The course syllabus lists exactly what topics are included in the course, how many tests are given, what reading to do in the textbook and supplementary materials, how grades are determined, students expectations, and other stuff so that students can judge whether the course will fulfill their needs. The teacher distributes the syllabus on the first day of class and spends about an hour discussing it in detail. Students are encouraged to arrange their schedules so that they can spend two or three hours a day working on the lecture part of the course outside class. On the first day of class, students are informed about dates for tests. The teacher encourages students to seek him out at any time during the school term to discuss problems they are having successfully completing any parts of the course.
Students learn strategies for taking chemistry tests.
Students are encouraged to purchase copies of past lecture tests available in the bookstore so they can observe how test questions are worded and as practice for the current term's exams. Availability of past tests is designed to help reduce test anxiety for students, especially for those for whom science has been daunting in the past. Condensing and summarizing. Students learn how to take notes in a science class. Teacher summarizes each lecture's major topics, then uses a series of overhead transparencies as examples of those topics and their applications in the real world.