Pre-Calculus 2015 2016 Course Expectations and Syllabus Alliance Simon Technology Academy High School Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. -John Wooden Instructor: Ms. Hahn Room: 304 Email: jhahn@laalliance.org (best way to reach me) Websites: hahnmath.weebly.com and www.edmodo.com Office hours: By appointment Math Department Instructional Team: Ms. Ahumibe, Mr. Alvarado, Mrs. Loveless, Ms. Lindsay, Ms. Itani (please refer to these teachers should I not be immediately available) Welcome to Ms. Hahn s Pre-Calculus course. I am excited to work with you this school year. I hope that students will grow their mathematical knowledge and deepen their understanding of the discipline this year. It is my personal belief that students who succeed in mathematics not only create a wider spectrum of educational and career opportunities, but also possess critical thinking and problem solving skills unmatched by those without a mathematical background. My goal this year is to prepare students for higher-level mathematics, high school graduation, and/or postsecondary education. Each student has his/her individual needs and goals, so I encourage students and families to communicate with me frequently to ensure their own personal success. Course Description: This course introduces and explores various algebraic and trigonometric topics including: polynomial, rational, real & complex number systems, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions and their graphs. Sequence and series, probabilities, and induction proof are areas that are also studied. This class is taught as a college-preparation course and is part of the 3-year course of math required by the UC (4 years recommended) and CSU systems. Attendance & Participation: Your engagement and participation are crucial to your success in this course. As a result, daily attendance is required to learn from me and from one another. Please let me know of any planned absences or extenuating circumstances that may prevent you from being in class. Communication is key! Classroom Behavioral Expectations: As this is a college-preparation course, the expectation is that you are in this class to learn and succeed. I encourage students to take ownership of their learning and be self-aware of the choices that they make in this class and in this critical time in their lives. With that mind, I hope to build meaningful relationships with you, individually, and with the class, as a whole. I also hope to create a safe space, where students openly share and explore mathematical ideas. Electronics (such as cell phones, MP3 players, and other devices) are suggested to remain off or not in use during important class activities. We all lead busy lives and technology has become a staple in our daily activities; however, my goal is to foster a culture of students who identify the appropriate 1 Hahn 2014-2015
time and place to use such devices. We are a BLAST school so technology will play a major role in our learning. The rules of common courtesy and general respect apply to our classroom. Violation of our reasonable classroom expectations will have the following consequences: 1 st time: Verbal warning 2 nd time: Conference with student 3 rd time: Phone call or e-mail to parent/guardian 4 th time: Removal from class and referral to administrator for further discipline Materials: We will be using a digital curriculum this year and each student will have access to the online text and curriculum materials. Students will have access to laptops and TI-Nspire graphing calculators to use in class. The following materials are required for this course: 1-2 inch three-ring binder 5-tab dividers Lined paper stored in binder Spiral notebook Pencil, eraser, colored pen, highlighter Graph paper (recommended) These supplies are non-negotiable and must be purchased within the first week of school. If you are unable to get any or all of these resources, please talk with me individually as soon as possible. Homework: Homework will be assigned almost every class period. Homework should be viewed as valuable practice needed to help cement a new concept or as an opportunity for spiraled learning. I am intentional about each assignment that I give and rarely will students be expected to complete an excessive amount of homework. Therefore, students are expected to manage time wisely and complete every assignment to maintain and improve understanding. Each homework assignment is worth 4 points following the standards based grading scale and will be graded on effort and completeness, not necessarily on correctness. Late Work Policy: Should you have an excused absence, you will have one class period from the day you return to class to turn in any assignments missed during your absence without penalty. Each class period the assignment is late beyond this timeline, it will be deducted a point. Tests & Quizzes: Tests will be given at the end of every unit. Quizzes will be given periodically throughout each unit. Retakes on tests and quizzes are available, but the student must meet with me after school and 2
demonstrate proficiency, usually through tutoring, test corrections, and/or additional practice problems. I am more than happy to work with any student willing to put in the time and effort to improve their understanding and performance in our class. Make-up Tests & Quizzes: If you miss a test or quiz during an absence, you will need to schedule a time to make up the test or quiz within one week of your return. All test/quiz make-ups will be done after school. If you cannot stay after school for whatever reason, please speak with me and we can discuss alternatives. Grading Policy: Students grades will be based entirely upon assessment of their knowledge of and ability to meet the California State Standards pertaining to Pre-Calculus. A 4-point rubric will be used to determine every student s level of performance on each standard assessed. The grade for each standard will be replaced every time a student is assessed on such standard. Because students are assessed based upon their mastery of each standard, extra credit will not be given. However, students will have multiple opportunities to be assessed on standards due to the cumulative nature of exams throughout the course. Below is a chart of the grading scale: Grade Rubric Range Performance Bands A 3.40 4.00 Advanced B 2.70 3.39 Proficient C 2.00 2.69 Basic NP Not Passing 1.99 and Below Below Far Below Basic Below is the grading rubric for the levels of understanding: Level Rubric Range 4 I can: " Perform a procedure correctly (80.01-100% of the time) " Clearly and accurately explain almost all of the process using justifications " Use mathematical language and organization to explain and teach others " Know what it is and how it works and why we care (connections) 3 I can: " Perform a procedure correctly (60.01-80% of the time) " Accurately explain most of the process using justifications " Use mathematical language and organization to explain " Know what it is and how it works and sometimes why we care (connections) 3
2 I can: " Perform a procedure correctly (40.01-60% of the time) " Explain some of the process using little justifications " Use some mathematical language and organization to explain " Know what it is and how it works 1 I can: " Perform a procedure partially correctly (<40% of the time) " Explain few of the process using no justifications " Know what it is The grading policy is subject to change upon the teacher s discretion. Any updates to the grading policy will be communicated to students and families. Academic Integrity: Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Alliance Simon Tech Academic Honesty Policy as outlined in pages 12-13 of the Parent-Student Handbook. Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. Students in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action and will be at risk of failing the course. You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in class with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive "consulting" help from such students. However, this permissible cooperation should never involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in the form of an e-mail, an e-mail attachment file, a flash drive, or a hard copy. Units of Study: Derived from California State Standards. Unit 1: Structure and Language of Mathematics Unit 2: Domain Unit 3: Introduction to Mathematical Modeling Unit 4: The General Equation of the Second Degree in Two Variables Unit 5: Polynomial and Rational Functions Unit 6: Algebraic Functions, Graphs, and Their Inverses Unit 7: The Relationship between Exponential and Logarithmic Functions Unit 8: Applied Trigonometry Unit 9: Analyzing Trigonometric Ratios and Functions Unit 10: Verifying and Solving Trigonometric Equations Unit 11: Sequences and Series Course Objectives: After completing this course students will be able to " Recognize parent functions symbolically and graphically. 4
" Define functions, describe characteristics of functions and translate among verbal, numerical, graphical and symbolic representations of functions. " Analyze the graphs of functions including domain, range, significant points of functions, end behavior, and continuity. " Utilize transformations and inverses to graph functions. " Analyze the relationship between logarithmic functions and exponential functions, both algebraically and graphically. " Solve trigonometric equations. " Use fundamental trigonometric identities to verify other identities including multiple-angle formulas. " Define the six trigonometric functions and their graphs. " Recognize equations of conic sections and graph conic sections. " Use functions and their properties to solve real-life problems. 5
Please return this page to Ms. Hahn no later than 8/7/15. Dear Parent/Guardian: I am your student s Pre-Calculus teacher. This is my second year at Simon Tech and sixth year teaching overall. I firmly believe in building strong relationships with students and families to help students achieve their goals. Please feel free to contact me frequently throughout the year to learn about your student s progress in my class. I look forward to partnering with you in the education of your student. The above information is being provided to you in an effort to increase our communication with you about what is happening in school. It is important to us that you be well informed and therefore an active participant in the educational experience of your student. Our mission is to graduate all of our students ready for college, career and citizenship, but we cannot do this work alone. Thank you for reading this course syllabus. After reading the syllabus, please sign below, indicating that you understand and agree to the course expectations and information. Print Student Name: Student Signature: Date: Print Parent Name: Parent Signature: Date: Parent Email: Parent Phone Number: Questions/Concerns: Sincerely, Ms. Jaime Hahn, M.A.T. Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus Teacher Alliance Simon Technology Academy High School 10720 Wilmington Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90059 323.744.2122 (office) Jhahn@laalliance.org 6