Advanced Chemistry
Past Assignments (2025-2026)

Week 36: Monday, May 18th – Friday, May 22nd

Hi there! We only have two weeks left in class, so we'll wrap up our work on Unit 17: Organic Chemistry this week and then do some exam review before taking the written portion of our 2nd Semester Exam in class on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Here's the plan for our last regular week of classes:

Mon. 5/18

• review Quiz #17A: Organic Chemistry

• finish Organic Molecule Postcard Project

• 2nd Semester Exam review

Tue. 5/19

• Hot Peppers and Capsaicin Lab!

• DUE: Organic Molecule Postcard Project

Wed. 5/20

• Quiz #17B: Organic Chemistry

• intro to 2nd Semester Exam Lab Practical

• 2nd Semester Exam review

Thu. 5/21

• 2nd Semester Exam Lab Practical walkthrough

• DUE: Hot Peppers and Capsaicin Lab

Fri. 5/22

• FIELD DAY

• TIE-DYING!

Make sure you bring in a 100% cotton white t-shirt on Thursday so that you can soak it overnight in the sodium carbonate (washing soda) solution to get the best tie-dye results on Friday.

Enjoy your 3-day weekend! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 35: Monday, May 11th – Friday, May 15th

Welcome to our final unit in Advanced Chemistry – organic chemistry! This week, we'll take our quiz on acids & bases, and then we'll learn the fundamentals of how to identify and name simple organic compounds. Here's the plan for the last week with our seniors:

Mon. 5/11

• start Unit 17: Organic Chemistry

• intro to organic nomenclature

• Quiz #16A: Acids & Bases

• DUE: Acid-Base Titration Lab

Tue. 5/12

• review quiz

• Naming Organic Compounds WS 1

• practice organic nomenclature

Wed. 5/13

• organic functional groups

• Naming Organic Compounds WS 2

• Quiz #16B: Acids & Bases

Thu. 5/14

• start Organic Molecule Postcard Project

• DUE: Naming Organic Compounds WS 1

Fri. 5/15

• Quiz #17A: Organic Chemistry

• work on Organic Molecule Postcard Project

• DUE: Naming Organic Compounds WS 2

Use the practice quizzes on ChemQuiz.net that I posted in Google Classroom to prepare for the quizzes. Next week we'll share our projects and do a walk-through of our exam practical. Have a wonderful week, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 34: Monday, May 4th – Friday, May 8th

Hi there, and welcome to May! Here's the plan as we wrap up Unit 16: Acids and Bases with some hands-on activities:

Mon. 5/4

• pH scale demo

• neutralization calculations

• Acids & Bases WS 4 – Neutralization Calculations

Tue. 5/5

• Natural Indicators Lab

• DUE: Acids & Bases WS 3 – pH & pOH

Wed. 5/6

• finish Natural Indicators Lab

• practice titrations

• DUE: Acids & Bases WS 4 – Neutralization Calculations

Thu. 5/7

• Acid-Base Titration Lab

• DUE: Natural Indicators Lab

Fri. 5/8

• finish lab & practice for the quiz on Monday

Congratulations on winning the E3 Spirit Award, I could tell that your class deserved it! Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 33: Monday, April 27th – Friday, May 1st

Hello again! Here's the plan for our first normal week in a long time as we wrap up Unit 15: Water and Solutions and move on to our penultimate* topic, acids & bases:

Mon. 4/27

• complete Water Quality Index (WQI) worksheet

• Quiz #15A: Water and Solutions

• begin Unit 16: Acids & Bases

• Acids & Bases WS 1 – Introduction

Tue. 4/28

• review quiz

• Acids & Bases WS 2 – Reactions

• DUE: Water Quality Index (WQI) WS

Wed. 4/29

• Quiz #15B: Water and Solutions

• finish WS 1 & 2

• practice acid-base neutralization reactions on ChemQuiz.net

Thu. 4/30

• review acid-base reactions

• pH & pOH calculations

• Acids & Bases WS 3 – pH & pOH

• neutralization calculations

• Acids & Bases WS 4 – Neutralization Calculations

• DUE: Acids & Bases WS 1 – Introduction

Fri. 5/1

• E3 Celebration!

• pH Scale Lab

• review pH & pOH calculations

• DUE: Acids & Bases WS 2 – Reactions

Make sure you cheer for our graduating seniors at E3 on Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful week, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions.

* Look it up! 😁

Week 30: Tuesday, April 7th – Friday, April 10th

Hi there, and welcome back from your extended weekend! Here's the plan for this week as we wrap up Unit 14: Bonding and Molecular Shapes:

Mon. 4/6

• NO SCHOOL

• use the practice quizzes on ChemQuiz.net - they're linked in our Google Classroom!

Tue. 4/7

• review bonding, molecular shapes, and polarity

• Quiz #14A: Bonding and Molecular Shapes

• DUE: Molecular Geometry Lab

Wed. 4/8

• review quiz

• begin Unit 15: Water and Aqueous Systems

• Properties of Water Jigsaw Activity

Thu. 4/9

• share notes from jigsaw

• Quiz #14B: Bonding and Molecular Shapes

Fri. 4/10

• Properties of Water Stations Lab

Make sure you use those practice resources that I posted to Google Classroom to prepare for Tuesday's quiz, it's going to be pretty challenging if you don't know your molecular shapes!

Next week we'll have shortened periods due to state-mandated testing (boo!). Fortunately, most of what we'll be learning next – including solutions and acids & bases – is pretty straightforward, so we should be fine despite all the interruptions. I hope you have a great first full week of April, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 29: Monday, March 30th – Thursday, April 2nd

Hello again everyone, and welcome back from Spring Break! We only have nine more weeks of school, much of which will be broken up by extended weekends and state testing, so it should go by pretty quickly. Here's the plan for this short week as we get back to working on Unit 14: Bonding and Molecular Shapes:

Mon. 3/30

• intro to Lewis dot structures for ionic compounds and molecules

• Lewis Dot Structures – Ionic Compounds WS

• Lewis Dot Structures – Molecular Compounds WS

Tue. 3/31

• review Lewis structures

• intro to shapes of molecules (VSEPR)

• bond polarity vs. molecular polarity

• DUE: Bond Polarity & Electronegativity WS

Wed. 4/1

• practice identifying shapes with Molecule Shapes PhET

• start Molecular Geometry Lab

• DUE: Lewis Dot Structures – Ionic Compounds WS

Thu. 4/2

• finish Molecular Geometry Lab

• review intermolecular forces (IMFs) on ChemQuiz.net

• DUE: Lewis Dot Structures – Molecular Compounds WS

Fri. 4/3

• NO SCHOOL

I hope you have a great week back from break, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 28: Monday, March 16th – Friday, March 20th

Welcome to 4th Quarter and the last week before Spring Break! 😎 Here's the plan as we wrap up Unit 13: Nuclear Chemistry:

Mon. 3/16

• BEGIN 4th QUARTER

• start "Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail: Part 2" video

Tue. 3/17 🍀 

• finish "Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail: Part 2" video

• work on Nuclear Chemistry Infographic poster

Wed. 3/18

• Quiz #13A: Nuclear Chemistry

• finish Nuclear Chemistry Infographic poster

• DUE: "Uranium – Twisting the Dragon’s Tail: Part 2" Video WS

Thu. 3/19

• Nuclear Chemistry Infographic poster gallery walk

• DUE: Nuclear Chemistry Infographic poster

Fri. 3/20 🌸

• start Unit 14: Bonding and Molecular Shapes

• ionic vs. covalent bonds and Lewis dot structures

• Bond Polarity & Electronegativity WS

• Quiz #13B: Nuclear Chemistry

Thanks for all of your hard work in the first three-fourths of the course so far, and have a fun and relaxing Spring Break! 🩴

Week 27: Monday, March 9th – Friday, March 13th

We've made it to the end of 3rd Quarter! After this week, we'll only have one week of classes before we all get a well-deserved week off for Spring Break. Here's the plan as we begin Unit 13: Nuclear Chemistry:

Mon. 3/9

• radioactive half-life calculations

• Radioactive Half-life WS

• Quiz #12-2B: Combined & Ideal Gas Laws

Tue. 3/10

• Half-life of a Penny Lab

• practice radioactive decay and half-life calculations

Wed. 3/11

• start "Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail: Part 1" video

• DUE: Radioactive Half-life WS

Thu. 3/12

• finish "Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail: Part 1" video

• DUE: Half-life of a Penny Lab

Fri. 3/13 – Early Release; End of 3rd Quarter

• start Nuclear Chemistry Infographic poster (due Thu. 3/19)

• DUE: "Uranium – Twisting the Dragon’s Tail: Part 1" Video WS

• DUE: ANY OUTSTANDING WORK FROM 3rd QUARTER MUST BE TURNED IN BY TODAY!

I hope the time change doesn't make you feel too cranky! Next week, we'll wrap up nuclear chemistry with a quiz and a gallery walk for our posters. Have a great week, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 26: Monday, March 2nd – Friday, March 6th

Hello again, and welcome to March! Here's the plan for this week as we continue our work on gas laws:

Mon. 3/2

• review quiz

• Molar Mass of Butane Lab

Tue. 3/3

• review lab

• Quiz #12-1B: Gas Laws

• DUE: Ideal Gas Law WS

Wed. 3/4

• Ideal Gas Constant Lab

• DUE: Molar Mass of Butane Lab

Thu. 3/5

• Quiz #12-2A: Combined & Ideal Gas Laws

Fri. 3/6

• review quiz

• start Unit 13: Nuclear Chemistry

• intro to nuclear chemistry

• Radioactive Decay WS

• DUE: Ideal Gas Constant Lab

Spring is just around the corner, so hang in there, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 25: Monday, February 23rd – Friday, February 27th

Welcome to the last week of February! For the last week of Black History Month, I'd like to tell you about Alma Levant Hayden (1927-1967). Ms. Hayden was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and graduated with honors in 1947 from South Carolina State College, an HBCU. Originally planning to be a nurse, she found herself so interested in chemistry that she "just didn't want to part from it". Hayden graduated from Howard University with a master's degree in chemistry, and became an expert in spectrophotometry, the measurement of how substances absorb light, and was hired by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She was appointed Chief of the Spectrophotometer Research Branch in the Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1963, and may have been the first African-American scientist at the FDA. Ms. Hayden came to national attention in 1963 when she led the team that exposed that the common substance in "Krebiozen", a controversial and expensive alternative cancer treatment, was simply creatine, which occurs naturally in the body and does not cure cancer. Her successful take-down of this fraud highlighted the importance of having government agencies to ensure drug safety for its citizens as well as the need to develop and support scientists of all backgrounds so that our country can continue to thrive. At a career forum for young women in 1962, Hayden told the attendees, "Always try to do the very best and to be the very best in whatever group you are working with."

Here's the plan for this fragmented week:

Mon. 2/23

• Gas Laws Stations Lab

Tue. 2/24

• finish lab

• combined gas law calculations

• DUE: Gas Laws WS 1 – Boyle's & Charles' Laws

Wed. 2/25

• ACT – NO SCHOOL for Sophomores

• work on Gas Laws Simulation from home

Thu. 2/26

• intro to Ideal Gas Law

• Ideal Gas Law WS

• DUE: Gas Laws WS 2 – Gay-Lussac's & Combined Gas Laws; Gas Laws Stations Lab

Fri. 2/27

• Quiz #12-1A: Gas Laws

• ideal gas law calculations

• DUE: Gas Laws Simulation

After this week, we'll only have two weeks before the end of 3rd Quarter, and then another week after that will be Spring Break. Hang in there, and have a great week! Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Week 24: Tuesday, February 17th – Friday, February 20th

Good afternoon! I hope you've been enjoying your extended four-day weekend. This week for Black History Month, I'd like to tell you about St. Elmo Brady (1884-1966), the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry. Dr. Brady was born in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from Louisville Colored High School in 1903. He then attended Fisk University, an all-black college in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was encouraged to study chemistry and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1908. He briefly taught at Tuskegee University before taking a scholarship offer to study at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, where he earned his M.S. in chemistry in 1914 and completed his Ph.D. after only two years, giving an oral defense of his 228-page dissertation, titled “The Scale of Influence of Substituents in Paraffine Monobasic Acids. The Divalent Oxygen Atom,”. In 1917, Dr. Brady married Myrtle Marie Travers, who taught English at Tuskegee, and they had two sons, St. Elmo Brady Jr. and Robert Brady. In 1920, he accepted an offer to chair the chemistry department at Howard University, an HBCU (Historically Black College/University) founded in 1867, where he initiated the first graduate program in chemistry at an HBCU. He returned to Fisk in 1927, where he taught general and organic chemistry to hundreds of students, assembled an outstanding chemistry faculty, developed an undergraduate curriculum, and coordinated construction of the first modern chemistry building at an HBCU. After retiring from Fisk, Brady spent 14 years collaborating with educators at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, to help build their chemistry department.

Here's the plan to wrap up thermochemistry this week:

Mon. 2/16

• Washington–Lincoln Day – NO SCHOOL

Tue. 2/17

• practice Hess's Law calculations

Wed. 2/18

• Quiz #11-2A: Thermochemistry

• DUE: Thermochemistry WS 5 – Hess's Law

Thu. 2/19

• review quiz

• intro to gases

• Intro to Gases WS

Fri. 2/20

• Boyle's, Charles', and Gay-Lussac's Laws

• Gas Laws WS 1 & 2

• Quiz #11-2B: Thermochemistry

Make sure you use the ChemQuiz.net practice quizzes that I posted on Google Classroom, because your quiz on Wednesday will have very similar problems. We'll take the make-up quiz on Friday, and then you'll work on a gas laws simulation at home on Wednesday while the freshmen take the PreACT and the juniors take the ACT. I hope you have a great short week and enjoy the warmer weather! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 23: Monday, February 9th – Thursday, February 12th

Hello again, I hope you've stayed warm this weekend! This week for Black History Month, I'd like to tell you about Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to fly in space. Dr. Jemison was born in Alabama in 1956 to a maintenance supervisor and an elementary school teacher. She entered Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated with degrees in chemical engineering as well as African and African-American studies, and she later earned her medical degree from Cornell University. Because she was inspired by watching Star Trek as a child, she applied to NASA to become an astronaut, and in 1992, she served on an eight-day Space Shuttle mission that conducted microgravity investigations on bone cell research while orbiting Earth 127 times. In 1993, she became the first astronaut to appear in an episode of Star Trek. Dr. Jemison is a member of Fortune 500 companies’ boards, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and she also leads the "100 Year Starship" project, a global initiative to ensure the capabilities of interstellar travel by 2112 while transforming life on Earth. Very impressive!

Here's the plan for this abbreviated week:

Mon. 2/9

• review lab

• thermochemical equations

• Thermochemistry WS 4 – Thermochemical Equations

Tue. 2/10

• Combustion of a Candle Lab

• DUE: Chemical Calorimetry Lab

Wed. 2/11

• Hess's Law using heats of formation

• start Thermochemistry WS 5 – Hess's Law

• DUE: Thermochemistry WS 4 – Thermochemical Equations

Thu. 2/12

• Hess's Law using heats of reaction

• finish Thermochemistry WS 5 – Hess's Law

• DUE: Combustion of a Candle Lab

Fri. 2/13

• Teacher PD Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Next week, we'll take our second thermochemistry quiz on enthalpy and Hess's Law, so make sure you don't forget everything during your time off. Have a great week, and enjoy your 4-day weekend!

Week 22: Monday, February 2nd – Friday, February 6th

Happy Black History Month! Before I list this week's activities, I'd like to tell you about Dr. Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975), who was a Black chemist whose work laid the foundation for human hormone production. Julian, born in Montgomery, Alabama, was the son of a railway clerk and the grandson of enslaved people. At the age of 17, because of his academic abilities but due to the lack of a high school for Black students in Montgomery, he was accepted as a "sub-freshman" at DePauw University, taking classes at a nearby high school in addition to the regular college courses he took. He was elected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated with a B.A. degree in Chemistry in 1920 as valedictorian of his class, and went on to earn his M.A. degree from Harvard in 1923 and Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931. In 1935, he completed the research that would result in the total synthesis of physostigmine, which led to the process that made it readily available for the treatment of glaucoma. This work established Julian’s reputation as a world-renowned chemist at the age of 36. Despite Julian's achievements, the Board of Trustees did not allow him to be appointed to the teaching staff at DePauw, so he went into industry, producing numerous patents and successful products, including a fire-retardant foam that was widely used in World War II to extinguish gasoline fires. His biomedical research made it possible to produce large quantities of synthetic progesterone and hydrocortisone at low cost. During his life, Dr. Julian was also widely recognized as a steadfast advocate for human rights, and in 1973, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the greatest honors a scientist can achieve.

Here's the plan for this week as we dive deeper into thermochemistry:

Mon. 2/2

• review lab

• calorimetry calculations practice

• DUE: Thermochemistry WS 2 – Calorimetry

Tue. 2/3

• intro to enthalpy

• Quiz #11A: Kinetic Theory & Calorimetry

• DUE: Ice Cube Calorimetry Lab

Wed. 2/4

• review quiz

• enthalpy calculations

• Thermochemistry WS 3 – Heat Change

Thu. 2/5

• practice enthalpy calculations

• Quiz #11B: Kinetic Theory & Calorimetry

Fri. 2/6

• Chemical Calorimetry Lab

• DUE: Thermochemistry WS 3 – Heat Change

With some challenging topics this week, I'm hoping we have minimal interruptions. If you're out of class for any reason, please do your best to keep up with what you miss so that you don't fall behind. This will be our last full week of school for a while, because for the next three weeks we'll only have four school days each week due to teacher in-service, a holiday and the ACT. I hope you have a great week, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 21: Thursday, January 29th – Friday, January 30th

Wow, another four-day a five-day weekend! I hope you remember that we're currently studying thermochemistry and calorimetry. 😂 Here's the plan for yet another abbreviated week:

Mon. 1/26

• SNOW DAY – NO SCHOOL

Tue. 1/27

• COLD DAY – NO SCHOOL

Wed. 1/28

• COLD DAY – NO SCHOOL

Thu. 1/29

• review quiz

• calorimetry calculations

• kinetic theory notes

• DUE: Thermochemistry WS 1 – Fundamental Concepts

Fri. 1/30

• Ice Cube Calorimetry Lab

• Quiz #10B: States of Matter

I'll post more practice material on Google Classroom along with a textbook chapter that's easy to read, in case you want to supplement your notes. Let me know if you have any questions!

Week 20: Tuesday, January 20th – Friday, January 23rd

Hello again, I hope you've enjoyed your threefour-day weekend! Even though it's really cold outside, we're going to start learning about the role that thermal energy plays in chemistry as we begin Unit 11: Thermochemistry. Here's the plan:

Mon. 1/19

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL

Tue. 1/20

• SNOW DAY – NO SCHOOL

Wed. 1/21*

• finish "The Race for Absolute Zero" video

• Quiz #10A: States of Matter

• DUE: Change of Physical State Lab

Thu. 1/22

• review quiz

• start Unit 11: Thermochemistry

• intro to heat, kinetic theory and the Laws of Thermodynamics

• Thermochemistry WS 1 – Fundamental Concepts

Fri. 1/23

• Quiz #10B: States of Matter

• calorimetry calculations

• Thermochemistry WS 2 – Calorimetry

* Some of you in 2nd period will leave early on Wednesday for the CTE site visits, so we'll take the quiz first before you leave.

Kent State's Chemistry & Biochemistry Department did a nice write-up on our field trip earlier this month! They're also hosting Explore Kent Chemistry Day on Saturday, February 7th from 9:30am–2:00pm. While there will be some similarity to our field trip, there will also be an opportunity to hear from representatives at NEOMED (for those of you interested in possibly going to medical school), and there will be opportunities to talk directly with professors about their research in case you're interested in doing lab work through College Credit Plus. Also, free lunch! Sign up for free here, and let me know if you have any questions.

As always, I hope you have a great extra-short week!

Week 19: Monday, January 12th – Friday, January 16th

Hello, future chemists! I hope you enjoyed last week's field trip to the Kent State Chemistry Department and learned a little bit about the kinds of things chemists do and the job and career opportunities that are available. If nothing else, we got out of the building and everyone at KSU was super nice! If you're interested in doing research at KSU over the summer while earning credit through CCP, make sure you fill out this Science Internship Application form ASAP.

Also, you might want to consider signing up for the Perry Outreach Program on Saturday, March 14th. It's a free, one-day, hands-on experience for exploring careers in medicine and engineering. You'll hear from leaders in those fields and get to perform mock orthopaedic surgeries and biomechanics experiments. I had several students participate last year and they really enjoyed it! Additional information is available here, and the application form is here.

Here's the plan for this week as we start our new unit on solids, liquids and gases:

Mon. 1/12

• start Unit 10: States of Matter

• States of Matter Jigsaw

Tue. 1/13

• Intermolecular Forces POGIL

Wed. 1/14

• Change of Physical State Lab

Thu. 1/15

• SNOW DAY – NO SCHOOL

Fri. 1/16

• finish Intermolecular Forces POGIL

• start "The Race for Absolute Zero" video

• DUE: Intermolecular Forces POGIL

Should be a very straightforward week! Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your three-day weekend!

Week 18: Monday, January 5th – Friday, January 9th, 2026

Happy New Year! 🥳 I hope you all had a wonderful Winter Break and are fully rested and recharged to finish up this school year strong. We're going to start out this week learning about careers related to chemistry, and then we're going to go on a field trip to KSU's Chemistry Department on Thursday. Here's the schedule for the first week of 2026:

Mon. 1/5

• review 1st Semester Exam

• start Chemistry Career mini-presentation

• DUE: complete the online KSU field trip form – bring your charged Chromebook to class!

Tue. 1/6

• finish Chemistry Career mini-presentation

Wed. 1/7

• share Chemistry Career mini-presentations

• DUE: Chemistry Career mini-presentation

Thu. 1/8

• Field trip to Kent State's Chemistry Department! Meet in the auditorium atrium to leave no later than 8:25am. We'll eat lunch at school during 8th period when we come back at noon. I'll let you know if any of these details change!

Fri. 1/9

• start Unit 10: States of Matter

• start States of Matter Jigsaw

• finish Chemistry Career mini-presentations

I hope you have an awesome first week back! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 17: Monday, December 15th – Friday, December 19th

Welcome to exam week! The plan is pretty straightforward – study for the 1st Semester Exam on Wednesday so you can earn the best grade possible and enjoy your Winter Break. Here's the schedule for this week:

Mon. 12/15

• review quiz

• prepare for the exam!

• DUE: Percent Yield WS

Tue. 12/16

• prepare for the exam!

• Quiz #9B: Stoichiometry

• DUE: ANY OUTSTANDING WORK FROM 2nd QUARTER MUST BE TURNED IN BY TODAY!

Wed. 12/17

• 1st period exam – 7:30-9:00am

• 2nd period exam – 9:15-10:45am

• Lunch – 10:50-11:20am

• 6/7th or 7/8th period exam – 11:25am-12:55pm

• Open study – 1:10-2:29pm

Thu. 12/18

• 9th period exam – 7:30-9:00am

• 10th period exam – 9:15-10:45am

• Lunch – 10:50-11:20am

• Make-up exams – 11:25am-12:55pm

• Open study – 1:10-2:29pm

Fri. 12/19

• 3rd period exam – 7:30-9:00am

• 4/5th or 5/6th period exam – 9:15-10:45am

• Lunch – 10:50-11:20am

• Make-up exams – 11:25am-12:55pm

• Open study – 1:10-2:29pm

• DUE: ANY QUIZ C's FROM 2nd QUARTER MUST BE COMPLETED BY TODAY!

I'll also send out the exam schedule flyer on Student Square and on Google Classroom as a picture so you can save it to your phone. You have plenty of prep material: I gave you a paper copy of the 1st Semester Practice Exam in class and posted the key on Google Classroom; I put together a Google Doc with links to 50 different practice quizzes on ChemQuiz.net that will let you focus on specific topics upon which you'd like to improve; and you have your past quizzes from class, which cover all the material on the exam.

Good luck on this exam and all of your other exams this week! Please let me know if you have any questions at all, and I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Winter Break. See you in 2026!

Week 16: Monday, December 8th – Friday, December 12th

We've finally made it to the last full week of 1st Semester! After next week's exams, you'll be halfway done with Sophomore year. Here's the plan:

Mon. 12/8

• review quiz

• stoichiometry practice

• Stoichiometry WS 2

• DUE: More Mole Conversions WS

Tue. 12/9

• Decomposition of Baking Soda Lab

• DUE: Stoichiometry WS 1

Wed. 12/10

• limiting reagents

• Quiz #8B: The Mole

• DUE: Stoichiometry WS 2

Thu. 12/11

• percent yield & percent error

• DUE: Decomposition of Baking Soda Lab

Fri. 12/12

• Quiz #9A: Stoichiometry

• DUE: Limiting Reagents WS

We have a lot of assignments due this week, so make sure you're keeping track of everything. Keep working on that practice exam, and have a great week!

Week 15: Monday, December 1st – Friday, December 5th

Welcome back from break! I hope you enjoyed your week off and got lots of rest and relaxation. We only have two weeks left to learn about the mole and stoichiometry before taking our 1st Semester Exam. Here's the plan for the first week of December:

Mon. 12/1

• start Unit 8: The Mole

• intro to the mole, molar conversions, and mole ratios

• Mass-Mole Conversions WS and Mole Ratios WS

Tue. 12/2

• SNOW DAY – NO SCHOOL

Wed. 12/3

• Molar Conversions Stations Lab

• Quiz #7B: Chemical Reactions

• DUE: The Great Oreo Conspiracy!

Thu. 12/4

• review lab & mole worksheets

• DUE: Mass-Mole Conversions WS; Mole Ratios WS

Fri. 12/5

• Quiz #8A: The Mole

• start Unit 9: Stoichiometry

• Stoichiometry WS 1

• DUE: Molar Conversions Stations Lab

If you like math, you'll love what we're doing this week! If you're not a huge fan of math, don't worry – I promise that it's not that difficult. I hope you have a great week, and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 14: Monday, November 17th – Friday, November 21st

We've finally made it to Thanksgiving Break! This week, we'll learn how to balance chemical equations – a critical skill for future success in all levels of Chemistry! – and we'll wrap up with a fun little lab. Here's the plan:

Mon. 11/17

• Quiz #6-2B: Compound Masses and Calculations

• practice predicting chemical reactions

• DUE: Types of Chemical Reactions Lab

Tue. 11/18

• balancing chemical equations

• DUE: Predicting Chemical Reactions WS

Wed. 11/19

• practice balancing chemical equations

Thu. 11/20

• Quiz #7A: Chemical Reactions

• DUE: Balancing Chemical Equations WS 1

Fri. 11/21

• review quiz

• The Great Oreo Conspiracy!

• DUE: Balancing Chemical Equations WS 2

Parents and guardians: please note that we have Parent-Teacher Conferences on Tuesday, November 25th from 8am-3:30pm. You can use this link to sign up for any available spot to discuss how your child is doing in my class. It would be great to talk with you!

I hope you have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving Break, and I'll see you in December!

Week 13: Monday, November 10th – Friday, November 14th

Hello, future scientists! For this week in Advanced Chemistry, we're going to start our next unit on Chemical Reactions, which is a concept we've been talking about all year so far, but now we're going to learn about how to identify the different types of reactions. Here's the plan for this week:

Mon. 11/10

• review quiz

• empirical formula calculations

• Empirical Formulas WS

Tue. 11/11 🇺🇸 

• Quiz #6-1B: Compound Names and Formulas

• start Unit 7: Chemical Reactions

• types of chemical reactions

• DUE: Mass Ratios & Percent Composition WS

Wed. 11/12

• Quiz #6-2A: Compound Masses and Calculations

• predicting chemical reactions

• DUE: Empirical Formulas WS

Thu. 11/13

• Types of Chemical Reactions Lab in Mr. Knopick's room across the hall

• DUE: Identifying Reactions WS

Fri. 11/14

• review lab

• review quiz

• practice identifying & predicting chemical reactions

• DUE: Predicting Chemical Reactions WS

We only have one more week of school after this and then we'll take our well-deserved Thanksgiving Break. Stay warm this week, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 12: Monday, November 3rd – Friday, November 7th

Hello again, I hope you enjoyed your extra hour of sleep this morning! For this week in Advanced Chemistry, we're going to move on to Unit 6: Chemical Compounds, which is pretty straightforward but extremely important for our future understanding of concepts in the course. Here's what we're doing for the first week of November:

Mon. 11/3

• review quiz

• start Unit 6: Chemical Compounds

• ionic compound names and formulas

• Naming Ionic Compounds WS 1: Monatomic Ions

• Naming Ionic Compounds WS 2: Polyatomic Ions

• DUE: Beanium Lab

Tue. 11/4

• Quiz #5B: Atomic Models

• molecular compound names and formulas

• Naming Molecules WS

Wed. 11/5

• practice naming chemical compounds – bring your charged Chromebook to class!

• DUE: Naming Ionic Compounds WS 1: Monatomic Ions, Naming Ionic Compounds WS 2: Polyatomic Ions

Thu. 11/6

• Quiz #6-1A: Compound Names and Formulas

• intro to percent composition, mass ratios and empirical formulas

• DUE: Naming Molecules WS

Fri. 11/7

• review quiz

• intro to mass rations and percent composition

• Mass Ratios & Percent Composition WS

I'll be out on Wednesday taking my AP Computer Science students on a field trip, so my goal this week is to get as much instruction done as possible in the first two days of this week so that you can practice while I'm out and get prepared for the quiz on Thursday. Naming chemical compounds is very straightforward and regimented, so as long as you follow the proper steps, you'll get the right answer every time.

I hope the time change doesn't make you too cranky this week! 😴 As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 11: Monday, October 27th – Friday, October 31st

It's my favorite time of the year – Halloween! 👻 Here's the plan for this spooky week:

Mon. 10/27

• finish Atomic Spectra Activity (as necessary)

• intro to electron configurations

• Electron Configurations WS

Tue. 10/28

• isotope naming and notation

• Isotope Naming and Notation WS

• calculating average atomic masses

• Average Atomic Mass Calculations WS

• DUE: Atomic Spectra Activity

Wed. 10/29

• Beanium Lab

• DUE: Electron Configuration WS

Thu. 10/30

• HALLOWEEN DEMOS! 🧙‍♀️ in Mr. Knopick's room across the hall

Fri. 10/31 🎃

• finish Beanium Lab (as necessary)

• Quiz #5A: Atomic Models

• DUE: Isotope Naming and Notation WS; Average Atomic Mass Calculations WS

If you're going on the Leadership Retreat, make sure you come to class before you leave that morning so that you don't miss the Halloween Demos. I hope you have a great week and get lots of candy! 🍬 As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 10: Tuesday, October 21st – Friday, October 24th

Welcome back from your second 3-day weekend! During this abbreviated week, we'll be starting one of my favorite topics in all of science – the atom. Here's what we're doing for the first week of 2nd Quarter:

Mon. 10/20

• Fall Break – NO SCHOOL

Tue. 10/21

• start 2nd Quarter

• start Unit 5: The Atom

• start "Atom: Clash of the Titans" video

• DUE: Lemon Battery Lab; Element Poster Gallery Walk

Wed. 10/22

• finish "Atom: Clash of the Titans" video

• Models of the Atom WS

Thu. 10/23

• Atomic Spectra Activity

• DUE: "Atom: Clash of the Titans" Video WS

Fri. 10/24

• review Atomic Spectra Activity

• intro to electron configurations

• DUE: Models of the Atom WS

• Quiz #4C: The Periodic Table must be completed by today!

If you'd like to try to improve your 1st Quarter Grade, you can take Quiz #4C: The Periodic Table by this Friday. If you score higher than you did on either Quiz #4A or Quiz #4B, I'll issue a grade correction.

I hope you find this week's topics to be as interesting and exciting as I do! As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!

Week 9: Monday, October 13th – Friday, October 17th

Welcome back from your 3-day weekend! This week, we'll wrap up our unit on the periodic table with a poster project and an inquiry lab where you have to figure out the procedure. Here's what we're doing for the last week of 1st Quarter:

Mon. 10/13

• periodicity activity

• finish Periodicity WS

• Periodic Trends - Check for Understanding WS

• start Element Poster Project

Tue. 10/14

• Quiz #4A: The Periodic Table

• work on Element Poster Project

• DUE: Periodicity WS; Reactivity of Metals Lab

Wed. 10/15

• review quiz

• finish Element Poster Project

• prep Lemon Battery Lab

Thu. 10/16

• Lemon Battery Lab (due Tue. 10/21)

• DUE: Element Poster Project

Fri. 10/17 – Early Release; End of 1st Quarter

• Quiz #4B: The Periodic Table

• Element Poster gallery walk

• DUE: Any missing work from 1st Quarter!

I've posted some ChemQuiz.net practice quizzes in Google Classroom, so make sure you look over those before you take the real quiz in class on Tuesday. Also, Friday is an "Early Release" day, so I'll send out the altered bell schedule later in the week.

You're getting another 3-day weekend, so I hope you enjoy it as much as the one you just had! Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 8: Monday, October 6th – Thursday, October 9th

Hello again! It may be Autumn on the calendar, but it sure doesn't feel like it. This week, we'll continue our work on the periodic table with a variety of activities, including a fun little lab. Here's what we're doing for this abbreviated week:

Mon. 10/6

• finish Periodic Table Coloring Activity

• start "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Order of the Elements" video

Tue. 10/7

• finish "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Order of the Elements" video

• DUE: Periodic Table Coloring Activity

Wed. 10/8

• periodic trends

• Periodicity WS

• DUE: "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Order of the Elements" video WS

Thu. 10/9

• Reactivity of Metals Lab

• Parent-Teacher Conferences @5-8pm - sign up here!

Fri. 10/10

• Teacher PD Day – NO SCHOOL

We only have one more week left in 1st Quarter, so make sure you're keeping up with your work! I've graded every paper that has been handed to me, so your current grade in ProgressBook is accurate and updated. If you'd like to improve your grade, you can take the "C" version of any quiz we've had so far; remember, I keep the highest grade for each quiz. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I hope you enjoy your upcoming 3-day weekend!

Week 7: Monday, September 29th – Friday, October 3rd

And just like that, it's October! 🎃 I hope the new school year is going well for you so far. This week, we'll wrap up our unit on the properties of matter and move on to one of the greatest achievements of humankind, the periodic table. Here's the plan for this week:

Mon. 9/29

• Law of Definite Proportions notes

• finish Conservation of Mass WS

• fix SI Scavenger Hunt

• DUE: "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Discovering the Elements" video WS

Tue. 9/30

• Law of Definite Proportions Lab

• DUE: Conservation of Mass WS

Wed. 10/1

• review lab

• Quiz #3A: Properties of Matter

Thu. 10/2

• review quiz

• start Unit 4: The Periodic Table

• introduction to the periodic table

• DUE: Law of Definite Proportions Lab

Fri. 10/3

• start Periodic Table Coloring Activity

• Quiz #3B: Properties of Matter

Parents: Please use this link to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, October 9th. You can also reach out to me through email any time you have any questions or concerns.

Tuesday's lab gives us a chance to try out the new Bunsen burners we ordered! It's a classic reaction; you'll love it. Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!

Week 6: Monday, September 22nd – Friday, September 26th

Hello again, and welcome to Fall! 🍂 This week, we'll continue with our work on properties of matter – should be an easy week after Homecoming weekend. Here's the plan:

Mon. 9/22

• review quiz

• Steel Wool Activity

• DUE: Accuracy, Precision and Error WS

Tue. 9/23

• Quiz #2B: Scientific Measurements

• Classifying Matter POGIL

• DUE: Physical vs. Chemical Changes WS

Wed. 9/24

• finish POGIL

• start "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Discovering the Elements" video

• DUE: Steel Wool Activity

Thu. 9/25

• finish video

• Law of Conservation of Matter notes

• DUE: Classifying Matter POGIL

Fri. 9/26

• Conservation of Mass WS

• DUE: "BBC's Chemistry: A Volatile History – Discovering the Elements" video WS

I hope you fun this past weekend and you're looking forward to a great week. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 5: Monday, September 15th – Friday, September 19th

Welcome to the last week of summer! Here's the plan as we wrap up our unit on scientific measurements with a quiz and move on to some actual chemistry with Unit 3: Properties of Matter:

Mon. 9/15

• volume conversions

• Significant Figures WS 1 & 2

• Accuracy, Precision and Error WS

• DUE: SI Unit Conversions WS 2; SI Scavenger Hunt

Tue. 9/16

• Density Blocks Lab

Wed. 9/17

• finish Density Blocks Lab

• DUE: Significant Figures WS 1 & 2; Accuracy, Precision and Error WS

Thu. 9/18

• Quiz #2A: Scientific Measurements

• start Unit 3: Properties of Matter

• DUE: Density Blocks Lab

Fri. 9/19

• Unit 3 notes

• Physical vs. Chemical Changes WS

I hope you have fun at all of the Homecoming festivities! As always, let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 4: Monday, September 8th – Friday, September 12th

Hello, future scientists! Now that we've learned some basic concepts about chemistry and the scientific method, we're going to focus on refining our quantitative techniques. This means we're going to work on making proper measurements and working with numbers, including significant figures (or "sig figs"). Here's the plan for the first full week of September:

Mon. 9/8

• finish lab equipment notes (for real this time!)

• making scientific measurements with proper sig figs

• Quiz #1-1B: Nature of Science and Chemistry

• DUE: Alchemy Lab

Tue. 9/9

• dimensional analysis & scientific notation

• SI Unit Conversions WS 1 & 2

• Quiz #1-2A: Lab Equipment & Techniques

Wed. 9/10

• review quiz

• start SI Scavenger Hunt

• DUE: Significant Figures WS 1 & 2

Thu. 9/11

• finish SI Scavenger Hunt

• Quiz #1-2B: Lab Equipment & Techniques

• DUE: SI Unit Conversions WS 1 & 2

Fri. 9/12

• practice sig figs, scientific notation, SI conversions & scientific measurements on ChemQuiz.net

• DUE: SI Scavenger Hunt

My plan is to give you as much time as possible in class to work on these assignments so you can ask me for help. It may seem like a lot, but some of these topics are review from middle school and past math classes, and you'll be able to get most of them done pretty quickly. I hope you have a wonderful week, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 3: Tuesday, September 2nd – Friday, September 5th

I hope you enjoyed your 3-day weekend! Here's what we're doing in class this week as we wrap up Unit 1 with our first quiz:

Mon. 9/1

• Labor Day – NO SCHOOL

Tue. 9/2

• finish Pseudoscience Mini-presentations

• What is Chemistry? notes

Wed. 9/3

• Lab clean-up & equipment ID (across the hall in Room 210)

• Quiz #1-1A: Nature of Science and Chemistry

• DUE: Scientific Method WS

Thu. 9/4

• Alchemy Lab (across the hall in Room 210)

• review quiz

Fri. 9/5

• review Alchemy Lab calculations

• finish lab equipment notes

• Quiz #1-1B: Nature of Science and Chemistry

The Alchemy Lab is one of my favorite lab activities of all time, so I hope you enjoy it too. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great abbreviated week!

Week 2: Monday, August 25th – Friday, August 29th

Welcome to the first full week of school! I hope that school has started well for you and any issues with your schedule have all been worked out. Now that we've had a couple days to get to know each other and set some expectations, we can get to work! Here's what we're doing in class this week:

Mon. 8/25

• finish Ob-scertainer Activity and share

• What is Science? notes

Tue. 8/26

• Lab safety (across the hall in Room 210)

• Logic Stations Lab (across the hall in Room 210)

Wed. 8/27

• Scientific Method WS

• start Pseudoscience Mini-presentation

Thu. 8/28

• finish mini-presentations

• DUE: Logic Stations Lab

Fri. 8/29

• share mini-presentations

• DUE: Pseudoscience Mini-presentation

Please let me know you have any questions, and have a great week!

Week 1: Thursday, August 21st – Friday, August 22nd

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! I'm excited to have you in class, and I hope you're looking forward to a good year of learning about chemistry.

Advanced Chemistry is a challenging course that explores matter and energy as well as the changes they undergo as they interact. Students will need strong Algebra skills, an interest in scientific issues, and a willingness to work hard in order to be successful in this course. Over my career, I’ve found that Chemistry is often one of the first classes that truly measures a student's readiness for college, so some of my students have been surprised at the amount of work required. You should expect to be challenged by this course.

Here's what we're doing in class for the first week of school:

• Welcome to Advanced Chemistry! - first day presentation

• Class Rules

• Class Contract - get it signed!

• What is Science? - notes

• start Obser-tainer Activity

I hope you have a great first week and you're able to get some rest this weekend before we attempt to go to school for five full days without strange bell schedules or burning birds. Let me know you have any questions!