Course Expectations/Syllabus 2015-16
Course: Honors Pre-Calculus
Instructor: Kate Yoder
Phone: (206) 230-6382
E-mail: kate.yoder@mercerislandschools.org
Welcome to Honors Pre-Calculus! The main purpose of this course is to prepare you for Calculus. Everything
we do this year will revolve around that purpose. Although we will review prerequisite topics from Algebra
and Algebra 2 the first week or so, we’ll soon be delving deeper in to the general topic areas of: Functions &
Graphs; Polynomial, Power, & Rational Functions; Exponential, Logistic, & Logarithmic Functions; Matrices
and Vectors, Trigonometric Functions; Analytic Trigonometry; Parametric & Polar Equations; and if time
permits Analytic Geometry and Intro to Calculus.
Feel free to contact me anytime during the school year if you have questions or concerns about the class, your
progress (or your student’s progress), or if you would like to arrange a meeting.
Materials
The textbook for this class is Precalculus: Graphical, Numberical, Algebraic (seventh edition) by Demana,
Waits, Foley, and Kennedy.
All students must have a graphing calculator. If you are purchasing a calculator, I will be instructing with a TINspire CX CAS but a non-CAS will be fine if you already have one. Please talk with me if you have questions
about the graphing calculators.
Evaluation System
Grades will be weighted: 20% (formative) bookwork/warm-up/check-in/activities/classwork/packets/exitslips/total-recall/assignment,etc... and 60% (summative) assessments including a final worth 20%.
93-100 A
92-90 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
65-69 D+
60-64 D
59- F
Late Work and make-up work policy
A student who misses the day prior to an announced test or quiz will be expected to take the test or quiz on the
scheduled day as they are announced well in advance.
A student who misses the day of a test or quiz with an excused absence is responsible for taking the quiz or test
either before or after school in the scheduled room within two days after you come back.
Students with unexcused absences may not be allowed to make up the test, quiz, or homework check-in and
will receive a score of 0 points.
A student gone on the day of an in class warm up/check-in/activity/exit-slip…with an excused absence will
either make it up or it will be one of several built in misses they are allowed – this decision will be made by me
after consulting with the student.
Behavioral expectations and consequences
Each student is expected to have a respectful attitude towards teachers, fellow students, and classroom
materials. If a student is preventing other people from learning and/or the teacher from instructing, steps will be
taken as outlined by school policy in the student handbook, or if warranted, immediate action will be taken.
Students are expected to make only appropriate comments and appropriate language in doing so. Follow the
golden rule and your common sense and there should not be any problems.
Cheating
You are expected to conduct yourself with integrity. If you cheat or aid someone else in cheating, you violate a
trust. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying portions of answers on tests or assignments, glancing at
nearby test papers, swapping papers or allowing another to copy your work, plagiarizing from another student’s
work or from a published author’s work or the internet, telling others the problems on an assessment, and
illicitly giving or receiving help on tests or other forms of assessment. If you cheat, you will receive a grade of
“0” on the work. A report of the incident will be sent to an administrator and your counselor. Each may file the
report in your permanent record or take further disciplinary action, such as suspension or parent contact.
Attendance policy
Per school policy, students with 12 or more absences will have to appeal in order to receive credit for the
course (and may not).
Students with an unexcused absence may not make up the work.
Students will be counted tardy if not seated and ready to begin class when the school clock shows it is time.
Students will be counted absent if later than 10 minutes to class by the school’s clock.
Extra Help
If you are having difficulty understanding the material presented, it is your responsibility to get extra help. I’m
always happy to assist you as needed but it is helpful to make arrangements ahead of time to ensure my
availability. Please do not wait until you are completely frustrated and confused to seek help. Staying current
makes it much easier to do well in the course!
By appointment:
7:00-7:50
M-W,F
Other places to go for help; check your notes, read the book, look at online websites, check Kahn Academy
videos, and/or form a study group.
Book Work
Problems from the book will be assigned through Math XL for schools. This is a web-site which will allow you
to complete assignments while getting hints, seeing additional like problems, give you a study plan for
additional help on topics you may have struggled with, and correct your work so you can tell how you are
doing. You will have three attempts to do each problem correctly before you receive a score.
Web-site
I will be using Schoology to post assignments, agendas, documents, and a calendar. Answer keys to assignments
other than book work will most times be posted on my website in order to help if you are stuck, check your own
work (this is an expectation), and see areas that you are having difficulty in so you might ask questions and/or
seek additional help. We are partners in learning and I expect you to be an active participant and take the
initiative to get help when you do not fully comprehend the material.
There will also be links to additional sites you might find helpful, assignments/activities which you can print out
at home if you like to have a hard copy, are absent when it was handed out or lost the assignment.
HONORS PRECALCULUS 2015-16
Return this SIGNED expectations sheet to class by Monday, Sept. 21
I have read and understand the course expectations for Honors Precalculus. I agree that the guidelines set
before are clear and fair. I will do my best to be a productive and active member of this class.
Student Name: ___________________________________
Signature:
Date:_____________
___________________________________
Parents
o I have read and understand the Honors Precalculus expectations for my student.
o I will do my best to support my child and the teacher this year.
o Mrs. Yoder welcomes and encourages parent contact. I know I should contact her
via email or voicemail and that she will get back to me in a timely manner.
o I know that OPEN HOUSE is Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 pm.
Parent(s)/Guardian Name: ________________________________Date:______________
Signature(s):
________________________________
Daytime phone:
________________________________
E-mail:
________________________________
Please make sure your contact email is up to date in skyward. This will allow me to set up a parent contact
list for this class.
How would you prefer to be contacted? (who/where/when) ________________________________________