Pre-AP Pre-Calculus Course Syllabus 2014-2015
Mr. Nobuo Cedric Jen French
Meeting Times: 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th
nfrench@houstonisd.org
(281) 920-8000, ext. 6038
Tutorial Times: 7 am, first half of lunch
Room #: E120
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, 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 special 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 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: “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 9ra5r2 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.
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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. French 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 (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. 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 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 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.
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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, or markers
Questions/Comments: