AP Chemistry Syllabus

Instructor:
Office:

Ms. Connor Ahlborn

Woodley North 311

Phone:
E-mail:

202-537-6660
cahlborn@cathedral.org

Text, Materials, and Resources

Chemistry: A Molecular Approach AP* Edition, Nivaldo J. Tro, Pearson, 3rd edition, 2014 textbook is not needed daily
Calculator graphing required daily
Quadruled laboratory notebook required daily
AP Chemistry course page on Whipple Hill
Course Purpose and Description
This second-year course in chemistry is designed to extend students knowledge of chemistry and increase their competence in dealing
with chemical problems. Topics studied in the first-year course are considered in greater depth and with greater emphasis on both
chemical calculations and the quantitative formulation of principles. New advanced topics are also studied. Laboratory investigations
emphasize experimental design, advanced lab techniques, the analysis and evaluation of quantitative data, and drawing and supporting
conclusions. This course prepares students for the AP Chemistry examination, which is required of all students enrolled in the course.
Enduring Understandings
Ultimately, our understanding of matter is derived from scientifically designed experiments.
The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of
arrangements of atoms. These atoms retain their identity in chemical reactions.
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 the details of atomic and/or molecular collisions.
The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy in chemical reactions 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 dynamic competition and
are sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
Essential Questions
How do scientists design effective experiments?
How do scientists evaluate experimental results and use those results to justify conclusions?
At the particulate level, what do various types of matter look like?
How do the structures of atoms, ions, and molecules and the forces between them determine the properties of matter?
Why do chemical reactions occur?
What factors regulate the rates of chemical reactions, and how can we affect these rates?
What do the laws of thermodynamics tell us about changes in matter?
Why do systems reach a state of equilibrium, and how do these systems respond to external changes?
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems.
Use mathematics appropriately to evaluate and analyze data, to solve problems that describe the physical world, and to
estimate approximate values for quantities that describe natural phenomena.
Pose, refine, and evaluate scientific questions.
Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
Utilize scientific explanations and theories.
Connect and relate concepts within the field of chemistry and to other areas of science.
Course Requirements and Policies
Chemistry and Algebra 2 are prerequisites for this course.
Students are expected to prepare regularly for class, demonstrate good listening skills, contribute positively to class
discussions, and engage actively in class activities.

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Students are expected to do approximately 1 hour of homework for each class meeting (five nights per seven day rotation).
Homework will occasionally be collected and graded, but it is expected that you keep up with the assignments for your own
practice.
Regular timely attendance is expected.
Students who miss class are expected to check the AP Chemistry course page on Whipple Hill to obtain missed materials and
assignments.
Students who miss only the day of a test are expected to take the test on the day they return. When multiple days are missed,
students are expected to initiate specific arrangements with their teacher, on their first day back, for making up missed tests or
laboratory work.
Each quarter students have two late days that can be used to turn in graded assignments late without penalty, but after the
allotted late days are exhausted, the grade on any late assignment drops one full letter grade for each day it is late. Late days
may not be rolled over from quarter to quarter. You may only use one late day per assignment; if a late day is used, the
assignment must be turned in the following day, regardless of if the class meets.
Test corrections are only permitted for students who earn less than 73% on a test. If you plan on completing test corrections,
you must let your instructor know and they must be submitted within five school days of receiving the graded assessment.
Corrected answers to ALL missed questions are required. If you do not submit corrections for ALL missed questions, you will
receive NO points back. Test corrections can bring your grade up to 73% of the total, but no more.

Evaluation and Assessment

Graded work includes a variety of assignments and assessments lab preparation and execution, lab reports, graded problems,
quizzes, and tests. Grades are calculated on a total point basis. The first semester exam represents 20% of the first semester grade.
Each quarter contributes equally toward the semester grade.
Tentative Course Outline
Unit
Time Frame

Chapters in Tro

Type of Unit Assessments

~ 3 weeks

1. Matter, Measurement, and Problem Solving

2. Atoms and Elements
3. Molecules, Compounds, and Chemical Equations
4. Chemical Quantities and Aqueous Reactions (sections 4.1-4.3)

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 2 weeks

5.

Lab reports, graded problems, quizzes,

unit test

~ 3 weeks

4. Chemical Quantities and Aqueous Reactions (sections 4.4-4.9)

18. Electrochemistry (sections 18.1-18.4)

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 3 weeks

6. Thermochemistry
17. Free Energy and Thermodynamics
18. Electrochemistry (sections 18.5-18.9)

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 3 weeks

13. Chemical Kinetics

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 4 weeks

14. Chemical Equilibrium

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 3 weeks

15. Acids and Bases

16. Aqueous Ionic Equilibrium

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 2 weeks

7. The Quantum-Mechanical Model of the Atom

8. Periodic Properties of the Elements
22. Chemistry of the Nonmetals (sections 22.2-22.4)

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

~ 2 weeks

9. Chemical Bonding I: The Lewis Model

10. Chemical Bonding II: Molecular Shapes, Valence Bond Theory,
and Molecular Orbital Theory

Lab reports, graded problems, quizzes,

unit test

~ 2 weeks

11. Liquids, Solids, and Intermolecular Forces

12. Solutions
23. Metals and Metallurgy (sections 23.2-23.4)

Experimental design work, lab reports,

graded problems, quizzes, unit test

Gases

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AP Review ~ 2 weeks

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