AP Calculus, 2013-14
Mrs. Malott’s Classroom Procedures and Expectations
Basic Classroom Rules:
All classroom rules come down to respect. If you are able to show respect for yourself, for your classmates, for your teachers and
for your administrators, then everything else should fall into place. Unless otherwise instructed, every day you should:
 Be on time to class.
 Be prepared for class. Bring your calculators, books, writing utensils and something appropriate to write on.
 Be honest.
 Use your time wisely.
 Keep your cell phones put away.
 Not distract others in the room.
 Follow teacher instructions, verbal and/or written
 If you need to leave the classroom during class time, use the sign-out/in sheet which is posted near the door.
Consequences:
The good: Awards of Calculus Awesomeness
The bad: Verbal warning, Parent Contact, Detention, Office referral
- At any time, steps may be skipped.
The ugly: I will draw graphs without the use of technology for you to interpret.
Technology:
A graphing calculator is required for this class (IT-83 plus or higher recommended). Cell phones, iPods, iPads, tablets, laptops, etc
are not to be used without permission. There will NOT be texting or use of social media, nor should you be taking pictures or videos
in class. Keep your cell phones put away. If you have your cell phone out during a test or quiz, you will receive a zero on that test or
quiz. Consequences of misuse of technology: Verbal warning, confiscation of technology, parent contact, technology sent to office.
At any time, steps may be skipped.
What should you expect from this class?
Many of you may be in your first AP class and may be wondering what to expect and what the subject of calculus involves. Calculus
is college-level material, and it combines concepts of algebra, geometry and trigonometry. This course is more analytical than
previous math classes that you have taken. The focus is on mathematics used in movement and change. Calculus is fundamental for
concepts in science, engineering and economics.
I want the atmosphere of this class to be similar to a college class. This is college level material and I expect that you will have the
maturity to be able to handle a college-type atmosphere with open class discussions. Please remember to be respectful that
everyone is here to learn. Do not be disruptive and distract others from learning. You are responsible for keeping your own
organization; you will decide how to accomplish that. I encourage you to ask questions during class and I encourage you to help
each other. There are many ways to approach calculus problems, so be willing to look at problems from different viewpoints.
The AP exam is on May 7, 2014 at 8:00 AM. It is important for us to stay on task to get through all of the material that may be
covered on the exam. The AP exam consists of four parts: multiple choice with calculator, multiple choice without calculator, free
response with calculator, and free response without calculator. I will incorporate some of these throughout the school year so you
are familiar with the format. I will provide you with more information on the AP exam in the spring.
If you miss a school day, it is your responsibility to figure out what you missed. If you have questions, please ask me or email me. If
you miss a test or quiz, I expect you to make it up on the day you return. Failure to do so will result in a deduction in your test/quiz
grade. If you miss multiple days, we will work together to make that up as soon as possible.
Grading will be on a point system. You can expect several quizzes during each chapter and a test at the end of each chapter. Tests
will be worth more points (~100 points, but may vary based upon length and difficulty) than quizzes and homework. Tests and
quizzes may be divided into two days with some parts calculator and some non-calculator. The number of tests and quizzes given in
each quarter will vary, as will the number of graded points – this is to your benefit, since I will adjust the schedule based upon
student comprehension. Calculus builds upon itself – by the end of the course, you will still be using the concepts that you learned
at the beginning of the course. It will be important to master concepts before moving on. During the second semester, we may
have projects which will be weighted similarly to tests. You will learn more about the projects in the fourth quarter.
Students who are identified as gifted in math and have a WEP may be given additional assignments and may be given additional
problems on tests and quizzes.
Homework: Homework will be assigned (almost) daily. It is never my intention to give you “busy work”; problems are chosen
carefully and with a greater purpose in mind. This is a college-level mathematics course, so you will be expected to keep up with the
homework on your own. Some assignments will be graded, many will not. However, all of them are important to your success in
this class. Optional homework grades will be awarded up to 10% of your overall grade (the homework point values will vary
depending on the number of overall points each quarter). More information on optional homework grades will be posted on my
website as we approach the first test.
Website and Communication: In addition to verbal instructions, I will post lesson plans and assignments on my website. I
frequently use my website to post homework solutions or additional information that will help you. Solutions (not just answers)
will be posted for nearly every assigned homework problem.
Office hours/Study Group: I will have my room available after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4 PM for study groups and/or
tutoring. (Note: These days may change later in the school year as my children’s schedules change. If this changes, I will let you
know and/or post any changes on my website.)
Helpful hints from previous AP calculus students (these are their suggestions, not mine):
 Mrs. Malott doesn’t give you busy work.
 Calculus is cumulative. If you don’t learn something at the beginning of the year, you’ll have big problems later on.
 It’s easy to get the correct answers, but what the answers mean is what is important.
 It is important to know why you are doing what you’re doing.
 You need to be able to look at and understand graphs, A LOT.
 If you thought pre-calc had a lot of variables, wait until calculus.
 Be involved in the class (and it’s okay to throw in a joke or two).
 A student will get out of calculus whatever they put into it.
 The workload isn’t bad, but it’s really important to do the homework.
 Don’t wait until it’s too late to ask questions.
 Even though the homework isn’t required, I feel that it helped me tremendously to do the homework.
 If you do your homework, it will greatly help your score on the AP exam.
 The concepts are not impossible to comprehend. Doing the homework helped immensely.
 Ask a lot of questions even if your classmates start yelling at you.
 I find it impossible to do poorly in this class as long as you don’t do your Spanish homework while Mrs. Malott is teaching.
Only mess around and don’t do your homework respectfully.
 The only times I struggled or didn’t quite understand something were the times I didn’t do the homework.
 Calculus is a category of its own and not really like pre-cal and essentially gives you a “clean slate”.
 Calculus has many abstract concepts, with more stress being put on pictures and graphs than calculating equations and
numbers.
 Any time you saw roman numeral style answers you knew it was going to be tough.
 Try to pay attention to the lectures as much as possible, even if you are hungry and tired.
 You really only need to know two concepts, derivatives and integrals. You just need to know them really well.
 AP Calculus is like scaling a volcano backwards, blindfolded, at night. But, it is entirely worth it.
I am looking forward to this year. I hope the two little letters “A” and “P” followed by the word “Calculus” do not scare you. Please
do not be afraid to ask questions and participate in class.
I have to buy my own printer cartridges for my room, so please do not ask to use my printer.