head on down to the dean of students.

The Contract: To ensure that each student knows and understands the laboratory rules and the consequences for breaking them, all students will be required to sign this contract. A parent or guardian will sign as well. No laboratory work may be completed until the contract is signed. This may involve academic penalties (such as a zero on a lab) if appropriate.