Welcome to Calorimeter week!

Last week the chem 30s got their first taste of "difficult" chem 30, and a few of them are quite discouraged. I would like to remind everyone of the fact that although my class may be difficult, my marks are fair and even with the diploma marks earned by the students. That is, the marks are neither inflated, nor am I marking too hard. The fact is, chemistry is difficult, as it combines both theoretical understanding and mathematical prowess. If studenst work hard, they will be able to maintain a relatively high mark, however it will require effort in chemistry 30 (there are not many students who are able to float through chem 30!)

A quick note: this semester I have started to do Friday Exit Slips that are a really great tool that allow me to see what students are understanding from the week. The Exit Slips are (mainly) open book, and between 1-4 questions long. Overall, these slips will be worth less than 4% of the total mark, and are an excellent indicator of student understanding as time goes by! I feel these are an excellent indicator for me as the teacher, and great help for studying for students, as they will be comprised of diploma exam style questions to study from!

This week in chemistry, we will be diving into the idea of calorimetry, an important part of energy calculations within the food and petroleum industry. This chemistry is SO applicable to everyday life and relatively interesting to anyone! 

This week in Chem 30: 
Monday: Calorimetry Inquiry
Tuesday: Calorimetry Lab
Wednesday: Unit A Quiz (Topic 1-4)
Thursday: Topic 5: Calorimetry
Friday: Topic 6: Every Day Calorimetry

Upcoming Due Dates: 
Monday February 9: Inquiry into Calories due
Wednesday February 11: Unit A Quiz 1
Wednesday February 25: Calorimetry Lab due

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