Pre-AP Pre-Calculus Course Syllabus 2014-2015
Mr. Peter Andrade
Meeting Time: 1st Period
pandrade@houstonisd.org
(281) 920-8000, ext. 6041
(832) 645-5672 [(832) 6455-MR. A]
Tutorial Times: lunch, 3:30pm- 4:30pm
Room #: E129
or schedule time
Resources and Materials:
 Textbook: Precalculus Enhanced with Graphing Utilities (keep at home as a resource)
 Stu Schwartz’s Lecture Notes for Pre-Calculus Manual (BRING EVERY DAY) mastermathmentor.com
 The teacher will use the TI-84/89 Graphing Calculator, any graphing calculator is fine for students (BRING EVERY DAY)
 Organized 3-ring binder (MATH only) with paper and dividers (lesson and assignment schedules, lesson notes and handouts,
mathematics history/proofs, POWs, quizzes) (BRING EVERY DAY)
 PENCILS (BRING EVERY DAY)
 Straightedge (Student ID, BRING EVERY DAY, should suffice)
 100 page spiral notebook/journal with name and number on front cover
 Red pen daily, no red pen is $0.25 to replace or detention (BRING EVERY DAY)
 You may eat small snacks and drink water in my class. Only on special food days is anything else permitted.
Course Calendar/Schedule:
 Spend 30 minutes a day, seven days a week on math (studying and doing homework). Make a schedule to follow weekly.
 Assignments: Homework, as stated on assignment schedule, write up nicely and box answers. POWs (Problem Of the Week) as
assigned, Minus 5% for not having full heading on papers turned in (name, number, date, title) and/or for using pen instead of
pencil. Completing notes may be assigned for homework; if I call on you to present those notes or homework and you don’t have
them you will lose a board point.
 Due dates:
 Homework is due the class following the lesson.
 If you know you are going to be out of my class, you must turn in your work early.
 POW’s and journals are usually assigned the 1st class day of the week and are due on the 1st class day of the following
week. Spend a minimum of 30 minutes on each POW individually; afterwards in your study group discuss questions and
different ways of working them.
 Online quizzes and polls are due Sunday evening.
 POWs are LTF problems and SAT practice tests. You need to come in to tutorials to check the POWs before they are due. You
should have copies of LTF diagnostic tests for Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. If you do not have these materials please see
your past math teachers for another copy. These problems and my POWs will be used on quizzes and tests.
 Quizzes are usually given on schedule (Tuesday – SYMKC, Wednesday/Thursday – Algebra 2 LTF/POW’s/Modules, Friday - Trig)
 Exams as stated on the assignment schedule (expect any material covered including HW, POWs, SAT, etc.). LTF EOC = Test Grade.
Expect a binder check on test days. To be on the Wall of Honor you need a 710 or high on math SAT, 5 on AP Calculus BC Exam,
recite 100+ digits of pi, or winner of Game Friday at lunch. The LTF EOC is the big test we are preparing for all year.
Course Policies:
 Attendance:
 If absent, you will need to get together with another student, check online for the lecture notes, etc.
 Fill out orange absent form ASAP.
 Tardies: If you are late you will get detention. Detention can be during lunch or after school in E129 (at Mr Andrade’s Discretion).
2 unexcused tardies will result in an S in conduct, more than 2 will result in a P in conduct
 Class Participation: When the bell rings, students are expected to be quiet with HW and/or notes out on desks and on task for the
DO FIRST. I may be taking pictures throughout the year. Please comment after signature if you do not want me to take your
picture. I like to share pictures of students working at Open House and end of school year.
 Study Group Picture: Each month a study group picture will be assigned. Students need to take a picture with a new student each
month. It needs to be printed out to turn in, not sent electronically. The student who is in the most pictures that month will get a
board point.
 Technology: Sign on to www.khanacademy.org, add @mrandrade as your coach the first week you are in my class. Make sure you
are using an email or facebook name that I can easily understand that it is you. Also visit www.edmodo.com and click on the
student sign-up link. Enter the code c3x8af and complete the registration form. Put picture of yourself ASAP and read all posts.
Be sure to turn the Notifications on in the Settings. Check Edmodo daily. Parents can email me to get a code to get into Edmodo
also. If you have any questions about it please ask me ASAP. Homework questions should be posted on Edmodo before asking in
class. If you are doing the online quiz 1 day late you must send me an Edmodo post.
 Phones, etc.: If your phone goes off in class I will not take it up but you will have one morning detention. If you use your phone in
class I will take it up.









Guidelines for turning in assignments
 Unless otherwise stated, all answers should be rounded to 3 decimal places.
 Solutions should NEVER just be a single number without some description of how you got that answer.
 No Work = No Credit (NWNC).
 Everything is for a grade.
 If students do not have a homework assignment they are required to fill out a yellow card and turn it in. If a student doesn’t
turn in a yellow card 1st time = - 1 Board Point, all others will be detention. Every missing assignment after the first will result
in detention.
Make-ups:
 “Make-ups” on homework assignments is not an idea which should be entertained, if you are absent on the day you
return to class you should have the homework for the missed day and the day you come in, put at the top of turned in
assignments “Absent with note” or “Absent without note”.
 If an absence is excused, the quiz is excused.
 Make-up exams will be taken at 6:30 am on assigned days. If an absence on the original test day is unexcused, the exam
grade will be a zero.
Redoing Assignments and Exams for grades below 75:
 Students can redo homework one day after due date, put “Late” at the top. Late homework loses 25 points. If missing
“Late” students lose an additional 10 points.
 Students can redo tests. Test corrections must be complete before the test redo will be recorded.
 Test redos will count up to a 75. There will be no bonus or curving on redo grades.
 Test redos will be Monday mornings at 6:30 am.
Test Corrections:
 Test corrections should be done after every test. Test corrections are reworking the problem missed correctly and writing two
sentences, half point back for each missed if all are completely correct.
 They are due Friday morning before the next test.
Cheating:
 If you can’t explain what you wrote down then you are cheating. This includes but is not limited to: copying someone’s
homework or in class assignments, copying answers from the internet, using a pencil when we are checking work, letting someone
else copy your work, using a cheat sheet for a quiz or test, having someone else’s hw paper, etc. No grade is worth cheating over.
In the end you hurt yourself and your classmates. I take this very seriously, trust is hard to rebuild.
 Students will receive a grade of 0, a P in conduct, 2 days of detention with me, and no future recommendation from me.
A P in conduct will affect your NHS standing.
Tutorials:
 All students are encouraged to come to tutorials before school and during lunch.
 If you have trouble with any math questions, you are expected to come in the morning for tutorials, use study groups,
and/or use resources like the textbook and Edmodo before the homework is due.
 Once a week, students can earn one merit for coming to tutorials. Be sure to sign in.
Costs
 Replace handouts 25 cents per page up to $1.00, red pen 25 cents, pencil 25 cents, electronic devices out $15.00 in the
main office
Letter of Recommendation – If you would like me to give you a letter of recommendation you will need to write it first and then I
will edit it.
Grades:
 Quizzes
20%
 Homework/Daily work
10%
 Exams/Projects
70%
 Grades are online, check to make sure they are correct. Let me know ASAP if I need to check a grade.
 Bonus Opportunities:
 Students can write a current related math topic song or poem and present it to class, check with me first, +1
Board Point
 One merit = +5 on a quiz of your choice
 Extra Board Points = +5 on Board Point quiz grade
 One Board Point per Six Weeks for a good math comic or puzzle that Mr. Andrade hasn’t seen, turn in an
explanation of where it could be used in math class
 No absence = +1 on report card, no tardy = +1 on report card
 100% attendance on test day = +1 on test
 50% of students wearing pre-calculus shirt on test day = +1 on test
 Any other bonus opportunities will be announced in class or Edmodo
How to Help Your Child Succeed in Pre-AP Pre-Calculus (Keep Handy)
1. Make sure your child is doing homework regularly. Assignments are given at every class meeting. Check for
completeness. 30 minutes of math every day.
2. Encourage your child to read the textbook, make notes as necessary, and study its examples. There are also very good
instructional videos online at www.khanacademy.org and www.houstonact.org in case they are absent or just want to
have the material presented again.
3. Help your child to ask questions in class, on the forum, and in tutorials. “I don’t understand this!” is NOT a question.
“Can you help me see where I made a mistake in working problem #3?” is something we can work with.
4. If your child is having difficulty, encourage him or her to come in for tutorials. I am available mornings, lunch, and by
appointment.
5. Help your child to take a serious approach to forming a study group with other serious students. Pizza can be a powerful
lure to entice study-ers to your house. However, more than four students becomes a party instead of a study group.
6. Help your child to organize his or her time and prioritize tasks.
7. Encourage your child to persevere in spite of challenges. This might be the first course in which your child really has to
struggle to master the material. Remember that it’s better to learn how to struggle now than when they are off by
themselves in college.
8. Encourage your child to stay involved in academics during the spring semester.
9. Encourage your child to prepare for the Pre-AP Pre-Calculus EOC Examination. The exam will take place during May.
10. Encourage your child to attend the Pre-AP Pre-Calculus EOC Exam prep sessions that are held during the spring
semester. Put them on your family calendar as soon as the dates are available.
11. Please contact me right away with any concerns you might have about your child’s performance. My email is
pandrade@houstonisd.org. My phone number at school is (281) 920-8000 ext. 6041, for emergencies (832) 645-5672
[(832) 6455-MR. A]
I work very hard to help all students master the concepts and skills of Pre-AP Pre-Calculus. Student success will depend on many
factors, including previous math knowledge and personal motivation. With all of us working together, we can help to ensure that
your child has the best possible learning experience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 cut off bottom
We have read and understand the Pre-AP Pre-Calculus Course Syllabus.
Student Name (printed) ___________________________________________________________________________
Student Signature ________________________________________________________
Date _________________
Parent Signature _________________________________________________________
Date _________________
Parent email ____________________________________________________________________________________
Period______
If possible please donate: red pens, AAA batteries, tissue box, scissors, index cards or markers
Questions/Comments: