Mrs. Johnson - AP Calculus AB Syllabus
**AP Calculus AB Exam: Thursday May 5, 2016 at 7:30am
Contact Information:
School Website: http://www.marionschools.net/wph
My Email: nicole.johnson@marion.k12.fl.us
Required Supplies:
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Graphing Calculator (TI 84+) or other graphing calculator
The Princeton Review: Cracking the AP Calculus AB & BC Exams 2013
Notebook~(folder or binder) for this class ONLY
Pencils
Loose leaf paper
Highlighters
Classroom Rules:
1. 4 P’s
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Always abide by the 4 P’s: Prepared, Prompt, Polite, & Productive
2.Talking
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Do not talk while the teacher is teaching/talking, this is called RESPECT. Do not talk during
announcements. RESPECT your peers and do not talk while others are asking/answering
math related questions. If you have a question during the lesson, please RAISE YOUR
HAND.
3.Electronics and Food
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Don’t bring them to class! Students are not permitted to use electronics in class, with the
exception of a calculator (no not a calculator on your phone). NO CELL PHONES AND NO
CHARGING YOUR PHONES DURING CLASS. Please keep your cell phones out of site
unless I request otherwise. I WILL confiscate these items for parent pick up. Students are not
allowed to have food or candy in class. If seen you will be asked to get rid of these items
immediately.
4.Garbage
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The ground is not a trashcan. Please wait until the end of class to dispose any trash. Students
are expected to throw all of their garbage in the trashcan while standing in front of the
trashcan. NO BASKETBALL with garbage. I expect to see a clean floor and clean desks
after each class leaves the room.
5. Happy Teacher
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Always make sure Ms. Coast is happy. Why? If I’m happy you are happy. How? Follow all
rules and readily practice all procedures.
***Failure to follows these rules will result in formal discipline procedures. These options
include, but are not limited to, calls home, student services, referral, and CDA.***
School Wide Tardy Policy:
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1st tardy- Teacher will remind the student of the importance of being to class on time and
layout the expectations.
2nd tardy AND BEYOND- Teacher marks the student tardy in SMS and assigns a Power
Hour Detention. If the student does not report to the assigned Power Hour Detention, the
teacher will complete an electronic referral for failure to comply with school rules.
****Always sign the tardy log if you walk in tardy,
I should not have to remind you of this!****
School Wide “Quiet and Give Me Your Attention” Procedure:
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I will raise my hand straight in the air and you will stop whatever you are doing, and saying
and raise your hand back. I should have the whole class’ attention in a matter of seconds.
Dress Code:
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I expect ALL my students to follow the dress code that is stated in the Student Handbook.
Girls, I have TONS of my old clothes in the cabinet for you to change into if you are not
following dress code. Boys… sorry I don’t have clothes for you so you will just have to get
some from student services.
Classroom Procedures:
Coming into class
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Enter the classroom and sit in your assigned seat. Students will sit in collaborative pairs, with
an assigned math partner. All belongings belong on the floor under your desk, NOT on your
lap, NOT on your back, and NOT on your desk. Students are expected to be prepared for
class every day. If there is homework due, place it in the basket on my desk, preferably
before the bell rings. Begin bellwork immediately. The bell does not begin class, you do.
This suggests class actually begins before the bell rings.
Bellwork
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Begin bellwork before the bell rings. Bellwork normally consists of review material from the
previous day’s lesson. Bellwork will also serve as continual review for the AP Calculus
Exam. We ALWAYS go over bellworks as a class. Selected students will present bellwork
on the whiteboard.
Essential Question
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The essential question is a “standard based” question that students should be able to answer
by the time we are done covering a particular Florida Standard for Algebra 2 Honors, in order
to show if mastery has occurred. I will often have students answer the essential question
using complete sentences.
I Will…
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The “I will” statement shows the student what he/she should be able to do and how they will
be able to do it by the end of the lesson each day.
Weekly Writings
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Each week students will have a new writing prompt. This prompt will be related to material
covered that week or previous material. Students will be expected to respond using 10-20
complete sentences depending upon what I consider necessary or doable depending upon the
prompt from that week.
Notes
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Notes will be given with each new topic learned. All students are expected to take notes and
keep them in their folders. There will be many times during notes when I expect students to
get engaged in what is being taught, thus it is important students have their full attention the
math. We will work out many examples together to make sure we, as a class, are mastering
the material.
Classwork
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After notes, students will be assigned practice problems on the new material, which will
serve as classwork. These problems are to be done in class only and due on my desk in the
basket before leaving the classroom. Students may only work with their math partner.
Homework
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Homework is due in the basket on my desk first thing when arriving to class. I will not
collect it from you individually. I expect you to have your homework turned in before we go
over the bellwork. I will assign homework daily and it will be due the following class period.
Homework is meant to help students get a better understanding of the material presented in
class. Math is something that can only be mastered through practice. Homework for this
course in a necessity. Note: To help assure a passing score on the AP Calculus exam
students MUST practice at home. Students MUST do the homework.
Bathroom
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Each student will be given one bathroom/hall pass per grading period. Students will have an
opportunity to gain extra credit for not using the restroom during my class. Students will have
4 opportunities at extra credit before no credit is given. Each unused block on a pass is worth
2 extra credit points to their lowest test grade at the end of the grading period (totaling a
possibility of 8 extra credit points). Students must keep their bathroom pass on them at all
times. Do not lose your bathroom pass. I suggest you tape your pass to your math folder! If a
student loses their pass they receive no points. If a student wants to use their pass but it is at
home, they have forfeited all opportunities toward extra credit if they choose to still use the
restroom. Trust me, unused bathroom passes help you out BIG at the end of the grading
period.
o BATHROOM PROCEDURE: I prefer you to use the bathroom during noninstruction time (or even better before and after class) because, remember, you are
still responsible for the material taught while in the restroom. If there is an emergency
and you must go while I am in the middle of teaching, do not interrupt class; instead
quietly bring your pass up to me and I will initial it, and then you may sign out on the
sign out log and go.
o NOTE: If you leave the room for ANY purpose you must sign in
and out on the sign out log!
Seating/Moving about classroom
 Students are expected to be in their assignment seats at all times unless noted by me. Students
are expected to stay seated the ENTIRE class period. DO NOT stand up to throw away
garbage, or put on hand sanitizer while I’m in the middle of teaching; save these actions for
the end of the class period. Do not sharpen your pencil while I’m in the middle of instruction;
make sure this is taken care of BEFORE class begins. If there is an emergency during class
and your pencil breaks, please wait for an appropriate time to sharpen your pencil, and do so
discreetly.
Math Partners
 Each student is assigned a math partner. My expectation is that EVERYBODY work with
their math partners. How it should look is like this: I give a problem for you to work on with
your math partner, you BEGIN the problem together (I do NOT want to see a person leave
their partner in the dust as the do the problem fast and all by themselves, and meanwhile their
partner hasn’t even started). Help each other each step of the way. Share your knowledge.
Ask each other questions. Always make yourself AVAILABLE for your partner at all times
while working out a problem I assigned. Once you both have reached a conclusion of an
answer that you both think is right, HIGH FIVE to celebrate your math-awesomeness.
Dismissal
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Remember you are dismissed by ME and not the bell! Do not start packing up belongings
until told to do so. I do not like to make students late to their next class so I will try to give
you a minute before the bell to get ready to leave, but this won’t be possible all the time. You
know you are dismissed when I tell you “have a nice day.”
Other “NEED TO KNOW” Information:
Absent Students
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If you are absent it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make up your work.
 On the ABSENT work you turn in, write the date in which you were absent
at the top of your paper with your parent’s initials next to it.
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You can get your work from the class website OR from the Absent Binder located at the front
of the classroom. The Absent Binder will be updated EVERYDAY and will include
EVERYTHING we do daily, including the notes. DO NOT ask me what you have missed,
instead see the BINDER AT POWER HOUR to copy down what you have missed (or take
pics).
The class website is an even better resource for absent students. Students can check my
website the day of their absence and make up the material before the return from their
absence. This means the student did not fall a full day behind. However, notes (but, students
are welcome to take their own notes from the textbook and count them as notes) will be
located in class only in the Absent Binder.
You have the number of days you were absent to make up your work, otherwise it is
considered late.
If you miss a quiz or a test, it is your responsibility to schedule a time to make that up with
me IMMEDIATELY. Come at Power Hour to do so.
Late work
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I do except late work, but never for full credit. More on this later.
Website
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My website will be updated DAILY. You will find essential questions, classwork
assignments, homework assignments, this syllabus, and other important class related
announcements on my website. These things will also always be posted in my classroom.
To access my website, go to the school’s homepage (listed at the top of this syllabus), click on
“Faculty & Staff”, click on “Faculty Listing”, then find Ms. Coast and click on Website. You will be
able to view both past and current assignments.
AP Review Session
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AP Calculus will meet the FIRST HALF of power hour EVERY FRIDAY. Please plan to be
there every meeting. This review session will hold 2 purposes. Depending upon where we are
in a lesson, we will either use this time to continue on or complete the lesson, or to do actual
AP questions from previous exams. Attendance is required.
Mu Alpha Theta
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I highly encourage ALL of my AP Calculus students to join Mu Alpha Theta. Your math
expertise will be of great use and it is a great opportunity to earn extra volunteer hours during
power hour.
Grading
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Standard Based Grading
o The grade book categories will be listed by standards. The weight of each category
will depend upon how much class time we spend on that particular standard. The idea
behind this is for students to be able to see their grade truly reflecting what they have
learned. I will still have homework and classwork, quiz, and test grades within each
category; however tests will be worth the most points.
o To make up test points, you will need to have satisfactorily completed all previous
homework and classwork assignments first.
o For bellwork (only occasionally collected), classwork, and homework I use a Check
Plus (10/10 or 100%), Check (7/10 or 70%), Check Minus (5/10 or 50%) system. See
grading rubrics for more details. Note, for LATE WORK you can only receive full
credit the day it is due. The next day the assignment is worth a check. After 5 or more
days the assignment is worth a check minus.
o Tests and quizzes are graded like normal, with tests having the highest weight. I do
give partial credit for accurate work, so ALWAYS show your work!
AP Calculus AB Course Outline
Primary Textbook
Finney, Demana, Waits, Kennedy. Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic: AP Edition. Boston:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 3rd edition, 2007.
Chapter 1: Prerequisites for Calculus (12 days) 
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Elementary functions and their properties
Linear, power, inverses, exponential, logarithmic, trig, inverse trig, piecewise functions,
composition functions
Parametric equations
Transformation of functions
Graphing calculator review
Chapter 2: Limits and Continuity (11 days)
Limits:
One and two sided limits
Limit at a point, limit at infinity, infinite limits
Properties of limits
End point behavior model
Continuity
Types of discontinuities
Tangent line to a curve
Slope of a curve at a point / slope of secant line
Instantaneous velocity / average velocity
Chapter 3: Derivatives (21 days)
Definition of f ‘
Derivative at a point
Local linearity
Numeric derivatives using the calculator
Differentiability and continuity
Relating the graphs of f and f ‘
When does f ‘(a) fail to exist?
Rules for differentiation:
Sum, product, quotient
Applications of velocity and acceleration
Chain Rule
Implicit differentiation
Derivatives of trig, inverse trig, exponential, and logarithmic functions
Logarithmic differentiation
Chapter 4: Applications of Derivatives (16 days)
Extreme Value Theorem
Local and global (absolute) extrema
Mean Value and Rolles Theorem
Using the derivative to find:
Critical points and extreme values
When the function is increasing and decreasing
Points of inflection
When the function is concave up and concave down
First and second derivative test
Intuitive general antiderivatives
Optimization Problems
Using the tangent line to approximate function values
Differentials and change
Related Rates
Chapter 5: The Definite Integral (12 days)
RAM (Rectangle Approximation Method)
Riemann sums
Finding an antiderivative
Using a definite integral to find area, volume, average value of a function
Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (First and Second)
Average value of continuous function on a closed interval
Mean Value Theorem for Definite Integrals
Trapezoid Rule
Chapter 6: Differential Equation and Mathematical Modeling (11 days)
Slope fields
Antiderivatives and the indefinite integral
Integration by substitution
Separable differential equations
Exponential growth and decay
Chapter 7: Applications of Definite Integrals ( 9 days)
Using the definite integral to discuss:
Net change - motion on a line, consumption over time
Area
Volumes of revolution
Volumes by slicing
Chapter 8: L’Hospital’s Rule ( 2 days)
Indeterminate forms and L’Hospital’s Rule
Review for the AP Exam (26 days)
We spend the last six (or five depending on the calendar) weeks of the school year reviewing for the
AP exam which is in early May. During that time period, students answer the multiple choice
questions from 1997-2011 exams during class periods in a timed environment. They will also work
on the multiple choice questions from an AP Calculus prep book that contains practice exams. The
students take previous AP Calculus free response exams in class in a timed environment. Students
will be expected to write sentences as well as verbalize their explanations and justifications during
this review period. Our classes are 50 minutes long, and I give them one whole free response test
during one period which forces them to work fast and also cherry pick questions they know they can
do. For homework assignments, I give them recent free-response exams (some from the B exams)
asking them to do three questions a night which makes up 8 assignments. Here the students are
expected to give complete sentences to all justification points and explanations. Generally, no
calculator or non calculus explanations will be accepted. I take up all work done during the review
period and give a grade on it.