Algebra I
Mrs. Garrett
2014-2015
Course Objectives: All high school students must pass Algebra 1 in order to
graduate from high school. Algebra I is also the course in which students gain the tools
that they need to be successful in the higher-level math courses that they will take
during the remainder of their high school career.
There are two major objectives in this course. By the end of the school year
I expect the students to be able to: 1) Demonstrate the thought processes required to
perform with proficiency in higher-level mathematics courses, as well as everyday life,
and 2) effectively communicate those thoughts using the mathematical language. Both
objectives will be assessed throughout the year in the form of tests, quizzes, benchmark
exams, and presentations.
Course Outline: For each standard, students will be completing work that draws
from the information presented in the class, as well as the text and other outside
materials. To master each standard, each student will complete of some combination of
bookwork, activities, projects, and real-life applications of the math.
The Algebra 1 class will be following a pacing calendar for much of the year.
This calendar divides the standards into smaller units, each lasting two to three weeks.
In addition, each Monday, the assignments and topics for the week will be posted
online. This way both parents and students will know exactly what is happening in the
class.
Classes will be structured in a group format, allowing me to be able to structure
lessons around student needs. Each group will participate in two different types of
groups each day. The groups will be New Material, Practice, Spiral I (Review), Quizzes
(will be random and may be unannounced), and Exam Correct days (which will be after
a Unit Test). Unit Tests will be given on Fridays.
Classroom Expectations: Students will need to have the following supplies with
them EACH DAY in order to be successful in Algebra 1:
-A composition book for notes
-A one-inch (1”) binder with four dividers (Do Nows, Homework, Quizzes, Test Results)
-Loose-leaf paper (lined and graph) for the binder
-A Writing Utensil (pen, pencil, crayon, etc.)
Notes and Do-Nows: Each student is required to take notes and do all Do-Nows.
Notes should include chapter and section headings, vocabulary, formulas, etc. as
presented and reviewed in class.
Homework/Class work: Homework will be assigned every night. Late assignments
will not be accepted unless the student is absent. Late projects will be penalized one
letter grade for each day they are late.
a. All work turned in for credit must be done in pencil with all work shown.
b. Use proper heading (first and last name, date, period, and assignment).
c. Copy problem, unless it is a word problem.
d. Circle, box, or highlight your answer.
e. Grade in another color (not black).
f. Write the correct answer for all missed or skipped problems. If the
problem was done on the board, copy the work for the problem (not just
the answer).
Participation: Students are expected to be in class every day, on time and prepared
with all necessary notes, assignments, textbooks, writing tools, calculator, etc. Students
will earn points each semester based on required materials, attendance, tardiness,
paying attention, asking and answering questions, and being actively involved in all
classroom activities.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be frequent and may or may not be announced. If you are
absent, your unit test score will replace any missed quizzes. If there is no unit test for a
quiz, then a make-up quiz will be given.
Tests: A test will be given at the end of each unit. All tests will be announced. Makeups are typically more difficult. While I review tests in class or during tutorial, I do not
return the test to the student to keep. The reason for this is that we need to ensure that
the assessment instrument is an accurate measure of the individual student’s learning
and not distorted by access to the past versions of the same exam. However, I am
committed to using tutorials to ensure that students can gain the maximum value that
can be derived from their performance on prior assessments.