Physical Science I Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Instructor Information

Course Information

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Course

PHYS-1415-001 Physical Science I

Prerequisites

Math 0303-minimum grade of C, Accuplacer score of 75, THEA score of 270 or an equivalent score on a state-approved test; RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

Science course designed for non-science majors with focus on elementary education science instruction methods and content. Primary emphasis will be fundamental concepts of chemistry, such as atoms, density, equations, reactions, acids and bases and solutions. May also include integration with physics, geology and astronomy.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Hours

(4 sem hrs; 3 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Conceptual Physical Science, 4th or 5th Edition, Hewitt, Suchocki, and Hewitt. Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2008/2012.

Lab Manual - custom packaged for this course - available at bookstore.

 

 

Supplies

Calculator, large three ring binder

Student Performance

\ 1.  Have sufficiently developed lab skills.

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\ 2.  Have a basic understanding of chemistry and its everyday applications.

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\ 3.  Explain the relation between atoms and molecules.

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\ 4.  Make simple chemical calculations.

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\ 5.  Have a basic concept of solution chemistry.

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\ 6.  Understand atomic structure and the periodic table.

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\ 7.  Have a basic understanding of the different types of chemical reactions.

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\ 8.  Relate chemistry to other disciplines and understand how it fits into everyday living.

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\ 9.  Develop confidence in presenting chemistry concepts in the classroom.

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\ 1.  To gain a basic understanding of general inorganic chemistry and its applications.

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\ 2.  To learn fundamental theories, concepts, terms and skills to master basic inorganic chemistry.

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\ 3.  To gain an introduction and basic understanding of simple organic chemistry.

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\ 4.  To develop fundamental laboratory skills.

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\ 5.  To provide hands-on activities for use in teaching chemistry basics in the elementary-middle school classroom.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Please put your cell phones on silent mode during class.  If it is a necessity to have a phone on, please see me about it during the first week of class.  Do not send text messages during lecture.  Do not listen to music playing devices, etc. during class.

Please respect your classmates by arriving on time to class and refraining from side conversations during lecture. 

Please familiarize yourself with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Document and particularly the section on cheating.

CHEATING:  If a student is caught cheating on a test in this class, the test will be taken up and a grade of zero will be assigned for that test.  The grade assigned for cheating may not be the drop grade and a report will be added to the permanent record of the student

TOBACCO AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS USE:  Also according to the Student Rights and Responsibilities document, tobacco and tobacco product use is prohibited inside college buildings.  This includes smokeless products (i.e. chewing tobacco) as well as cigarettes, pipes, and cigars.

Grading Criteria

You may monitor your grades through the AC Online web access for your class.

There will be an exam at the completion of each unit of study. There will be a comprehensive final exam over the text material. There are no laboratory exams, but prelab reading and preparation is essential to being able to understand and complete the labs.  Homework will be assigned and there will be daily questions which also contribute to the final grade.  These will be done in a variety of formats, most often short open-book quizzes or participation questions. The lowest test grade will be dropped when the test average is calculated. If a test is missed, that test is the drop grade. There are no make-up exams; if you find out you have to miss an exam, contact the instructor prior to the exam and the instructor may be able to arrange for your test to be taken in the Testing Center.  Any such tests should be completed before the next class meeting. The final grade in this class will be determined from the average of all test grades (60%), daily questions and group work (5%), homework (5%), lab experiments and explorations (10%), notebooks (5%), presentations (5%), and final exam (10%).

The final grade will be assigned based on your final average as follows:  90.0=A, 80.0=B, 70.0=C, 60.0=D, and less than 60.0 is failing.

There are no make-up assignments for this class. There is another section that meets on the same day as your class, at a different time. With prior arrangements, you may come to the other class, on the same day, if  you must miss your scheduled class.  Please inform the instructor if you will need to do this.

Attendance

All students are expected to attend class regularly.  Lack of attendance will affect the grade because of missed lecture material and missed quizzes and labs.  A missed quiz or lab activity is recorded as a zero and may not be made up. It has been shown that students who attend class regularly have a higher success rate (i.e.- passing rate) than those who chose not to attend class.  If a student finds it necessary to drop this class, it is his/her responsibility to complete and submit the appropriate paperwork. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE INSTRUCTOR BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DROPPING A STUDENT FROM THIS CLASS! The last day to withdraw from this class is April 19, 2012.

Calendar

Additional Information

OTHER INFORMATION (GENERAL NOTES):  Assignments will be given for reading material in preparation for lecture and for homework assignments.  There will be small group activities throughout the semester.  Some will be during lecture and others during the lab.  There will be four (4) hour exams.  These tests will be comprehensive and may contain true/false, matching, completion, short answer, multiple choice, and problem solving. Tests may also include material from previous chapters.  There will be no mid-term exam.  There may be either announced or unannounced quizzes (daily questions); we will have them on most Thursdays but Tuesday ones are also possible. Keep a supply of paper in your notebooks for these quizzes.  Homework assignments over the material assigned for a particular test are due the day of the exam over that material.

TEACHING TECHNIQUES:  I will be using several teaching techniques in this class.  Of course, there will be the traditional lecturing for basic content.  I will keep this to only a portion of what we do in class; there will be breaks for problem solving and practicing what you have learned.  There will be posted notes for you and these will be correlated to the lecture material.  We will be doing quite a bit of guided inquiry learning using the Paradis book.  This is done in small groups, mostly during lab time; your groups may vary from time to time. The general procedure for groups is to work on a problem or assignment, and then regroup into the full class and discuss any issues that arise during the small group work.  Some of the lab work will also be in this format.

You will find that I often will not directly answer your questions.  Instead, I will ask you a question that will help you develop an appropriate answer to your original question. This is called the Socratic Method and helps students formulate ideas using the previous knowledge they already  possess.  It also helps you develop critical thinking skills you will need in all aspects of your life. 

You may find yourself called upon during class, at the board working problems with other students, or perhaps leading a short discussion.  All of these are techniques that you can use in your classrooms as you move into the teaching fields of your choice.

HOMEWORK GUIDELINES:  Homework must be neat and legible.  It may be done by hand or on the computer.  If I cannot read it, no credit is given.  All homework problems involving calculations must have all work shown and your chosen answer circled or otherwise clearly marked.  Work may be done in either pen or pencil; please do not use red. 

LAB REPORTS:  Labs must be done using the lab workbook; it is best to tear out the pages.  If you photocopy the pages, this must be done before anyone writes on them.  While you may have partners for the lab, you need to turn in the work in your own handwriting.  Any work found in violation of this policy will receive a zero.  You are responsible for all questions, including prelab and postlab, associated with the lab activity unless instructed otherwise.  Lab reports are due one week after the experiment.  Anyone not present for the experiment will not be allowed to receive credit for the report.

NOTEBOOKS:  Each student will keep a notebook (three-ring binder) to contain hand out material, homework, class notes, lab reports, and other materials from the class.  The cover will include topics relevant to chemistry and interests of the student and will be part of the notebook grade.  The criteria for grading of the notebooks will be covered by another handout.(will be posted on AC Online).

CLASS PRESENTATIONS:  Each student will be required to make a presentation to the class. Generally this assignment is done with a partner.  This presentation will be a lesson covering some topic appropriate for chemistry in the elementary classroom.  It will include handout material, expenses, teacher notes, and will be grade appropriate as determined by the student.  The 20-minute presentation should include an activity for the class to do in small groups, and either handouts for everyone or a Powerpoint presentation (or both!).  Additional information about this assignment will be posted on AC Online.