Honors Chemistry | 2023-24

In this live online high school Honors Chemistry class, homeschoolers will study everything from matter to different types of chemistry:

organic
inorganic
nuclear
electro-chemistry
biological chemistry

Students will study chemical reactions, such as acids versus bases and oxidation-reduction, and as a hands-on subject, learn through experimenting and exploring the changes in matter--discovering how our understanding of chemistry has developed over time and how it impacts us personally and globally.

Live Class: Students will meet live with their instructor and classmates for 90 minutes once a week, and with the use of online tools and interactive resources, this course will offer a diverse array of print, digital, and live learning options.
Optional Study Hall: In addition to the live 90-minute class, the instructor will offer a live study hall each Friday from 1-4 pm Eastern. Students can utilize this study hall in two ways:
- Drop in. They can drop in to a Zoom study hall at any time to ask questions.
- Homework time. They can log in to a Zoom study hall--with microphones muted and videos on or off--to work on their any science homework, and then unmute to get immediate help when questions arise.

Class Details

Honors Chemistry is a full-year lab-science class.
Tuition: $775
Instructor: Irene Paine
Dates: August 21, 2023-May 5, 2024. See our FAQ for a complete list of days, times, and breaks.
Weekly Live Classes: Tuesday 1:30-3 p.m. Eastern.
Optional Live Study Hall: Friday 1-4 p.m. Eastern
Grade level: Varies | 10th and up (successfully completed Algebra 2 or taking it concurrently)
- For age/grade guidelines, prerequisites, and class-fit recommendations for all classes, please see our FAQ page.
Class size: 25
Course materials are listed HERE.
Format: Students share an interactive online classroom throughout the year and meet once a week on Zoom in live classes.
- Students who attend live classes are requested to keep their webcams on and participate.
- Live classes will be recorded for those who miss classes or prefer to watch later.
CA students: this course is a-g approved if taken through some homeschool charters. See our FAQ.

Hands-On and Virtual Labs

Using class dialogue and a wide variety of virtual and hands-on labs, students will be guided as they and their classmates strive to connect the ideas and concepts in chemistry to relevant, real-world applications.

They will construct hypotheses, perform experiments, obtain results, and critically analyze data based on their findings.
This will allow an examination of the world around us, emphasizing inquiry-based investigations in which students ask questions, make observations, and conduct experiments.

Traditional and Interactive Resources

After a thorough investigation of mainstream chemistry resources, the instructor has selected the 2017 edition of the Holt McDougal Modern Chemistry textbook to ensure that this course will provide a firm foundation and set students up for success if they choose to move on to AP Chemistry.

Topics that will be thoroughly covered include the structure of matter, the states of matter, reaction types, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, equilibrium and reaction rates, descriptive chemistry, and laboratory knowledge (lab equipment, measurements, procedures, analyzing and interpreting data, etc.).
The text will be supplemented with a wide array of interactive online tools that offer representations, videos, models, and activities that instruct, explain, and reinforce scientific phenomena and help students explore and solve scientific problems.
Students should expect to spend 8-12 hours per week on classwork (which includes instructional videos and live class time).

The interweaving of dynamic virtual tools, the weekly collaboration and interaction with their classmates, and the active instruction and guidance by the instructor in the Moodle classroom will offer an engaging class experience as together students explore the world around them!