Central Falls

Chemistry Course Syllabus

Instructor: Mr. Cirello
Email: cirellol@cfschools.net
Introduction:
This course is similar in content to a first year college
chemistry course. In many aspects I will teach it as a college
course would be taught. I hope that this experience will help
prepare you for the realities of college; I want you to leave
this course with at least as much knowledge of the
chemistry subject matter and laboratory procedures that a
college freshman would attain through his course work in that subject. You should also leave it
with study research and organi!ational skills that will serve you well in college or"and life.
It is my intent to design this course to be as fulfilling for you as possible. You must put a lot
of effort into the course; but you will hopefully come away from it with deep satisfaction.
Class Times:
Your chemistry class will meet for #$ minutes daily four days a week with one %$ minute day
once a week for the entire school year. Tutoring is available from #:$$am to #:&' am on
(ondays or after school by appointment.
Text: )rown Theodore; *emay +ugene; )ursten )ruce; and ,atherine (urphy. Chemistry:
The Central Science Twelfth +dit i o n .
Grading System:
Exams 25%
Labs / CIM Task 25%
Quies / !bstra"ts 2#%
$%/C% &#%
'l(gs / lab )(urnals &#%
Gr(u* +arti"i*ati(n &#%
Grading:
-n examination will be given at the completion of every two chapters in the textbook. -ll
examinations will consist almost entirely of multiple choice .uestions and free response
.uestions. +ach exam will primarily contain material covered since the previous exam;
however unlike many subjects chemistry is cumulative. /e often use concepts learned in
earlier units of the course and build extensively on them. (eaning you (01T learn them or
you /I** fail future exams.
2ui!!es will be given on 3ridays and will include problems and .uestions similar to the ones
we have been working on in class during the week. They may also include .uestions about the
experiment4s5 done that week.
$(me,(rk / Class ,(rk:
You will generally have two hours of homework every week. 6omework will include reading
assignments problems preparing for labs writing lab reports and studying for .ui!!es and
exams.
You will be given a set of homework problems for each chapter. These problems should be
regarded as the minimum problem assignment. You are encouraged to attempt to do any
additional problems. The more problems that you attempt to do the better prepared you will
be in the course. -s noted earlier homework will not be collected but it will be checked
periodically. /e will discuss problems in class.
! ,(rd (- ,arning.. There is a great temptation to neglect to do the homework. If you
cannot assume this responsibility then you should not be in this class. You will not be
successful and will only be a burden to others. There is no way that you can gain any real
value from the class if you do not do the work outside of the class. You must be prepared
to give this commitment to the class.
Gr(u*ing and Gr(u* ,(rk:
/ithin the first couple weeks of the course students are grouped in pairs. These groupings
constitute lab partners but are also used during classroom instruction. 7artners are allowed to
help each other during many class activities 4obviously excluding formal assessments5. 3urther
when activities will benefit from a larger group two pairs will work together. Throughout all of
this work these pairs are held to accountable as a team which pair assessments and labs being
used to link grades to provide motivation for mutual support. 3irst among these group
assignments is a problem of the day which are generally drawn from past multiple choice
.uestions. 1tudents respond to these .uestions as a pair in a single notebook which is collected
and scored weekly. 8esponses must include an answer choice reason and if necessary a
correction based on a brief class discussion.