Calculus / Mr. Spear
2nd Semester / e-mail:
Room 131 / Ph: 717-1212 (w) 490-0641 (h)

Course/Program Description

Welcome to Calculus!

Materials/Textbook Information

Our text will be Prentice Hall - Calculus. However, outside material will be used at my discretion. We will use TI-83, TI-83 Plus, or TI-84 graphing calculators in class. A graphing calculator is also available on your laptop. If you are able to provide your own graphing calculator, I encourage it, but it is not a necessity.

Course Requirements/Objectives

1.  Students will revisit concepts such as linear equations, general functions and graphs. Exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions will be studied individually. Additionally, students will study parametric equations.

2.  Students will apply concepts of rates of change, limits, and continuity. We will analyze these concepts on certain functions at specific points and at infinity.

3.  Students will define a derivative of a function and learn mathematical notation. Additionally, we will study when and if a function is differentiable. We will take derivatives of specific functions including polynomials, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic, applying the chain rule if necessary. Also, this knowledge will be applied to “real world” situations.

4.  Students will study extreme values of functions, emphasizing on absolute and relative extreme values. We will also apply the mean value theorem. Second derivatives will be studied, emphasizing on the relationship of concavity and points of inflection. These concepts will be applied in various situations including optimization. Students will also learn and apply Newton’s Method and study related rates.

5.  Students will learn various ways to find the area under a curve. Such methods will include RAM, trapezoidal rule, and Riemann Sums. This will be related to the concepts of Integration and Antiderivatives. The Fundamental Thereom of Calculus will be analyzed.

6.  Students will study slope fields and apply Eulers Method. We will also study and apply the concepts of exponential growth and decay and logistic growth.

Student Performance Objectives and Course Requirements

Each course objective will be covered in an approximate 2-3 week span. Homework will be assigned daily with one to two quizzes per objective and one test. Also, one writing assignment will be completed per quarter.

Attendance is a must for math as what is learned on Tuesday must be known to learn what is to be learned on Wednesday. I do encourage every student to see me ASAP if any additional help is needed.

Class Procedures and Rules

Naturally, school rules in the student handbook will be followed and enforced.

Students are to have all necessary materials at their desks when the bell rings or be subject to a tardy.

I expect students to respect any teacher, other students, and themselves.

I will assign weekly performance or behavior goals, if it is met, the class will be rewarded.

I do not allow food or beverages in the classroom with the exception of water (no vitamin water).

Laptop and Internet Procedures

Students will bring laptops daily, but they must remain under your desk until instructed otherwise, we will only use laptops for specific reasons. Anytime laptops are used for a class activity or assignment, students are to connect to Synchroneyes.

Homework Procedures

Homework will be assigned daily and be due the next school day at the beginning of class. All assignments must be completed with pencil with answers clearly circled. Classroom notes must be kept daily and will be collected graded at each chapter test.

Assessment Plan

Quarterly Grade: Homework 40%, Tests 55%, Quizzes 5%

Semester Grade: Grades will run continuously with your final quarter grade counting for 90% and semester test counting for 10%.

Letter grades for the course are determined by the school wide-grading scale outlined below, with grades are rounded to the nearest whole percent:

96-100 A / 92-95 A- / 89-91 B+ / 86-88 B
83-85 B- / 79-82 C+ / 76-78 C / 73-75 C-
69-72 D+ / 65-68 D / 60-64 D- / 0-59 F

Make Up Work

Any homework not turned in when due will be considered late. Late homework received before the given chapter test will receive 80% credit; late homework received after the chapter test will receive 60% credit. Any homework missed because of an excused absence must be turned in the next class period to not be considered late.

Tests or quizzes missed must be made up during Spartan Time, before school, or after school.

All assignments will be posted on my website: http://www.spearfish.k12.sd.us/~cspear/Mr%20Spear.htm

General Information

I encourage any and all students (even Seniors) to take advantage of Spartan time to come see me. I also encourage you to work with other students or teachers if you find that helpful.