Syllabus for Intermediate Algebra 1
2011-2012 Room 22 Gil LeFranÁois
Texts: Discovering Geometry by Serra (4th edition © 2008 Key Curriculum)
Algebra I by Bellman, Bragg, Charles, Hall, Handlin, & Kennedy (© 2007 Prentice Hall)
Equipment: Graphing Calculator (prefer the TI-83 or TI-84 families of calculators), spiral notebook for notes, at least 25 sheets of graph paper (4 or 5 squares per inch), 3 colored pencils, 2 black expo dry erase markers (chisel tip, low odor), centimeter ruler, protractor, and compass.
Expectations:
1. There is daily homework with each assignment worth 5 points. The purpose of homework is to practice a particular skill and then to make connections to previously studied material. Your homework is to be done in pencil and I encourage you to do in-class corrections with a different colored pencil. Expect to spend up to 30 minutes per assignment [you may stop doing your homework once you reach 30 min. of focused work]. Late assignments may be submitted up to a week after the due date with the loss of a single point. After four missing assignments a note will be sent home and your effort grade may be lowered.
2. Quizzes are given fairly regularly, usually after three or four class days, and will typically be administered without the use of a calculator. The quizzes are designed to check student progress and consist of simple skill based problems. Quizzes are worth about 20 pts each.
3. Tests are given after each chapter with a total of fourteen tests in the school year. Some tests will be cumulative and all tests have two sections, a calculator and a non-calculator part. The tests are comprised of skill-based problems that examine your mechanics as well as multi-step problems that use two or more concepts. Tests are worth from 90 to 150 points.
4. If you are unexpectedly absent, you should read the missed section from the text or check the Khan Academy website for a video lecture and then do the assigned problems that can be found on your assignment guide. If you have difficulty with the material you should immediately seek help from a classmate or me. If you have a planned absence such as an ortho appointment or early dismissal for sports, it is your responsibility to inform me, submit any work that is due, and take any quiz or test prior to the absence.
5. Be prepared for class by being on time and equipped with your book and supplies. You should immediately sit with your group and discuss the previous nights homework. If you will be late to class, bring a late slip from either the office or a teacher. Unexcused tardies and absences will lower your effort grade as well as your letter grade.
6. You will take notes in a dedicated notebook and do homework on loose-leaf paper or in another notebook. You are strongly encouraged to work cooperatively on your homework (though not on quizzes and tests). This does not mean that it is okay to copy someone elseís work! Rather, what I expect is that you will help each other by explaining the algorithms and underlying concepts.
Web connections:
then navigating to Faculty WebPages and selecting my name. The site will contain copies of class handouts, assignment guides, answer keys, and links to web based applets along with the publisherís on-line support
Grading: The marking period grade is comprised of homework (~20%), notebook (~10%), projects (~10%), quizzes (~20%), and tests (~40%). The semester grade is comprised of the two marking period grades at roughly 40% and 45% with a final exam at 15%. Updated grades are posted on my web site weekly. Grading is done on a 90%=A-, 80%=B-, 70%=C- scale. Please note: the prerequisite for Comprehensive Geometry next year (as opposed to Core Geometry) is a minimum average of A-.
Hints for Success: Keep up with your daily work. Take good notes, complete with examples. Be involved in the class discussions and the working of example problems. Work cooperatively with your peers. Strive to understand concepts and donít rely on memorizing algorithms for solving specific problems. Review your math book. See me if you have difficulty (my free periods are B, C, F, and H blocks).
Course Outline
SEMESTER I Ongoing Algebra & Arithmetic Review
Algebra: Variables, Functions, Graphs, & Real Numbers
Linear Equations: Solving & Graphing
Geometry: Vocabulary
Constructions
Supplement Geometer SketchPad, Problem Solving, Programming
SEMESTER II Ongoing Algebra & Arithmetic Review
Algebra: Systems of Equations, Exponents, Quadratics,
Trigonometry
Geometry: Reasoning, Modeling,
Right Triangles, & Constructions
Supplement Geometer SketchPad, Problem Solving, Boolean Algebra
Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. - Socrates
Spoon-feeding, in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon. - E. M. Forster
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