AP Chemistry Summer Assignment
2011 - 2012
AP Chemistry Summer Assignment
Introduction: Welcome to Advanced Placement Chemistry! I am pleased that you have enrolled in the
course and am enthusiastic about the opportunity to further your study of the theories and practices of
chemistry. I have been teaching AP Che mistry since 1996 and one consistent practice has been the
requirement of summer homework. While we all would like to enjoy our time away from academics, some
subjects require continual reinforcement of fundamental subject matter. In addition, the time required to
cover the mandatory curriculum of an AP course often exceeds that of a standard 50-minute period
schedule, especially those with a laboratory component. I have provided rationale below directly from the
College Board. The assignments and requirements are outlined after the rationale section. Good luck and
please email me with concerns (matt.young@copley-fairlawn.org)
Rationale: Developing the requisite intellectual and laboratory skills required of an AP Chemistry student
demands that adequate classroom and laboratory time be scheduled. Surveys of students taking the AP
Chemistry Exam indicate that performance improved as both total instructional time and time devoted to
laboratory work increased. At least six class periods or the equivalent per week should be scheduled for
an AP Chemistry course. Of the total allocated time, a minimum of one double period per week or the
equivalent, preferably in a single session, should be spent engaged in laboratory work. Time devoted to
class and laboratory demonstrations should not be counted as part of the laboratory period. Students in an
AP Chemistry course should spend at least five hours a week in individual study outside of the classroom.
The AP Program unequivocally supports the principle that each individual school must develop its own
curriculum for courses labeled "AP." Rather than mandating any one curriculum for AP courses, the AP
Course Audit instead provides each AP teacher with a set of expectations that college and secondary school
faculty nationwide have established for college-level courses. AP teachers are encouraged to develop or
maintain their own curriculum that either includes or exceeds each of these expectations; such courses will
be authorized to use the "AP" designation. Credit for the success of AP courses belongs to the individual
schools and teachers that create powerful, locally designed AP curricula.
The AP Chemistry course should be designed by your school to provide students with a learning
experience equivalent to that of a one-year general chemistry college course. Your AP Chemistry course
should include those topics regularly covered in a typical general chemistry college course, and differ from
the usual first high school course in chemistry in respect to the kind of textbook(s) used, the range and
depth of topics covered, the emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of
principles, the nature and variety of laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required of
students.
The course includes a laboratory component comparable to college-level chemistry laboratories. A
minimum of one double-period per week or its equivalent is spent engaged in laboratory work. A handson laboratory component is required. Each student should complete a lab notebook or portfolio of lab
reports. Note: Online course providers utilizing virtual labs (simulations rather than hands-on) should
submit their laboratory materials for the audit. If these lab materials are determined to develop the skills
and learning objectives of hands-on labs, then courses which use these labs may receive authorization to
use the "AP" designation. (For information on the requirements for an AP Chemistry laboratory program,
the Guide for the Recommended Laboratory Program is included in the Course Description.)*
AP Chemistry Summer Assignment
2011 - 2012
Assignment: Assignments are to be dropped off to Room 143 at Copley High School on the dates/times listed below.
Plan accordingly. Vacations, school closings, etc. should be considered. You can turn assignments in early by placing
them in my mailbox located in the main office. If you have major issues, please email me. You have plenty of time to
complete each assignment, but don’t procrastinate!
1)
Due BY Friday, July 8 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am.
Chapter 1 – Chemical Foundations: Read the supplemental information and answer questions 1 –
66.
2)
Due by Friday, July 29 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am.
Chapter 2 – Atoms, Molecules, and Ions: Read the supplemental information and answer
questions 1 – 65.
3)
Due by Friday, August 19 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am.
Chapter 3 – Stoichiometry: Read the supplemental information and answer questions 1 – 103.
Required/Supplemental Materials:
1) Goggles
2) Lab Notebook – Carbon-less, duplicate copies, 100 pages. Student Lab Notebook: 100 Top Bound or
Spiral Bound duplicate pages (Paperback) by Hayden-McNeil (Author) – AMAZON.COM
3) OPTIONAL - Workbook For General Chemistry (Paperback)by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri
(Author)…Great study guide! AMAZON.COM