General Information

Physi Regents Chemistry                                                                                   2009-2010

Chemistry applies to your daily life.  You can probably get along fairly well without knowing chemistry, but it will increase your options.  This “primer” can improve your chances of doing well in this class.  Read it carefully.

                A few general points are worth noting.  First, this is a cumulative course.  ANYTHING YOU MISS OR DON’T UNDERSTAND WILL RETURN TO CAUSE MORE TROUBLE LATER IN THE COURSE.  If you don’t understand something, get it straightened out right away!

                Second, make use of the class time.  Be prepared for class.  Keep a decent set of notes.  Pay attention to what is going on – do your chatting elsewhere.  You are mature enough that I should not need to remind you to stop talking.  I will not be repeating in class if you did not hear it due to side conversations.  I will honor your democratic right to not listen, but you will be accepting the resulting responsibilities. 

                Learn from your errors – don’t repeat them.  Look at the assignments you get back.  Note what cost you points so that it won’t happen again.

                Finally, I feel that a person should be trusted until he or she gives me reason to believe otherwise.  Prove me to be right.  If I find you cheating on a test or quiz, two reactions will follow.  You will have a zero for that grade and I will be unable to trust you until you rebuild my faith in you.

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES

                The following procedures are expected to be followed on a regular basis.  They will help ensure getting the most out of the course.

1) When you enter the classroom, immediately place any work you have done on the front table.

2) Take out and place your notebook or folder and either a pen or pencil on your desk.  Other materials are set aside so your desk is not crowded.

3) Follow any assignment written on the board.

4) Work constructively – make use of your time, working together as a team.

5) Ask questions if my directions are not clear.

6) If you have been absent, check with another student to see what is due.

7) Listen when either I or another student is talking to the entire class.

8) If you want respect, show respect.

9) The bell does not dismiss you.  It reminds me to dismiss you.  You should be remaining at your seat until I dismiss you at the end of the period.

TEAM WORK

                The desired atmosphere is that you work together rather than competing with one another.  You are a team.  As a class, you are trying to do better than any class has in the past.  The way to reach this goal is by working together.   

                The idea is that you work as a team.  You help each other on class work and worksheets.  You discuss ideas with each other and listen to each member’s contributions.  Know each other’s phone numbers and email addresses.  If one member is absent, see that she gets the notes and assignments. 

                At times, questions will be posed that require a little work or thinking.  You will usually be allowed to talk together quietly, pooling your ideas and views before I call on an individual to respond.  At other times, projects will be assigned to the teams, where each of you will be expected to participate and you will receive a joint grade.

                Working together should give you a deeper, clearer understanding of the material covered in the course.  You will also gain experience that will be beneficial in the future when you have a job.  Interaction and team effort are necessary for most careers. 

READING

                Do reading assignments when they are first given to you.  I will hold you responsible for the reading three days after it is assigned.

                Reading from a text is not like reading from a light novel.  You have to put in an effort to comprehend the material.  Write down questions regarding any points you don’t understand and give them to me (These can be placed on your Exit Visa).  I will then take time in class to discuss or explain them before you get either a quiz or a test. 

                My intent will NOT be to spoon-feed you by repeating what you should have read.  However, class time will be spent in answering your questions.  If you haven’t done the reading, you are depending upon someone else to raise the questions for you, and that may not work.  Listening first to the lecture and then “reading” the night before the test is very unlikely to work well.

                Pay attention to graphs and tables.  Refer to pictures and captions.  Use glossaries and appendices that may be in the back of the book.  Be sure to pay attention to any help offered by the authors – if a word is in boldface, it probably deserves special attention.  Also note the titles of sections – titles stress the major points.

                List the 3 or 4 ideas that you think are the most important points in that part of the book.

If you had any problems, list the topics or concepts you want explained in class.  [Note:  If nobody asks questions about any part of a reading assignment, it will be interpreted as meaning that everyone understands it, so going over it would be a waste of class time.]

NOTES

                While note taking is not graded, it is very important.  Taking notes helps you organize your ideas, lets you see if everything fits together and adds to the learning process.  The quality of notes varies greatly, ranging from highly beneficial notes to those that are practically worthless.

                The first step to good note-taking is to do assigned reading BEFORE it is covered in class.  It is not expected that you will then know the chapter, but you will have been exposed to the terms.  Your first notes should be taken while doing the reading.  Most points will not be repeated in class. 

                In class, try to get down notes on the ideas that are covered.  Do NOT try to get down what is said word-for-word.  Use the time to listen and actually hear, while being sure that you can read your own notes.

                Later, recopy the notes.  Make them neat, clear, complete and organized.  Delete items that you don’t need, such as homework assignments – they serve their purpose, but not here.  Be certain that what you do write down makes sense.  By rewriting your notes, you are reviewing the material that was covered in an efficient manner.

                You will now have a set of notes that can be used for reference and study, though the preliminary studying has already been carried out in creating them.  You also know which points are uncertain, so they can be resolved in class the next day.  When you need to look something up, you’re more likely to find it sooner.  These procedures are not guaranteed to work for everyone, but the odds are that they are far more likely to help you than other methods you are presently following.  Furthermore, they can work for any course.

                Give it a try.  If you don’t like it, you can always stop or you can modify it.  If you don’t try it, you will never know how much it may have helped you.

ATTENDANCE & THE 3 Ps

                Due to the cumulative nature of the course, attendance is a crucial issue.  If you miss a class, make certain that you are aware of what was covered and what assignments were made.  (They will be posted in the room).  If you will be absent due to a school-related event, please tell me (out of courtesy). 

                It is important to get to class on time.  An unexcused tardy arrival will result in a detention, served after school.  If you cut a class (an unexcused absence), you will receive a zero for whatever was covered that day.

General Comment

                Chemistry is an exciting science and hopefully you will develop the same kind of attitude toward it as a result of the course. It is a science of the imagination, where we will try to understand our best guesses about how matter behaves. If there is anything that you do not understand, Please ask about it. There is no such a thing as a “stupid question,” the stupidest questions are those that go unasked. Please study together, work problems out together. Share your knowledge with each other. Learning requires consistent effort. Learning is an ongoing life long process.

                Definition of a person who is Scientifically Literate: One who is aware that science, mathematics and technology are interdependent human enterprises with strengths and limitation, they understand key concepts and principles of science; are familiar with the natural world and recognize both its diversity and unity; and use scientific knowledge and scientific ways of thinking for individual and social purposes. 

Course Objectives

            My Goals Are:

                        a) Demonstrate a current knowledge of the essential facts and skills of chemistry

                        b) Estimate, measure, record quantities, document observations

                        c) Retrieve and interpret information from a variety of sources (ex. graphs, reference works, electronic media)

                        d) Evaluate plausibility of conclusions and propose alternative hypotheses

                        e) Apply the content of chemistry and problem solving techniques to theoretical and laboratory situations appropriate to the Regents syllabus

                        f) Apply appropriate mathematics to the study of chemistry

                        g) Apply the content and skills of chemistry to everyday phenomena and to social issues

                        h) To enhance the student's appreciation and understanding about the physical laws of nature.

                        i) To teach all students science whether they will become scientists, so they can enter society as scientifically informed citizens (be Scientifically Literate-see definition).

                        j) To have students learn facts (as few as possible) then apply them, using general principles, which I will stress.

                        k) To create conditions such that students can acquire a good education.

                        l) To promote diversity so that citizens in tomorrow's multicultural society will be able to resolve conflict creatively and synthesize new ideas from various points of view.

            To Achieve These Goals, I Will:

                        a) Come each day with carefully thought out sequences of topics, (I may appear casual, because I do not read my notes).

                        b) Work through sample problems, emphasizing the general mode of attack on problems.

                        c) Sometimes cover material not covered on the Regents Exam.

                        d) Make the course relevant, by showing connections with other subjects, politics, environment, etc. This is necessary because you will be dealing with science and problem solving for the rest of your life.

            Students Who Do Well:

                        a) Put in time consistently on homework.

                        b) Do not cram the night before tests and quizzes.

                        c) Develop good note taking ability and quiz and test taking ability.

                        d) Study for thirty (30) minutes out of class (on average) for every hour in class. (Reading is not studying, it is preliminary to studying.)

                        e) ask questions !

                        f) attend class everyday and read the review book before class consistently.

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