Honors Chemistry (Regli)

For information regarding what kind of teacher she is, please view http://www.ratemyteachers.com/shannon-regli/23661-t/1

My thoughts on the class: Chemistry was a challenge for me. In hindsight, I wish I would have followed Regli's tips on the syllabus but, quite frankly, I'm lazy. She recommends rewriting the notes in my own words but I just didn't really want to.

1. Tips for Studying
1. Don't fall behind on the homework. Chemistry is a dense subject; you learn a lot during lecture everyday and the homework reinforces all that new info. Do it every night and correctly (not just to finish), yes I know it's tedious, but practice makes perfect. 
2. Review your notes before the test. Or even better, re-write your notes in your own words as Regli recommends. Especially for units mainly testing on theory ( like the nuclear chapter), I recommend the latter. Notes are a better guide than the textbook, so you can skip the reading in the textbook.
3. Make sure you know the reasoning behind the problem solving. On tests, all of the questions are similar to those of on either the notes, homework, or sample test. If you know how to solve all the problems and the reasoning for why it should be solved a certain way, you have an increased chance of doing well on the tests.
4. The main restriction on the tests is time. To overcome this obstacle the key is practice! If you ever need more questions to practice, the book has plenty! Regli also has the teacher's edition book so you can always check your answers too.
5. Specifically for nomenclature, memorize. It's a pain to memorize everything, but you set yourself up for failure if you don't because the nomenclature re-appears in future tests. Also, it's the only test that is so straight-forward that the majority of the students do well. Take advantage of the grade buffer!
6. Regli has to go through a lot of material in a short amount of time and sometimes you get confused. If you don't understand a problem, tackle it quickly. Chemistry is like math; the knowledge builds on each other, so you need to have a good foundation. My go-to explanation places are Crash Course and Khan Academy. Notice how I didn't include the textbook. :-)
2. Passes
1. About: Regli gives a sheet with 3 tardy passes and 3 homework passes in the beginning of each semester. It's worth 6 extra-credit points at the end of the semester if none are used. Your name must also be written in pen for you to use it/ redeem it.
2. Tip: Always keep the pass on you! It was really devastating to see a few of my classmates unable to receive any points because they forgot to bring the pass when Regli was collecting them. So, keep the pass in your chemistry folder/binder rather than leave it at home where you won't lose it because you just might forget to bring it to school on the most crucial day.
3. Other
1. Get the Casio scientific calculator she recommends! You don't even have to buy it -  just check it out in the library and you can use it for the whole year :) The texas instruments one has harder buttons to push and I know that sounds super trivial right now, but during a test you're going to beg your classmates for a casio.
2. She rounds up at 89.5, 79.5 etc.

Thanks to strangedolphin and Train for the help!

6 Biggest Lessons From Freshman Year

1. Don't procrastinate! You'll come to regret it... the day before whatever assignment is due. Trust me, been there, done that - several times at least. Sadly, no one will listen to me, but it's a nice reminder!
2. Every point counts! Some people end the semester just a few points away from an A. Maybe they could have worked harder on participation or turned in one assignment. It's just really unfortunate to see people so close, yet so far away.
3. Back on the points matter... Always raise your hand! Reel in those participation points. Those points are basically gimme's. They are so easy to get, yet if you don't participate at all they can really affect your grade. Also, if you aren't the best test taker, the participation points are a cushion for your not-as-great test scores. Pro-tip: Raise your hand lots in Biology. 
4. Stay organized! Whether it's having a binder for each class or one huge binder with lots of little sections, keeping your papers organized is a key aspect at Troy. You may think it won't benefit you in the future, but when the time comes for studying for finals... you'll be grateful to have all your papers organized and read to study from!
5. Always, always, always do the extra credit, no excuses!! Even if its the beginning of the year and you have a 98% in a class, you never know what your grade will become in the future. I had a 98% in math which went in a gradual decline to an A-. I regret not completing the extra credit! So always do the extra credit. Those high A's aren't stable - especially in the harder classes!
6. If you're thinking about dropping an honor class, I would definitely question yourself. Ask yourself these questions: Do I not understand the material and asked for teacher's help but still don't understand it (this only works if you have a teacher who actually teaches)? [If you said yes here then I personally would drop. It isn't a matter of habits, just understanding the material.]  Am I trying my hardest? [I know that sounds cliche but if you trouble then there's not much you can do other than dropping the class]

~currently expanding~

Helpful Links for Studying!

Click here for official textbook list

Spanish 1 Textbook

• If you have trouble grasping a grammar concept/ vocabulary in Spanish, classzone.com should be helpful! On the website it includes animated grammar, extra practice, quizzes for each lessons, online flashcards, etc. Check it out for yourself and see if it's helpful! Another website is studyspanish.com. Although the website isn't tailored to the book like classzone.com is, it has more detailed in the grammar explanations and has even more tests/ quizzes you can take! All you have to do is sign up for a free student membership.

Algebra 2 Honors Textbook

• For Algebra 2 Honors: http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=ajk&wcsuffix=0099. The website includes worked out examples for each lesson in the book (under extra help), a self-test (the answers for these are sometimes really wrong), key terms for each chapter, etc.

Algebra 2 Textbook

• For regular Alegbra 2: http://www.classzone.com/books/algebra_2/index.cfm?state=CA. It has extra challenges and examples for each lesson, flashcards and crosswords for vocabulary terms (Flipcard activity & Crossword Puzzle), and they even have a games for people who think math is boring. It is just basically a simple game with questions in between each level. (The graphics are very simple so don't expect much)

Khan Academy Logo

• There are lots of online tutorials but I think the best of the best is at Khan Academy! They have lots of comprehensive videos on a large variety of subjects! I go here for Biology mainly, but they have lots of subjects, from Geometry to SAT prep! Unfortunately, they don't have foreign languages or anything related to English. See their diverse videos yourself!
• There are also other online tutorials like http://www.courserepository.org/ (It's very extensive in Biology!) 

• For Biology, studying off the CD practice quizzes/ tests are the best place. If you need extra help go to your teacher or check out the online tutorial sites!

• For honors Chemistry: Student Study Guide has summaries of the sections and interactive examples where you can answer questions as you learn or review and the Online Learning Center: has self-assessments, Animations, Chapter summaries, and more.
• Also, Crash Course has great videos (for Euro too) !

• Now there aren't many sites for English help since English consists mainly of essays and analyzing, some helpful sites include SparkNotes, but we all know that website already don't we? If don't already know what SparkNotes is, this nifty site will tell you all about SparkNotes and what it offers. Two other websites are Cliff Notes and Shmoop ; you may also consider checking out cliffnote's book study guides from a local library. Shmoop is really helpful for reading quizzes since they have quote and symbol quizzes; it is has lots of great things, you really just need to explore it! If you have trouble with grammar http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ has lots of tips!
• For the Non-Western History class, the test concepts are based on handouts and not solely on the book. There are map questions for each unit we learn though. One of the hardest maps for me to memorize was Africa. After using http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/africa.html I almost aced that section the test. If you prefer doing it old-school you can always print out a blank map and just fill in the countries.
• If you're having trouble in math, check out videos from Khan Academy (see above), Patrick's Videos (great for calculus students) or Paul's Notes. Again, each student learns differently so try each website and see which one helps you the most!
• AP Cram Packets
• Troy Guides (VERY HELPFUL!)
• Anti-Procrastination Apps

~currently expanding~