Welcome to Chemistry! 🧪

Our world is full of fascinating puzzles: Why do leaves change color? How does a battery store energy? This year, we won't just learn the answers—we'll learn how to find them. Chemistry is more than a collection of facts; it's a powerful way of thinking that helps you ask better questions, analyze evidence, and understand the world on a molecular level. My goal is to help you turn your natural curiosity into a lifelong skill. I'm excited to explore, question, and discover alongside you this year.

General Course Information

Course Title: Chemistry                District Course Guide: 2025–2026 Course Guide

Teacher: Mr. Swiftney

Contact Information:

• Email: Swiftneyt@issaquah.wednet.edu (Preferred Method)
• Phone: 425-837-7839

(Please see the Communication Policy under the "Support & Recovery" section for details on response times.)

Course Description

Think of this course as building your scientific toolkit. We'll start by sharpening the tools you already have—your curiosity and prior knowledge. Each unit will then add a new, powerful tool to your collection, from modeling atoms to predicting reactions. You will learn to select and apply these tools in our lab investigations, constructing a deeper, more layered understanding of matter as we go. The goal is for you to leave this class not just with facts, but with the foundational skills to approach new problems with curiosity and evidence.

Required Supplies:

• Textbook: Inspire Chemistry (McGraw Hill) - physical copy can be signed out; digital edition through Canvas.
• Something to write with (pen or pencils);
• Something to write on/in (personal choice);
• Daily access to Canvas

Syllabus Disclaimer

This syllabus serves as a guide for the course. The instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to the schedule, policies, and assignments as necessary to best meet the learning needs of the students.

Course Outline & Pacing

This outline provides our key learning goals for the year, written as "I Can" statements. It also shows the estimated timeline for each unit. Throughout the year, we will continuously practice and apply two core scientific skills.

Core Scientific Skills

• Scientific Investigation: I can execute a scientific investigation to collect and analyze data, develop/use a model, and construct an evidence-based conclusion.
• Synthesis & Complex Problems: I can synthesize concepts from multiple I Can statements to analyze a scenario or solve a complex problem.

*Pacing is subject to change.

Grading Philosophy

Your grade in this course is designed to communicate your level of proficiency in chemistry—that is, what you consistently know and are able to do. It summarizes your academic performance on tests, labs, and projects, and it serves as the official report of your learning to your family, other teachers, and future colleges.

Equally important to your success are your habits as a learner. However, these behaviors will not be a direct part of your academic grade. We will use the EPIC Learner Behaviors scale (described below) for feedback and reflection.

Assessments & Evidence of Learning

Assignments in this class provide the evidence for your academic grade.

Grade Categories & Weighting

Your overall grade is calculated based on the following weighted categories:

• Summative Assessments: 50%
• Lab Work: 25%
• Practice & Formative Work: 15%
• Final Exam: 10%

Detailed Assignment Type descriptions

Practice & Formative Work: Essential for building skills. Most daily homework will be checked for completion. Regular homework quizzes (where you can use your homework) will be graded for accuracy.

• Volume & Frequency: Ample time is provided during class to complete practice work. Therefore, "homework" consists primarily of unfinished classwork. The volume depends entirely on your focus and time management during class.

• Recommended: Independent reading of the textbook is encouraged to deepen understanding but is not graded.

Lab Work: Our labs are a mix of hands-on experiments, simulations, and activities (e.g., Gizmos). The lab grade is divided into two distinct components:

• Engagement: This reflects your active, safe, and collaborative participation during the lab activity, as well as the full completion of the lab product (such as a simulation packet). There is no recovery option for the engagement portion of the grade.
• Reflection: After each lab, you will complete an independent assignment to analyze your results and demonstrate understanding. This might be a quiz focusing on the lab's purpose and data, or a written analysis using the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework.

Summative Assessments: Chapter tests covering key concepts from practice and labs. These are a significant part of your overall grade.

Final Exams: A cumulative exam at the end of each semester covering all major concepts.

Grade Bands

Grading Calculations: Grades are calculated to the hundredth place in Canvas and reported to the tenth place. To maintain accuracy and equity, no additional rounding is applied to the final grade.

Tools for Feedback & Growth

EPIC Learner Behaviors

Your academic grade measures your proficiency in chemistry. The EPIC scale evaluates your habits as a learner. This framework is aligned with Washington State’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards to ensure you develop the resilience and executive functioning skills necessary for scientific work:

• Self-Awareness & Self-Management: Practiced through Preparation (managing work) and Integrity (honest self-assessment).

• Self-Efficacy: Developed through Engagement and persisting through complex problems.

• Social Awareness, Management, & Engagement: Built through Collaboration and respectful peer interaction in the lab.

These behaviors are crucial for success but are evaluated separately from your academic grade. About once a month, you will use this scale for self-reflection, and I will use it to provide feedback on your growth in these standards.

Proficiency Rubric for Feedback

To help you understand your learning progress, we will use the proficiency rubric below as a roadmap for feedback, especially on practice work. It provides a shared language to identify where you are and what the "next steps" look like.

Note: Sometimes feedback may include a plus (+) or a minus (-) to give a more specific description of your progress. A plus indicates you are approaching the next level, while a minus indicates you are not quite secure in the current level.

Our Classroom Community

We are all partners in this learning process. Our shared commitments are to Embrace the Process, Take Ownership, Engage with Purpose, Respect Everyone's Right to Learn, and Be Ready to Learn. You may choose not to engage in your own learning, but you may not interfere with anyone else's.

Deadlines, Late Work, & Make-ups 🗓️

To ensure fairness, provide timely feedback, and keep everyone on pace, here is our comprehensive policy on when work is due.

Due Dates vs. Final Deadlines

We use a system with two key dates for every unit:

• 🎯 Due Dates: The Target for Feedback. Every assignment will have a due date. Think of this as the "Feedback Guarantee." Submitting your work on time is the best way to ensure I can provide feedback that will help you learn and prepare for the chapter test. There is no point penalty for work submitted after the due date but before the final deadline.
• 🗓️ Final Deadlines: The End of the Unit. The Final Deadline is the last possible day to submit any assignment for a given unit. The Final Deadline for all work in a chapter is the day of that chapter's test. After the test, the learning for that unit is considered complete, and work for that chapter will no longer be accepted.

Make-up Work After an Excused Absence

An official, excused absence is the only exception to the Final Deadline policy.

• For Extended Absences: For excused absences of more than one consecutive school day, the make-up policy follows the school handbook. We will arrange a reasonable timeline for you to complete your work.
• For a Single-Day Absence on a Test Day: If you have an excused absence for only the single day of a previously announced test, you are expected to take the assessment upon your return to class. To ensure academic integrity for all students, the make-up assessment will cover the same material but may be in an alternate format (e.g., short-answer or free-response questions).

Technology Use 💻

To ensure a focused and safe environment, all personal electronic devices (phones, watches, headphones) must be stored in your backpack during instructional time. These devices are never permitted at the lab stations.

Academic Integrity & Original Work

One of our highest standards is academic integrity. All work you submit must be your own. This means submitting original work, representing lab data honestly, and using tools like AI ethically. Violations will be handled according to the official district policy.

Getting Help & Support

Your Success is Our Goal

Chemistry is a challenging subject with high standards, but you are not in this alone. I am committed to helping every student who puts in the effort to succeed. However, you must take the first step in seeking help when you need it.

Actions you can take include:

• Asking questions in class.
• Using Flex Time for one-on-one support.
• Forming study groups with classmates.
• Communicating proactively when you are struggling.

Communication Policy

The best way to contact me is via my school email. I will do my best to respond to student and parent emails within two business days (48 hours) during the school week. Please note that I do not typically check email in the evenings or on weekends.

Recovery & Learner Behaviors

Reassessment & Second Chances Policy 📝

Test Reassessments

Learning from our mistakes is a key part of the scientific process. You may reassess on major chapter tests if you are willing to put in the work. Please note: Quizzes are not eligible for retakes.

Phase 1: Preparation (Due Within 7 Days)
Within one week of receiving your graded test, you must complete a Reassessment Request Form and your Test Corrections. Your plan must be approved within this window to be eligible.

Phase 2: The Reassessment (The Following Week)
The reassessment will take place during the week following the completion of your corrections.

Grading Policy: The reassessment is a different exam. Your new score replaces the original, up to a maximum of 80%.

Lab Recovery

You may recover points on the Reflection portion of one lab per unit.

• Eligibility: To be eligible, you must have earned full credit on the Engagement portion of the lab.
• Process: You must make arrangements with me at the end of the unit to complete an alternate reflection assignment.
• Deadline: The recovery assignment must be completed no later than one week after the unit test.
• Grading: The recovered score on the reflection portion can bring your total lab grade up to a maximum of 80%.