Academic Chemistry and Physics
Mr. Wirtz
E-mail: dwirtz@rsu14.org
Course Materials:
Text: Dobson, Holman and Roberts (2001) Holt Science Spectrum : A
Physical Approach Holt , Rinehart and Winston (provided)
Class Notebook: A 1” -1 ½ three ring Notebook (not spiral bound)
Carbonless Copy Lab Notebook (Provided)
Scientific Calculator: A simple one with basic scientific functions (TI-30 or
equiv.)
Course of study: This course will be a survey of science from the standpoint
of Chemistry and Physics. We will cover a number of topics, some of which
are covered in the book and some of which are not. This class will use a
Modified Modeling Approach. This will involve Socratic dialogue, white
boarding, and various other methods of instruction.
Expectations: When you come to class you should have: your brain, your
netbook, your text, your class notebook, your lab notebook, a calculator and
a pencil. The primary goal is to learn about your world and how things work.
Grades will be a byproduct of this.
Grading: Each activity, homework assignment, quiz and test will be assigned a
number of points that are available. Your grade will be based on the number
of points you earn out of the points available. At the end of each grading
period the points will be added up and divided by points available.
Lab notebooks: This will be a permanent record of your learning experience.
You may or may not be allowed to use this on quizzes or exams; as such it will
be in your best interest to make this a clear and concise document. You will
have 1 week after the lab to finish the lab write-up and turn in the
carbonless copy. After that it will be accepted at my discretion. Missed labs
due to absence must be made up within 1 week of the absence. In the event
of a prolonged absence labs will be made up at the discretion of the
Instructor.
White boarding: This is one of the central activities in Modeling Instruction
and will be a part of most every class. An excellent white board presentation
will include where applicable: names of lab partners, graphs, charts, drawings
of experiments, equations, and a short conclusion. I will expect to see the
same information transcribed into your lab notebooks after the
presentations. (Corrections will take place during the presentations so your
lab notebooks should have accurate information)
Quizzes: I will generally give a quiz each week, this may be over a reading
assignment, homework assignment or some topic discussed in class.
Exams: I will give one or two of these each quarter. They will be more
comprehensive than the quizzes but they will cover the same subjects.
Safety
Chemistry lab is one of the most dangerous places you will be during
your high school years. The presence of toxic and corrosive chemicals
combined with breakable glassware requires a great deal of responsibility on
the part of all students in this course. Your behavior during labs must
reflect this serious condition. You must only do those experiments you are
assigned, and you must do them in a business-like, mature manner. Your
behavior affects the success and safety of every student in the lab. Any
student not able to behave appropriately will not be allowed to participate in
labs, and may be removed from the class at the discretion of the teacher.
You must wear safety goggles in the lab. I will make it very clear if
there is a lab that does not require goggles, but most do. If you are caught
more than once without goggles on, you may be removed from this class.
Do not wear contact lenses in the laboratory, even under goggles,
unless it is impossible for you to do otherwise. Hazardous airborne chemicals
may become trapped between the lens and your eye, dissolve a small bit of
both and then melt them together. Wear your glasses under your goggles;
people wearing safety glasses have very little room to comment on your
appearance.
During Labs required safety equipment must be worn at all times, violation of
this can result in removal from the lab, and forfeiture of points for the lab.
Honesty
You are responsible for understanding our academic integrity policy.
Cheating on exams, homework, labs or projects will be dealt with according
to that policy. For homework and lab reports, students are encouraged to
work together and discuss results. However, the words and calculations that
are submitted for credit must be your own. This means that after you
discuss the assignment, you write down the answers in your way, yourself.
Taking credit for work that is not your own is cheating. For projects and
reports, appropriate credit must be given to whatever sources you use. You
must cite the works. Plagiarism is a serious offense.
Hats are allowed in my classroom unless they become a disruption, then I
reserve the right to discontinue this privilege.
Electronic devices are generally not allowed in my classroom if you are
caught using an iPod, phone etc. I will confiscate the Item. 1st offense: until
the end of the school day, 2nd Offense: 1week, 3rd offense 1month, 4th
offense end of school year. At any point in this process your parent or
guardian may come in personally and retrieve the item. At which time a
conversation will take place about the appropriate use of electronic devices
There may be times when these devices are allowed but you must first
obtain permission from the instructor.
Any student hoping to do well in Chem./Phys. should expect to do work
outside of class. This should include reading, Internet research, review and
summation of notes, completion of projects and lab reports, problem solving,
and preparation for exams. It is your responsibility to meet this
expectation. It is suggested that you spend one half hour each evening on
Chem./Phys. As the year progresses you may find that you can spend less, or
need to spend more time.
Remember, your goal in this class is to learn as much as possible about
Chemistry and Physics. This includes facts, the ability to solve problems and
conduct experiments, looking at the world and reasoning in a scientific
manner, and communicating your ideas to others.
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Student and parent/guardian – please sign below indicating that you have
read the information regarding Chemistry/Physics this year. Thank you.
Student ______________________________ Date ______________
Parent/Guardian __________________________Date _____________
Email for Parent/Guardian _______________________________
Dear Parent/Guardian – I will be contacting you if your child is failing
before progress reports and report cards are issued, please contact me
at any time with information or questions pertinent to your child’s
success and well-being. My email address is dwirtz@rsu14.org