This is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a one-year general chemistry college course. Our AP Chemistry course include those topics regularly covered in a typical general chemistry college course, and differ from the usual first high school course in chemistry in respect to the kind of textbook(s) used, the range and depth of topics covered, the emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles, the nature and variety of laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required of students.
Zumdahl, S. S. Chemistry, 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Home School Chemistry Laboratory Kit
Options: http://www.thehomescientist.com/kits/CK01/ck01-main.html,
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/chemistry-equipment-kit/p/CE-KIT01/
This AP Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first year of college. For most students, the course enables them to undertake, as a freshman, second year work in the chemistry sequence at their institution or to register in courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. This course is structured around the six big ideas articulated in the AP Chemistry curriculum framework provided by the College Board and listed below. A special emphasis will be placed on the seven science practices, which capture important aspects of the work that scientists engage in, with learning objectives that combine content with inquiry and reasoning skills. AP Chemistry is open to all students that have completed a year of chemistry who wish to take part in a rigorous and academically challenging course.
The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms.
Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
The science practices for AP Chemistry are designed to get the students to think and act like scientists. The science practices are:
The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems.
The student can use mathematics appropriately.
The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinkingor to guide investigations within the context of the AP course.
The student can plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains.
All students are expected to complete the assigned reading selections, which will include chapters from the textbook and supplemental articles as determined by the instructor. Reading assignments will be combined with activities and discussion questions designed to reinforce student comprehension of the concepts introduced.
In addition to lab notebooks, students will be expected to complete written reports of their experiments which explain the problem presented; state a hypothesis; outline the procedure to be followed; chart, graph, or narrate the data recorded; discuss how the data was analyzed; and reach a conclusion regarding the experiment.
Content area tests will be designed to prepare students for the AP Exam and will include multiple-choice questions, laboratory-related questions, and free-response questions.
Recognizing that the laboratory experience is fundamental to student achievement in AP Chemistry, every effort is made to engage students in every aspect of the experiment process. Although the virtual format of our school limits the students’ hands-on experience, at least 25% of the instructional time for the course will be spent conducting wet labs. The labs in this course will be a mixture of virtual and hands-on with some minimal supplies being required for the hands-on experiments.
Students are required to maintain a bound lab notebook and to submit a scanned copy of the lab for each completed experiment. While conducting virtual labs data must still be collected and placed in the laboratory notebook. Lab procedures and directions may be printed from the class and pasted into the laboratory notebook.
Students should expect to spend a minimum of 15-20 hours a week studying and completing the course readings, assignments, labs, and examinations. Students must be self-motivated and inclined to keep a regular schedule in order to not only keep up with, but to achieve success in this rigorous course.
SAS Curriculum Pathways. SAS Institute, 2014. Web. 20 May 2015.
http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/portal/
PhET Interactive Simulation. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2013. Web 20 May 2015.
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/chemistry/general
ChemCollective. National Science Digital Library (NSDL). Web. 20 May 2015
http://chemcollective.org/home
Virtual Chemistry Experiments.Davidson College Chemistry Resources. Web. 20 May 2015
http://www.chm.davidson.edu/vce/index.html
Thompson, Robert Bruce. Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. Maker Media, 2008.
Big Idea 1:The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms.
Big Idea 1:The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms.
Big Idea 2:Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Big Idea 3:Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
Big Idea 2:Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Big Idea 2:Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
Big Idea 5:The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
Big Idea 2:Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them
Big Idea 2:Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them
Big Idea 3:Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
Big Idea 4:Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
Big Idea 6:Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
Big Idea 6:Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
Big Idea 3: Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
Big Idea 5: The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
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