1. Mr. Bill Keller Chemistry Voice Mail Box 2407
address:
Office hours for tutoring and “make –ups”:
Monday and Friday: 6:30-7:15 am
Tuesday-Thursday: 2:00-2:45 pm

2. Where can parents get more information?
About Grades: SKYWARD (Get login information from counseling Office)
About assignments, due dates, upcoming assessments, what we are doing in class: My staff page at the CHS website
Everything else:

3. Chemistry
The course is designed to be a preparation for a first semester general chemistry class at a university.
It is not a high school graduation requirement.
It does qualify as a math based science that some colleges require for admissions.

4. Prerequisite Recommendations
C or better in biology course
C or better in Algebra 1-2

5. Course Requirements
A scientific, graphing, or engineering calculator

6. How is the course graded
10% on homework and class work.
Assigned frequently from book, on-line sources, or worksheets. Answer keys are provided and students are always given the opportunity to ask questions. Generally graded on effort and completion.
15% on quizzes
Given approximately every week and a half, over the material discussed in class and practiced on the homework.

7. How is the course graded cont.
25% on labwork and lab write ups.
Approximately 6 labs per semester. One half of these points are awarded for correct attention to safety and lab procedures. The second half of the points are awarded for thorough analysis of data and post lab questions
50% on tests
4 per semester that cover the material from the previous two or three quizzes, plus a final exam that counts as two exams.

8. Course Topics-1st Semester
Atomic Structure
Nuclear structure
Electron structure
Periodic Law, Trends and the Periodic Table
Bonding: Molecular and Ionic Compounds

9. Course Topics-2nd Semester
Counting atoms by mass
Molecular structure and geometry
Chemical Reactions and equations
Stoichiometry
States of Matter

10. How can adults best help their students to succeed?
Use my staff page to stay up to date with what we are doing in class.
Encourage them to ask questions in class.
Encourage them to get extra help AS SOON AS TROUBLE STARTS. Don’t let them wait until it is too late.
Have them review and correct quizzes before they take the associated test. They need to learn from their mistakes.

11. Where should they go from here?
The Curtis High School science department offers 12 elective science classes for underclassman who wish to continue in science to consider:
Oceanography --Biomedical Science
Physics --Human body systems
Biology --Honor’s Biology
Environmental Science --AP Physics 1
AP Environmental Science --AP Chemistry
Second Year Courses:
AP Biology --Medical Interventions

12. If you have any individual questions, please feel free to contact me at bkeller@upsd.wednet.edu
Thank you for coming.