“Strive not to be a success,
Chemistry Syllabus but rather to be of value.”
-Albert Einstein
Edition: Spring 2018, Periods 6 & 7 Mrs. Lisa Daconta
Tentative Unit Plan Schedule
July
• Teamwork, Syllabus,
E ureka! Welcome to Chemistry!
This year we will delve into real-world chemistry
Safety & Procedures problems and topics like: water contamination,
Avogadro and his obsession with moles, why if you
August are not a part of the solution that you are a part of
• Atomic Structure & Light the precipitate, why lemons are sour while kale is
September bitter, why soda fizzes when you open the can, how
• Orbitals, Naming, & batteries work and why they die, and much more!
Chemical Bonding
Abstract Information
October Course Name: General Chemistry
• IMFs & Reactions Classroom #2205
November Phone: 520-879-3369
• Avogadro & Balancing Email: dacontal@vailschooldistrict.org
Free Tutor Hours: 3:30 - 4:30 PM Tuesdays & Thursdays
December
• Stoichiometry Intro Requirements
January ❑ One 1.5” Three-ring VIEW BINDER (D-ring preferred)
• Continuing Stoichiometry ▪ Five-Star Reinforced College-Ruled Filler Paper
▪ 8 index tabs (direct write-on version preferred)
February ❑ Scientific Calculator (used on exams, quizzes, & classwork)
• Chemical Solutions ▪ Graphing Calculator is also acceptable
❑ Laboratory Clothing
March ▪ Closed-toed shoes & long pants
• Acid/Base & Gas Laws ❑ Mechanical Pencil(s) with erasers & black/blue pens
▪ A BIC 4-color retractable pen is ideal
April ❑ One white board marker
• Thermochemistry & ▪ Any color EXCEPT yellow or light neon colors
Electrochemistry ❑ Fully charged laptop & good attitude EVERYDAY! ☺
❑ Sign up for class text reminders (due dates, etc) on your
May phone by texting the phrase "@daconta" to the number
• Organic Chemistry 81010
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Expectations & Rules Consequences
1. A. C. T. - Are responsible and I can’t control your choices, but I do control
trustworthy, Care about each other, the consequences!
& Take responsibility (Be KIND) Positive (Wheel of Fortune)
-electron bumps, smiles, laughing,
encouragement, awards, stickers, stamps,
2. Respect your classmates, the
& a positive classroom environment
classroom materials/environment, Also, opportunities for extra credit,
and your instructors. class snacks, raffle entries for prizes,
and less homework
3. Be prepared! Enter class each day Negative (Wheel of misFortune)
completely prepared. 1. Warning
2. Note or call home
4. Ask. Always. 3. Conference (teacher/student/guardian)
4. Lunch Detention
5. Be positive! Like a proton! 5. Referral
Grading Procedures
Classwork (25%) Bellwork
-in class activities, worksheets, notes taken -enter classroom and find assigned seat.
in the class folders , & exit tickets Begin immediately on displayed bellwork in
Homework (15%) your Folder
-practice of learning objectives, completed Tardies
in folders and graded for completion -enter class quietly and place pass on my
desk, begin bellwork or activity
Tests, Quizzes & PAs (20%)
-Corrections can be made on quizzes for ½
credit, but not tests, pop quizzes, or PAs Leaving Classroom (includes bathroom)
Lab Reports (25%) -only during independent work time and is
-Typed documents will be turned in as up to my discretion. Sign out by the door.
printed hard copies -First 10 and last 10 minutes = no leaving
Attendance (5%) Attention
-Shark Bait! Pause or stop whatever you
-Read page 4 for more details
are doing, turn your face to me, and listen
Cumulative Semester Final (10%)
Participate when questions are posed!
*Please check grades on Powerschool frequently*
“I have not failed. I’ve successfully discovered 10,000 things that won’t work.”
-Thomas Edison (inventor of the lightbulb)
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Miscellaneous Course Objectives
Team Work With 100% effort on your part, I can guarantee 100% fun! You
-Stay on topic, work with shoulder partner will be able to think chemically and critically about many of the
-You are expected to treat each classmate with scientific myths & propaganda, and be able to discern the
respect and work together on labs or projects
chemical likelihood of reactions with sound chemical deductions
Strict Late Work Policy
-Within certain time limit can be made up for 50%
-ALL students, including 504 and/or IEP, MUST
advocate for themselves regarding late work
-Extended time for 504 and/or IEP students is not
to exceed ONE WEEK in length from the set due
date of the assignment, unless otherwise
specified within the 504 or IEP document
Quizzes & Tests
-48 hrs for quiz corrections, no corrections on
tests or pop quizzes. If absent, must make-up Lab Safety Rules
quiz or test within THREE days of return to school
-Quizzes average out to be roughly every other - Come properly dressed for lab days. (Long pants, closed toed
week, typically on a Friday. shoes, shirts with at least short sleeves, and hair tied back.) No tops
Google Classroom of feet or ankles showing.
-Presentations, worksheets, homework questions, - You must wear lab goggles throughout the entire experiment.
lab and report documents, and all other learning - Be extremely careful with glassware, chemicals, and other
materials are posted on Google Classroom equipment. There is no horsing around in lab.
Food, Gum & Drink - No gum, no eating, and no drinking during laboratory experiments.
-Never allowed; only water in secured, designated - You will pay to replace broken glassware. (A bill will be sent to your
water bottle is permitted student account for the amount that the piece is worth.)
Dismissal from Class - If any chemical gets on your skin, eyes, or clothes, flush the area
-The bell does not dismiss, I do. Do not pack up profusely with water for at least 5 minutes. Notify your teacher.
until I have dismissed you or you will risk the
- Never reach over or across an open flame. Keep flammables away
“Wheel of misFortune!”
-Do not “cattle call” by the classroom door! from flame or open sources of heat.
- Never taste a chemical or drink out of glassware.
Absences
-CHECK Google Classroom for what you missed - The chemistry stockroom is for teachers only, unless I give you
-You are responsible for making up any missed explicit permission to enter it.
work while you were gone within one week of the - Clean chemicals off the balance using a brush or paper towel.
absence. Specific due dates are stipulated by the -Never brush a chemical onto the floor. Do not touch chemicals.
instructor upon your arrival back to school. -Dispose of chemicals in proper waste containers. Clean up spills.
Extra Credit -Careless handling of any lab equipment will NOT be tolerated
-Projects (up to 10% of grade)!
-Other various opportunities are also given
throughout the semester
Character Chemistry for Mrs. Daconta
As a Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology graduate and Teach Arizona Masters Program
graduate from the University of Arizona, I now have the pleasure of passing on my love for science
to high school students! I have researched alternative and novel mu/delta opioid receptor ligands
with the Hruby Group in hopes of generating a non-addictive therapy for opioid-dependent
patients; and my research for generating biodiesel fuel from the abundant desert Jojoba plant was
published in the Journal of Chemical Education.
If I had to be an element, I would be Germanium because my heart still lives in Germany with my grandparents, or I
would be Francium because its atomic number was my husband’s high school football number --- and it is very rare
to find on Earth! (I am very excited to get to know all of you now!) ☺
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Chemistry Course Expectations & Norms
Attendance
• Faithful attendance of every class is critical to success in this course. On each day of the semester, a lot of information
is disseminated in both the lecture and lab sessions. For this reason, habitual unexcused absences and tardies will
result in a negative grade impact. Attendance is worth 5% of the course grade, as stipulated on page 2. More than 12
absences will result in ZERO credit for the biology course.
• You are required to notify me of any planned absence or tardy, especially if it interferes with a test/quiz day
Personal Responsibility as Scholars
• As young adults, you are responsible for frequently checking your grades on PowerSchool and contacting me with any
questions or concerns you may have.
• It is my primary responsibility to help you understand the course material. I cannot address your problems if you do not
ask me for help---so SEEK HELP before you fall behind!
Wheel of misFortune - Pop Quizzes & Extra Homework
• If classroom behavior is unacceptable (disrespectful, off-task, talking when I am talking, etc.), a warning will be
given---but that warning will be swiftly followed by a pop quiz or more homework if the situation is not immediately
remedied. The “Wheel of misFortune” may also result in extra homework for any particular week.
General Quizzes & Quiz Corrections
• Students have the opportunity to receive +50% credit back on each question missed on any quiz given throughout the
semester. For example, if a student missed 20 points on a quiz, and completed corrections according to the posted
guidelines by the specified due date, the student could earn back +10 points to their original quiz score.
• MOST corrections are due within TWO class periods of the instructor handing back the quiz.
• Quizzes, in addition to tests, are worth 20% of the course grade (page 2)
Homework Policy
• Homework will be given on a daily basis; it is due at the end of each week, on Friday (at the start of class)
• There is ONE homework question every single day (Monday-Thursday) for a total of FOUR homework questions every
week. ALL FOUR homework questions will be written OR typed on paper to be turned in at the start of class on Fridays
(unless there is no school on Friday, in which case, the homework will be turned in at the start of class on Thursday) in
the appropriate class bin. Hard copies are mandatory. Homework is worth 15% of the course grade (page 2)
Lab Reports/Lab Worksheets (printed or hard copy submissions are required)
• In order to help you prepare for each lab, you will need to prepare a Flow Chart in addition to answering Pre-Lab
Questions PRIOR to beginning the experiment. Failure to have a Flow Chart for each experiment will result in a -2 pt.
deduction from your final lab report or worksheet score. Lab reports are worth 25% of the course grade (page 2)
Performance Assessments (PA)
• Performance Assessments (PA) are alternatives to exams, typically in the form of take-home, open-note worksheets
or reports and revolve around a lab exploration or topic that is directly related to a real-world chemistry issue. These
are included in the test/quizzes section worth 20% of the course grade (page 2)
Electronics
• Laptops are a must for this classroom, but are a privilege. Improper use of a laptop (playing games, checking email,
scrolling through Facebook, etc.) during class time will result in the loss of computer privileges in my classroom for the
rest of the period. Repeat offenders will not have laptop privileges at all.
• Cell phones are to be silenced and invisible. Cell phones are a privilege, not a right. If any sound goes off, you owe the
class treats (or will need to pay through detention or assigned classroom labor). In addition, if I see a cell phone during
class time, you will be required to keep your phone in a special cubby for the rest of the semester every single day.
Cheating
• ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY. Cheating is disgusting, disrespectful, and unnecessary. Working together with your lab
partner/other students in the class is NOT considered cheating; in fact, it is encouraged! However, copying a Lab Report
or work verbatim is considered cheating and is VERY EASY to detect.
• ZEROES will be awarded for any identified cheating, for all parties involved. THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL WARNING.
Subject to Change Statement
• Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with
advanced notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor, including scheduled quiz/test and/or lecture dates.
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Syllabus & Safety Contract Spring 2018
I, (print name)_____________________, have read and agree to follow the rules, guidelines,
and lab safety principles set forth by Mrs. Daconta. I understand the requirements of the class,
grading, rules, late work policy, and consequences. I will do my best to contribute to a positive
and safe class environment. I understand that pop quizzes and/or extra homework can occur if
overall class behavior is unacceptable. I understand that if I use my phone inappropriately during
class, I will be required to store my phone in the “Phone Cubby” every single day for the rest of
the semester. I will come dressed appropriately for all labs and obey Flinn’s Safety Guidelines.
• Student signature:____________________ Date:__________
As the guardian of _________________, I understand that students will have to reimburse the
school for broken glassware and/or lab materials if due to student negligence. I will help my
student uphold the requirements of chemistry class. I will periodically check my student’s grades
in PowerSchool. I agree to the terms and conditions stated within the Biology class syllabus.
• Parent/Guardian signature:_________________________ Date:____________
Please circle either Yes or No:
I have reliable internet at home for my student to access Google Classroom: Yes No
Syllabus & Safety Contract Spring 2018
I, (print name)_____________________, have read and agree to follow the rules, guidelines,
and lab safety principles set forth by Mrs. Daconta. I understand the requirements of the class,
grading, rules, late work policy, and consequences. I will do my best to contribute to a positive
and safe class environment. I understand that pop quizzes and/or extra homework can occur if
overall class behavior is unacceptable. I understand that if I use my phone inappropriately during
class, I will be required to store my phone in the “Phone Cubby” every single day for the rest of
the semester. I will come dressed appropriately for all labs and obey Flinn’s Safety Guidelines.
• Student signature:____________________ Date:__________
As the guardian of _________________, I understand that students will have to reimburse the
school for broken glassware and/or lab materials if due to student negligence. I will help my
student uphold the requirements of chemistry class. I will periodically check my student’s grades
in PowerSchool. I agree to the terms and conditions stated within the Biology class syllabus.
• Parent/Guardian signature:_________________________ Date:____________
Please circle either Yes or No:
I have reliable internet at home for my student to access Google Classroom: Yes No
