AP Calculus BC Course Syllabus 2014-2015
Mr. Nobuo Cedric Jen French
nfrench@houstonisd.org
(281) 920-8000, ext. 6038
Room #: E120
Meeting Times: 1st and 5th
Tutorial Times: 7 am, first half of lunch,
or schedule time
Goal: Prepare students for the next step in their lives through a good understanding of Calculus I and II.
Resources and Materials:
 Textbook: Smith (keep at home as a resource)
 Stu Schwartz’s Lecture Notes for AB (BC) Calculus Topics 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 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)
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100 page spiral notebook/journal with name and number on front cover
 Red pen daily, it will be issued the first week, no red pen is $0.25 replace or detention (BRING EVERY DAY)
 You may eat small snacks and drink water in my class. Only on food days is anything else permitted.
Course Calendar/Schedule:
 Spend at least 30 minutes at 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/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 1 st class day of the following
week. You should spend 15 minutes on each POW individually and then check, correct, and score the POW from the
online solutions; afterwards in your study group discuss questions and different ways of working them.
 Online quizzes and polls are due Sunday evening.
 Quizzes are usually given on schedule (Tuesday – SYMKC (Stuff You Must Know Cold, Wednesday/Thursday – Multiple Choice,
Free Response, Friday - Trig)
 Exams as stated on the assignment schedule (expect any material covered including HW, POWs, SAT, etc.).
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 on Game Friday at lunch.
 All students will be expected to take two MANDATORY AP Practice Exams in the Spring in preparation for the AP Exam, one
after school during the week of April 13th to 16th and one on Saturday, April 25th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (This will count as
your Spring Final Exam). These are crucial to your performance on the AP Exam and to your grade in this class.
 Tuesday, May 5th 2015, morning AP Calculus Exam for College Credit!
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: “I’ll see you tomorrow morning” means you have 7 am detention. One way to get detention is for every unexcused tardy,
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. You will present
work on the Elmo (min of twice a six weeks) and work cooperatively with your peers. I will 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 mrfrenchgalan@gmail.com 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 7s8du7 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 Edmodo please ask me ASAP. Homework questions should be posted on
Edmodo before asking in class.
 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.
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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 redoes 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, having someone else’s hw paper, using a cheat sheet for a quiz or test, 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
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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.
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Grades:
 Overall Six Weeks Average determined by:
 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
 No absence = +1 on report card, no tardy = +1 on report card
 100% attendance on test day = +1 on test
 50% of students wearing calculus shirt on test day = +1 on test
 One Board Point per Six Weeks for a good math comic or puzzle that Mr. French hasn’t seen, turn in an explanation of
where it could be used in math class
 Any other bonus opportunities will be announced in class
How to Help Your Child Succeed in AP Calculus (Please Put on Frig)
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. 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 AP Calculus Examination. The exam will take place May 5th.
10. Encourage your child to attend the AP Calculus Exam prep sessions that are held during the spring semester. Put them
on your family calendar when they become available.
11. Please contact me right away with any concerns you might have about your child’s performance. My email is
nfrench@houstonisd.org. My phone number at school is (281) 920-8000 ext. 6038
I work very hard to help all students master the concepts and skills of AP 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.
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We have read and understand the AP Calculus BC 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, or markers
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