AP Calculus AB Syllabus Instructor: Tracey Jensen Email: TraceyLJensen@katyisd.org Room: 1660 Phone: (281) 237-3669 Resources:

• Textbook: o Larson, Ron, Hostetler, Robert P., and Edwards, Bruce H. Calculus of a single variable, 8th

edition. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. 2006. Print • Online

o Teacher Webpage: http://staff.katyisd.org/sites/thscalculusap/Pages/default.aspx

o Remind 101- to receive messages from teacher To receive messages via text, text @taylorab to (832) 706-4307

o UT Online – online homework https://quest.cns.utexas.edu Enroll in class 01 AB Calculus

• Other Websites: o www.youtube.com – teacher videos of AP Calculus AB/BC o http://www.khanacademy.org – comprehensive calculus course with videos

Educational Philosophy Many students are excellent at playing the 'School Game' but do not know the thrill and excitement of learning a subject deeply. They are often bored in class, struggle with organization and study skills that inhibit learning in all aspects of their education and expect to be spoon fed each concept and answer and leave high school ill prepared for college. In addition, my course integrates the sciences and business concepts into AP Calculus per the AP Board.

Teaching Strategies AP Calculus AB is a hands-on subject, learned by the student doing, not the teacher working endless problems. This class follows a 'Modified Flip' model,

• Videos: Student is required to watch video prior to lecture, and take notes. o The videos are available via YouTube or disk and are teacher created to correspond to

Larson textbook • Homework/Notes are checked and student questions are answered via brief lecture/discussion. • A thought problem or project is presented that students work through in small groups. • Problem sets or guided homework is teacher directed and student solved on whiteboard or

SmartBoard • The last half of the class is student working individually or in small groups. Most homework

problems are completed in class, with teacher and peer support. In addition to textbook, students will work problems from University of Texas Quest.

• By providing a variety of modalities for student learning (video, textbook, problems, individual research, small groups, board work, multiple quiz options) students will discover what helps them learn the best and strive to work smarter – not harder.

Technology Students may bring personal calculators including TI nSpire, TI-83 and TI-89 graphing calculators. School has a class set of TI nSpires and will ensure each student has a graphing calculator for in class and home use. Through the course, students will learn how to:

• Input and graph equations, • Change settings, Zoom • Find intersection of 2 or more graphs • Make tables of points from equation • Use calculator to find values, zeros, max/min, dy/dx, integrate

Student Evaluations:

• Homework (10%) ◦ All homework and notes are bound in Notebook. Notebook must: ▪ Be organized by topic/chapter ▪ Include all video/book notes, textbook problems, AP Calculus AB Released

questions, University of Texas Quest, Problem of Day, worksheets and handouts ◦ Homework from text will include analytical/graphical exercises and all Writing About Concepts

problems and teacher generated worksheets. • Quizzes (20%) are scheduled and unscheduled. • Exams (70%) are all comprehensive with emphasis on current unit. All Unit Exams may have Multiple Choice and Free Response sections. All Unit Exams may have Calculator and Non-Calculator sections.

Course Overview AP Calculus AB will approach every concept with the Rule of Four:

• Analytic – Equation/formula manipulation showing all steps and solution with units (when needed)– not just the answer!

• Numeric – Analyze lists and tables using calculus concepts. • Graphical - Interpret, manipulate, and draw graphs relating to calculus concepts. • Verbal – Includes oral and written: Students will complete some work in small groups and are

encouraged to speak and write in well thought out, complete thoughts and sentences. Students must be able to explain calculus concept so anyone interested may understand. Students working in teams will work and present problems on SmartBoard or whiteboard. Must be clear, concise and correct English. Slang, abbreviations, calculator/codes and sentence fragments not acceptable.

1st Semester Chapter 1: Limits Chapter 2: Derivatives Chapter 3: Applications of Derivatives Chapter 4: Fundamental Theorem

2nd Semester Chapter 4: Integration (Continued) Chapter 5: Transcendental Functions Chapter 6: Differential Equations Chapter 7: Volumes

In addition, enrichment topics suitable to the student's interest are included after the AP Exam in the form of projects. Some possibilities include:

• Dot and Cross Product • Vector Fields • Integration by Trig substitution • Arc Length and Surface of Revolution • Work and other Physics Applications

• Integration by Parts • Trigonometric Integrals • Trigonometric Substitution • Newton's Method • Simpson's Rule