A2T Expectations 10-11

8/8/2019 A2T Expectations 10-11

1/6

algebra II & trigc o u r s e e x p e c t a t i o n s

BROOKLINE HIGH SCHOOL 2010-2011Ms Hitchcock | [email protected] | room 142 greetings!

This year we are going to discover beautiful, useful and extraordinary islands ofknowledge. I'm going to be challenging you consistently as you build bridgesfrom island to island from quadratics to polynomials to logarithms. As you moveforward on this adventure, there will be, most likely, uncertainty and unexpected perils.After all, it's an adventure.

But, don't worry. Yes, at times it will be hard all great adventures are but please knowthat I'm always going to be right there with you. We are in this together. I'm going tomake sure we make it to the end of year with lots of sparkling mathematical treasuresfrom your adventure: graphs of functions, complex numbers, quadratic functions, theremainder theorem, compound interest and other items.

teaching goes both ways

With this said, you are now at a point in your education where you are responsible for yourown learning. You are old enough to know what to do when you are having difficulty.Please then, answer the following (pick one):

When you are feeling lost in class, you should:

(a) wait until the next class and hope that it will all begin to make sense(b) not do anything...it's only one concept and there will be a big test on many

concepts, so no big deal if you don't learn it.(c) ask someone for help whether it be Ms Hitchcock, a table-mate, a friend or a

teacher at the Math Center.(d) watch American Idol and hope that Randy Jackson will explain the concept.

You are in this class to learn some math and even though we are in this journey together

(remember: I am always on your side), that does not absolve you of responsibility. Forthis class to run smoothly, for us to have a good time, to get all we need to getaccomplished in mere months, you need to:

come to class prepared every day do your daily practice (homework) spend quality time daily working on your homework not be afraid to ask questions about concepts or homework problems you are

struggling with be an engaged participant in every class be kind and respectful to the other members of the class
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/6

If you keep your end of the bargain, I guarantee you that your mind will be brimming withintellectual riches at the end of the year. You will have learned a lot.

J ust as I expect only the best from you, I want you to expect the best from me. I promiseto come to each class well prepared, ready to embark on our daily adventure. I promise totry my best to make my presentations clear and interesting. I promise to respect you.

materialsYou will be required to have a 3 three-ring binder for this class as well as 3 tab inserts forthe binder. WHAAA?, you say? Don't fret. You won't have to bring it to classeveryday. You can keep it in the classroom, keep it in your locker, or keep it at home.However , when I ask you to bring it to class, you must bring it to class no exceptions.More below about how we'll use the binder.

To keep your work organized I am going to require that you carry a folder (or smaller threering binder) specifically dedicated for math. I don't want to see English papers or sheetmusic in there. Seriously. Math only.

All, and I do mean all, graphs that are done for homework need to be on graph paper.Free graph paper is available on the internet. Google free graph paper and you'll come upwith numerous sites. No graph paper = no credit.

On your homework, write the following header:

Jane Smith [Name]9/27/2010 [Date Assigned]Page 37 #2 17 odd [Page(s)/Problems]

As for class notes, you will want to keep good notes because...well, keep on reading.

You should also come to class every day with a graphing calculator (TI-83/84 are goodchoices)) and something to write with. I prefer that you use pencil. Math done in pen ishard to undo. Pencils, however, come with erasers.

absencesThe general policy is that if you are absent for n class days, you have n school days tomake up tests, quizzes and get credit for homework. For example, if you missed 3 classdays, you have 3 school days for you to make up a test/quiz, and submit homework. Ifwork hasn't been made up by 2:45 pm of the third day, you will get no credit.

tardies Simply put: You are expected to be on time! You are considered tardy if you are not in

your seat with materials ready at the start of class. Anyone entering class after the classhas begun is late. Tardiness is reflected in your daily attendance record which is talliedon your report cards.

Additionally, for every minute that you are late, you will need to make up 5 times thatamount for me. For example, if youre 5 minutes late, you need to come and sit with mefor 25 minutes. Make-up time is generally during X Block.

Tardy students will not have extra time to complete quizzes or tests. Tardiness beyond


3/6

15 minutes will result in an unexcused absence (AWOL), with all of the appropriateramifications.

If tardiness becomes a chronic problem, I will contact the dean and a parent. If aprevious teacher has kept you late, be sure you ask him/her to give you a note; if youarrive late without such a note, I will need to send you back to the other teacher, whoprobably wont be too happy to have class disrupted.

cheating

The crux of this issue is don't . Because we have had, and will continue to have, manydiscussions of this at BHS, I believe you know what it is. And if you don't know whatconstitutes cheating, we'll be talking about it in class. So, don't copy homework,exchange answers on an exam or quiz, tell a student in another section of the classabout an exam, or do other morally bankrupt things.

If you do cheat, and I find out about it, not only will I have lost faith in you but you will geta 0 (zero) on the assignment and your parents, counselor and dean will be notified. Readthe BHS Student Handbook for more information.

An important note, however, is that I encourage you to talk with other students aboutconcepts, homework problems, etc. You can talk with others about the homeworkproblems, but when you write them up, you must write them up separately. You cannotcopy homework from others. That's cheating. Again, if you have questions, just ask me.

email

I generally check my email several times per day. However, I don't guarantee a responseto anything sent after 5 pm.

On the topic of email:

Hey,

r u free to meet during E block tomorrow? Didu c American Idol last night?

Hi Ms Hitchcock.

I have been having some difficultyunderstanding how to multiply complexnumbers. Do you have any time to meetTuesday (tomorrow) or Wednesday, to helpme out? I'd really appreciate it.

My free blocks are:Tuesday: E or before schoolWednesday: E or before school

Thanks.

Jane Student


4/6

extra help

I am always available to meet with you for additional support. My brain doesn't do wellwith times and dates so please send me an email and check the calendar onwww.kahitchcock.blogspot.com or use the sign up sheet.

Don't forget to use the math center! It's open every single morning from 7:35 8:20 and Is a terrific place to drop in and get help.

extra time on exams

Some of you qualify for extra time on assessments. If you want to use your extra time,you must email me by 3:30 the day before the assessment with all of your possible freetimes so that I can keep some time free for you. If you do not contact me the daybefore the test, you won't be allowed to use your extra time. You must take your extratime on the same day of the assessment. I will give you a note if you have to go late toafter school activities. You have the right to the extra time, but it comes with this basic

responsibility.I am absolutely serious about academic integrity and extra time brings up many, manyissues. Most importantly, you cannot tell anyone what is on the exam in ANY form, andyou cannot study, ask questions, or open your book or notes from the time you first seethe exam and when you finish the exam.

placement

To go into PreCalculus next year, you need a final assessment grade of B-

gradingformal Assessments (70%)

You know what these are. I will try my best to get tests and quizzes back to you in 3 classdays (usually less), assuming all students in the class have already taken it.

You know, right answers only mean so much to me. What's really important is seeing youshow how you got your answers. Why? I want you to be able to effectively communicateto someone else your thought process. It's a life skill. Show your work on assessments ifyou want credit!

daily practice (10%)

Basically, this is your homework. I'm calling it daily practice, however, to emphasizethat the problems assigned are meant to reinforce what you've learned in class. Theproblems aren't meant to be mindless busy work though I know sometimes they can feelthat way. I try, but am not always successful, to keep homework under 30 minutes.
http://www.kahitchcock.blogspot.com/http://www.kahitchcock.blogspot.com/


5/6

When working out of the book,which won't be that often, I will attempt to assign mainlyodd problems. The answers are in the back. You will have to check your odd answers inthe back of the book and correct them if necessary. I've found that when you are giventhe right answer, it may help you discover the steps that were taken to arrive at thesolution. Make sure you note with a different colored pen/pencil, if you didn't get thecorrect solution. When we go over answers that are not in the book, you will have to

mark these right or wrong also.

I do NOT accept late work unless you were absent.

I will sometimes: collect HW and grade it for completeness (if you don't have it, no credit) walk around the classroom to check for completeness (if you don't have it, no

credit)If you worked with someone else, please write his or her name down on your paper underyour header. But remember, you may talk about the problems, but when you write up theanswers on your homework page, you must be working independently.

While I do have a syllabus, I may modify the assigned problems based on what we did inclass. If you're not sure, please check my blog : kahitchcock.blogspot.com to get theassignment.

Your homework must be more than just some chicken scratch and an answer. Part of thiscourse is learning how to communicate math well. You should show all your work, in aneat manner, so that someone reading it can follow your though process. Solutions aren'tworth much in this class. Solutions with solid work are worth a lot. (See next section.)

binder (10%)

This will probably be the most different part of this year's math class for you so you'll wantto pay close attention to this section. In theory, it will be t he easiest 10% of your grade , ifyou stay on top of it.

For this class, you will be required to have a 3 ring binder. At the end of the year, thebinder will have archived all your hard work: worksheets and Daily Practices, your classnotes, and all of your assessments. It will be invaluable when studying for cumulativeassessments.

You can leave your binder in your locker or keep it at home. You'll only be carrying afolder with you to class each day. In that folder, you will keep your Daily Practices(homework), assessments and class notes.

Every few weeks, I'll ask you to bring your binders in and we'll spend a few minutes at thebeginning of class putting work in order.

You will have binder checks periodically and these checks will constitute 10% of yourquarterly grade. There will be at least 2 binder checks in Quarters 1 & 2, and at least 1binder check in Quarters 3 & 4. The dates will be announced in advance and on the dayof the binder check, you're going to have to bring in your binder. If you don't, you'll lose20% for each day late.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


6/6

The binder check will look like this:Date Assigned: 10/12/2010; page 65, Problem 8Date Assigned: 10/15/2010; page 78, Problem 17

You will highlight these answers in your binder and mark them with post it notes. I willcollect and go through them. You will be graded for your work specifically, the

correctness of your work and solution and neatness. Notice how I said work andsolution not just solution.

Since you will be checking answers in the back of the book and since we will be goingover homework daily, there is no reason for your work and answers not to be terrific. Ifyou get something wrong, take a minute and correct it. It will not only help youunderstand everything better, but you're pretty much guaranteeing yourself a great bindergrade!

scribe (5%)

You will be asked to be a class scribe every so often. What this means is that you takegood paper notes in class writing down all the relevant definitions, examples,explanations, etc. Then you will make a copy of your notes (neatly rewritten if necessary)and give me the copy no later than 3 pm the same day. The real purpose of this is toteach you how to communicate math effectively. Additionally, we will have a class binderof all our archived work.

classroom engagement (5%)Your classroom engagement will be based on your ability to focus and participate in class.You will lose points for being late or by distracting other classmates.

extra creditPlease don't ask me if there's anything you can do for extra credit. I don't give extracredit assignments.

I must also state that depending on how things unfold this year, I reserve the right to changethings. If things will be changed, I promise to be vey explicit about the changes.

A2T Expectations 10-11

Documents

Transcript of A2T Expectations 10-11