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CHEMISTRY COURSES

Class Available at PCLC

2024 – 2025 School Year
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Class Available at EIE

2024 – 2025 School Year
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General & Honors Chemistry at PCLC (see below for EIE)

Grade Level: 11th – 12th a-g certified (if charter approved)
Pre-requisite: completion of Algebra 1
Cost of General Chemistry: $475 per semester* (two-semester course)
Cost of Honors Chemistry:  $500 per semester* (two-semester course)

*See Locations and Schedules for possible additional Student Fees that may be added to your classes and possibly payable with charter funds.

Note: Lab supplies will be provided when students are In-Person for class. For online students, a supply list will be provided so they may do the experiments with us. The cost of lab supplies should also be covered by charter school funds if purchased through an approved vendor.

Classes will include such topics as:

  • Structure of the atom
  • Elements of the periodic table
  • Chemical bonding
  • Molecular structure and reactivity
  • Mole concepts and Stoichiometry
  • Gases, solutions, and acids & bases
  • Reaction rates and chemical equilibrium
  • Redox reactions and electrochemistry
  • Introduction to biochemistry and organic chemistry

This a-g level chemistry class meets once a week for 2.25 hours. The class meets for 30 weeks per year (15 weeks/semester). Students will have weekly live lectures and hands-on labs. Reading, lab reports and testing will be completed online at home with the exception of two in-class final exams. 

The course covers the structure of the atom, the periodic table, chemical bonding, molecular structure and reactivity. A unit on moles and stoichiometry followed by a study of gases, solutions, and acids and bases. Reaction rates and chemical equilibrium will be explored followed by redox reactions and electrochemistry. Finally, we will explore biochemistry and some organic chemistry. There will be a significant emphasis on laboratory practice, with weekly labs and/or demonstrations, along with computation for quantitative analysis. Weekly homework assignments from the textbook, lab notebooks, and handouts will be completed by the students at home each week. Tests will be sent home with the student to be administered by their parents and returned to class the following week.



HONORS CHEMISTRY STUDENTS ONLY
For those students taking HONORS CHEMISTRY, there will be one additional written assignment per semester and group meeting with the instructor to discuss the required reading of Rachel Carson’s, “Silent Spring”. The assignment and meeting will cover the chemistry of pesticides and herbicides and how they affect the environment. Charters must approve the Honors designation.

Silent Spring
by Rachel Carson. 1962
ISBN13: 9780618249060
Widely available at online used bookstores.


Textbook required:

World of Chemistry (2007)
ISBN 10: 0618562761  ISBN 13: 9780618562763
Holt/McDougal Littell by Steven S. Zumdahl (Author), Susan A. Zumdahl (Author)

General Chemistry at EIE

Grade Level: 11th – 12th a-g certified (if charter approved)
Pre- or co-requisite: Algebra 1
Cost of class: $475 per semester (two-semester course)
*See Locations and Schedules for possible additional Student Fees that may be added to your classes and possibly payable with charter funds.

Note: Lab supplies will be provided when students are In-Person for class.

General Chemistry

General Chemistry is a first-year introductory A-G level class that explores chemical phenomena. Through lectures, class discussions, small group activities, homework, labs, and class lab challenges, students will explore chemical concepts as they apply to the world around them. Emphasis will be on disciplinary core concepts, both qualitative and quantitative laboratory inquiry, mathematical modeling of key concepts, and the process of scientific inquiry. Topics include but are not limited to: modeling the atom (nuclear & subatomic), understanding properties of mater at the bulk scale, chemical bonding, understanding and modeling chemical reactions, moles, stoichiometry, properties of solutions and concentration/dilution, thermodynamics, reaction rate, dynamic equilibria, acid/base, reduction/oxidation (redox) and gases. We focus a lot in this class on the chemical effects of human activity on the environment and using chemistry to offer viable solutions.   This class culminates in an engineering applications unit on bioplastics and their effects on the environment. Class meets weekly for 2 hours and includes keeping a scientific journal. 

Pre or Co-requisite: Algebra 1

Textbook required:

Preferred:     Chemistry: Matter and Change
ISBN 007874637X
Publisher: Glencoe Science 2012
or newer

Acceptable alternative: World of Chemistry 3rd Edition, 2012  
ISBN-10: 1133109659
Authors:  Steven S. Zumdahl , Susan L. Zumdahl , Donald J. Decoste 
Publisher: McDougal Littell

(2007 edition acceptable if approved by charter)

Conceptual Chemistry at EIE

Grade Level: 11th – 12th  (NON a-g)
Pre- or co-requisite: Algebra 1
Cost of class: $475 per semester (two-semester course)
*See Locations and Schedules for possible additional Student Fees that may be added to your classes and possibly payable with charter funds.

Note: Lab supplies will be provided when students are In-Person for class.

Conceptual Chemistry

Conceptual Chemistry is a year-long course designed to engage students who might not otherwise pursue a future in science and capture their attention using fun weekly wet labs and demonstrations.  Through lectures, class discussions, small group activities, homework, and labs, students will explore chemical concepts as they apply to the world around them. The focus is on disciplinary core concepts, the process of scientific inquiry,  and the application of the study of chemistry to the real world, not mathematical models. Topics include but are not limited to modeling the atom, understanding properties of matter at the bulk scale, chemical bonding, understanding and modeling chemical reactions, moles, basic stoichiometry concepts, properties of solutions, concentration and serial dilution, simple thermodynamics, factors affecting reaction rates, dynamic equilibria, acid/base, gases and a simplified introduction to organic chemistry. This class emphasizes the chemical effects of human activity on the environment and the uses of chemistry to offer viable solutions to real-world problems.  Our year culminates in a student-led engineering applications unit on plastics and bioplastics and their effects on the environment with a poster presentation. Weekly classes include 1-hour lecture and 1.5 hours of lab (plus clean-up time), a comprehensive year-long in-class exam in May,  and keeping a scientific journal.

Pre or Co-requisite: Algebra 1

Textbook required:

Preferred:    Conceptual Chemistry
ISBN 10: 0131376306 ISBN 13: 978-0131376304 hardcover
ISBN 10: 0136054536 ISBN 13: 9780136054535 softcover/paperback
Author: 4th Ed by John Suchocki c. 2011,

Acceptable alternative: World of Chemistry 3rd Edition, 2012  
ISBN-10: 1133109659
Authors:  Steven S. Zumdahl , Susan L. Zumdahl , Donald J. Decoste 
Publisher: McDougal Littell

(2007 edition acceptable if approved by charter)

Honors Chemistry at EIE

Grade Level: 11th – 12th a-g certified (if charter approved)
Pre-requisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1 with a C or better
Cost of class: $500 per semester (two-semester course) Effective 2024-25 school year.
*See Locations and Schedules for possible additional Student Fees that may be added to your classes and possibly payable with charter funds.

Note: Lab supplies will be provided when students are In-Person for class.

How is Honors Different from General Chemistry?

  • Your homework is different, but not generally longer
  • Your labs are different but usually not that much more work
  • You will have one extra lab report each quarter, typed, usually 3-5 pages long 
  • All of our labs (not lab activities) are quantitative (except two) – you will be using math!
  • We have at least 3 original student-led experimental labs this year:  Chromatography (1st Q), Titration (4th Q) and our 5-week all-original independent research project  (4th Q)      
  • You will be required to do a formal typed write-up incorporated into slides for your final project 
  • You will be asked to do a 3+ page “Current Events in Chemistry” mini-research report on recent developments in chemical engineering/materials science of your choosing – one per semester.

Charters must approve the Honors designation.

Pre-requisite: Successful completion of Algebra I with a C or better. 

Textbook required:
Chemistry: Matter and Change
ISBN 10: 007874637X ISBN 13: 978-0078746376
Publisher: Glencoe Science/McGraw-Hill, 2012  – or newer