Course Syllabus

Class Preparation:
Obviously you must come to class EVERYDAY – PREPARED!  This is a two-part statement; you must be in class every day and you must be prepared each and every day you are in class.  The following is a list of materials that you will need for my class daily:

Notebook with SUFFICIENT paper, and possibly a folder for handouts, worksheets, & labs
Textbook – You are responsible for its condition.  You may want to cover it for protection.
Pencil and/or Pen
Calculator (either scientific or graphing)
YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO USE GRAPHING CALCs ON QUIZZES & EXAMS.

If you are absent at any time, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to attain the notes from someone else in class.  So you may want to find a ‘study-buddy’ in class to work with (hint – maybe your lab partner?).

Grading:
All learning in this class, and life, must come within.  The only downside to this is that your parents/guardians cannot tell how much you yearn to learn.  Therefore, we must assign a grade to just about everything we do in class.  The course is broken into the following 3 categories described below:

Category	Description	Honors 
Percentage	Academic 
Percentage	
Primary	Chapter/Unit exams, projects (1 per MP)	60%	50%	
Secondary	Concept quizzes, labs, smaller projects	30%	40%	
Support	Classwork & Homework	10%	10%	
		*** There will be NO surprise Quizzes or Exams.
		*** The format for the Chapter/Unit Exams will be announced prior to the assessment.
YOU MUST SHOW WORK FOR EVERYTHING TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT IN THIS COURSE!

Core Requirements:  3 Performance Lab Practicals, 1 cumulative Final
All are required to be completed to pass course.
The Final will be given, graded, and recorded according to CB policy.  Both of these evaluations will be devised of any mixture of multiple choice questions, lab scenarios, problem solving, and written response.

Overall Grade Calculation:
Your overall grade will be calculated from the following percentages ~
	Marking Period 1/3			40%
	Marking Period 2/4 		40%	
	Lab Performance Component		10%	
*There are 3 Core Lab Performance Assessments – Students must receive a minimum of 3 to be Proficient for each Core Assessment.
Final Exam 			10%	= 100% for your grade for the course

Course Curriculum:
The following is a schedule of topics that will be covered in the text ‘Prentice Hall Chemistry’.  This schedule can and may be changed at any time I deem necessary.

Unit 1	Review & Lab Orientation			c.1-3			1 week
Unit 2	Atomic Structure (the Electron)		c.4, 5, 6			2 weeks
Unit 3	Chemical Bonding & Nomenclature		c.9, 7, 8			3 weeks
Unit 4	Chemical Quantities & Stoichiometry		c.10, 11, 12		5 weeks
	(Acids-Bases)				(c.16)
Unit 5	Kinetic Theory & Gas Laws			c.13/15/16, 14		2 weeks
Unit 6	Energy & Equilibrium			c.17, 18, 20		3 weeks
	(Thermo, Kinetics, Equilibrium)
			Total = 16 out of 18 weeks!!!
	Therefore we have room to go beyond the mandated curriculum above in any way WE feel.

Important Internet Sites:
	Canvas Site
	All course-specific information will be found on Canvas throughout the course.
	www.pearsonrealize.com ~ Your online textbook @ Pearson Realize.
	If you do not have Internet access at home, see me immediately!

REMEMBER:
As crazy as this sounds … SCHOOL CAN BE FUN!  The typical public opinion of Chemistry is that it is a very difficult class with information that is hard to understand.  THEY ARE WRONG!  Chemistry is a trying subject; you will learn new information and skills each class; it can be and will be much fun; there is much information that you can relate to your everyday life.  You may even learn something you can impress other family members with.  The least I expect of everyone is to try.  The most I expect of everyone is to have fun each and every day in class.

Class Policy

General Guidelines & Behavior
Students are expected to arrive to class on time each and every day.  You will be expected to behave in a mature and respectable manner.  All students will respect each other’s questions and answers in and out of the classroom.  There will be no talking while the teacher is talking; however open class discussion about the topics at hand is highly recommended and encouraged.  If a student misbehaves in my class, first punishment will be an after-school, in-class detention assigned by myself.  If further misbehavior continues, proper disciplinary actions will be taken.  Hats are permitted in class; however hoods must not be on your head during my class at any time.  Naturally I, Mr. Gable, hold all right to be able to amend, or make new, any of these rules at any time as I see fit.

Cell Phone / Electronics Policy
In accordance with Central Bucks School District policy, and that of my own, if I see and/or hear a cellular phone in my class, a referral form will be completed and given to the Security office.  HOWEVER there will be times I will permit you to use your cell phone (Internet accessible device) for educational purposes only.  I will explicitly tell you when these times are.  You are permitted to listen to music (via ear buds) ONLY during individual homework times.  You may NOT have earbuds in during my teaching times or during labs.  You are allowed to use your own laptop-iPad-Surface for educational purposes ONLY (i.e. note-taking, research, completing homework).

Absences / School-sponsored Trips / Suspensions
If a student should miss a class due to a legitimate illness, it is his/her responsibility to obtain the class notes missed on that day from another student.  If there are any handouts for the missed day, I the teacher will hold extra copies and give them to the student upon return to class.  If he/she misses a classwork, homework, or lab assignment, he/she will be granted additional time to complete the assignment (extra time allotted will be at teacher’s discretion).  If a student should know beforehand that he/she will be missing class, you should see me at the end of class so that I can take note of the forthcoming absence and keep record of all papers and assignments missed.

Lab, Classwork, Homework Policy
All work must be completed and/or turned-in to me on the date assigned.  If it is not, there will be a deduction of 10% for each day the assignment is late.  If the assignment reaches the 0 point value and is still not handed in to me, then the assignment will stand as an Incomplete until the end of the particular unit of study.  At that time it will be marked as a 0 or Incomplete when necessary for school grading procedures.  Once we take the Unit Exam no more work will be accepted for THAT unit = all late work will become a 0 and remain unchanged.  YOU MUST SHOW WORK FOR EVERYTHING TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT IN THIS COURSE!

Missed Labs, Quizzes, & Exams
All of the above mentioned items will be announced prior to the assigned date.  If a student misses one of the above items, it is his/her responsibility to make them up as soon as possible (either before school, during a free study hall, or after school).  If it is known to me and to the attendance office that a student purposely “skipped” my class on the date of one of the above-mentioned items, he/she will receive a 0 (and that is a final decision due to class attendance policy).  

Academic Integrity Policy
On all assignments completed in this course (labs, homework, classwork, reports, written summaries, etc.), CB South’s Academic Integrity Policy as stated in your Student Handbook will be upheld to the utmost.  YOU MUST SHOW WORK FOR EVERYTHING TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT IN THIS COURSE!

Laboratory Work
Students must follow all rules and guidelines set forth in the signed Safety Contract.  During lab, students must remain at their lab stations at all times, and wear their safety glasses at all times.  At the completion of lab, students are to put away all materials used, clean their lab stations thoroughly, return to their seats and remain there until the end of class.  Students who miss lab day due to illness or school-sponsored trip will have the opportunity to complete a make-up lab after school hours.  All labs must be completed and handed in on the following class day.  Lab reports can range anywhere from merely answering questions to completing formal lab reports (guidelines to follow).  YOU MUST SHOW WORK FOR EVERYTHING TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT IN THIS COURSE!