Course Goal

The goal of the Honors CoES class is to motivate students' interests in science, reinforce science concepts, and develop science labs and critical thinking skills.  Classes will provide depth, complexity, novelty, and acceleration with guided inquiry-based lab activities that complement and support the honors science curriculum. 

The goal of the AP Seminar class is to equip students with the skills to analyze information from diverse perspectives, develop logical arguments, and communicate them effectively through both writing and presentation. This involves exploring complex topics, evaluating sources, and crafting well-supported arguments.  

Course Catalog and Teaching Standard

2025-26 Course Catalog choose from the drop-down menu on top of the page; College Board (CEEB) Code: 050970; NCES School ID: 061440001678

Chemistry of Earth Systems- 3 course model, 3D Instruction K-12, California Science Framework, and NGSS   

Earth Science Teaching Standard for Chemistry in the Earth System   

Honors Chemistry of the Earth System Honors for grades 10 & 11 is UC d course, and the length of the course is 10 credits/year.  

2025-2026: GATE /Honors /Advanced Placement Policies are under "Guidance"

GATE classes at the secondary level are designed as Honors (H).

• Non-GATE identified students with “A” grades in the previous four semesters within a subject matter class may enter into an Honors class within that subject area.   or

• Successful completion (C- or higher grades) at the previous level to continue in the Honors course.

AP Seminar for grades 10-12 is UC g course, and the length of the course is 10 credits/year.

Honors CoES Course Syllabus 2025-26

Honors course emphasizes rigorous computational analysis to solve problems, a strong math background is required. Honors courses are aligned to the California Science Framework using the Next Generation Science Standards, which will prepare students to successfully pass the state science assessment and are eligible for UC/CSU credit. Honors course focuses on the study of inorganic chemistry and its application of the Earth System: matter and measurement, atomic structure, chemical periodicity, chemical bonding, chemical compound nomenclature, chemical reactions, nuclear reactions, stoichiometry, and states of matter for the first semester.  The second semester will feature NGSS Earth Science requirements as we move onto applied chemistry.  Topics will include the study of Earth’s materials and system, plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions, Earth and solar system, natural energy sources, weather and climate, natural energy sources, global climate change, and ocean acidification.  During both semesters, the designed curriculum will strengthen students’ quantitative analysis skills, individual study skills, team collaboration and problem-solving skills.  Students will participate practices in asking questions, developing and using models, planning and carrying out the investigation, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematical and computational thinking, constructing explanations, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining/evaluating/communicating information (Science and Engineering Practices of NGSS).

A successful Honors CoES candidate with a strong math background should be able to score above 80% on the math self-assessment and with other developed strong academic skills.  It is not advisable to elect honors chemistry which is an applied math course while doubling math such as Geometry and Algebra 2/Trig.  Three math-based courses in one year is a tough schedule for any student.  It is highly recommended that Honors chemistry students are concurrent to be enrolled with one single math course of Algebra 2/Trig or higher.  Honors CoES welcomes all qualified students according to school board policy who wish to work hard.  The most important prerequisite is determination and the willingness to persevere if you don't understand the first time to go back and take another look to understand in more detail.  UC Honors Level Courses Policy “The University assigns extra weight to grades received in honors-level courses to encourage students to undertake more challenging work at the advanced secondary level.  The University uses a specific and narrow definition of honors-level work, which often differs from honors programs offered by high schools.  Acceptable UC-approved honors level courses are specialized introductory college-level courses.  "Honors courses designed by an institution to demonstrate distinctive features that set it apart from regular high school courses in the same A-G subject area are eligible for the UC honors designation. These courses should be comparable in terms of workload and rigor to Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or introductory college-level courses in the subject."  The weighted GPA includes one extra point for each grade received in a UC-approved honors course.  However, only up to 8 semesters of AP/Honors courses will be awarded honors points. If you have more than 8 semesters of honors grades, then the excess grades will be treated as regular courses.  Additionally, no more than four semesters' worth of honors points can be from courses taken in the 10th grade.  For more information please see the publication on GPA.  Check the Science dept website for other information on sciences/AP sciences and the counselors’ site for more information on mental health services.

AP Seminar Course Syllabus 2025-26

Grading for Honors CoES/AP Seminar

Honors CoES courses require a high degree of independence, maturity, self-discipline, motivation, and commitment to do the best you can. Your performance in this class will be assessed in a variety of ways.  "Do the best you can and never miss an opportunity to be fabulous- Seelig"!  For 2025-2026 Classwork and Homework will be 20%, Lab activities/Projects/Presentation 25%, Tests and Assessment 55%.  The grading scale will be the district's default settings.  There is no rounding, nor negotiating of your final grade. For example, 89.9 is NOT 90.0. You will need to discuss and resolve all possible clerical or non clerical discrepancies within five school days when the entry is published on Aeries.  Students can review any assignments/assessments within that time frame in the classroom. Assignments or assessments that are one week past due after the original due date will receive zero credit.  Home hospital students shall have two weeks after the original due date.  Please register for the Infinite Campus for more information regarding grades.  Cumulative grade below 79.99% will be provided with intervention support if requested before the following learning cycle. Students are responsible to turn in assignments before the due date, any special request will be made via email BEFORE the deadline for any technical/emergency issues.

AP Seminar course, see College Board online Course and Exam Descriptions

Classwork/Homework for Honors/AP Seminar

Bell work starts with daily science news.  You will choose your own interest area to report a piece of science news from various current science links.  Please refer to Bell Work links for more information.  This is a simple way to keep your science and technology information current.  Daily news should help you identify your college interests, self discover for lifelong success.

Lecture notes and labs/activity results are due at the end of the class. The assigned homework and daily news should be in your interactive chemistry notebook by 9:00 pm on the day it is assigned or assigned due date.  Honors/AP Seminar classes emphasize a daily homework routine.  If you miss one day and make up later, you will receive a B grade.  If you miss two days and make up later, you will receive a C grade.  If you miss multiple days and make up later, you will receive a D grade.  If the missing work is not made up by the final due date, you will receive zero credit.  Teacher comment during unscheduled check will be noted on your online notebook for your reference, an email will be sent to your fusdk12 account, and a screen shot will be taken for the record.  Your final copy of the online notebook will be submitted to Turnitin.  Honors/AP Seminar students complying with the code of honor need to uphold the academic integrity and avoid cheating, plagiarism, and misrepresentation such behavior will result a zero credit for that assignment. You should highlight key points and problem areas for retention.  Assessments will consist of problems that reinforce the concepts learned that day, cumulative practices, or a project/lab that can help you see the connections between the subject and real-life applications, and more importantly confirm your learning.  Daily assignments can assist greatly in developing learning skills such as resourcefulness, fluency, organization skills, and being detail-oriented.  Honors students should have set up a routine for daily homework completion. The Chemistry Notebook Format should be used for daily chemistry notebook entry which you can find an example under Honors CoES Assignment.  The complete homework calendar for the whole academic year is on the Honors Chemistry of the Earth System Assignment page.  You should complete a minimum of 10 problems and show the calculation process per assigned study section to confirm your learning on lecture days and RERUN with CER on Lab/Activity days.  Input digitally in your notebook or take a photo of your work and upload to your online notebook by 9 pm.  Some students might need more practice problems than others.  All other work turned in late within a week past due will receive half credit.  

This course is designed for an average student to achieve a grade C by following the School Board homework policy.  The accelerated honors courses may require extra study time (51101).  A strong math background is preferred for Honors chemistry of Earth System, students not enrolled in the equivalent sophomore honors math course are advised to catch up through independent study and may need to spend more time for study and homework.  Visit MSJ STEM SUCCESS to for more information to sign up and access Student Support.  Also, Target MSJ Success is available for after school help for selective students and staffed Study Hall for all students from 3 to 8 pm, Monday through Friday or TBD.  Participating teachers meet with subject groups after school or a period of one hour per week in teachers' classrooms.  Once you sign up, you will be notified when and where.  All Flags from Turnitin will result in a zero in the assignment;  Please do NOT visit or use app or visit website to assist you from plagiarisms to "check" if you will pass the plagiarism checks.  Such as "deleting hidden texts" as attempts to throw off similarity detection by exploiting exclusion mechanisms.

Education Code Section 51512  

The Legislature finds that the use by any person, including a pupil, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom of the elementary and secondary schools without the prior consent of the teacher and the principal of the school given to promote an educational purpose disrupts and impairs the teaching process and discipline in the elementary and secondary schools, and such use is prohibited. Any person, other than a pupil, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor… Any pupil violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action… 

Board Policy 5121

Teachers shall evaluate a student's work in relation to standards which apply to all students at their grade level, not in relation to the work of other students in one particular class.  Other elements that are not a direct measure of knowledge and understanding of course content, such as effort, attendance, shall not be factored into the academic grade. Also, refer to Ed Code 49066.

Board Policy 5131.8

The Governing Board recognizes that the use of smartphones and other mobile communication devices on campus may be beneficial to student learning and well-being, but could be disruptive of the instructional program in some circumstances.  The Board permits limited use of mobile communication devices on campus in accordance with law and the following policy.

Mobile communication devices shall be turned off during instructional time.  However, a student shall not be prohibited from possessing or using a mobile communication device under any of the following circumstances:  (EC 48901.5, 48901.7)

When a teacher or administrator grants permission to the student to possess or use a mobile communication device, subject to any reasonable limitation imposed by that teacher or administrator

Students may use cell phones, smart watches, pagers, or other mobile communication devices on campus during non-instructional time as long as the device is utilized in accordance with law and any rules that individual school sites may impose.

When a student uses a mobile communication device in an unauthorized manner, the student may be disciplined and a district employee may confiscate the device.  The employee shall store the device securely until it is returned to the student or turned over to the principal or designee, as appropriate.

Board Policy 5131.9

1. Unauthorized AI use in any assignment, quiz, test, project, etc. will be considered cheating, and dealt with accordingly: “Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using technology primarily or solely for the completion of coursework as a student's original work and generating answers to mathematical, scientific, or analytical problems.” 

2. The teacher may authorize specific AI use through clearly written instructions on a given assignment/quiz/test/project: "With teacher consent, students may also use technology to assist with assessments, homework, and/or makeup work or other uses approved by the teacher."

3. If a student is suspected of unauthorized AI use, the student bears the burden of proof to demonstrate that their work is original, e.g. by showing gradual edits in their Google Doc version history, or explaining/redoing part of an assignment as designated by the teacher: "If an employee suspects that a student has used technology in violation of this policy, the student shall be given the opportunity to demonstrate that the use of technology was in accordance with this policy." 

CA Ed. Code §48901 

Electronics may be used only for educational purposes, during class time. Parents are wholly responsible for monitoring the use of and/or content of electronic devices.

MSJHS Academic Integrity Policy

Formative Assessments

Tests or exit tickets may be given at the end of class to check your understanding.  They will be cumulative with prior learned concepts.  Tests may consist of multiple-choice, short answer problems, calculations, and short essays.  You can find the majority of questions from your assigned homework.  Quizzes on homework and lab may also be given during the first five minutes of class to check preparation and review prior knowledge that is related to the new lesson. If a student is absent for a regularly scheduled unit/chapter assessment, then the final exam grade for that semester will be applied to the said missed assessment(s). If the student is absent for the semester final, then the unit assessment scores will be averaged and applied toward the final exam score. Your understanding and fluency in the subject will be the key to success.  To encourage honest effort, correct answers with incorrect or missing processes will receive zero credit.  Please observe School policy on Academic Honesty and the BP/AR 5124.1 .  Mobile phones, smartwatches, and any electronic devices are prohibited during the entire testing session.  

AP Seminar with mandatory 6 tasks by College Board, see online Course and Exam descriptions                  

Labs and Projects 

We will be doing a wide variety of labs in this class.  It is advisable to preview the lab the day before and understand the procedure, what data to be collected, how to sort out the data for data analysis, and questions to be answered.  Some labs are shorter and require a simpler write-up, some require more extensive write-ups.  Please pay special attention to the lab report format.  It will be available to you online for the whole year. Your lab group is your support during your absence for data collection and information. Please look out for any of your lab members and give support during lab and lecture days. 

Competition projects will be optional for AP Seminar students for 2025-2026 and many references can be found on MSJ STEM Research and Semester Project. 

Letter of Recommendation

Please prepare the following four items: 1. Cover sheet and current Senior profile or Summer enrichment program cover sheet; 2. Copy of the academic excellence certificate from my class for juniors and seniors, sophomores first-semester grade for all categories should be 95% and above, or top 10% for competitive summer programs; 3. A page that describes your interest and how you excel through positively interacting with the teacher/peers in my class, class projects that you have completed, and any extracurricular activities that are related to science, or any online courses (#76 MOOC) that you have taken that are related to your college major; 4. An unofficial transcript from Aeries.  

Please make sure to provide due dates for the recommendation letters and limit your summer program choices to three or less to maximize opportunities for all MSJ students.  If this is not an online submission, you will need to provide a self-addressed and stamped envelope.  Please be aware that the deadline for college application is Oct 15 and summer internships/programs are Feb 15.  Allow a minimum of three weeks before the due date to request letters of recommendation according to school policy.  My last day to send the rec letters out for college app is November 1 and summer programs is March 1.  Please apply early and take care of your application in a timely manner.  My current email is lkuei@fusdk12.net.  To help build your resume, you can use MSJ resume template, current senior profile with resume template, or any format that you prefer. 

Donation Letter 

Dear MSJHS families, 

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year!  The Science department is requesting a voluntary donation to help support the development, integrity and relevance of all of our courses.  Based upon the number of participating students that stand to benefit from Honors Chemistry of the Earth System/AP Seminar, if every affected family donated an equal amount, it would amount to $75 per Honors student and AP Seminar student.  However, any amount you can donate will be instrumental and greatly appreciated.  Every dollar will contribute to the enrichment of our programs, including the purchase of instructional materials; the purchase of consumable lab supplies; the maintenance, repair and replacement lab equipment; technology upgrades; and general classroom supplies. 

Please note that donations of any amount will be accepted and that your donation to this cause is completely voluntary. Please also note that no student will be denied participation in or the benefits of any Fremont Unified School District or Mission San Jose High School’s educational program or activity due to the amount of your donation, or your ability/willingness to donate.

Please make your donation check payable to: FUSD - MSJHS - SCIENCE.  Please clearly print the student’s name, Honors Chemistry/AP Seminar, and class period on the memo line. 

Thank you in advance for your contribution and continued support!

Sincerely,

Katy Kuei

Honors CoES/AP Seminar in STEM Teacher

Mission San Jose High School