Precalculus

  • PRECALCULUS SYLLABUS

     

    COURSE NAME: Precalculus

    DEPARTMENT: Math    

     

    High School:  Starpoint       

    Instructor:  Mr. Ben Scaffidi                                  

    Telephone: 716-625-7272 ext. 6621            

    E-Mail: bscaffidi@starpointcsd.org

     

    Required Materials

    Textbook:  Blitzer: Precalculus (2th ed.), Prentice Hall, ISBN:0-13-101475-7

    Calculator:  TI-83 or TI-84

     

    Course Description

    Precalculus is an expansion of essential topics necessary for success in calculus at the university level. Topics include, but are not limited to: Functions (including exponential and logarithmic), Trigonometry, Systems, Conic Sections, Matrices, Sequences, Limits, and Continuity.

     

    Method of Teaching

    Students will be invited to join Google Classroom at the beginning of the year.  Notes will be given daily.  Doing homework is essential for success.  Solutions will be supplied following each assignment and your active engagement will help the learning process. The classroom is an interactive place where your insight and perspective is important and you should feel free to give input to the lessons on a daily basis. Spiraling in old material will be part of the routine. Quizzes are an important part of your study. All assessments should be kept as parts of your notes. It is strongly advised that you use old quizzes and homework as practice for exams and tests. Looking over math material is not adequate for quality performance on assessments. Students of mathematics must “run the plays” and re-work problems. Practice makes better and should not be taken for granted.

     

    Assessment/Grading

    At regular intervals throughout the semester, several methods of assessment will be used to determine student mastery of the content including online assignments, quizzes, chapter tests, and quarterly tests.  Your grade will be based on total points earned/total possible points. Homework will be given most nights.  Two points will be deducted from the possible homework points for each missing or unsatisfactory homework.  Online assignments will not be accepted late.  Grades will be uploaded to eSchool and available for inspection by the student or parents. Any discrepancies should be brought to my attention as soon as possible so adjustments can be made.

     

    Materials for Class

    Students are expected to take notes. Homework is an important part of the learning process and all homework should be kept for study purposes. Solutions to homework will be provided the day following the assignment and corrections should be noted. Students may use a three-ring binder or spiral notebook. It should be noted that handouts will be given and should be kept as reference material. How the student does this is their prerogative. A folder or such is recommended. 

     

    **No cell phones, iPods, AirPods or Chromebooks should be used during instruction.**

     

    Attendance Policy

    Students are expected to be in class on time everyday. Students are responsible for all material missed during an absence. Notes given that day can be obtained from Google Classroom.  Tests will be announced a few days in advance.  Students who miss a test or quiz should be prepared to take it on the day they return.  Due dates for online assignments are not extended due to absence.  Chromebooks should always allow access to complete these. 

    Students who are late to class will not receive credit for homework completion that day.  Be on time, prepared to start class with all needed materials when the bell rings.

     

    **        Each individual student is responsible for being up to date with all their work.   **

     

    Academic Integrity

    Academic honesty – being honest and truthful in academic settings, especially in the communication and presentation of ideas – is required to experience and fulfill the mission of Starpont High School. Academic dishonesty – being untruthful, deceptive, or dishonest in academic settings in any way – subverts Starpoint’s mission, harms faculty and students, damages the reputation of the school, and diminishes public confidence in education.  This includes the use of cell phones to receive or distribute information.  

    All members of the Starpoint community share the responsibility for creating conditions that support academic integrity. Students must abstain from any violations of academic integrity and set examples for each other by assuming full responsibility for their academic and personal development, including informing themselves about and following the Starpoint’s Code of Conduct.