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High School STEM(physics and chemistry) Prep for Middle School Students.

The goal of this course is to provide students with a solid grounding in chemistry concepts, preparing them to confidently tackle more advanced classes like Chemistry Honors, AP Chemistry, and higher-level physics.

Other aspects of chemistry, such as introductory organic chemistry topics, have been thoughtfully selected to provide the right level of exposure without adding pressure. I’ve often found that this low-stress, curiosity-driven approach gently nurtures students’ interest in science—so much so that several of my former Intro Science students have gone on to pursue careers in medicine, though they all initially aspired to take a path in tech.

Chemistry Syllabus

1. Introduction to Chemistry

  • What is chemistry?
  • Study of atoms
  • Earlier atomic theories

2. Atoms – Basics

  • Bohr’s atomic model
  • Atomic and mass numbers
  • Isotopes
  • Study of hydrogen atom
  • Step-by-step introduction to electronic configuration

3. Atoms – Basics

  • Orbit vs orbital
  • s, p, d, f sub-orbitals
  • Pauli’s Exclusion Principle
  • Valency (Combining capacity)
  • Periodic Table – Basic introduction
  • Easy methods for writing electron configurations

4. Molecules

  • Types of bonds: Covalent, Ionic, Electrovalent
  • Lewis dot structures
  • Octet rule
  • Periodic Table – Deeper study
  • Subatomic particles – quarks, etc.

5. Atoms & Molecules – Further Study

  • Valency and special cases
  • Resonance structures
  • Oxidation numbers
  • Electronegativity
  • Balancing chemical equations
  • Deep dive into the Periodic Table
  • d-block and f-block elements (lanthanides & actinides)

6. Atoms & Molecules in Action

  • Balancing equations – simple and complex
  • Six types of reactions:
    • Combustion
    • Synthesis
    • Decomposition
    • Single displacement
    • Double displacement
    • Acid-base

7. Organic Chemistry – Introduction

  • Carbon and its bonding
  • Wave-particle nature of electrons
  • IUPAC naming
  • Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl groups
  • Homologous series
  • Homologous series
  • Sigma and Pi bonds
  • VSEPR theory
  • Alcohols, Aldehydes, Ethers, Esters, Carboxylic acids

8. Stoichiometry (intro)

  • Conversion factors intro and how they play a major part in shaping all stoichiometry problems
  • Mole concept
  • Molar mass and unit conversions
  • Mole-to-mole, mass-to-mole, and volume relationships
  • Limiting reactants
  • Percent yield
  • Empirical and molecular formulas

Physics Syllabus

1. Introduction to Physics

  • Fundamental and derived units
  • Examples: Mass, length, time

2. Mechanics and Linear Motion

  • Equations of motion
  • Newton’s laws of motion
  • Force, acceleration, velocity, speed

3. Light

  • Properties of light
  • Speed of light and its measurement
  • Frequency and wavelength
  • Particle and wave nature of light
  • Real and virtual images (conceptual)

4. Thermodynamics

  • Temperature and heat
  • Difference between temperature and heat
  • Zeroth, First, and Second Laws of Thermodynamics
  • Charles’s law, Boyle’s law, Gay-Lussac’s law
  • Universal gas law and Van der Waals corrections
  • Isothermal and adiabatic expansions
  • Latent heat: vaporization and fusion
  • Working of a refrigerator

AP Chemistry

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