Mrs. Lucas’s Room

AP Calculus

Course Overview

 

For many of the students in Calculus AB this is the first AP class that they are taking and the expectations are much higher than they have faced in any class before. The objectives of this course are that students do well in

subsequent courses and pass the AP Exam.

 

Everything in the Calculus AB topic outline as it appears in the AP Calculus Course Description is covered. There are four main components covered during the semester: limits, derivatives, indefinite integrals, and definite integrals. During the first part of the semester extra time is spent teaching students that they must investigate all topics analytically, graphically, and numerically.

 

Teaching Strategies

 

I believe that it is important maintain a high level of student expectation. Students will usually rise to the level that I expect of them. A teacher needs to have confidence that students will succeed. Therefore, I have several beliefs that impact my lesson planning. (1) Mathematics is an integrated whole not a set of isolated topics. (2) The goal of teaching mathematics is to help students develop mathematical power which requires providing experiences in problem solving that stimulate curiosity and build confidence in investigating, problem solving, and communications. (3) Students discussing mathematics, making conjectures, drawing conclusions, defending their ideas, and writing their conceptualization are a vital part of doing mathematics.

 

Students are encouraged to study together. Students can learn a lot from each other, things they would never learn working in isolation or listening to a lecture. Students need to work together towards a common goal and group problems or projects are used throughout the semester.

 

Technology

 

Technology is used to enhance the learning experience and make calculus come alive. Teacher and students use the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 graphing calculators. The classroom is also equipped with 30 tablet laptops that students use every day for taking notes. . The computers also allow us to use the many websites available online. Through this multifaceted approach, students gain an in-depth understanding of the material.

 

 

Evaluation

 

Daily warm-ups are given and graded, these come from the multiple choice sections of the AP released exams. As the semester progresses I assign AP free-response questions for students to work on either individually or as a group and grade them as they would be graded on an AP Exam. This counts as 5% of their grade and is a way to keep them reviewing concepts that have previously learned.

 

Homework is given and I encourage students to explore and discover as much as possible by investigating problems analytically, graphically, and numerically. Problems are challenging and I encourage them to work together to arrive at solutions. Homework is graded and counts as 20% of their grade.

 

Tests are given at the end of Units and count as 75% of their grade. Tests are part multiple choice and part free response.

 

AP Calculus AB Course Outline

 

I. Precalculus Review (1.5 Weeks)

 

II. Limits and Continuity (2 weeks)

 

III. The Derivative (3 weeks)

 

IV. Applications of the Derivative (2.5 weeks)

 

V. The Definite Integral (2 weeks)

 

VI. Differential Equations and Mathematical Modeling (1.5 weeks)

            

VII. Applications of definite integrals (2 weeks)

 

Note: This schedule leaves approximately 2 weeks to review for the AP Exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibb County High School