AP Chemistry Syllabus

Sam Houston Math Science, And Technology Center

AP Chemistry Syllabus
Instructor: Patrick Pichler
Room: 703
Email: ppichler@houstonisd.org
Website: http://houstonmstcchemistryap.weebly.com

Course Description: This course is designed to be comparable to a college-level

general chemistry course. Successful completion of this course and the AP
Examination may fulfill the college requirement for freshman chemistry and the
associated lab. Students taking this course will be substantially better prepared for
any college science course due to the intensive nature of study required by the
content covered, the math involved, the use of higher-level thinking skills, and the
more involved laboratory experience. Major topics covered will include the
structure of matter, states of matter, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermochemistry,
and equilibrium. Students will learn numerous chemical calculation skills in the
study of the content, and in the analysis of lab data. A portion of the course time
will consist of participation in laboratory activities that are aligned with the AP
Course Description.
Course Content: A separate timeline will be given at a later time, also each unit
will be accompanied with a calendar of objectives covered each day and the dates
of tests/quizzes.
Textbook: Brown, Theodore L., et. al. Chemistry: The Central Science, 13th edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2015.
Required Materials: A pencil and/or pen each day. A binder to hold class
handouts, with dividers. Take (or add to) outline style notes as you read the text to
gain a better understanding of the material and maintain an organized notebook as
part of your homework. Separate materials by topic or by chapter with dividers.
We will discuss techniques for comprehending textbook material efficiently.
Laptops: You must bring your laptop every day to class, though this class will not
be 100% digital, many assignments will be and missing out on these assignments
due to forgetting or damaging your laptop will not be acceptable, if the assignment
missed is not turned in within a week of missing it, it will be counted as a 0%.
Student Conference Hours: 7:15 to 8:00am daily, lunch or after school (by
appointment only)
Parent Conference Hours: Please call school or preferably e-mail to make an
appointment
Meetings: on Wednesdays for 45 minutes and for 90 minutes on each of two
additional days per week (Monday/Thursday). In this time, students will learn and
participate in lectures, discussions, activities, labs, and evaluations through
assessments. Students spend at least one block (90 minutes) per week working in

AP Chemistry Syllabus
Sam Houston Math Science, And Technology Center
the laboratory. Specifics of the laboratory experience are outlined below. Also many
Saturday tutorial sessions will be offered and some of these will be mandatory.
Labs: Safety in the laboratory is of primary importance. The lab manuals,
equipment and the materials necessary for the lab component of this course will be
supplied. Labs will typically be performed in the hands-on or wet format. A few
of the labs are performed dry (no actual chemicals) and/or virtual (online).
Students will physically manipulate the equipment and materials in the lab in order
to make observations and collect data. They will analyze the data to form
conclusions and verify hypothesis, and they will compare and communicate about
their results and procedures. In addition, teacher and student-led demonstrations of
chemical concepts will enhance the laboratory component of this course.
Lab Discipline: This is covered on a separate sheet of rules. Any repeated violation
will result in removal from lab with no make-up possibility. Safety in the lab is most
important.
Quizzes: will be given frequently after reading assignments as a formative
assessment of your grasp of basic concepts in the chapter or topic. There will also
be frequent quizzes to assess grasp of calculations and memorization of important
information. Quizzes will be frequent and may be given without prior notice. They
will evolve to the format of AP Multiple Choice and Free Response questions.
Tests: will typically be after each chapter or after several chapters related by topic.
They will be chapter related, but will include cumulative questions. They will consist
of multiple choice and free-response type questions. The test format will evolve
during the year to become more similar to the actual AP exam. Corrections to
missed test questions are encouraged to master skills and to gain additional points
towards the test grade.
Make-up Work: Student grades will be posted every Monday. If there are any
missing assignments, the student has until the next posting of grades to get the
work in. Any incomplete work will at that point result in a zero. If there are
extenuating circumstances, the student must individually approach the instructor
and make other arrangements. Ultimately, it is the students responsibility to get
the makeup work done quickly. The class website is also available so that
assignments can be found online as well as notes and videos watched in class.
Students will also be responsible to take any quiz or test scheduled within one week
from the day they return from an absence if no new material was covered in regards
to that quiz/test.
Grading: The course grade will be comprised of points from tests, labs and
notebook, quizzes, class work, and homework, with point values decreasing in that
order. Typically, well over 60% of the grade is from tests and about 20% from the
labs, with the remaining % being the quizzes, class work and homework. The
semester final exam will be calculated into your semester grade as per district
policy.

AP Chemistry Syllabus
Sam Houston Math Science, And Technology Center
Tardiness: You will be counted tardy if you are not in class when the bell rings.
After 5 minutes, you will not be able to receive credit for the daily DO NOW.
Cell Phones: Cell Phone use will not be accepted during productive class time.
There will be opportunities in which cell phones will be permitted, called POWER UP
times, but let it be known that much of the class will be POWER DOWN times.
A location is provided in the front of the classroom where you may keep your phone
locked up and safe for the duration of class, where it can be retrieved if its needed
for a POWER UP time.
If a cell phone is seen in-use during a POWER DOWN time, the 1 st warning will be
verbal and the 2nd warning will result in phone confiscation all period, it will be
returned with a letter home that will require parental signature.
The occurrence of multiple infractions of this rule will result in the entire class losing
ALL cell phone privileges.
Progress Reports: Progress reports will be sent home for a parent signature at the
3-week mark of each 6-week grading period.
By signing below, the student understands all information in the above syllabus.
That they understand that this course is rigorous and difficult at times, but it is to
prepare them for future chemistry courses whether that be in Chemistry AP or in
college. They understand also how their grade is computed and the consequences
for not keeping up with assignments, projects, quizzes, and tests. They understand
Mr. Pichlers cell phone policy, the expectations for safe lab procedures and the
importance of bringing their laptop every day. Parents: please sign to confirm the
students explanation of this syllabus to you.
______________________
__________________________
_________________________
Name (Print)
Signature of Understanding
Parent/Guardian Signature