This rigorous course will cover an in-depth study of various functions in rectangular and polar planes, in addition to other topics that are needed for Calculus. The course will combine trigonometric, geometric, and algebraic techniques to strengthen the students’ conceptual understanding of mathematics. Students will demonstrate their understanding for the material covered by working on the assigned challenging problems, proving identities and theorems, and deriving formulas. Classroom discussions will move from the concrete to abstract and theorems will be proven in more detail.
Students will actively engage in problem solving, reasoning, connecting and communicating mathematically as they explore various families of functions. Special emphasis will be on Exponential functions, Logarithmic functions, Rational functions, Trigonometric functions, and the Inverse of Trigonometric functions from numerical, graphical, and algebraic approaches. Graphs in 3-Dimensional plane, conics, and polar equations of conics will be discussed, too. In order to prepare the students for AP Calculus, the emphasis of the course after Spring Break will shift to Calculus.
The instructional strategies will vary throughout the year. Investigative and collaborative group activities, questioning for understanding and metacognition, guided practice, addressing students’ learning style, scaffolding of classroom activities, and differentiation will be implemented in this course.
In class students are expected to work collaboratively on formative assessments including homework, mini quizzes, and chapter tests. In this course we will use WebAssign, an online course management system. Students will be assigned problems in WebAssign and can access hints, practice problems, and pdf copies of chapters.
Ti-83 or Ti-84 graphing calculator is required. By using technology to collect and model data, students will be able to make conjectures about the data and develop a robust understanding of the concepts discussed.
This is the course you will need to take before the SAT II Exam.