ACCEPTED GRADE LEVELS: 10-12

PRE-REQUISITES: Honors Biology with a grade of C or better and/or completion of Algebra II with a grade of C or higher or concurrent enrollment in Trigonometry.

COURSE SEQUENCE/PATHWAY: Students who have successfully completed Chemistry Honors will have met the pre-requisite for the one year of laboratory science requirement of college entrance and can be counted as providing the ten units physical science credit needed for high school graduation.

CREDITS: 5 credits per semester

DESCRIPTION:This course is designed to meet the University of California A – G requirement for laboratory science. The course covers the requirements of the California State Science Standards at a pace geared to honors students. It provides the students with an accelerated academic approach to the science at the level that is preparatory to continue studies in science both within and beyond high school. Also, included objectives identified as being more challenging than those in the regular chemistry course but which are appropriate for potential majors in the sciences, medicine, engineering, and biology. The content includes a strong emphasis on measurement and calculation and therefore requires the student to apply basic mathematical skills to events observed in laboratory operations. Chemistry is concerned with discovering the fundamental nature of matter. Laboratory, lecture and demonstrations about chemical concepts as they specifically relate to understanding complex chemical interactions and mathematics will be used.

TEXTBOOK: Modern Chemistry, Holt, Rinehart and Winston

EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Upon completion of the Chemistry Honors course, the learners will

•Know major processes and procedures which are employed in scientific inquiry and will be able to use them to solve problems.
•Be able to identify and adjust or alter variables so as to demonstrate cause and effect relationships.
•Be able to demonstrate the ability to use laboratory equipment skillfully, carefully, and safely.
•Be able to design an experiment and report the process and results in an understandable manner.
•Be able to effectively communicate their knowledge of science both orally and in writing.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the function of science and technology in the relationship between humans and the environment. 

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS: In order to achieve content mastery, students must complete daily assignments, labs/projects, quizzes & exams. In order to demonstrate mastery of course content, students must pass either both cumulative quarterly exams or cumulative semester final exam to receive a passing grade in this course.

High School – Chemistry

HS-PS1-1. Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms. [Clarification Statement: Examples of properties that could be predicted from patterns could include reactivity of metals, types of bonds formed, numbers of bonds formed, and reactions with oxygen.]

HS-PS1-2. Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties. [Clarification Statement: Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, of carbon and oxygen, or of carbon and hydrogen.]

HS-PS1-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on understanding the strengths of forces between particles, not on naming specific intermolecular forces (such as dipole-dipole). Examples of particles could include ions, atoms, molecules, and networked materials (such as graphite). Examples of bulk properties of substances could include the melting point and boiling point, vapor pressure, and surface tension.]

HS-PS1-4. Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that a chemical reaction is a system that affects the energy change. Examples of models could include molecular-level drawings and diagrams of reactions, graphs showing the relative energies of reactants and products, and representations showing energy is conserved.]

HS-PS1-5. Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on student reasoning that focuses on the number and energy of collisions between molecules.]

HS-PS1-6. Define the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the application of Le Chatlier’s Principle and on refining designs of chemical reaction systems, including descriptions of the connection between changes made at the macroscopic level and what happens at the molecular level. Examples of designs could include different ways to increase product formation including adding reactants or removing products.]

HS-PS1-7. Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using mathematical ideas to communicate the proportional relationships between masses of atoms in the reactants and the products, and the translation of these relationships to the macroscopic scale using the mole as the conversion from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. Emphasis is on assessing students’ use of mathematical thinking and not on memorization and rote application of problem-solving techniques.]

HS-PS1-8. Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on simple qualitative models, such as pictures or diagrams, and on the scale of energy released in nuclear processes relative to other kinds of transformations.]