How to Prep for AP Chemistry This Summer

What if your child could confidently tackle AP Chemistry and excel from day one? In today's episode of Teaching High School Science, I discuss three essential strategies that will set your student up for a successful journey through this challenging course. We'll revisit must-know concepts from previous chemistry classes, offering tips on how to effectively review properties of matter, atomic structure, periodic trends, chemical bonds, reactions, and necessary chemical calculations.

But that's not all—organization is key when navigating the nine units and 91 topics of AP Chemistry. I share how to create an effective system to manage and retain this vast amount of information, emphasizing the importance of cumulative testing throughout the year. Additionally, we explore the benefits of seeking external support, such as experienced AP Chemistry tutors, who can provide personalized guidance and help master those tricky concepts. Tune in for actionable strategies designed to ensure your child is well-prepared, organized, and confident as they embark on their AP Chemistry adventure!

Show Links:
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Chapters

• 0:55 AP Chem
• 1:32 Some Fundamental Concepts to Review
• 3:14 Get Organized
• 4:09 Additional Support

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey there and welcome to another episode of Teaching High School Science. Today, I'll be sharing three essential tips you can take now to set your child up for success in AP Chemistry. This fall, we'll discuss key concepts from their previous chemistry course that they need to know. We'll also discuss setting up an effective organization system and finding additional supports for practice and gap filling outside of class. So let's dive in. Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist, turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at-home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Ap Chemistry is a college-level course that can be incredibly rewarding, but it also can be demanding and, like all college-level courses, ap chemistry expects students to have a solid foundation in high school chemistry before they even step into the classroom. However, let's be honest. It's more than likely that your student might not remember all the details they need to remember from their previous chemistry classes, and since AP chemistry moves fast, it's crucial to use the summer months wisely to review and get organized. This way your child can start strong and stay ahead. First things first. Let's talk about reviewing those fundamental concepts. Ap chemistry builds on what your child has learned in high school chemistry, so a good review of the basics is crucial. Here are five of the major topics that they need to focus on. One is properties of matter, and that is understanding the different states and properties of matter, because this is how we determine how they will interact with each other. Second will be atomic structure and periodic trend. Having a solid grasp of the atomic model, electron configurations and periodic trends, such as atomic radius, ionization, energy, electronegativity, will set them up for the basis of what everything will build upon in AP chemistry. Third is chemical bonds and reactions Comprehending ionic, covalent, metallic bonds as well as the different types of chemical reactions, and that means being able to identify the chemical reactions, predict products and balancing chemical equations. And four is what we get into chemical calculations, such as molar mass mole ratio stoichiometry, such as molar mass mole ratio stoichiometry, being able to perform calculations related to the quantities of reactions and products in chemical reactions. And then they're definitely going to want to understand solubility, going back and reviewing those principles behind why substances dissolve and how to predict solubility, and there are several resources available online, such as Khan Academy and various YouTube channels that offer free tutorials and practice problems.

Speaker 1: 3:14

Now the second thing I wanna talk about is setting up an organization system. Ap Chemistry covers a vast amount of information. There are nine units with a combined 91 topics, all of which are tested, so it is very important to start the year with an effective organization system that will help your child manage this information easily. This way, they can easily find information they need at any point during the school year. And since the test is cumulative, meaning it covers everything across all nine units, then it was very important during class and throughout the year that we practice cumulative tests. That way, students did not forget information, but they also had to know where to go back and review the information if they found that they were not quite on top of it as they thought.

Speaker 1: 4:09

The last thing I want to talk about is additional support. One source is always their AP chemistry teacher. Make sure that they are comfortable asking questions, raising their hand, asking for that additional support. I had students come in before school and after school, but sometimes that's not enough. It could be because your students are extremely busy. Where the schedule, the teachers are available, they have other activities or they need more practice than what that time allows for, so they need to have that additional support outside of class. This is where an AP chemistry tutor can provide personalized guidance and help your child master difficult concepts.

Speaker 1: 4:50

However, it's important to choose your tutor wisely. You need to look for someone who not only has a degree in knowledge and chemistry, but is also experienced specifically with AP chemistry. They should be familiar with the exam format, common pitfalls and specific tips and tricks to help students succeed on the exam. Tips and tricks to help students succeed on the exam and that will help them to guide their studies and practice to specific concepts that they will see on the exam. And to help even further, I am excited to announce an upcoming online information session titled how to Prepare your Child for AP Chemistry. During this session, I will provide tips on how to review the key concepts we discussed in this podcast, ways for you to set up that effective organization system because different students need different things in their systems and exactly what to look for and how to determine that when you're looking for an effective AP Chemistry tutor.

Speaker 1: 5:49

The session will be held on July 31st 2024 at 7 pm Eastern. But don't worry, if you can't make it live, this session will be recorded. So reserving your seat by registering will ensure that you get the replay, and the link is in the show notes. Preparing for AP Chemistry can seem very daunting, but with a little planning and the right resources, your child can start to school year confident and ready to succeed. Don't forget to sign up for the information session and let me know if you have any questions, ideas or other experiences that you'd like to share. Head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencementorcom. Then select podcast from the menu and subscribe now to the Teaching High School Science podcast for your regular dose of motivation and just-in-time science ideas. And together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. Until next time, remember curiosity leads to endless possibilities.