Pre-Calculus Fall 2012

Pre-Calculus Course Syllabus

"A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled." -- Plutarch

Instructor: Mr. Ryan Duffy Room: 202 Phone: (586) 883-0201 Textbook: Demana, Waits, Foley, & Kennedy. Precalculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, Eighth Edition. Email: duffyry3@gmail.com

Course Description This class is designed to provide students with the necessary background for calculus and to cultivate the higher-level thinking skills needed for deeper mathematical exploration. Topics and skills that will be addressed include: Functions and their graphs Polynomial and power functions Exponential and logarithmic equations Trigonometric functions Mathematical proof Systems of equations and matrices Class Materials It is expected that students will bring with them to class each day the following items: Textbook An organizational tool (e.g., folder, binder, etc.) that is used only for this class A pencil and a pen School planner Class Expectations This class will heavily rely on student investigation and participation, and will not always be taught in a traditional lecture-based format. It is expected that students will be invested in this course and engaged during each class period. The following is a list of the specific classroom policies and guidelines that I expect to be upheld on a daily basis. Be in your seat when the bell rings at the start of class. Students not in their seat (even if they are within the classroom) will be marked tardy. Being tardy 10 or more times will result in an after-school detention. Bring all required materials (listed above) with you to class. Do not line up at the door before the bell rings at the end of class. Class will not be dismissed unless all students are in their assigned seats.

Pre-Calculus Fall 2012 Use electronics responsibly. If time is allotted in class for individual work, iPods, cell phones, and other electronic devices may be used as long as they do not distract you from your work or interfere with the productivity of other students. At all other times, electronics must be placed out of sight. Show respect. Be quiet when I am speaking, and do not distract others around you. Use positive language. Use of the words stupid, dumb, sucks, retarded, etc. will not be tolerated. Manage your own bladder. I expect that, as a junior or senior in high school, you are fully capable of knowing when you need to use the bathroom and trust that you can manage this basic personal responsibility. As such, there will be no need to interrupt class and ask for permission to use the restroom. If you need to excuse yourself from class, please do so quietly and respectfully and return in the same manner. If I find that you are abusing this privilege (e.g., spending an excessive amount of time wandering the halls), it will be revoked, and you will have to ask my permission to use the restroom.

Consequences Failure to abide by any of the expectations listed above (or any other commonly understood expectation for the successful functioning of a civilized classroom), will be addressed in the following manner: 1st offense: Verbal reminder 2nd offense: Private discussion after class 3rd offense: Essay explaining why the expectation is repeatedly broken and outlining a plan for improvement th 4 offense: Office referral Note that serious offenses against school policy (e.g., physical violence, drug possession, plagiarism etc.) will immediately be dealt with at the administrative level.

Grading Homework Contrary to popular belief, you are not expected to get each new math concept after only one class period. Homework is intended to help you practice mathematical procedures we discuss in class or to explore mathematical concepts and make valuable insights on your own. While doing homework exercises, you should feel comfortable making mistakes and exploring mathematical ideas without worrying about the correct answer. For this reason, I do not believe in grading homework for accuracy Moreover, at this level in your educational career, your mathematics grades should reflect your mathematical abilities and not your capacity to turn in homework by an arbitrary deadline. By grading homework based on completion, I would be conflating

Pre-Calculus Fall 2012 your math abilities with your organizational and time-management skills, and your resulting overall percentage would not adequately reflect the math that you know. Consequently, homework will not factor into your grade in this class. However, this does not mean homework is optional. Each day, we will discuss the homework and the math concepts from the night before, and it is expected that you are able to follow along and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. More importantly, doing each homework assignment will provide you with invaluable feedback about your strengths and weaknesses and help you to take responsibility for your own learning. It will be very difficult to do well on my tests if you have not had practice via the assigned homework.

Tests Your grade in this course will be based entirely upon the tests administered in class. Test dates will be announced at least one week in advance, and I will be available after school each week Monday through Thursday for individual help. If you are absent the day of the test, you must take a test retake (see below). Test Retakes Any test can be retaken an unlimited number of times regardless of your original grade. It is my belief that there should be no arbitrary deadline by which you must master a particular concept we all learn at different speeds and in different ways. Moreover, I believe that you should always have the opportunity to retake a test if you believe you can do better even if that means just improving your grade from a B to an A. Test retakes will be available every Monday through Thursday after school. There are, however, two important stipulations that must be met before taking a test retake: 1) You must demonstrate that you have completed all relevant homework assignments with a high degree of effort. These homework assignments should clearly show your thinking and be high in quality. 2) You must make corrections on your original test (or previous re-test). This condition does not apply if you are taking a re-test only because you were absent the day of the original test. These requirements are in place to ensure that you are doing your best to prepare for each re-test and not merely hoping to do better each time.

Once you and your parent/guardian have had a chance to review this syllabus in its entirety, please sign and date the attached form.

Pre-Calculus Fall 2012 I, ______________________________ (student) and my parent/guardian ________________________________ (parent/guardian) have read the attached syllabus and agree to the policies, expectations, and consequences that it describes.

____________________________________ (student signature)

________________ (date)

____________________________________ (parent/guardian signature)

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