Mr. Degitz Honors AP Calculus AB 2010-2011

Mr. Degitz Honors AP Calculus AB 2010-2011 (the “day gets” better E-mail Address: [email protected] when it’s time for Calculus :-) Phone Number: (314) 415 - 9707

The following is information you need to know about your Honors AP Calculus class this year. Keep this sheet to refer to as needed. You will be held responsible for all information within it throughout the school year. A. Here is my schedule: Red Days Blue Days Block 1: Honors AP Calculus AB Block 2: Planning (8:00-9:30) Block 3: Algebra 2/Trig. Block 4: Tutorial Academic Lab Block 5: Plan (11:41-1:14) Block 6: Algebra 2 / Trig. Block 7: Honors AP Calculus BC Block 8: Honors AP Calculus AB

B. Additional Help: 1. Help outside of class will primarily be given during academic lab. This is the best time to get extra help as I will have time to help you and your classmates together and individually if time permits. On each academic lab day, there will be time set aside for me to help you, my Calculus students, exclusively. This time will be from 10:25-10:57 (the second half of lab). I highly encourage you to use this time to get assistance from me. You may use any time during lab to work with your classmates to fully understand the concepts of each section, and/or use the solution packets (which may be checked out during lab or after school but must stay in my room) to help you understand the homework. Correct use of academic lab will help you and I tremendously in our effort to help you be successful. 2. I will also be available after school on most Mondays and Wednesdays for help. After school help will be offered if you need more one-on-one individual help and have made sufficient effort in class. Other times can be scheduled as well, just talk to me about it. Please ask me before you come in so I can be sure I will be in my room when you get here. I am here to help you succeed.

C. Infinite Campus and My Website 1. You can get to my website by going to www.pshwired.net, clicking on “Homework?” and then clicking on my name. Homework will be posted on my website in the AB Calculus link and notes will SOMETIMES be available there as well. This resource is for students who are absent or if we run out of time in class. It is NOT so that you don’t have to write the notes, and/or homework, down in class. 2. I will post homework on my website the day it is given and post upcoming tests/quizzes there when dates are known. Then, after checking homework and/or grading tests, they will be posted on Infinite Campus. We’ll see how this works and go from there. It may change but I will let you know in class and post it on the website if it does

D. Grading Procedures 1. The grading scale is as follows: H 97-100 (no rounding) A 93-96 C 73-76 A- 90-92 C- 70-72 B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69 B 83-86 D 63-66 B- 80-82 D- 60-62 C+ 77-79 F 59 and lower

2. Homework will be assigned every night, will require a significant effort on your part, and will be essential to your success in Calculus. Homework grading procedures will vary. Grades may be taken by daily spot checking, homework quizzes, short daily quizzes over homework, or

other methods. Homework quizzes can be given without notice. You MUST make a complete effort on all homework in order to do well on the assessments.

3. We will take a significant amount of notes in this class nearly every day. Please have a notebook set aside for Calculus notes, and be ready to copy down the notes. These will be very helpful as you attempt to complete your homework, are a good reference as you study for the chapter test or finals, and will be helpful when you take Calculus in college. 4. The solution packets and online help (www.calcchat.com) are meant to help you get started on a problem you are struggling with and to help you check your work for accuracy. Please do not simply copy out of the homework packets as it will not help you succeed in Calculus. Any copying out of the packets will result in a 0 for the homework assignment or the homework quiz problem and has, historically, led to very low test scores…so DON’T DO IT!

5. Late Work -- This is a college class. Late work is not acceptable and will not help you to be successful. If homework is collected or checked, you must turn it in ON TIME to receive full credit. Work that is one class late will receive HALF of the credit you would have received if you turned it in on time, two classes late will receive ONE FOURTH credit, and anything later will receive no credit.

6. Homework quizzes and pop quizzes must be taken the day they are given unless you have had an extended, excused absence. Bring all of your homework assignments to each class so you will be ready for any homework quiz. If you are absent the day we take a homework quiz or pop quiz, you must come in the next academic lab to take it. If you wait until the second academic lab to take it, you will receive HALF credit on the quiz. If you wait more than two academic labs to take the quiz, you will receive no credit for the quiz. You must learn to be responsible to succeed.

7. If you forget your homework on the day of a scheduled or pop homework quiz, you will receive half of the normal credit you would have received on the homework quiz if you take it the next academic lab, one fourth the credit if you wait 2 labs, and no credit after that. So, if you don’t bring all of your homework to every class, there is no way to receive a good grade on a homework quiz. Make it happen!

8. Assessments will be given regularly and if missed must be made up the next Monday or Wednesday after school. If for some reason you can’t there after school on these days, see Mr. Degitz to make other arrangements if possible. Tests can NOT be made up in academic lab. If you are absent the day before a test, you will be expected to take the test on the originally scheduled day.

9. Assessments will be set up to resemble the AP test. They will all consist of two sections: a multiple choice section and a free response section. The multiple choice section will be graded as right or wrong (usually on scantron), and the free response section will be graded for partial credit. This system is to help you feel comfortable with the way the AP test is set up so that by the time you take it, you will be an expert. Retests will not be allowed in Calculus, so be sure you’re prepared the first time. The best way to do this is to always do your homework.

10. You are responsible for getting and completing any work or quizzes you missed due to being absent. Grades updates will be handed out after each test or quiz and will have all assignments graded on them. You can find out what you missed by looking at these grade sheets, by asking me at any time to see your grade in the computer, or by checking the website.

11. Grades posted and reported will always be cumulative grades, figured by dividing total points earned by total points possible.

12. Extra credit will be given for extra mathematical work only (for example, math contests, completing extra homework problems, etc.) and can not exceed 3% of a letter grade.

13. AP problems packets will be handed out each chapter with problems from the previous chapter to be completed. These are expected to be completed as you would complete an AP test and will be graded by me choosing one of the problems to grade for correctness and the rest of your grade will be on the effort you made to complete it. All problems will be explained and AP grading procedures reviewed in class after I finish grading the packets.

14 Earnbacks – For each test we take, if you score below a 70%, you will have an opportunity to earn your way back to a 70%. Earnbacks will be given one day only after school and will consist of AP type problems over the unit on which you can show your understanding of the topics and earn points back on your test. If you get all the problems right, you will have earned a 70% on the test. If you get a portion of the problems right, you will earn whatever percentage that you got right back towards a 70%. 15. We will be working with a TI-Nspire Navigator in class this year, and grades will be taken on the work you do on the Navigator. Navigator grades will be saved and put into the grades at the end of each 6-week period.

E. Attendance and Tardy Policies 1. According to school policy, parents have 24 hours to call in a student’s excused absence. After that the absence will be unexcused. 2. If you have an unexcused absence on a test day, you will receive 50% of the score you earn on the test. If any work was collected or checked on a day when you have an unexcused absence, you will lose credit for that work. In other words, DON’T SKIP MY CLASS. You need to be here to do your best (and to enjoy my teaching, jokes, singing, stories, fun discussions, etc.). 3. Since you can get college credit for this course, I am not allowed to give you “free” participation points. However, you will earn group work points on days we complete group assignments. 4. Points will be deducted from your grade for: Unexcused absences (-10 points), and tardies after the first (-3 points). You may make up lost participation points by serving a 1 hour detention for a tardy or a 3 hour detention for an unexcused absence. If you choose to do this, you must come to me and request a form. The 1 or 3 hour detention you serve can’t already have been assigned to you for another purpose. 5. Your citizenship grade for the course will be linked to your attendance, as well as to your conduct in class. If you have an unexcused absence or excessive tardies, you will receive an I or U.

F. You will need to bring the following with you EVERY DAY: 1. Pencil 2. Notebook or folder for class notes and homework 3. Your Calculus book 4. A graphics calculator (preferably a TI-84, TI-Nspire, or TI-Nspire CAS) 5. Your completed homework from the previous night and the entire current unit

G. Other Important Calculus Information 1. This class may be taken for 5 credit hours through UMSL. Sign-up for credit through UMSL will take place in early or mid September. I am on the adjunct faculty at UMSL so I will assign your UMSL grade based on your grade in this class. You must sign up during registration if you want to take this class for college credit. UMSL will not accept late registration. I will give you the registration form and other necessary information as it becomes available to me.

2. The capstone of this course is the AP exam in May. You are not required to take the exam, but I highly recommend it, whether you are doing UMSL credit or not. Credit earned through the AP can be transferred to nearly any college you choose. We will be taking practice AP exams and working through practice sections from AP books primarily second semester to prepare you for the test. You may wish to purchase an AP preparation book at a book store to help you, but you are not required to do so. I have copies of several AP preparation books, a practice CD of AP Problems, lots of old AP tests, and many other resources in my room which you can check out or use during academic lab.

H. Classroom Etiquette 1. Learning cannot take place in a chaotic environment. I expect you to behave as courteous, responsible young adults with respect for your classmates and for me. Good students know that hard work and commitment will provide the best opportunity for success.

2. NO FOOD OR DRINK (except water) WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE CLASSROOM AT ANY TIME. IF YOU HAVE SOME, LEAVE IT IN YOUR LOCKER.

3. . You WILL NOT be allowed to have headphones or cellular phones on or out during class at any time, so leave them in your locker or bookbag and be sure they are turned off. If your cell phone rings during class, I see you texting on it, or you get it out at all during class, it will be confiscated (and I may call my friend in Kenya or download country music ringtones onto it :-).

I. This information is subject to change or to additions at my discretion with advance notice to you.