Chemistry at HEMDA

 Coordinator: Dr. Dvora Jacobi

The US Space agency, NASA is exploring Mars and lookind for evidence of water. The rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity”, for examle, discoved a reddish, salt mineral that proves the existance of a sea in the far distant past. HEMDA’s chemistry students are able to explain this evidence.

This is also one of the ways we learn chemistry at HEMDA

The HEMDA curriculum prepares students for the 5 unit matriculation exams in a rich variety of methods, with lessons backed up by a great many laboratory experiments, demonstrations, films, field trips and library activities.

The fundamentals of chemistry

This part is the 3 unit level chemistry in which several topics are covered: structure of the atom and structure of matter, reduction-oxygenation, acids and bases and their reactions, quantitative chemistry, the energy of chemical reactions, chemical equilibriumand carbon compounds. 

These three units are covered from Grade 10 through Grade 11 and the first semester of Grade 12.

Broadening and deepening knowledge

Getting deeper into chemistry, broadening its scope in the additional unit of the program includes two sections: The first part on thermodynamics and electro-chemical cells is studied in all the classes. The second part is one option from several alternatives: Israel’s chemical industry, synthetic polymers, proteins, sugars, electrochemistry or interaction between light and material.

The Grade 12 program

12 grade student presents his project to his class mates

The Research Unit

The fifth study cluster at HEMDA is the Research Unit, a unique learning unit including varied research activities, integrated with computer and reading of scientific material. This unit forms part of several years’ study curriculum, with lab work, experiments with computer control, computer simulations and study integrated with scientific journals.

Students carry out experiments independently, expand their control of science skills such as observations, questions, writing hypotheses, designing and executing experiments, scientific writing, presenting results and critical reading.

At the end of their studies, students are graded on their achievements in the Research Unit based on their ongoing work in writing reports during Grades 11 and 12. The score for the written papers replaces an examination mark and is integrated with the weighted test scores of the other four study units.