Chemistry A Guidelines
Course goals:
·
To
enable students to become scientifically literate members of our society
·
To
examine how chemistry affects life, values, and political and societal issues
·
To
give students practice in scientific thinking
Textbook: American Chemical Society. Chemistry in the Community.
Basic supplies: (BRING
THESE EVERYDAY!) Chemistry binder (or section in large binder dedicated to
chemistry), bound lab notebook with graph paper (available for purchase from me
for $1), blue or black pen, #2 pencil, calculator
Student Responsibilities:
·
Be
Prompt –
Students should be at their ASSIGNED seat and ready to begin BEFORE the bell is
finished ringing. Tardies will be
recorded. Students will receive a
detention after the fourth tardy.
·
Be
Prepared – Have all needed supplies
and work.
·
Be
Polite – Listen to and respect
others. No offensive language,
inappropriate attire, or food/drinks allowed in the classroom.
·
Be
Productive – Complete all coursework
to the best of your ability. Ask
questions and seek assistance if needed.
Follow all instructions the first time given, as well as all lab
procedures and safety precautions.
Grading: Your grade will depend on the number
of points you earn. The approximate
distribution of points is 30% for tests, quizzes, & projects; 20% for labs;
15% for classwork; and 15% for homework. The Semester Exam is worth 20% of your
semester grade. Letter grades will be based on percentages as follows:
100-90% = A, 89-80% = B,
79-70% = C, 69-60% = D
Assignments: You must come prepared to class. You are expected to complete all
assignments. All assignments are due at
the beginning of the period. After that they are late. No late work will
be accepted. No name, no credit! You will receive Assignment Sheets that will
detail all assignments and when they are due.
Assignments are also posted on www.schoolnotes.com
& cougar.eduhsd.net/Science/jelkow.
Laboratory Activities:
Laboratory activities are very important to chemistry because they allow
you to demonstrate and practice the principals learned in class. If you follow instructions, you should do
very well on the labs and they can really help your grade.
You are required to do a pre lab
write-up in your notebook before almost every laboratory experiment. This is for your safety and success in the
laboratory. You will be working with
some materials which, if handled incorrectly, could cause injury. Therefore it is necessary that you have
familiarized yourself with equipment and procedures before beginning an
experiment. If this pre lab is not done, you will receive a zero on the
experiment. This means that it
is done when you enter the room and are not hurriedly trying to copy it down at
the start of class or during my pre lab instructions. You may be allowed to do the lab as an
assistant to your partner so you will know the results for upcoming tests or
quizzes, but you will still receive a
zero for not being prepared.
You must wear closed toed shoes on
the day of the lab or you will not be allowed to do the lab, and you will only receive credit
for your pre-lab. There are some cases
where the lab involves model building or pencil and paper work in which I will
inform you that you do not need your closed toed shoes, but otherwise you are
to always wear them on the day of a lab.
Absences:
If you are absent unexpectedly (for example, due to illness) you will be
given 2 days for each day absent to make up missed work that was not on the
assignment sheet. However, almost all
assignments will be listed on the class website and will be due on the day you
return. This applies to work that was
done in class. For tests, you will be
expected to take the test with everybody else on the scheduled day, even if you
were absent a day or two before.
Absences for field trips, family trips, athletic events, etc., are
excused, but you receive no extra time to make up the work. It is due on the day you return or you may
have to turn it in before you leave on your trip. You
are to see me with your make up work immediately after your return from an
absence. If you do not do this,
you will receive a zero on the assignment.
Missed
experiments are to be made up with a written assignment. Instructions for the written assignment must
be followed and the assignment must be completed by the due date. When complete, you will be excused from the
experiment. If not completed on time,
you will receive a zero on the experiment.
You will also want to speak with one of your colleagues in class about
the experiment and its results. You are still responsible for knowing what
happened in the experiment and how to do all of the calculations. Since this is a laboratory based course,
frequent absences on days with experiments will affect your grade.
Like other
assignments, tests can be made up only for excused absences. It is your
responsibility to make up missed tests.
If you are absent on the day of a test, you will be expected to make the
test up within two days of your return to school or you will receive a
zero. Make-ups are before or after
school. Sign up for an appointment on
the calendar in the classroom.
Binders:
You will take comprehensive exams each semester. The semester exams are 20% of your semester grade. The exam at the end of the school year will
cover the entire year of material.
Chemistry builds on itself like no other course you have ever
taken. You will be expected to know the
material you learn today and tomorrow at the end of the year. More information on how the binders are set
up will follow.
Lab notebooks: You must have a lab notebook by
Friday, August 15 to participate in lab.
Tardies:
You are tardy if you are not in your seat when the bell rings. The school tardy policy will be
enforced. You may get a zero for work
turned in before your arrival on an unexcused tardy. For example, if you arrive after we have
exchanged notebooks for grading and the the tardy is unexcused, you will not get
credit for the assignment. Please go to
the restroom between classes or at lunch.
Cuts & Cheating:
Zero points for any assignments made or due are given for the day of the
cut. This includes tests. Don't cheat.
You will receive a zero on the assignment, test or quiz. If you are copying homework from this or any
class, I will take both your paper and the one you are copying from. You won't get them back and you will receive
a referral for cheating.
General Classroom Rules:
School rules as stated in your Student Handbook will be observed. You are in a college preparatory class and I
expect you to conduct yourself accordingly.
I expect you to be prepared for
class with your notebook, pen and pencil, white board marker, and calculator. It will help you if your calculator can do
logarithms and exponents. You will not be
allowed to borrow or share calculators during tests and quizzes.
Absolutely no
horseplay in the lab. This and any
unauthorized experiments will cause you to be suspended from class with loss of
credit on any work.
No food,
gum or drinks (including water bottles) are allowed in laboratory classes. If you have them, please keep in your
pack. If you break something in the
laboratory, you will have to pay for it.
You will have to pass a laboratory safety quiz within the first two
weeks of class. If you do not pass it,
you will have to retake it until you do.
Discipline Procedures:
If a
student chooses to break a rule or class policy, he or she will face the
following consequences:
1. Short oral warning & loss of
participation points
2.
Meeting with teacher to discuss problem
3. Phone call home
4.
Referral to principal
Behaviors that stop the class from
functioning such as violence or
threat of violence, willful destruction of property, or refusal to work will result in an immediate referral to a
principal.
Please have your parents read and
sign that they have read this document.
Keep the signed Syllabus in the front of your notebook.
I have read
and understand the classroom policies for science with Mrs. Elkow:
___________________________________________ _______________
Student
signature date
___________________________________________ _______________
Parent/Guardian
signature date