Are you ready for the most challenging and rewarding chemistry experience?

Taking AP Chemistry as a first year course is not a trivial task.  It requires a very high level of self-motivation, self-direction and agency for your learning.  If you are up to the task, the reward for your hard work will be largely intrinsic, with delayed gratification, and in the end, when you are successful, you will be very happy with your accomplishment.  This course will require much more than simply "being good at school."  Students who are used to obtaining very high grades by giving class time adequate attention, but doing little outside the classroom, will find AP Chemistry to have a different result .

Please read this statement from a former AP Chem Student.  I was asked to write their college letter of recommendation and I ask a couple questions to support writing them an excellent letter to accompany their own essay and submission materials.  Since these students likely have an exemplary transcript, the letter can make an important difference in which institutions accept them.

Importantly, this is a college level chemistry course in a high school setting.  This is not an AP Exam prep course.  The curriculum follows the College Board AP Chemistry Course & Exam Description (CED) and it is expected that every student will take the AP Chemistry Exam in May, obtaining a 3 or higher.  Every student who has not already passed the NYS Physical Setting/Chemistry Regents will also take that exam in June achieving Mastery scores of 85% or much higher.

I hold very high expectations for all students and AP Chemistry runs essentially as a college class.  I expect students to manage their own academic and interpersonal behavior.  Students will individually determine how much study and independent practice is necessary to reach their personal academic goals.  I offer plenty of performance coaching.  I use learning-based assessment and grading.  Compliance and completion grading may be present in the grade book, but scores do not count in the course average.

The content of this course is extremely rigorous and fast-paced.  The first semester is essentially honors level chemistry delivered (and mastered) fast.  The true college level work begins in the third quarter and is much more difficult.  However, with a strong foundation of learning, work ethic and study habits developed early in the year, successful students will be satisfied by overcoming the challenge. 

HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE for ap chemistry

My website is organized by quarter and broken down into individual units.  Students who are absent are expected to maintain pace with the class by using the resources here and on Google Classroom.  There are no days off in AP Chemistry.  Each day represents one or more concepts which must be learned to the mastery level so we can move on to the next day's agenda.

• The units for each quarter are linked to individual web pages below.

  • Each web page has a Unit Plan showing all the dates when homework, reading and other preparation is due prior to coming in to class that day.

  • Where available, a Khan Academy video for AP Chem is given at the top of the page.  This intended to be a supplement to the text reading and practice problems, not a substitute.

    • For further details, additional videos are selected for each concept.  Again, this is intended to be a supplement to instructional materials provided in class and the textbook.  Students are not expected to read, view and practice everything.  However, students are expected to do the work it takes them to individually prepare for class each day.  All of the practice and instructional resources are meant to be a menu of choices to help a diverse group of students find and utilize resources that work to best prepare them to make the most of the 280 minutes we have together each week.

Student Resources

• Printed textbook - available to sign out during the school year.

• Online textbook - available to read on any device, but a Chromebook, tablet or PC is recommended over a phone due to screen size.

• Khan Academy - Students will be assigned to an online classroom with access to the AP Chemistry lessons.

• Castle Learning - A primary resource for Regents Exam prep.

• Google  Classroom - regular updates and materials are posted.  Students will be required to submit assignments via Classroom.

Student course information

course sequence

CHEM-IS-TRY

IN AP CHEM, DO, OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY.

Chemistry is not impossibly difficult, but it does require the student arrive each day with a self-directed motivation and willingness to learn.  Students must take agency for their own learning and know when to seek help when they are struggling.   Chem is "TRY" is a very fortunate spelling. It is not Chemiswatch and it is not a spectator sport.  More importantly in AP Chemistry, it is about doing until the student has mastered each concept.  This will take a different amount of time depending on the student and the concepts.

I expect all students to meet high standards and to set a meaningful goal for the grade they wish to achieve in this class.  Grades are earned, not given. I will give a clear path to success for students to achieve their individual goal.  I believe every student in this class can be successful and benefit from that success if they are willing to put in the effort.  

Science is a process that builds new knowledge by combining previous knowledge with new information. Learning science involves the same process. You can’t skip learning something and hope it won’t be important. It will be, and not knowing it will make new material more difficult, if not impossible to learn.  A prime example is if you don’t bother to proficiently learn atomic symbols, formula writing and naming, then the rest of the year becomes almost impossibly difficult.  You won’t be able to speak the language of chemistry.

During certain periods of the year, students are tempted to relax and not remain studious.  Unfortunately, those typical times such as holiday break, winter break and Spring break also coincide with extremely important theoretical concepts that must be proficiently understood or subsequent learning will be extremely difficult.  The last month of school is also a time when students start to “take their foot off the gas.”  Resist this as much as possible.  I promise that your final grade and Chemistry Regents score will be either positively or tremendously negatively affected by how you persist through the last month.

Course Objective:

The student will understand how matter is categorized, how matter reacts, the atomic and molecular theories, the causes of chemical reactions, and the properties and structure of matter. The student will understand and appreciate the development of chemistry which is an abstract science.  The students will be prepared to score at least a 3 out of 5 on the Chemistry AP Exam.  The students will be prepared to obtain mastery (85%+) on the NYS Regents Examination for Chemistry.

Grading & Late Work Policy

Course Average = (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4 + Regents Exam)/5

Quarter Average = (Exams x 70%) + (Labs & Activities x 30%)

Quizzes & Exams - 70% of weighted average:

• Student learning is assessed using a variety of quizzes, performance assessments, and exams.

• Students always know the dates of assessments in advance.  Assessment dates are distributed with each unit plan.

• In general, quizzes are eligible for a retake. 

• In general, exams are eligible for corrections.

• Quizzes usually consist of 10 total questions with 7 or 8 multiple choice and 2 or 3 constructed response from a database of past Regents exams.

• Unit Exams usually consist of 20-30 questions with about 5 constructed responses from a database of past Regents Exams

• Short Performance Assessments (SPA) have a variable number of questions with a scientific model, a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) response, or both.  SPAs assess the student's learning based on the High School NYS Science Learning Standards and the three dimensions of Science & Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross Cutting Concepts.

Labs & Activities- 30% of weighted average:

• • • All lab reports are submitted as GROUP WORK.  Therefore it is expected that all report submissions will be ON TIME.

    • All lab due dates will be given verbally and documented on Google Classroom and in the gradebook.

    • Due dates for labs may be extended by the teacher depending on various factors including complexity of the lab, changes to the experiment/report requirements or other factors.

    • Students are responsible for documenting the due date.

    • 50% will be deducted for labs submitted after the due date.  No labs will be accepted after labs have been graded and returned to the class.

    • After five days late, parents/guardians will be notified and students in the the lab group must meet with the teacher to discuss corrective actions for turning in reports on time.

    • Late submissions with grade deductions may still count for lab minutes if the report is graded as satisfactory prior to the deduction.

Classwork & Homework - 0% of weighted average:

• • • All homework assignments whether notes, review, test corrections or other assignments will be given a due date.  The due date may be communicated to students on the Unit Plan, on the Agenda in the classroom or verbally.  The Agenda in the classroom supersedes all other dates.

    • Homework and classwork are generally not graded and are NOT directly included in the student's quarterly average.  Grading homework and classwork is grading compliance,  not learning.  

    • Homework and classwork grades may be entered into the gradebook for informational purposes only.  The grades that appear in the homework and classwork category have 0% weighting in the student's quarterly average.

    • Completion of homework and classwork is a necessary part of obtaining acceptable grades and neither are considered optional or unnecessary.

Any work turned in late will be marked “L” for late in the gradebook.

Lab Experiments & Reports:

• Students complete laboratory reports to meet the NYS Department of Education requirement for a minimum of 1200 hands-on laboratory experience with submission of satisfactory reports.  In my Regents Chemistry sections, students are responsible for creating and submitting digital/electronic reports utilizing school-supplied Chromebooks, PCs, personal mobile technology or other resources.   Every student will have the opportunity to complete at least the minimum laboratory requirement for Regents Exam eligibility.

• Students are expected to perform background research and design an experiment that answers the question of the lab.  Shenendehowa’s Academic Integrity Policy applies so students should cite sources by providing links to web pages or videos or creating a works cited page using a common format such as MLA, APA, etc.

• Laboratory experiments are designed for students to be successful in an inquiry learning environment based on the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) P-12.  The problems to be solved are achievable in the time given with the content knowledge of any student having a minimum passing grade in the course.  They are meant to be challenging, engaging and academically rewarding.

• Modeling future requirements for college and career readiness, lab reports are also group work with all members taking defined roles and having separate responsibilities.  All members of a lab group are expected to make meaningful contributions to the design and execution of the experiment and completion of the report.  If group dynamics become an issue, any student may request a team meeting with the teacher to address any issues that are limiting the group’s ability to succeed in the experiment or if one or more members are not “carrying their weight.”