ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY INSTITUTE:
 A TRAINING COURSE FOR TEACHERS

Introduction:                        TOP

It is the goal of this course to prepare teachers to teach Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry. It is assumed that participants have a good knowledge of those AP Chemistry topics that are also typically taught in first year high school chemistry. It is further assumed that teachers have developed strategies for teaching that content. Therefore, even though some time will be spent on how those topics are dealt with on the exam, most emphasis will be placed on five topical modules involving content that is not normally covered in the first year class. These are classifying chemical reactions and predicting their products, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, thermochemistry and thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. 
 Advanced Placement Chemistry is a laboratory-based course. Emphasis will be placed on laboratory in this institute as well. Nine laboratory experiments are to be developed which meet the College Board's requirements for recommended laboratories. Four of these involve the synthesis, and subsequent analysis of the green crystalline compound, potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate. This compound will be referred to in these experiments simply as the green crystalline compound. The other five lab experiments will be tied to the five content areas to be dealt with in the institute. 
 The first module of the institute will acquaint the teachers with the AP Chemistry course requirements and the format of the AP Chemistry exam through the College Board materials. The participants will work through multiple choice questions from released AP exams on material that is not covered on the topical modules. These questions will be used to check the participants knowledge of the content. A laboratory experiment involving the synthesis of the green crystalline compound will be developed. 
 Modules two through six are the topical modules. Class notes on the topics will be presented for examination by teachers. Reading assignments will be made from a general chemistry textbook to make certain participants have a good understanding of the content. Multiple-choice questions will be given to determine the participants' knowledge of the topics. Free-response problems will be worked through and related to concepts and principles on the topics. There will be a Discussion Board assignment based on a lesson plan for teaching a concept or principle on each topic. A laboratory experiment is to be developed for each module. In addition, laboratory experiments will be prepared to determine, respectively, the percent water, percent potassium and percent iron, and percent oxalate for the green crystalline compound. 
 The seventh module will be the development of an AP Chemistry course syllabus. The syllabus must include the topics covered in the modules. The syllabus must also include the nine laboratory experiments developed.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES:                        TOP

By the end of the course participants will

1. be familiar with the AP Chemistry course requirements and the format of the AP Chemistry exam.
2. have a good understanding of the content of classifying chemical reactions and predicting their products, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, thermochemistry and thermodynamics, and electrochemistry.
3. be able to use the Discussion Board as a tool for interaction between the instructors and participants as well as between one participant and others in the class, and as a learning tool.
4. have developed nine laboratory experiments that meet the College Board's requirements for recommended laboratories.
5. have written a course syllabus that includes the topics covered in the modules and the nine laboratory experiments developed in the course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:                        TOP 

1. Having access to and using the College Board's website to obtain information about AP Chemistry
2. Reading College Board materials, class notes, chapters in chemistry textbooks and assignments 
3. Responding online to multiple choice questions from released exams 
4. Responding online to free response problems from released AP Chemistry exams and relating the problems to the concepts 
5. Developing nine laboratory experiments that meet requirements for recommended laboratories 
6. Participating in Discussion Board assignments based on skeleton lesson plans for teaching a concept or principle on each topic. 
7. Developing a course syllabus that includes the topics covered in the modules and the nine laboratory experiments developed in the course

COURSE EVALUATION:                        TOP 

Grades will be based on the following: 

1. Introductory Quiz and Module One Assignments (19 pts)
2. Working through free response problems and relating them to concepts and principles (76 pts)
3. Working through multiple choice problems (40 pts)    
4. Discussion Board assignment on skeleton lesson plans (50 pts) 
5. Development of laboratory experiments including taking data on the kinetics and thermochemistry labs (90 pts)
6. Development of a course syllabus (25 pts)  

REQUIRED RESOURCES:                        TOP 

1. College Board Publications, available from the College Board Online Store:
   a. "Advanced Placement Program Course Description: Chemistry May 2002, May 2003" (# 990186) 
   b. "Teachers Guide-AP Chemistry" (# 987515) 
   c. "Released Exam 1999 AP Chemistry" (#255166)
   In the College Board Online Store, you can search for these materials by entering the item numbers listed in parentheses.
2. An acceptable general chemistry textbook: 
   a. Jones, L., and P.W. Atkins. Chemistry: Molecules, Matter, and Change, 4th ed. New York: Freeman, 2000. 
   b. Brown, T. L., H. E. LeMay, Jr., and B.E. Bursten. Chemistry: The Central Science, 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2003. 
   c. Chang, R. Chemistry, 7th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002. 
   d. Kotz, J. C. Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity, 5th ed. Fort Worth: Saunders, 2003. 
   e. Ebbing, D., and S.D. Gammon. General Chemistry, 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002.  
   f. Zumdahl, S. S. Chemistry, 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 
3. Each participant must have access to a laboratory. 
4. The following reagents will be needed: 
   a. 0.10 M hydrochloric acid 
   b. 0.15 M sodium hydroxide 
   c. potassium acid phthalate 
   d. phenolphthalein 
   e. sodium thiosulfate 
   f. distilled water 
   g. Tums tablet 
   h. Rolaids tablet 
5. The following additional materials and instruments will be needed: 
   a. common laboratory glassware 
   b. two burets 
   c. graduated cylinder 
   d. mortar and pestle 
   e. spatula 
   f. watch with a second hand 
   g. milligram balance

CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS:                    TOP

MODULE ONE: AP Chemistry Course Requirements and the AP Chemistry Exam 

June 9 through June 13 

1. Complete the personal information quiz. 
2. Go to the College Board's web page at www.collegeboard.com/ap and register with AP Central. Examine the syllabi on the web page and in the "Teachers Guide-AP Chemistry" publication to see how AP Chemistry courses are organized. Participants are to develop a syllabus for an AP Chemistry course as part of assignment #1 in Module Seven. 
3. Read the Topic Outline, pages 5-10, and the Guide for the Recommended Laboratory Program, pages 36-51, in the "Advanced Placement Program Course Description: Chemistry May 2002, May 2003." 
4. Go through the scoring guidelines and student responses on free response question 2 (pages 56-61), free response question 5 (pages 72-76), free response question 7 (pages 83-86), and free response question 8 (pages 87-91) from the "Released Exam 1999 AP Chemistry" publication to get an understanding of how the free response questions are scored. 
5. Go through the statistical information in Chapter IV (pages 93-99) of the "Released Exam 1999 AP Chemistry" publication to see how the AP Chemistry grades are determined. 
6. Work through the multiple choice questions on general topics. 
7. Develop a laboratory experiment to synthesize the green crystalline compound.

MODULE TWO: Classifying Chemical Reactions and Predicting Their Products 

June 14 through June 18 

1. Study the class notes to understand the strategy to be used to classify chemical reactions and predict their products, and work through chemical reactions problems from a previously released exam. 
2. Participate in a Discussion Board assignment based on a skeleton lesson plan for teaching students to classify chemical reactions and predict their products. 
3. Develop a laboratory experiment for determining the percent water in the green crystalline compound.
4. Develop a laboratory experiment for carrying out chemical reactions, classifying them and predicting their products.

MODULE THREE: Chemical Kinetics 

June 19 through June 23 

1. Study the class notes, read the chapter from the textbook, and work through multiple choice questions on chemical kinetics from previously released AP exams to check participants' understanding of this topic. 
2. Work through free response problems on chemical kinetics from a previously released AP exam and relate them to the kinetics concepts and principles. 
3. Participate in a Discussion Board assignment involving a skeleton lesson plan for teaching how to obtain the rate-law expression for a chemical reaction from data on initial rates of change of concentrations of a reactant or product, and how to postulate a mechanism for the reaction from the rate-law expression. 
4. Develop a laboratory experiment to determine the rate of reaction of thiosulfate with hydronium ion, carry out the experiment in the laboratory and report the results.

MODULE FOUR: Chemical Equilibrium 

June 24 through June 28 

1. Study the class notes, read the chapters from the textbook, and work through multiple choice questions on chemical equilibrium from previously released AP exams to find out the participants' understanding of this topic. 
2. Work through free response problems on chemical equilibrium from a previously released exam and relate them to the equilibrium concepts and principles. 
3. Participate in a Discussion Board assignment based on a skeleton lesson plan for teaching LeChatelier's Principle.
4. Develop a laboratory experiment to determine the relative efficiencies of two antacids to neutralize stomach acid, carry out the experiment in the laboratory and report the results.

MODULE FIVE: Thermochemistry and Thermodynamics 

June 29 through July 3 

1. Study the class notes, read the chapters from the textbook, and work through multiple choice questions on thermochemistry and thermodynamics from previously released AP exams to check the participants' understanding of this content. 
2. Work through free response problems on thermochemistry and thermodynamics from a previously released exam and relate them to thermochemical and thermodynamic concepts and principles. 
3. Participate in a Discussion Board assignment that deals with a skeleton lesson plan for teaching the concepts of entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. 
4. Develop a laboratory experiment to determine the heats of reaction of magnesium and magnesium oxide with hydrochloric acid and use these heats of reaction in a Hess's Law calculation.

MODULE SIX: Electrochemistry 

July 4 through July 8 

1. Study the class notes, read the chapter from the textbook, and work through multiple choice questions on electrochemistry from previously released AP exams to determine the participants' understanding of electrochemistry. 
2. Work through free response problems on electrochemistry from a previously released exam and relate them to electrochemical concepts and principles. 
3. Participate in a Discussion Board assignment involving a skeleton lesson plan for teaching Faraday's Law. 
4. Develop a laboratory experiment to measure the electrochemical potentials of some voltaic cells. 
5. Develop a laboratory experiment for determining the percent potassium and percent iron in the green crystalline compound.

MODULE SEVEN: Course Syllabus 

July 9 through July 14 

1. Develop an Advanced Placement Chemistry course syllabus that includes the topics covered in the modules and the nine laboratory experiments developed. 
2. Develop a laboratory for determining the percent oxalate, the empirical formula, and percent yield of the green crystalline compound.

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