Science Department

Essential Knowledge and Skills

Students in this course study Chemistry as a laboratory science. Experiments are used to introduce and/or to reinforce principles. Chemistry is learned as a science; facts are gathered and then interpreted in meaningful patterns, which lead to explanations that foster an understanding of the process of science and how to apply the information. Descriptive Chemistry is not neglected, but it is used to strengthen the concepts understudy rather than as an exercise in memory. Chemistry is presented with an emphasis on careful concept development that recognizes different learning styles, hands on laboratory activities, and a thorough grounding in problem-solving strategies.

Indicators of Student Learning

Upon completion of this course, students will:

Using the Scientific Method

•Continue to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills learned in previous years of science.

•Build upon the lab skills and techniques developed during the previous years of science.

•Focus on their role as scientist, collecting and analyzing data to arrive at scientific principles under study.

•Investigate the nature of the atom (Periodic table, gases, liquids, solids).

• Investigate chemical reactions and factors affecting these systems (types of chemical reactions, Kinetics, Equilibrium etc)

Communication

•Be able to effectively communicate observations and data gathered in their laboratory experiences or from other sources.

• Draw conclusions from their own laboratory experiments as well as from date gathered by another.

•Be able to clearly explain their thought processes used in arriving at said conclusions

Problem Solving

• Be able to identify the problem at hand and determine what information is known as well as needed.

• Identify formulae needed to solve for the unknown (often several sequentially).

• Be able to look to correct resources for needed information.

• Carryout needed mathematical operations in order to evaluate solutions.

• Be able to determine the reasonableness of their solutions.

Technology

• Become familiar with the tools and basic laboratory equipment used in chemistry experiments.

• Be able to identify and set up the needed apparatus for an experiment, as well as manipulate it to collect the necessary data.

• Use calculator correctly and efficiently to perform calculations and construct graphs.

• Use spreadsheet software to organize data, graph, and perform functions such as linear regression.

Assessment

For successful completion of this course, students will:

• Demonstrate the strength of scientific methods through safe laboratory protocol, careful observation, and critical evaluation of the data obtained.

• Demonstrate their understanding of the basic chemistry principles, including chemical reactions and the nature of the atom.

• Demonstrate competency in problem solving by identifying needed resources as well as evaluating the reasonableness of their results.