ChemistryTeacher: Mr. John M. Zamojski School Year: 2017-2018

Class Time: 10:10 AM – 10:50 AM (Period 4) every day OR11:40 AM – 12:20 PM (Period 6) every day Room: 140

Lab Time: 9:25 AM – 10:05 AM (Period 3) on Days 1 & 5, Days 2 & 4, or Days 3 & 6 OR1:55 PM – 2:35 PM (Period 9) on Days 3 & 6 Room: 141

Instructor Availability:Mr. Zamojski will be available either before school or after school during the activity period. I will post my availability at least two weeks in advance both on my office door on Room 142A and outside of Room 140 plus I will provide any updates to my availability during class time. I can also be available by appointment if you provide sufficient notice. To guarantee a meeting with me for a specific date and time, contact me via

In Person: Room 142A o I also may be found throughout the day in Rooms 140, 141, 142, or 143

Email: jzamojski@ntschools.org School Phone: 716-807-3600 ext. 1968 This will send you to my voicemail. Cell Phone: 716-491-8084 Use this if you need to speak with me directly.

Required Materials:Item Notes

pencils pencils need to be #2

1.5-inch 3-ring binder

One of the biggest obstacles to success for many students is organization. Due to the fact that I give A LOT of handouts, I have found that a 3-ring binder is the best organizational tool for keeping track of notes and assignments.

1.5-inch is strongly recommended since a 2-inch binder may take up too much space in your bag or locker and a 1-inch binder will fill up well before the school year is over

Recommended Materials: You may borrow these items from me daily, but it may be helpful to have your own.

four-function or scientific calculator

If you do not already have a calculator for your math course, you can find a basic scientific calculator for as low as $4 at any office supplies store or as low as $1.08 at any dollar store.

Graphing calculators are NOT allowed for the Physical Setting/Chemistry exam in June

eraser mistakes are HIGHLY encouraged in class,

so a good eraser is recommended

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Materials To Be Provided to You:I will pass out these materials in the coming days. They are for you to keep for the school year.

Textbook:

Modern Chemistryby Sarquis & Sarquis

Publisher: Holt McDougal

Covering the textbook is strongly encouraged to preserve its condition

Mr. Zamojski can teach you how to make one from a paper grocery bag

Students will have to pay for damaged or unreturned textbooks

Chemistry reference tables Provides a variety of useful

information that will be invaluable for completing assignments and taking assessments

folder

This folder will be used to organize your chemistry labs for the course.

It will be stored in the chemistry lab (Room 141) and will serve as proof of completion of the 1200 minutes of laboratory work required in order to take the Physical Setting/Chemistry Regents exam in June 2018.

Curriculum: Chemistry is the study of the atom, the basic unit of matter. Chemistry involves a wide range of topics, and this course will provide of survey of essential concepts in chemistry that will lay the foundation for advanced and specialized fields in chemistry. More immediately this course will follow the New York State Physical Setting/Chemistry Core Curriculum in preparation for the June Regents exam. This curriculum includes:1) Matter & Measurements2) Gases3) Energy & Temperature4) Phase Changes5) Classification of Matter6) Formulas & Nomenclature

7) Chemical Bonding8) Organic Chemistry9) Atomic Models10) Periodic Table11) Moles & Stoichiometry

12) Solutions13) Acid-Base Chemistry14) Kinetics & Equilibrium15) Electrochemistry16) Nuclear Chemistry

Attendance Policy:It is a school policy that a student not be allowed to make up assignments if they are truant from class. If a student skips a class on a test or a quiz day, they get a zero for that assessment. If a student skips a lab session, they will not be allowed to make it up, and therefore, will likely fall short of the required number of lab hours needed to be admitted to the Regents exam in June.

The policies for missed assignments due to legitimate reasons are stated in the sections on the following pages.

Illegal Absence Policy:Refer to the Student Handbook:

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“The school calendar has been defined by the Board of Regents. Students should not take vacations on dates other than those assigned by the State. We cannot give make-up work for vacations and/or unexcused absences.”Professionalism:Part of the purpose of an upper level science course like chemistry is to prepare you to be successful in college and in your career, regardless of whether you pursue chemistry or some other field. Outside of teaching chemistry content, my focus for you is professionalism. Professionalism includes1) Preparation Having your materials ready at the start of each class or lab, completing assignments on

time, and reviewing for quizzes and tests2) Organization

Having a designated place for notes, assignments, and materials and being able to quickly access these

3) Consistency Doing quality work every time rather than varying between great work and poor work. It is a natural result of establishing good habits.

Grading: The assignments and assessments will be broken down as follows:

Assignment/Assessment Percentage Frequency Given

Tests 45% About once every 3 weeks

Quizzes 15% Once per cycle

Labs 25% Once per cycle

Practice

Includes Homework, Classwork, & Participation

15% Daily

Your final grade in the course will be calculated as follows: 20% × First Quarter Grade20% × Second Quarter Grade20% × Third Quarter Grade20% × Fourth Quarter Grade

+ 20% × Final Exam__________ Final Grade in Chemistry

Final Exam: All students will take the New York State Physical Setting/Chemistry exam in June 2018. In order to take this exam, the laboratory requirement must be completed. See the information below in the section Laboratory.

Tests & Quizzes: (45% & 15%)Regular assessments will be given to measure and track student progress toward understanding the key concepts and skills of every unit. Quizzes will be shorter in length (10-15 minutes) and cover specific topics within a unit, and tests will be longer (35-40 minutes) and cover all topics within a unit. Students may only use four-function or scientific calculators on quizzes and tests since these are the only types of calculators allowed for the Regents exam in June.

Missed Quiz or Test: If a student misses a quiz or a test, a zero will be entered into the gradebook for that assessment. The student is expected to complete the quiz or test the day he or she returns to class unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Laboratory: (25%)Work in a laboratory setting is a vital component of studying chemistry. Laboratory activities will be performed during two separate periods outside of the regular class meetings in Room 141 two days during the

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six-day cycle to supplement student learning and to provide practice for laboratory skills that are essential in future science courses.

Details of the chemistry laboratory program will be discussed during the lab periods.

New York State Lab Requirement for Chemistry: As a prerequisite for admission to the Physical Setting/Chemistry Regents Examination, students must

have successfully completed 1200 minutes (20 hours) of laboratory experience with satisfactory reports on file.

All laboratory reports must be finished and corrected by June 1, 2018 in order to gain admission to the exam. There will be no exceptions!

Practice: (15%)As with any skill chemistry must be practiced. Just as athletes use practice to prepare for games and performers rehearse for concerts, plays, shows, etc., students need to practice in order to optimize their knowledge and skills for use in the chemistry laboratory and on assessments. The practice students will do falls into three general categories.

1) Homework: Work assigned outside of class. Most homework assignments will be checked at the beginning of the class period, and students who

have not completed the assignment at the time of checking will receive a zero for that assignment. Homework assignments that are collected will be penalized 25% per day if they are turned in late.

2) Classwork: Work assigned during class. For these assignments students will be graded based on their attention to the task and their diligence.

3) Participation: Attendance, preparation, and focusing on the learning tasks. Excessive tardiness, lack of preparation for class, and insufficient or unproductive participation will lead

to penalties in the student’s grade and disciplinary referral.

*There is always a high correlation between students who consistently practice and students who perform well.

Responsible Technology Use in ClassRefer to the Student Handbook:“Students possessing mobile digital technology devices may not turn on or use the device during official instructional hours, unless there is an emergency situation and/or specifically authorized by a teacher or the administration. The teacher may immediately confiscate devices from student when being used during an instructional class.”

Below are the occasions where Mr. Zamojski will authorize the use of mobile digital technology devices. Taking photographs of student responses on whiteboards, lab data, lab results, etc. Copying down or taking photos of assigned work Checking a calendar for due dates Taking videos of labs and demonstrations Accessing online simulations that are presented and to be explored in class

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Any other uses of technology that I deem to be distracting or detrimental to learning will lead to removal of phone from the student for the class period, removal of phone from the student for the school day, contacting a parent or guardian, or disciplinary referral. Refer to the Student Handbook.

North Tonawanda Senior High SchoolChemistry 2017-2018

Student Contract

Please sign below, along with your student, and have your student return this signed page only by Thursday, September 14, 2017. Please keep the remainder of the document for your records. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

I have read the entire syllabus including the following: Mr. Zamojski’s availability and contact information required materials for the course attendance and illegal absence policies Mr. Zamojski’s focus on developing professionalism grading breakdown assignment descriptions and grading procedures the New York State laboratory requirement responsible technology use in class

and understand what is expected throughout the 2017-2018 school year for Chemistry at North Tonawanda Senior High School.

_____________________________ ____ _________________________ student’s name (printed) student’s signature

_____________________________ ______________________________ parent’s/guardian’s name (printed) parent’s/guardian’s signature

My parent/guardian prefers to be contacted by (circle choice or choices below).

Mail Email Call home Call work Call cell TextIf you selected any of the call choices, is there a time of day that you prefer to take calls?

If you would like to include the contact preferences of another parent or guardian, please fill out the information below.

_________________________________

parent’s/guardian’s 2 name (printed)

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My parent/guardian 2 prefers to be contacted by (circle choice or choices below).

Mail Email Call home Call work Call cell TextIf you selected any of the call choices, is there a time of day that you prefer to take calls?

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