Advanced Placement Calculus AB

Advanced Placement Calculus AB 2015 Mrs. Mulcahy

Welcome to AP Calculus! I am looking forward working with you and hope that your year is both fun and challenging. Throughout this course you will apply the skills learned in Pre Calculus and Algebra 2 to examine the first semester (or so) of college Calculus, while preparing you for the AP Calculus exam in May. All students have the capacity to pass the exam, given a strong work ethic and a willingness to be challenged. Completing Calculus will be one of the most fulfilling experiences you have in high school, I promise you! Calculus and The Rule of 4’s: In AP Calculus, we approach every concept from four different perspectives:  Analytic - This is the "x's and y's" equation manipulation that most students think of when they think "math."  Numeric - You have to be able to apply calculus concepts to numerical data (lists and tables of numbers).  Graphical - You need to be able to interpret, manipulate, and draw graphs relating to calculus concepts.  Verbal - You must be able to explain calculus concepts in clear, concise, correct English.

And, you will be able to do all four of these things with or without a calculator.

Course Policies and Expectations

Credits By year’s end, you will have had the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit. By meeting the expectations of this course, you will earn your high school credit. By passing the AP Calculus exam given in the spring, you will earn college credit.

Homework You can expect to spend about one hour per night on homework in addition to work days given in class. I encourage you to form study groups as soon as possible for at-home study and support. Homework should be done on a daily basis and completed prior to the next lesson, but will be accepted without penalty until the Monday following the day it is assigned. Homework and Problems of the week will make up 10% of your semester grade. Late POWs are accepted on Mondays for ½ credit.

It is very important to pace yourselves in Calculus. Never let work pile up until the last minute. It is difficult to learn and internalize new concepts this way. Be smart about using your calendar and prioritizing your use of time.

Assessments Tests or quizzes are worth 90% of your final grade. Lesson quizzes will be given twice per week and may be retaken once. In general, no notes are allowed on exams, with the exception of your laminated sheet. Students are allowed ONE unit retest per semester, given just before finals week; however test corrections can be made to improve every unit test grade.

Calculator This course relies heavily on analysis of information and graphs using the TI-83 or 84 Plus graphing calculator. These calculators or an equivalent is a required tool as we will be frequently utilizing their graphing and programming capabilities.

Extra Help Mrs. Mulcahy is available most days after school for extra help. In addition, Calculus help sessions may be scheduled during PACK time. Mr. Gibbons also teaches Calculus and may be available, by appointment, before school to assist you. Again, please use each other as much as possible for support. This is critical.

Grading A 93% C+ 77% A- 90% C 73% Per TSD grading scale B+ 87% C- 70% B 83% D+ 67% B- 80% D 60% Attendance Mrs. Mulcahy will strictly enforce the BHHS attendance policy, which includes possible loss of credit after the tenth absence. Please take responsibility and be here every day. The AP Exam AP Calculus students at BHHS are expected to take the AP Calculus test, which will be given during the first week of May. The fee for the exam is $87. See Mr. Franklin for information about Federal financial assistance, if needed. The test consists of four sections and is 3 hours and 15 minutes in length. The 4 sections are:  Multiple-choice - Part A - (28 questions in 55 minutes) no calculators permitted  Multiple-choice - Part B - (17 questions in 50 minutes) graphing calculator required  Free Response - Part A - (2 questions in 30 minutes) graphing calculator required  Free Response - Part B - (4 questions in 60 minutes) no calculators permitted The multiple-choice (part A and B) and the free-response (part A and B) count equally toward the exam grade. Students should check with the mathematics department of the college or university that they plan to attend to ascertain their policy regarding advanced placement as soon as possible.

Cheating Cheating* is detrimental to both your learning and your reputation as a student at BHHS. A student caught cheating on a graded activity or exam should expect disciplinary consequences. A second offense will result in removal from the class with an ‘F’. Your integrity is the most important quality that you bring to this classroom.

*Cheating is the attempt to take credit for any work that is not your own or providing your work to another student to be copied. This includes copying students’ papers, in or outside of class, copying solutions from hotmath without an attempt to understand, sharing information about a test or quiz, giving or receiving answers to an assignment or assessment via phone, e-mail, facebook, or text messaging, etc.. Do your own work and be sure that others do the same.

Technology Please make sure your cell phones and portable listening devices are OUT OF SIGHT AND SOUND so that they do not disrupt yours and others’ learning. Listening to music during work time is welcomed, however. Absolutely no cell phones or ipods are allowed during independent testing.

Announcing College in the High School!

For the first time, BHHS is offering college credit through Central Washington University, for Pre Calculus, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC. Our course will offer credit for CWU’s Math 172 and 173, upon earning a passing grade of C or better for each semester. The cost is FREE if this is your only Running Start course. If you are enrolled in other Running Start programs, the cost is approximately $50 per credit hour (5 credits per semester). More later!

Your success in this course requires a commitment to hard work and a willingness to collaborate with other students in your class. No one is here alone. We all can learn from each other!

Taken from “Get a Grip on Calculus” in The Week magazine December 11, 2009: Calculus has made it possible to build bridges that span miles of river, travel to the moon, and predict patterns of population change. Yet for all its computational power, calculus is the exploration of just two ideas – the derivative and the integral – both of which arise from a commonsense analysis of motion. Master them and open a new world for yourself!

Have a great year and please, have fun! Mrs. Mulcahy