Students and Parents:

I am a Pre-AP Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC instructor here at the Townview Magnet Center. I hope you had a very enjoyable summer. I am looking forward to a very fun and productive year. If you or your parents have any questions regarding this information, which will include your syllabus, please feel free to contact me with any questions. My email address is .

Know that I believe that the best atmosphere for learning is a classroom that is orderly, and one in which the students and teachers are considerate and courteous toward each other.

A Great Place to Learn is…

Be punctual and prepared with all necessary items (books, paper, pencil, assignments, etc.) when you come to class. Also, please attend to your personal needs at the proper time. Together, we will honor the guidelines set by the primary instructor in whose room we are gathering.

Following is a highlight of things that are important to your learning environment. I hope that you will agree that in this setting, we will achieve effective and productive learning. A great place to learn is…

  • A classroom where students’ basic emotional and academic needs are met.
  • A classroom where students are taught at the level at which they can learn, where they receive encouragement and recognition for the progress they are making.
  • A place where people are courteous and where laughter springs from joy brought about by involvement with caring people involved in learning.
  • One where communication is practiced and not preached, where teachers and students talk with, not at, each other.
  • One that has reasonable rules that everyone agrees to because they are beneficial to individuals and to the group – rules that both teachers and students have a democratic stake in because everyone has a say in making and changing the rules as the need arises.
  • A place where students feel accepted as persons with dignity who are asked to evaluate their own behavior and to take the responsibility for better behavior or suffer the natural consequences for their actions.
  • A place where every effort is made to let each learner know that the expectations are that they will meet high standards of learning and every effort is made to ensure that each learner has a reasonable chance of success – that is, a place that lets all students know that they “belong,” that they have a stake in what goes on here and that we expect them to succeed and to be responsible.
  • A place where all learners know what excellence looks and sounds like and all are engaged in the pursuit of that excellence.

Together, we will make it an excellent year!

Best regards,

Thelvie Cullins, Jr.

"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible."

AP Calculus BC 2017-2018
Classroom Management Policies and Procedures
and Course Syllabus

Classroom Management Policies and Procedures

Introduction

I hope you had a very enjoyable summer. I am looking forward to a very fun and productive year. As we begin the school year, I would like to provide you with an overview of

AP CalculusBC. This syllabus will present you with basic information about this math class including grading, homework policies, class rules, etc. Please read through this syllabus carefully with your parents. After you and your parents have read through it, please sign and date it in the spaces provided. If you or your parents have any questions regarding this syllabus or anything else throughout the year, please feel free to contact me.

Instructor: / Thelvie Cullins, Jr.
Email: /

Course Description

This course is designed as a foundation to various college calculus classes with a specific emphasis on learning math principles and not memorizing them.

Required Materials

You will need to bring the following materials with you everyday.

  1. 3 ring notebook (with subject dividers)
  2. Pencils
  3. Calculator
  4. Notebook paper
  5. Composition Notebook (optional)

Learning Modes

Lecture, demonstrations, interactive discussions and cooperative learning.

Grading Criteria

TownviewMagnetCenter’s grading scale will be used for this course.

A:
B:
C:
Not Passing: / 90 - 100%
80 - 89%
70 - 79%
Below 69%

Google classroom: t9yuw3

Evaluation

Your Calculus grade will be a cumulative grade based on the number of points you earn during the six weeks period. The grade for Calculus is calculated from four different categories: Classwork/Homework, Participation, Test and Quizzes. Each category is weighed using the following approximate percentages:

CW/HW
Participation
Tests
Quizzes
Total Grade / 20%
10%
40%
30%
100%

Homework

Homework will be assigned as appropriate. All assignments are due at the beginning of the next class unless notified differently. Each assignment is worth 100 points. No credit is given to assignments that show no work. Failure to bring all your class materials will result in a zero for that day's assignment.

Late Homework

No late homework is accepted. If you miss class, you have the responsibility to get any missed notes and assignments. You will need to ask me for any missed notes and assignments. I will be following TownviewMagnetCenter’s policy for turning in assignments caused by absences.

Testing

You will take a test as scheduled that will cover material from previous sections. All quizzes and tests will be graded using a square root curve. For example, a 49 raw score would curve to 70, 64 to 80, 81 to 90, etc. My expectations are that we will succeed the first time but in the event of failure, retests are available according to teacher discretion.

Attendance

Attendance is a vital part of your success in school. Frequent absences will result in you getting behind and possibly losing credit. Therefore, it is important to be in class and on time. I will also be strictly following Townview's tardy policy. Allow yourself enough time between periods to get to class.

Additional Math Help

Tutoring will be available before and after school, Monday-Thursday, in room 319.

Classroom Atmosphere

You are expected to enter the room in an orderly fashion and begin instructor prompted homework review or other designated starting activity. You are to remain respectful of each other. You are required to stay in your seats during class unless permission is given – this includes sharpening pencils, trash disposal, etc.

Class Rules

In addition to TownviewMagnetCenter’s rules, these are the basic rules for my classroom.

  1. Be on time
  2. Be prepared
  3. Be respectful
  4. Be focused

Advanced Placement Calculus BCSyllabus

Course Overview

I teach my course in two semesters, each 18 weeks long. I am on an ABblock schedule so that I see my students 90 minutes every other day. Mystudents have previous calculus experience. I spend the first three weeksreviewing AB topics. Afterwards, I devote my time to L’Hopital’s Rule,integration techniques, sequences and series, parametric equations, vectors,polar equations, Euler’s method, slope fields, and logistic equations. I finishout the course with a thorough review leading up to the exam in May. Mystudents are provided the opportunity to work with functions graphically,numerically, analytically, and verbally. An extensive use of graphingtechnology is implemented to solve problems. A major goal is for mystudents to learn how to use “calculus” language to describe concepts andthe relationship between ideas.

Semester One

Integration Techniques, L’Hopital’s Rule, andImproper Integrals

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Integration by parts
  1. Integration by partial fractions
  2. L’Hopital’s rule and its application in finding limits
  3. The convergence and divergence of improper integrals

Sequences and Series

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Sequences; convergence and divergence
  1. Using partial sums to define series
  2. Geometric series
  3. The nth term test for divergence
  4. The integral test
  5. P-series test
  6. Limit comparison and direct comparison tests
  7. Alternating series and alternating series remainder
  8. Absolute and conditional convergence
  9. The ratio and root tests
  10. Taylor polynomials and applications
  11. Power series; radius and interval of convergence; testing endpoints
  12. Taylor and Maclaurin series for a given function
  13. Maclaurin series for ex, sin x, cos x and 1/(1-x)
  14. Differentiation and antidifferentiation of a series to determine a newseries
  15. Taylor’s theorem with Lagrange error bound

Final Exam

  1. The exam covers all topics discussed above.

Semester Two

Parametric, Vector, and Polar Functions

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Length of parametric curves
  1. First and second derivative of parametric equations
  2. Vectors and vector-valued functions
  3. Calculus of vector functions
  4. Calculus of polar functions, including slope, length, and area

Slope Fields, Euler’s Method, and LogisticEquations

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Create slope fields
  1. Solve initial value problems visually using slope fields
  2. Solve initial value problems by Euler’s method
  3. Logistic growth and applications

Review of Differentiation Topics

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Limits and Continuity (L’Hopital’s Rule)
  2. Definitions of f’; tangent and normal lines
  3. Differentiation techniques (power rule, product rule, quotient rule,
  4. chain rule, implicit )
  5. Related rates, optimization
  6. Mean value theorem, Rolle’s theorem
  7. Absolute and relative extrema

Review of Integration Topics

includes, but not limited to:

  1. Fundamental theorems of calculus
  1. Integration by u-substitution
  2. Area under a curve and between two curves
  3. Numerical methods of integration (Riemann sums, trapezoidal rule)
  4. Distance, velocity, and acceleration
  5. Average value of a function
  6. Logarithmic and exponential functions
  7. Separable differential equations, growth and decay, slope fields
  8. Volume (discs, washers, known cross-sections)

Teaching Strategies

  1. Students use TI-83’s and TI-84’s extensively. All students have theirown calculator.
  1. Topics are presented numerically, geometrically, symbolically, andverbally.
  2. It is routine to justify solutions with written sentences when solvingproblems.
  3. Students are encouraged to work cooperatively on in-classassignments.

Student Evaluation

At the beginning of each class, students volunteer to write detailed solutionswith verbal explanations to problems from the previously assignedhomework. Students are encouraged to interact with each other during thistime. My students take timed, cumulative in-class tests. The exams aredivided into calculator/non-calculator sections imitating the format of the APexam.

Review for AP Exam(May15th, 2018)

During the school year, I will provide numerous tutoring/review sessions for my students. These sessions will primarily be in March, April and the first week of May.

After covering all BC material, I go through some free response questionswith my students and discuss the scoring guidelines with them so that theybecome familiar with the “scoring” process. Students also work onmultiple-choice questions, both calculator and non-calculator. Students areencouraged to talk to each other, but must have their own written solutions.They also take in-class timed tests so that they are familiar with the timelimitations on the actual exam. Throughout the last eight weeks, studentsspend class time and have homework assignments covering various free response and multiplechoiceproblems. In April, my students take multiple mock AP exams and they aregraded and analyzed much like the actual test.

Student Information Sheet

AB Score:______

Student Information
Student Name
Address
City / State / Zip
Home Phone / Cell Phone
Email / Birthday
Parent Information
Parent or Guardian / Relationship
Email / Mobile

This document includes the following:

  • AP Calculus BC 2017-2018Classroom Management Policies and Procedures
  • Course Syllabus
  • Student and Parent Information

After you and your parents have read through these items together, please sign in the space below and return this page to me to acknowledge your understanding and agreement. I am looking forward to a wonderful year.

Student Signature / Date
Student Name
Parent/ Guardian Signature / Date
Parent/ Guardian Name