Villa Joseph Marie High School
Mathematics Department
Course Syllabus -Honors Calculus
Textbook: Calculus of a Single Variable (Eighth Edition) – Larson, Hostetler, Edwards
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, New York (2006)
Instructor: Mr. Steven StodghillPhone: 215-357-8810 ext. 172
Classroom: 302Email:
Course Description:
Honors Calculus provides the student with a rigorous course in calculus with in-depth instruction in the basic concepts of calculus. The course is designed for those students not planning to take the Advanced Placement Examination in Calculus. Calculus brings together many of the concepts and procedures from algebra, geometry and trigonometry. The focus in the first half of the year will be on functions, limits and differential calculus with an emphasis on real world problems in the area of related rates, optimization and motion. The focus in the second half of the year will be on integral calculus with applications that include finding areas enclosed by the graphs of functions, finding the volumes of shapes defined by functions and calculating quantities by integrating derivative functions.
Course Goals:
Students will be able to:
- Graph functions identifying discontinuities and asymptotes.
- Find limits as x approaches a constant or infinity.
- Find the derivative of a function using the limit definition of a function.
- Find rates of change over an interval and at a specific point.
- Find derivatives of functions.
- Optimize function.
- Solve related rates problems.
- Use differentials to approximate.
- Approximate with Riemann sums.
- Find anti-derivatives.
- Evaluate integrals.
- Find the derivative of an integral function.
- Find volumes of shapes defined by functions.
Classroom Rules:
Be your best by coming to class on time and being prepared to learn.
Be respectful at all times.
Eating or drinking anything other than water in class is STRICTLY prohibited.
Course Materials:
- Spiral notebook or binder with loose leaf paper for class notes/practice problems
- Graphing calculator
- Pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers
Grading:
There will be a test at the conclusion of each chapter covered. These tests will be accompanied by quizzes given every fifth day of class without exception. All tests will be announced a minimum of two school days prior to its administration. Students are expected to complete any homework assignments prior to the start of class. Homework will not be counted as an independent grade but will serve as a mechanism for earning bonus points. Bonus points can only improve a student’s grades. The total number of points earned on tests and quizzes (in addition to any earned bonus points) will be divided by the total number of available test and quizpoints to determine the final grade for each grading period. The grading scale is as follows:
A 100 – 94
B+93 – 90
B89 – 86
C+85 – 81
C80 – 77
D+76 – 73
D72 – 70
F69 or below
Classroom Procedures:
All students are required to follow the classroom rules and procedures as outlined in the Student Handbook.
1. Students must be prepared and in your seat by the second bell. That includes having yourtextbook, notebook/binder, calculator, and pencil out on your desk.
2. YOU MUST USE A PENCIL WHEN COMPLETING COMPUTATIONS.
3. ALL WORK MUST BE SHOWN for credit to be given.
4. I encourage questions and discussion about misunderstandings.
5. Cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If a student is caught cheating they will receive no credit for the assignment and will be reprimanded according to the Student Handbook.
Make-Up Work/Absences:
In the event that a student is absent, they are expected to find all missed notes and assignments upon return. In the event that a student is absent the day of a quiz or test, and was present the day before, they are required to make-up the quiz/test on the day of return. If the student was absent the day before a test/quiz, the student has three days to make it up. Prolonged absences will be handled on an individual basis.
Additional Support:
I am available before and after school Monday-Thursday for students to make-up assessments or to receive additional assistance. If a student needs to set up an alternate time I will do my best to accommodate them.