Course Syllabus and Guidelines:  To See Full Syllabus, Scroll  Below

 AP Calculus Syllabus (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

 

Quick Info

Textbook: Calculus for  AP,  by Larson, Hostetler, and Battaglia

                                                                                  CalcChat(answer key for textbook)

                                                                                  CalcView ( video explanations for textbook questions)

                                                                                  http://www.larsoncalculusforap.com/apcalc1e/

                                                                              

Resources and Assignments:     Assignments & Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.This link will take you to a Google Drive folder with all the resources you will need.

                                                                               

Other Resources:                                        Khan Academy class code:  84W4TYXD

 

               Fast Track to a 5:  Preparing for the AP Calculus AB and BC Examinations

               Barron’s  AP Calculus Review Book may also used to help students prepare for the AP exam.    

               Online resources from the AP College Board  and Cengage will be incorporated as the year unfolds.

 

BC Calculus Course Guidelines & Syllabus

Parkwood High School 

2019 - 2020

CBrightsen

Class Policies

• 
  Attendance is critical in a class of this level.   If for some reason you miss a class and it is an excused absence, see me as soon as possible to discuss any work you missed.  School policy allows you only two days after each excused absence to turn in missed work. Late work may be turned in the day after it is assigned for a maximum of 75% of its value.
•  Academic dishonesty carries severe consequences, and has resulted in students failing this class in the past. Progress reports will be sent out in the middle of each six weeks to be signed and returned.
•  All work MUST be shown!   Answers only will NOT be accepted.
• Class preparation is essential and expected. Extra help is available most mornings between 7:50 -8:10 and after school from 3:15 – 3:35pm.   Please check with me in advance and I will adjust my schedule as much as possible to assist you.

 

Grading Policy
Homework     10 - 25 %                                

Quizzes          25 - 30 %                                            

Tests           60 %                                     

 

• You will find that most of your work for this class will be in the form of homework.  I will assign daily homework and expect you to do your best on each assignment.
• As the year progresses, we will begin to incorporate Free Response questions as week-long assignments.
• Projects may be assigned each six weeks.  These will count as test grades.
• Work turned in Late the next day will receive a MAXIMUM of 75% of the earned grade.
• You will be expected to take the AP Calculus Exam in May.  Students who do not take the AP exam will receive a grade deduction of one letter to counterbalance the inflation of grade for an AP course.
• You must be capable of doing college-level work but more importantly, you must be motivated to do college-level work in high school.  Your grades will reflect this level of motivation.
•  As we transition into review during the second semester, the grading may change to a total point system.  Students will be advised of any changes with the second semester at that time.

Course Materials

• Text: Calculus for AP,  Larson, and Battaglia      
• Fast Track to a 5:  Preparing for the AP Calculus AB and BC Examinations 
• TI-83, TI-84, or  TI – 89 Calculator
• We will be incorporating new online resources from the AP college board, Khan Academy and the new text book as the year unfolds 

 

Course Philosophy

       The course emphasizes a multi-representational approach to calculus, with concepts, results, and problems being expressed numerically, algebraically, graphically, and verbally. (I will verbally NAG you all year.)  This course is designed to make you think mathematically, which means that you will need to be able to solve a variety of problems with little initial instruction from the teacher. Cooperative learning, student discovery and classroom dialogue will be encouraged.  It is also important for students to be able to communicate their understanding of calculus in written format for the AP exam.

 

Course Objective

• DerivativesAP Calculus BC course builds upon what is learned in AB Calculus.  In addition to the prior topics, students will also cover vectors, polar and parametric functions, sequences and series.  
• Derivatives of vector-valued functions, parametric functions, and functions expressed in polar coordinates.
• Analysis of polar graphs using derivatives.
• Velocity, speed, and acceleration for vector-valued or parametric functions.
• Euler’s method.

Integrals

• Improper integrals.
• Integration by parts and the method of partial fractions.
• Displacement, distance, and position of a particle moving according to a vector-valued or parametric function.
• Areas bounded by polar curves.
• Length of a parametric curve.
• Logistic growth model.

Sequences and Series

• Convergence and divergence.
• Common series such as the p-series, geometric series, and harmonic series.
• Absolute versus conditional convergence.
• Taylor polynomials and approximation.
• Lagrange error bound.
• Taylor series and power series.
• Radius and interval of convergence.

 

AP Exam

The AP exam will be given on the morning of Tuesday, May 5th . Location and starting time will be announced in advance.

 

The AP test consists of 2 parts:

Section I  Multiple Choice (105 minutes)  

30 questions, 60 minutes no calculator allowed

             15 questions, 45 minutes      calculator required

Section II  Free Response (90 Minutes)

         2 questions, 30 minutes        calculator required

4 questions, 60 minutes  no calculator allowed

                 *work must be shown, even when a calculator is used

 

The memory on your calculator is not cleared for the test.  You may program formulas into your calculator.  There is no formula sheet given during the exam.

Scores of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam constitutes a passing score. 

More information can be found at:  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html