Chemistry Lite - Spring Semester

This class is taught in English.

Learners will complete a semester of high school Chemistry and be well-prepared for college chemistry classes, including AP Chemistry. Specifically, students will learn how atoms of various elements make everything in the known universe, and how we know what we know.  

I am certified to teach Biology in Texas, and Secondary Sciences (middle and high school) in Colorado. I am also certified as a Special Education Generalist in Colorado, and while I haven't gotten the official stamp on my certificate, I also passed the Colorado Teacher Licensing Exams in Health and Agricultural Education. In addition, I have taught AP Environmental Science and AP Biology, as well as Introductory Biology, Algebra, Biochemistry, and Chemistry for high school and undergraduate students.

The super cool thing about this textbook is that it’s interactive, filled with questions and the space to answer them: every student is expected to fill in every blank, outside of the investigations, and there are online resource links included in the text. One can expect to read between 10 and 30 pages each week and to complete several hours of work outside of class, including completing the book work and the biweekly investigation, as well as writing it up. 

Each student will receive a letter grade reflecting their overall performance (A - Outstanding; B - Competent; C - Acceptable; D - Borderline Acceptable; F - Fail) as well as a written report including strengths and areas of growth.  

Two major exams will be assessed, a midterm during week 13 of the fall and a comprehensive final exam during the spring.  Percent scores (out of 100%) will be given. That said, the majority of the class and the expected improvement is in written work and other forms of argumentative communication. Feedback will be provided on a weekly basis, and student work that fails to meet expectations will see remediation.  

1 hour 40 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 4+ hours per week outside of class.

BioZone’s Chemistry in the Earth System is a necessary textbook for this course, and it is expected that students will have access to this book, whether purchased or borrowed, paper or electronic. The Amazon link is https://amzn.to/3zu95GC  Extraneous resources for investigations will be recommended, but investigations can be done via research instead of personal experimentation.