Chemistry (CHEM) 1A Syllabus

Chemistry (CHEM) 1A

Syllabus

Course Name

CHEM 1A

Chemistry – Semester A

Course Information

CHEM 1A is the first semester of this two-semester course.

In this course, you will learn several important concepts. The topics included in this

semester are:

• naming and writing formulas

• the ability to extract information from the Periodic Table of Elements

• writing and balancing chemical equations

• using the chemical equation to solve problems concerning:

o amounts of material

o volumes of gases

o energy requirements for chemical reactions to occur

This content is covered over two semesters to give you time to master these concepts.

You will systematically study the information in the textbook (it’s important that you have

the Texas version—see the Textbook and Materials section below). When you read

each chapter, be sure to take notes and review them briefly before attempting the

quizzes and graded assignments. For extra practice, attempt to solve the sample

problems if you need help understanding certain concepts. You should spend about two

to three hours on each reading, making sure you can define and apply the concepts

discussed. Lessons 9 and 10 are often more difficult for students, so be prepared to

spend extra time on them.

Complete each lesson in its entirety before moving on to the next lesson. Chemistry

builds concepts upon concepts, much like a brick wall. The first layer must be in place

before the next layer can be built. If you don’t understand the first set of concepts, your

chances of mastering the next layer will likely be more difficult.

Course Delivery Method

Online

Contacting Your Instructor

You may contact your instructor through the Blackboard messaging system. Technical

support is available 24/7 at www.k12.ttu.edu.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. conduct laboratory investigations;

2. use scientific methods during investigations;

3. make informed decisions using critical thinking and scientific problem-solving;

4. understand and be able to explain properties of energy transformations during

physical and chemical changes;

5. understand and apply knowledge pertaining to atomic structure;

6. comprehend the structure and the significance of the periodic table of elements;

7. understand and be able to explain bonding;

8. recognize the structure of chemical equations and know how to write them;

9. understand and apply knowledge pertaining to chemical reactions;

10. appreciate that chemistry is an integral part of our daily lives;

11. understand that investigations can answer certain types of questions, and that

methods, models, and conclusions built from these investigations change as new

observations are made;

12. recognize that investigations are used to learn about the natural world; and

13. understand that models of objects and events are tools for understanding the

natural world and can show how systems work; that they have limitations and,

based on new discoveries, are constantly being modified to more closely reflect

the natural world.

CHEM addresses the required Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). These

can be found at the Texas Education Agency website.

Textbook and Materials

Textbook(s)

The required digital textbook for this course is:

• Staley, D., Wilbraham, A., & Waterman, E. (2015). Texas Chemistry. Boston,

MA: Pearson. ISBN 0133262510

This digital textbook can only be purchased through the TTU K-12 partner bookstore.

You can find the link to the bookstore in the Current Students section of the TTU K-12

website. Once you have purchased the digital textbook, you will receive a username

and password via email.

Additionally, you will need an online account at Savvas Realize in order to access your

textbook, course videos, the learning activities, and other online resources.

If you would like a printed book, you can purchase the optional printed text:

• Staley, D., Wilbraham, A., & Waterman, E. (2015). Texas Chemistry. Boston,

MA: Pearson. ISBN 0-328-76346-2

Please note that you will not be able to access any of the digital resources if you

purchase only the printed textbook.

We will cover all the TEKS required by the state of Texas. It is essential that your

textbook be the Texas version. All page numbers and referrals will be to that version.

Before you can complete the first laboratory assignment, you must complete the

Chemistry Safety Quiz in Lesson 1 Lab Assignments. While many of you will not

have access to a lab, there are those who will. Safety is of utmost importance in any

lab, especially in the chemistry lab.

Lab Materials

Below is a list of supplies you will need to complete the laboratory exercises for this

course. Review the labs themselves for more details. Review the Laboratory

Exercises information in this Syllabus for important information regarding how to write

your lab reports and lab safety.

Lesson 1, Lab 1 – Bubbles!

• 3 plastic drinking cups

• measuring cups and spoons

• table sugar

• table salt

• liquid dish detergent

• drinking straw

• water

Lesson 1, Lab 2 – Observation of a Candle

• birthday candles

• matches

• shallow metal or glass dish

• 250 ml beaker or drinking glass

• 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask or glass bowl

• solid rubber stopper to fit flask

• wire gauze square

• tongs or forceps

Lesson 4 Lab – Beanium

• electronic balance

• 1/8 cup of bean soup mix (minimum of 3 types of beans)

Lesson 6 Lab – Periodicity in Three Dimensions

• clay

• straws

• scissors

• metric ruler

• permanent fine-line marker

Lesson 7 Lab – Solutions Containing Ions

• 3 D-cell batteries

• Masking tape

• 2 30-cm lengths of bell wire with ends scraped bare

• Clear plastic cup

• Distilled water

• Tap water

• Vinegar (acetic acid, C

)

• Table sugar (C

)

• Table salt (NaCl)

• Baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO

)

Lesson 8 Lab – Paper Chromatography

• Coffee filter

• Paper clips

• 8 oz plastic cup

• several different water-soluble markers

• water

• alcohol

• vinegar

• ammonia

Lesson 10 Lab – Counting by Measuring Mass

• water (H

• table salt (NaCl)

• calcium carbonate (CaCO

)

• plastic spoon

• weighing paper

• electronic balance

• chalk

Other Required Materials

• several sharpened No. 2 pencils

• lined notebook paper

• calculator (standard or scientific)

Technical Requirements

• Internet access – preferably high speed (for accessing Blackboard)

• Email

• Word processing software such as Microsoft Word

• Adobe Reader (download from Adobe.com)

• Audio and video capabilities (for watching/listening to course content)

• PDF app (free options available)

Technical Skill Requirements

Be comfortable with the following:

• using a word processor

• Internet search engines and browsers

• creating PDFs (see Requirements for Creating PDFs in the Syllabus section of

your course)

Course Organization

This course consists of 10 lessons and a final examination. Each lesson contains the

following:

• Introduction and Instructions

• Learning Objectives and Curriculum Standards

• Learning Activities

• Assignments

Each lesson includes several activities that present content knowledge. Each lesson

also includes multiple graded assignments to ensure that you learn the content that has

been presented in the activities. Some of the assignments are automatically-graded

quizzes, and some are written assignments or activities that your instructor will grade.

Be sure you read all instructions carefully and ask your instructor for help if something is

not clear.

Laboratory Exercises

Lab Reports

Lab assignments are found in either the textbook or in the course only. You need to use

a word processor such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft WordPad, OpenOffice.org Writer,

or Notepad to write your lab report. Use the following format to write your labs:

Always follow this format when you submit a lab. Writing lab reports is standard

procedure in science because it allows others to read about and understand what you

did. It also gives others the opportunity to duplicate your experiment. Scientists know

the scientific community may dismiss an experiment that can't be duplicated.

Write your laboratory procedures for each lab carefully; they account for a large part of

each lesson grade. Your instructor will use a general lab rubric to grade your lab

reports, and you’ll also get individual feedback on them wherever it is needed. See the

Chemistry 1A Lab Rubric in the Syllabus and Resources sections of the course.

Enjoy the laboratory exercises; they make the course fun. When you conduct the labs,

be sure you follow basic safety protocols. Carefully read the Safety and Investigative

Skills Handbook section in your textbook on pages R42-R45 to learn more about

safety in the lab.

Safety

During your labs you may encounter an SDS, or Safety Data Sheet. Safety Data Sheets

may be known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS. Each country used to have its

own requirements for the MSDS sheets, but the new SDS system standardized these

sheets for all countries.

Each sheet is a form with data regarding the properties of a specific substance and

provides workers and emergency personnel with procedures for working with the

substance in a safe manner. It includes information on physical data (melting and

boiling points, flash points, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage

disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures. It usually indicates the

proper labeling of a substance's health and/or environmental risks. If you look at the

Sample MSDS sheet for the product Neutra in the Syllabus section of the course, you

will find one form of the sheet with separate sections for identification of the chemical,

hazardous ingredients, physical data, fire and explosion data, health hazard data,

reactivity data, spill or leak procedures, special protection information outlining

equipment needed to handle the substance, special precautions, and any revised

information available. These sheets are reviewed every 3-5 years and revised as

needed. For more information about how to read an MSDS sheet, watch the Navigating

a MSDS Sheet video.

Safety Data Sheets are not usually intended for use by the general consumer since they

are written for the workers exposed to the materials. Nearly all require information on

the flammability, corrosiveness, and radioactivity levels as needed for each substance.

Any chemical laboratory is required to keep these sheets in a known location for

reference and safety.

Review the Safety and Investigative Skills Handbook section in your textbook on

pages R42-R45 before starting any experiment. Remember, safety is your first

consideration in any laboratory. Follow all cautions carefully.

Course Outline

Please note that some assignments will be hidden from you when you start the course.

As you move through the lessons and complete assignments, more will unlock for you.

Lesson Topic

Approximate Time for

Completion

Lesson 1 Introduction to Chemistry 1.5 weeks

Lesson 2 Matter and Change 1.5 weeks

Lesson 3 Scientific Measurement 1.5 weeks

Lesson 4 Atomic Structure 1.5 weeks

Lesson 5 Electrons in Atoms 1.5 weeks

Lesson 6 The Periodic Table 1.5 weeks

Lesson 7 Ionic and Metallic Bonding 1.5 weeks

Lesson 8 Covalent Bonding 1.5 weeks

Lesson 9 Chemical Names and Formulas Two weeks

Lesson 10 Chemical Quantities Two weeks

Final Exam

Assignment Schedule

Each of the following must be completed to complete the course. Items with an asterisk

(*) indicate that these are summative assessments for the course.

Lesson Weeks Assignments

1 1-2

Checkpoint 1 (Non-graded)

Lesson 1.1 Quiz

Lesson 1.1 Discussion

Lesson 1.2 Quiz

Lesson 1.3 Quiz

Lesson 1.4 Quiz

Chemistry Safety Quiz

Lesson 1 Assignment Activity: Lab Reports

Lesson 1 Assignment Upload: Lab 1 – Bubbles!

Lesson 1 Assignment Upload: Lab 2 – Observation of a Candle

2 2-3

Lesson 2.1 Quiz

Lesson 2.1 Assignment Activity: Demonstration

Lesson 2.1 Discussion

Lesson 2.2 Quiz

Lesson 2.3 Quiz

Lesson 2.3 Assignment Upload: Periodic Table Worksheet

Lesson 2.4 Quiz

Lesson 2 Assignment Upload: Lab – Alien Periodic Table

3 4-5

Lesson 3.1 Assignment Upload: Scientific Notation

Lesson 3.1 Assignment Activity: Significant Figures – Part I

Lesson 3.1 Assignment Activity: Significant Figures – Part II

Lesson 3.2 Quiz

Lesson 3.2 Assignment Upload: Using SI Units

Lesson 3.2 Assignment Upload: Temperature Conversion Chart

Lesson 3.3 Quiz

Lesson 3.3 Discussion

Checkpoint 2 (Non-graded)

Exam 1

*Exam 1 – Chapters 1-3

4 5-6

Lesson 4.1 Quiz

Lesson 4.2 Quiz

Lesson 4.3 Quiz

Lesson 4.3 Discussion

Lesson 4 Assignment Upload: Lab – Beanium

Lesson Weeks Assignments

5 7-8

Lesson 5.1 Quiz

Lesson 5.2 Quiz

Lesson 5.2 Assignment Upload: Electron Configuration of Selected

Elements

Lesson 5.3 Quiz

Lesson 5.3 Discussion

Lesson 5 Assignment Upload: Lab – Electron Configuration

Worksheet and Periodic Table Shading

6 8-9

Lesson 6.1 Quiz

Lesson 6.1 Discussion

Lesson 6.2 Quiz

Lesson 6.3 Quiz

Lesson 6 Assignment Upload: Lab – Periodicity in Three Dimensions

Exam 2

*Exam 2 – Chapters 4-6

7 10-11

Lesson 7.1 Quiz

Lesson 7.1 Assignment Upload: Ions

Lesson 7.2 Quiz

Lesson 7.2 Assignment Upload: Ionic Bonds and Ionic Compounds

Lesson 7.3 Quiz

Lesson 7.3 Discussion

Lesson 7 Assignment Upload: Lab – Solutions Containing Ions

8 11-12

Lesson 8.1 Quiz

Lesson 8.2 Quiz

Lesson 8.3 Quiz

Lesson 8.4 Quiz

Lesson 8.4 Assignment Upload: Polar Bonds and Molecules

Lesson 8.4 Discussion

Lesson 8 Assignment Upload: Lab – Paper Chromatography

Exam 3

*Exam 3 – Chapters 7-8

9 13-14

Lesson 9.1 Quiz

Lesson 9.2 Quiz

Lesson 9.3 Quiz

Lesson 9.4 Quiz

Lesson 9.4 Discussion

Lesson 9.5 Quiz

Lesson 9.5 Assignment Upload: Writing Formulas for Compounds

10 15-16

Lesson 10.1 Quiz

Lesson 10.2 Quiz

Lesson Weeks Assignments

Lesson 10.2 Discussion

Lesson 10.3 Quiz

Lesson 10 Assignment Upload: Lab – Counting by Measuring Mass

Checkpoint 3 (Non-graded)

Exam 4

*Exam 4 – Chapters 9-10

Final Exam

Course Credit

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

• 50% coursework average;

• 50% summative assessment average, including the final exam;

• A passing course grade is 70 or higher.

Students must attempt all assignments in the course. The final exam will not be

available until all assignments have been accepted and graded by the teacher.

Students who score below 70% on the final exam will be eligible for one re-exam

opportunity.

Coursework

The graded assignments within each lesson are formative in nature. This means that

they are designed to assist you in applying and demonstrating the lesson concepts, as

well as identifying areas in which you need additional review. You may use all the

lesson’s learning activities to assist you as you complete the graded assignments.

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are those that allow you to demonstrate mastery of the course

objectives. For summative assessments, you will NOT be allowed to use the learning

materials. These are opportunities for you to show what you have learned by that point

in the course. Summative assessments may be proctored using the online proctoring

system Proctorio. Information about Proctorio is provided in Remote Proctoring in the

Syllabus section of your course. The summative assessments for this course are as

follows:

• Summative Assessments (20% of Course Grade)

o Exam 1 (40 points)

o Exam 2 (30 points)

o Exam 3 (30 points)

o Exam 4 (30 points)

• Summative Final Exam (30% of Course Grade)

Course Completion

• Students may not complete the course in less than 30 days.

• All courses expire six months after the enrollment date.

Academic Integrity

It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty

and high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work

not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious

offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension.

“Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion,

falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair

academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of

essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission

of the instructor) or the attempt to commit such an act.

Student Expectations

You will be expected to log into the Blackboard course regularly to be aware of possible

announcements/reminders and to pace your progress in the course.

Students are expected to maintain an online environment conducive to learning, which

includes “netiquette” (Internet etiquette). Please review the basic rules for Online

Discussion Netiquette. Ensure that your email messages, discussion board postings,

and other electronic communications are thoughtful and respectful. Diverse opinions are

welcome in this course, and you are expected to demonstrate an open mind and

courtesy when responding to the thoughts and ideas of others.

The following are prohibited:

• making offensive remarks in email or the discussion board;

• using inappropriate language or discussing inappropriate topics online;

• spamming;

• hacking;

• using TTU or Blackboard email or discussion boards for commercial purposes;

• using all caps (considered shouting in online communications); and

• cyber-bullying or online harassment of any type.

Inappropriate behavior shall result in consequences ranging from a request to correct

the problem, to removal from the course or even the university, depending on the

severity of the behavior. Disciplinary actions will be taken according to the TTU K-12

Student Handbook.

Communication

• You can expect a reply from your instructor within 2 business days.

• Use the Blackboard Course Messages tool for sending messages to your

instructor.

Submitting Assignments

You will submit all assignments through the Blackboard Assignment Tool, rather than by

mail or email.

Technical Difficulties

Getting Help

For student assistance with Blackboard, visit TTU K-12 Support.

Computer Problems

A working computer is necessary for online coursework. Computer problems will not be

accepted as a valid reason for failure to complete course activities within the allotted

time frame. Identify a second computer, before the course begins, that you can use if

you experience computer problems.

Server Problems

When the Blackboard server needs to be taken down for maintenance, the Blackboard

administrator will post an announcement in your course informing you of the time and

date. If the server experiences unforeseen problems, your course instructor will

notify you.

Lost or Corrupted Files

You must keep/save a copy of every project/assignment on an external disk or personal

computer. In the event of any kind of technology failure (e.g., Blackboard server crash

or virus infection, students’ own computer problems, loss of files in cyberspace, etc.) or

any disputes, the instructor may request or require you to resubmit the files. In some

instances, the instructor may need to open another attempt within Blackboard, so

communication with your instructor is critical in these circumstances.