Calculus III Course Syllabus 2014-2015
Mr. Nobuo Cedric Jen French
nfrench@houstonisd.org
(281) 920-8000, ext. 6038
Room #: E120
Meeting Times: 4th period
Tutorial Times: 7 am, first half of lunch
or schedule time
Resources and Materials:
 Textbook: Multivariable Calculus edition 6 by Edwards and Penney
 MIT notes (BRING EVERY DAY) opencourseware.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)
 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 also due the beginning of the week.
 Online polls are due Sunday evening.
 Quizzes are usually given on schedule (Tuesday – SYMKC, Wednesday/Thursday – Recitation videos, 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.
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 before or after absence.
 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.









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. If student has an excused absence they need to put
“Note” on the top of the paper.
 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, having someone else’s homework 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
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 calculus shirt on test day = +1 on test
 Any other bonus opportunities will be announced in class
How to Help Your Child Succeed in Calculus III (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. 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 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cut off bottom
We have read and understand the Calculus III 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 marker
Questions/Comments: