Is Chemistry Required in High School in North Dakota?
High school students in North Dakota are required to complete a total of 22 credits to graduate. This includes 3 Science credits and students may choose which path they would like to pursue.
- Physical Science — 1 unit
- Biology — 1 unit
- Any other science — 1 unit or 2 half-units
OR
- Biology — 1 unit
- Chemistry — 1 unit
- Physics — 1 unit
However, regardless of the path chosen, North Dakota High School Science Standards ensure that students will gain an in-depth understanding of at least basic chemistry concepts. Students will cover topics such as:
HS-PS1-1
- Performance Standard: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Examples of properties that could be predicted from patterns could include metals, nonmetals, metalloids, number of valence electrons, types of bonds formed, or atomic mass. Emphasis is on main group elements.
- Chemistry: Examples of properties that could be predicted from patterns could include reactivity of metals, types of bonds formed, numbers of bonds formed, atomic radius, atomic mass, or reactions with oxygen. Emphasis is on main group elements and qualitative understanding of the relative trends of ionization energy and electronegativity.
HS-PS1-2
- Performance Standard: Construct an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, carbon and oxygen, or hydrogen and oxygen. Reaction classification includes synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double displacement, and acid-base.
- Chemistry: Examples of chemical reactions could include the reaction of sodium and chlorine, carbon and oxygen, or carbon and hydrogen. Reaction classification aids in the prediction of products (e.g. synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, double displacement, and acid-base).
HS-PS1-3
- Performance Standard: Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the macro-scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.
- Clarification Statement
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on understanding the strengths of forces between particles, not on naming specific intermolecular forces (such as dipole-dipole). Examples of particles could include ions, atoms, molecules, and networked materials (such as graphite). Examples of macro-properties of substances could include the melting point and boiling point, vapor pressure, and surface tension. Quantitative calculations are beyond the scope of this standard.
HS-PS1-4
- Performance Standard: Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
- Clarification Statement
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on the idea that a chemical reaction is a system that affects the energy change. Examples of models could include molecular-level drawings and diagrams of reactions, graphs showing the relative energies of reactants and products, and representations showing energy is conserved.
HS-PS1-5
- Performance Standard: Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is on relating factors such as temperature and concentration to reaction rate qualitatively.
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on relating factors such as temperature and concentration to reaction rate quantitatively. Catalysts and inhibitors in a qualitative understanding.
HS-PS1-6
- Performance Standard: Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.
- Clarification Statement
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on the application of Le Chatelier’s Principle and on refining designs of chemical reaction systems, including descriptions of the connection between changes made at the macroscopic level and what happens at the molecular level. Examples of designs could include different ways to increase product formation including adding reactants or removing products. This standard includes one variable at a time and does not include calculating equilibrium constants and concentrations.
HS-PS1-7
- Performance Standard: Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is on using mathematical ideas as they relate to balancing reactions to communicate the proportional relationships between masses of atoms in the reactants and the products. Emphasis is on assessing students’ use of mathematical thinking and not on memorization.
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on using mathematical ideas as they relate to balancing reactions and stoichiometry to communicate the proportional relationships between masses of atoms in the reactants and the products. Emphasis is on assessing students’ use of mathematical thinking and not on memorization.
HS-PS1-8
- Performance Standard: Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is only qualitative understanding between fission and fusion.
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on simple qualitative models, such as pictures or diagrams, and on the scale of energy released in nuclear processes relative to other kinds of transformations as well as alpha, beta, and gamma radioactive decays.
HS-PS2-6
- Performance Standard: Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.
- Clarification Statement
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on the attractive and repulsive forces that determine the functioning of the material. Examples could include why electrically conductive materials are often made of metal, flexible but durable materials are made up of long-chained molecules, and pharmaceuticals are designed to interact with specific receptors.
HS-PS3-1
- Performance Standard: Create a mathematical model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is on basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and potential energy.
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Focus is on basic algebraic expression or computations, systems of two or three components, and thermal energy.
- Physics: Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Focus is on basic algebraic expression or computations; systems of two or three components; and thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
HS-PS3-2
- Performance Standard: Develop and use models to illustrate that energy is associated with motion and relative position of particles (objects).
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is on energy associated with the different states of matter.
- Chemistry: Emphasis on phenomena relating to the Kinetic Molecular Theory in all phases of matter. Possible models include diagrams, drawings, descriptions, and computer simulations.
- Physics: Emphasis on phenomena relating to the Kinetic Molecular Theory in all phases of matter. Possible models include diagrams, drawings, descriptions, and computer simulations.
HS-PS3-3
- Performance Standard: Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science: Emphasis is on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of devices. Examples of devices could include Rube Goldberg devices, wind turbines, solar cells, solar ovens, generators, and types of circuits.
- Chemistry: Emphasis is on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of devices. Constraints could include use of renewable energy forms and efficiency. Focus of quantitative evaluations is limited to total output for a given input. Examples of devices in chemistry could include hot/cold packs and batteries.
- Physics: Emphasis is on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of devices. Constraints could include use of renewable energy forms and efficiency. Focus of quantitative evaluations is limited to total output for a given input. Examples of devices in physics could include Rube Goldberg devices, wind turbines, solar cells, solar ovens, and electric motors.
HS-PS3-4
- Performance Standard: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (thermal equilibrium).
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science/Chemistry/Physics: Emphasis is on analyzing data from student investigations and using mathematical thinking to describe the energy changes conceptually (Chemistry & Physics includes quantitative analysis). Examples of investigations could include mixing liquids at different initial temperatures or adding objects at different temperatures to water.
HS-PS4-1
- Performance Standard: Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
- Clarification Statement
- Physical Science/Chemistry/Physics: Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the Earth.
HS-PS4-2
- Performance Standard: Construct an explanation using evidence to support the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described by a wave model and a particle model.
- Clarification Statement
- Chemistry/Physics: Emphasis is on how the experimental evidence supports the claim and how a theory is generally modified in light of new evidence. Examples of a phenomenon could include resonance, interference, diffraction, and photoelectric effect.
Does North Dakota Award Credit for Passing the AP Chemistry Exam?
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction encourages all high school students to take AP courses for the opportunity to earn college chemistry course credit.