Syllabus for Honors AP Calculus
Mrs. Janet Taylor, Teacher
Telephone: 464-4430 Voice mailbox: 4553
Prep time: 9:25 – 10:15 a.m.
Email:
The biggest difference between AP Calculus and the other high school mathematics courses you have taken will be the speed at which we go through the chapters. We will complete the curriculum before April in preparation for the Advanced Placement Calculus test. Also, there will be multiple choice and free response AP problems that will be included as part of the participation grade. I will be assuming that anyone in this class has an excellent grasp of algebra and trigonometry. I will not be spending time doing as many examples, and you will have more challenging homework, tests, and projects.
Expectations and Responsibilities
1. Be responsible for your learning. Access your understanding and communicate your concerns.
If you need extra help outside of class, I am available in my classroom from 7:00 – 7:20 each morning and will stay after school for help. You may also email me or leave a voice message.
2.Show mutual respect at all times.
3.Be on time.
Your 2nd tardy is a warning, and for the 3rd and subsequent tardies, you will receive detention(s) or ISS as stated in our school policies.
4. No electronic devices such as cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, etc. are to be used during class time for non-educational use.
5.Be attentive during teacher explanations and class discussions.
Calculus is challenging and requires extra effort to master. Do not misuse our class time by sleeping or working on homework from other classes.
6. Academic honesty is expected at all times.
Failure to meet these expectations will result in student-teacher conferences, detentions, parent contacts, and other interventions, if the problems persist.
Graphing Calculators
Technology involving graphing calculators will often be used in this class. Recommended calculators are TI-89, TI-83 Plus or TI-84 Plus. All of these calculators are allowed for some parts of the AP Calculus exam and the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus are allowed on the ACT exam. Calculators are available for use in the classroom and for the AP Exam. You may wish to purchase one of these calculators for use at home to complete your assignments.
Notebooks
You will be expected to keep a neatly organized notebook for this class. This notebook will include daily notes and homework. Please label notes neatly with the dates on which notes are given.
Notes
Classroom lesson notes are worth 4 points per day and are collected the day of the major test over that section.
Honors/AP Problems
Honors/AP problems will be assigned several weeks during each quarter. You will receive an honors/AP problem on Monday and it will be due on the Friday of the week in which it is assigned.
Homework
Homework will be collected daily. Each assignment is worth 4 points. You will receive 4 points if ALL WORK IS SHOWN, all problems are attempted and the assignment is turned in on the due date. If you finish most of the assignment, then you’ll receive 3 points. You will receive 2 points if half of the assignment is completed. If you have attempted to try the assignment or have only copied down those problems I’ve done in class, you’ll receive 1 point.One point will also be deducted per day for the first two days following the due date and after that the maximum points an assignment can earn is 2 points.I will answer questions over 3 homework problems at the beginning of each class. I am also available for help before or after school. Please put your name and assignment pages on each paper and list the solutions to the problems in numerical order. Please use pencil on all assignments and tests.
Multiple Choice/Free Response Quizzes
The AP Calculus Exam is very challenging since it requires students to apply the concepts of Calculus to real world problems. As a preparation for this exam, we will have frequent quizzes involving multiple choice and free response questions from previous exams.
Make-up Work
In you are absent, check your assignment sheet in your group folder. If the assignment was a worksheet, it will be enclosed in the group folder. For excused absences, you will have one day for each day missed to make up the work for full credit.
Unit Exams
Unit exams in this class will follow the format of the AP test and will include multiple choice and free-response items, some using calculators and some without calculators. A unit test will be given approximately every three - four weeks. You are allowed to make test corrections to earn half-credit on missed problems, before or after school or in advisory during the week following the unit test. You will also be asked to solve a problem similar to one of the missed problems and explain the solution.All unit tests will remain in our classroom.
Grades
Tests, quizzes, and projects will count for 75% of your quarter grades. All homework,notes,and AP problems will count for 25% of your quarter grades. Final exams are comprehensive and count for 20% of your semester grade.
AP Exam
Since this course has the AP designation, the goal of this course is to prepare you for the national AP Calculus examination given in early May. Colleges award college credit or advanced placement into a higher Calculus course based upon your score on this exam. Class members are encouraged to take this exam in May which costs $89. In case of financial difficulties, reduced fees are available for students who qualify.
Honors AP Calculus
Course Description
AP Calculus consists of a full academic year of work in calculus comparable to courses in colleges and universities. It is expected that students who take an AP course will seek credit or placement, or both, from institutions of higher learning. The AP Program includes specifications for two calculus courses (CalculusAB and CalculusBC) and examinations for each course. The course at WindsorHigh School is designed to prepare students for the Calculus AB advanced placement exam with CalculusBC offered as independent study.
Goals of AP Calculus
- Students should be able to work with functions represented in a variety of ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They should understand the connections among these representations.
- Students should understand the meaning of the derivative in terms of a rate of change and local linear approximation and should be able to use derivatives to solve a variety of problems.
- Students should understand the meaning of the definite integral both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and should be able to use integrals to solve a variety of problems.
- Students should understand the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
- Students should be able to communicate mathematics both orally and in well-written sentences and should be able to explain solutions to problems.
- Students should be able to model a written description of a physical situation with a function, a differential equation, or an integral.
- Students should be able to use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and verify conclusions.
8.Students should be able to determine the reasonableness of solutions, including sign, size, relative accuracy, and units of measurement.
9.Students should develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of knowledge and as a human accomplishment.
Outline for CalculusAB Course
2013-2014
- Limits and Properties (Chapter 1) – 14 days
- Derivative Basics (Chap. 2, Sections 2.1 – 2.3) – 16 days
End of First Quarter – October 18, 2013
- Higher Derivatives, Chain Rule and Related Rates (Chap.2, Sects. 2.3-2.6)
– 15days
- Applications of Differentiation (Sects. 3.1-3.4) – 15 days
- Curve Sketching and Optimization (Chap. 3, Sects. 3.6 – 3.9)
– 13 days
Final Exam over Chapters 1 – 3)
End of First Semester – December 20, 2013
- Riemann Sums (Chap 4, Sects. 4.1 – 4.3)
– 8 days
- Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (Chapter 4) – 13 days
- Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (Chap. 5, Sects. 5.1 – 5.5)
– 12 days
- Differential Equations (Sects. 5.6 – 6.3) – 10 days
End of Third Quarter – March 14, 2014
- Volume (Chap. 7, Sects.7.1 – 7.3) – 15 days
- Review for Calculus AB Examand Final Exam – 21 days
AP Calculus AB Exam/Final Written Exam – Wednesday, May 7, 2014
- Projects
End of 2nd Semester
Outline for CalculusBC Course
2013-2014
- Limits and Properties (Chapter 1) – 14 days
Additional Topics: Completing the Square, Trig Identities, Polynomial Division, Partial Fractions
- Derivative Basics (Chap. 2, Sections 2.1 – 2.3) – 16 days
Additional Topics: Vectors in a Plane, Parametric Equations, Tangents to Parametric Equations
End of First Quarter – October 18, 2013
- Higher Derivatives and Chain Rule (Chap.2, Sects. 2.3-2.5)
–15 days
Additional Topics: Parametric Motion, Polar Equations, Tangent lines to Polar Equations
- Applications of Differentiation (Sects. 2.6-3.4) – 15days
Additional Topics: Sequences and series: Convergence tests
- Curve Sketching and Optimization (Chap. 3, Sects. 3.6 – 4.1)
– 13 days
Additional Topics: Power Series, Taylor/Maclaurin Series
Final Exam over Chapters 1 – 4 (through Sect. 4.1)
End of First Semester – December 20, 2013
- The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (Chap 4, Sects. 4.2 – 4.6)
– 21 days
Additional Topics: Integration by Parts, Integration Techniques, Improper Integrals
- Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (Chap. 5, Sects. 5.1 – 5.5)
–12 days
Additional Topics: L’Hopital’s Rule, Integration of Power Series, Integral Test for Convergence, Radius of Convergence, Lagrange Error Bounds
- Differential Equations (Sects. 5.6 – 6.3) – 10 days
Additional Topics: Euler’s Method, Logistic Differential Equations
End of Third Quarter – March 14, 2014
- Volume (Chap. 7, Sects. 7.1 – 7.3) – 15 days
Additional Topics: Arc Length, Area enclosed by Polar Curves
- Review for Calculus BC Exam – 21 days
AP Calculus BC Exam/Final Written Exam – Wednesday, May 7, 2014
- Projects
End of 2nd Semester