AP Calculus AB/BC Course Syllabus
2020-2021

Calculator: TI83Plus or TI84 family (Plus, Silver Ed, CE, etc) only.
NO TI-Inspire, TI86's or TI89's. Sharing Calculators are not permitted during the AP Exam, nor in classroom assessments. iPads are not permitted during the AP Exam nor in classroom assessments. If you have the money and interest to use a CAS calculator for homework, I would only recommend the HP Prime, but you can download a free emulator for your iPad, Mac, 32 or 64 bit Windows.

Why Calculus?

"If you know how fast you’re going, then you know how far you’ll get in a given amount of time."

Many fields depend on calculus to test their theories and designs. Mathematics can model observations to discover relationships and test solutions, yet mathematics itself depends upon logic and reason to justify its claims. We will use graphing, analytic, and numerical methods to discover and understand mathematical postulates and theorems. We then can use these theorems to justifying our conclusions whether it be for mathematical rigor, or for scientific, engineering, financial, or some other application. You will learn how defend your conclusions made with a theorem by making a mathematical argument that establishes that the necessary conditions of theorem are met. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds.

Collaborate!

Expectations

1. Be respectful. As you are a St. Francis student, I expect cooperative and responsible behavior in and out of class. Perhaps most importantly, have respect for yourself; honor the effort and quality of your work, and the work of others. By being on time and staying until dismissal, you respect everyone.


2. Be prepared. This means doing your assignments as well as getting your sleep. It means having a charged iPad, Calculator, paper, and pencil. It's hard to do the job without the tools. Imagine learning to drive without a car (or a golf club)? You NEED sleep. You NEED to schedule time to be prepared.


3. Be willing. To be willing to improve means you are willing to make mistakes. Calculus takes time and effort—for anyone. It is even more difficult if you are too hard on yourself for making mistakes. Mistakes are how your learned to walk, speak, write, and throw a ball. Mistakes are required for learning, yet for some reason, many talented people do themselves a disservice by negative "self-talk." A "goof" or a "blunder" in your subtraction does not mean you or anyone else are suddenly without intelligence. No author publishes their first draft. Expect to be fully human and make mistakes. If you don't expect mistakes, you will never find and fix them. The secret of a good photographer is to take A LOT of photos, and expect to throw away a lot of "mistakes." I hope you eventually become as thankful for your progress as much as your success.

The Pandemic

Acceptance is the Franciscan virtue we celebrate our first quarter back, and I hope we can together practice it with a kindness and a sense of humor. I find it is easier for me when I trust God to do for me what I cannot do alone.

Distance Learning

You can see the class topic, classwork, and homework assignments for the year at hw.mathorama.com. PlusPortals has a link, but you don't need to login if you go directly to hw.mathorama.com. When we are not working all together, you will be working in a small group (Zoom calls these break-out rooms). During collaboration, you may need to hold your work to the camera, or use screen sharing in Zoom.

Your job is to learn, and I expect to see you dressed in a professional way in a location that will promote your learning (i.e. cameras on, ideally in a space different from where you recreate). Actual and Virtual backgrounds must be appropriate and conform to school policy.

When it comes to assessments, the job of a test proctor is to testify on your behalf that no one assisted you. In the old days, folks taking a course by correspondence would go to the local library and librarians would watch you take your test so they can sign a paper saying that it was your work. These days, proctors do this remotely by seeing and listening you work on camera. For that reason, you will not score any points on any assessment if you are not visible on camera or if your microphone is muted.

Grading

It reminds me of how the Presidential election works, using the electoral college instead of popular vote. If all the candidate's supporters are in the same state, it isn't as effective as having supporters in different states, since to with the election, you have to win over a lot of big states. Similarly, it would be best for a student to do well in as many categories as possible, especially the categories that are worth more.

The gradebook automatically does the following calculation:

(While plusses and minuses are indicated on the grade report, they are ignored and not used in computing the student's grade point average (GPA). Students are expected to bring a graphing calculator to the exam, and to be familiar with its use. Graphing calculators may be used for both sections of the exam. Here is a link to the current list of AP-approved graphing calculators on collegeboard.com. Permitted calculators are the same as for the AP Calculus Exam.

Some activities are designed for developing concepts and understanding, while others focus on improving the way in which you communicate your mathematical knowledge.

To help motivate you to prepare for class, practically every class will have a quiz, a homework quiz, or a test. You are expected to prepare for these examinations by making sure you understand the assigned exercises. Test dates are found on the homework assignment sheet, as well in the PortalsPlus calendar. The TI-84, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition are ideal for use on the AP Exam Exam (and is the reason that one of them is required for the course). Calculators with a "CAS" feature are not permitted on quizzes and tests.

Take advantage of the class work sessions. The iPad will be used in the classroom and students are expected to arrive at each class with the device sufficiently charged. There are only a limited number of loaner iPads available in the IT room in the 100 building, so it is best to make sure your iPad is ready to be used. External battery packs are an affordable way to make sure you never without a charged iPad.

The pace and rigor of the class is such that any time distracted by the iPad will significantly impact a students' progress in a negative way. To help focus your attention, please double-click the home button and quit all communication and entertainment apps before class begins. Students will be expected to monitor their behavior with the iPads with little direction from the instructor. Any time or attention diverted by technology will result in a decreasing chance of a successful performance in this class, and will lower your classroom assessment.

As per the student handbook, students are responsible for work missed due to absence the day they return. Make-up tests usually have more (or more difficult) questions. If you are present and a quiz or test is scheduled, you must take it. It is a good idea to have the contact information of several classmates to see what material and assignments were covered during your absence. If you miss a quiz you cannot gain any points for it. If you know you will be absent for a test, you may schedule to take it before the actual test date if prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. In the case of an extended illness special arrangements should be made with the Academic Vice Principal, Mr. Trujillo.

All must take the AP examination on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 8 AM .

Extra Credit

Absences

You are also responsible for any material due the days you missed on the day you return. The exception is if you have contacted me and we make a special arrangement (usually due to being absent for an long time). As per the handbook, assignments due on days you have an unexcused absence must be scored zero.

If you are absent for any quizzes, there are no make-ups, but you will not be penalized. You should ask me for a copy of any missed quizzes and solve the problems on your own to make sure you understand the material being asked.

Homework

1. Please write your name, Block, and assignment on your homework.
2. Homework is due at 8 AM of the following class dates in Google Classroom.
3. The finished product should be neat, organized, and legible.
4. Each solution should be written as though students in this course are the audience. In particular:
   • Define your variables and functions precisely (specify units where appropriate).
   • Include neat, clearly labeled graphs and tables whenever you possibly can.
   • Answers should be written in complete sentences (For example, x=3 is a complete sentence, 3 is not)
5. Late homework assignments will not be accepted unless you had an excused absence.
6. You are welcome, and in fact encouraged, to discuss Individual homework problems with classmates. But what you submit needs to reflect your own understanding of the assignment, and must be written by you, using your own words, graphs, and mathematical expressions.

I am looking for effort on the homework. It is acceptable to have trouble solving problems, but some effort must be made. You will be penalized for incomplete assignments and only receive partial credit. The solutions to the odd homework problems are at CalcChat.com and nearly every problem at Slader.com . I will happy to post in Google Classroom any solution to an even problem that is not already on Slader. Used properly, this will help you understand how to solve problems at home. To get the best understanding of the material with the least amount of effort, you should do some homework every day (45-60 min a day, for 5 days as apposed to a block of 2 or 4 hours once in a while). You should attempt questions from every category on the homework the night it is assigned (while it is fresh) and complete the assignment by the day it is due. It is very important to understand the concepts, not memorize procedures.

If you don't understand certain questions in the homework, try watching the videos at CalcView which explain how to do the questions with an asterix (*). You can also come to room 104 before school for help (7:30 -8:00). There may be time to put some problems on the board at the beginning of class, but we can't spend too much time on that because of the new material we need to cover. I will try to check homework daily, but priority will be given to grade quizzes and tests first.

Tests

AP Exam questions are designed to test your understanding of calculus, so a "bald answer" by itself is worth very little ( if anything ). To prepare for the exam, I too will be scoring in the same spirit so that you may achieve the best possible score on the AP Exam.

Partial credit is always given if correct concepts and steps in the solution are shown even if the answer is incorrect. Tests are difficult to make up because you will need to find a 60-90 minute period of time in your schedule; so don’t be absent unless absolutely necessary. Tests are meant to challenge students and there are times when I will curve the scores for students who are current with their homework, but if a student is not making an effort on his homework, that student's score will not earn the curve.

Practice AP Exam April 24, 2021

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