AP Calculus

Be prepared to be flexible...

We all know the last couple of years have been a little crazy. I have made countless changes to the way I teach this class over the last couple years, and I expect that I will make a lot more as needed as we go through this year. I understand that there are foundations for Calculus that I would typically expect students to have coming into the year and you might not have them. I plan to be as flexible as possible to maximize learning, but that will also require that you are also flexible. Ultimately, the goal is to have you prepared to take the AP test on May 9, and the path to get there isn't immediately clear - but there is A LOT of Calculus, and even some Precalculus, that stands between us and that goal. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's something that will help you and/or your classmates during the year!

Pacing

AP Calculus BC covers 111 topics (AB covers 82 topics). We have 35 weeks (several of them are very short weeks) to learn, practice, and prepare for the AP test. It's a lot of material to cover in not a lot of time. So buckle up, get ready, and make sure you don't get left behind!

Assessment

You will take short assessments (quizzes) one or two times each week so that I can make sure that you are staying current with the material.

Khan Academy

Assignments on Khan Academy can be completed as many times as you wish. As you progress through the assignments, you'll notice your course mastery percentage increasing. Ultimately, your grade for Khan Academy will be based on that percentage.

Take these assignments seriously. I always have students that "play the game" on these assignments, and figure out how to score well without actually understanding the Calculus. Trust me, you'll be much better off if you learn the Calculus!

Communication

For the most part, I will share everything you need to know for class in Google Classroom. If you need to get in touch with me, Chat is usually the best place to start. Don't be afraid to get in touch if you need anything!

Calculator

We will use graphing calculators for a significant amount of our work in this class. Generally, any graphing calculator will suffice, but if you're going to purchase one, I would recommend the Texas Instruments series, particularly the most recent TI-84 or Nspire. If you do not have a calculator, and you do not wish to purchase one (they're not cheap!), I can provide you with a calculator that you can borrow for the duration of the school year.