Chemistry



Chemistry Pre-AP

James Bowie High School

Periods 1, 4, 8 – Lozano

Periods 3, 4, 5 - Merino

Instructor: Hope Lozano Laura Merino

Room #: E-122 E-127

Email: hope.lozano@ lmerino@

Website: bowiePreAPchem.

Texts:

Addison-Wesley, Chemistry

Grades:

30% - Formative Assessments (homework, quizzes, mini lab reports, etc.)

70% - Summative Assessment (tests, projects, formal lab reports, etc.)

Keeping Track of the Class:

If you have not already signed up for gradespeed access, I would strongly suggest doing so. In addition, saving the following website into your bookmarks.

bowiePreAPchem.

Required Supplies for Chemistry ***You must have these supplies with you every day***

Paper for taking notes

Pens for labs, pencils for daily work

Lab notebook (carbonless copy lab notebook - $15, purchased in class)

Science Fair Composition Book

Graphing Calculator (TI-83 Plus recommended); you may check one out from me for the year with a $20 deposit

Participation:

Group work and class participation are inextricably tied into successful science learning. It is expected that students will cooperate and collaborate with peers in and out of the laboratory setting. I call on students at random during lecture, and will ask students to perform problems on the whiteboard. Do not let wrong answers scare you! It is better to try than not.

Labs:

I expect that you will uphold the safety standards in the Safety Contract; this includes being prepared for lab (close-toed shoes, goggles, hair tied back, etc.).

Late or Make-Up Work:

Partial credit will be earned for late assignments. After three school days you will receive no credit. Full credit may be earned for work submitted late due to excused absence, but all absent work must be submitted before the students takes the unit test.

Keeping Track of Yourself:

I have high standards for my students, but I know that the content of chemistry can be difficult to digest at times. I anticipate frustrations and concerns. If you are having troubles, I am very willing to assist you before it becomes a detriment to your grade. Both chemistry teachers are available for help during my office hours. I can’t help you if I don’t know you need help! Remember that there are no retakes! Talk to me while I can still help, not after you’ve dug a hole neither one of us can get you out of.

Safety:

Safety is invaluable in the Chemistry classroom. Poor safety measures can endanger the entire class. Every student will receive a Lab Safety Contract that must be signed by a parent/guardian and turned in prior to the first lab.

Science Fair:

Pre-AP students are required to complete a science fair project. There will be a succession of deadlines to guide you through what is a rigorous enterprise and to guarantee that the project is not completed at the last minute under much stress. By asking that you complete the project in small parts over a long period of time, I hope that we can prevent this.

Academic Dishonesty:

All academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be handled in accordance with the Bowie Academic Dishonesty Policy.

Testing:

Pre-AP Chemistry teachers strive to push student thinking by creating tests that require students to apply knowledge to novel situations. These are hallmarks of deep understanding and critical thinking. In order to succeed on the free response section of the AP Chemistry test, students must demonstrate their ability to arrive at the answer by showing their work. Keeping with this standard, our tests will emphasize the process of solving a problem in addition to an answer. Students must show work in order to receive full credit for a test question.

In order for all students to be successful, we will use statistics to analyze and curve our test scores. We utilize a curve-based grading system analyzing class means and standard deviations to determine the fairest measure of student performance. A curve based on means and standard deviations dictates that all grades will increase in proportion to the distance from the mean. This is not the same as adding a flat number of points to each grade; the mean is increased and the standard deviation is decreased. Both Pre-AP teachers will use this method to ensure fairness across the course.

If a student fails a test, he or she will be allowed to retake the test for up to a 70%. Only one retake will be allowed per six weeks. Tests will be reviewed in class so that students have an opportunity to ask questions and learn from their mistakes. If a student misses a test, the student should schedule the make-up time by the end of the day that the student returns to school. The make-up time will be scheduled for the student’s earliest availability.

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences

It is my policy that all conferences include the student, parent(s), teacher, and if needed an administrator or counselor. It is my experience that meetings where the student is present are more beneficial in brainstorming solutions to problems.

Please sign below, indicating your understanding and willingness to comply with the guidelines stated above. A copy of this document can be found on my website for future reference.

Student________________________________________________________________date_______________

Parent/Guardian_________________________________________________________date_______________

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Tutoring Schedule:

| |Mon |Tues |Wed |Thurs |Fri |

|8a-8:30a | |E-122 |E-127 |E-106 | |

|4:30p-5p |E-101 |E-221 |E-105 |E-223 |E-108 |

*or by appointment

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