Ms.

Rossis AP Calculus AB Classroom Policies

Welcome to AP Calculus AB! It is my goal to provide each of you with an educational, fun, and
rewarding course that will prepare you for the AP Calculus exam as well as any future math courses. I
want each of you to succeed and do well in my class, and I am confident that if you put in the effort and
use your resources, it will be possible.

Course Overview:
This course is a full year class, taught at the level of a college or university calculus course
(approximately one semester of college content). Successful completion of this course will provide
preparation for the AP exam in early May. Depending on the college, a score of 4 or 5 (and in some cases,
a 3) on the AP exam may allow you to either waive the college math requirement or advance to the 2nd
semester calculus course right away (typically Calculus II).

Calculus is the study of Rates of change and focuses mainly of Functions, Graphs and Limits;
Derivatives; and Integrals. It is important to remember two things about this course:

1. Calculus is not just a list of isolated topics to memorize

CollegeBoard cites the connections among the concepts as an important part of the course. All of the
topics that we will cover are related to one another and build on one another!

2. The AP Exam does not want you to just use formulas and compute numbers mindlessly
As stated by CollegeBoard, the main emphasis in AP Calculus is a multirepresentational approach to
calculus, with concepts, results, and problems being expressed graphically, numerically, analytically,
and verbally. This means you will be expected to understand and interpret the meaning of derivatives,
integrals, and their applications, as well as explain solutions to problems orally and in written sentences.
You must also be fluent in all the ways of representing a function or problem (The Rule of Four).

Below is the Topic Outline as stated on the CollegeBoard website:

Functions, Graphs, and Limits
o Analysis of graphs
o Limits of functions (including one-sided limits)
o Asymptotic and unbounded behavior
o Continuity as a property of functions
Derivatives
o Concept of the derivative
o Derivative at a point
o Derivative as a function
o Second derivatives
o Applications and computation of derivatives
Integrals
o Interpretations and properties of definite integrals
o Applications of integrals
o Fundamental Theorem of Calculus part 1 and 2
o Techniques and applications of antidifferentiation
o Numerical approximations to definite integrals
o Differential equations
Required Materials:
You are required* to purchase and bring the following materials with you to class each day:

5-subject notebook, to be used only for Calculus notes, homework, classwork, AP problems
Pencil or pen
A graphing calculator (preferably a TI-84, but others are acceptable as long as you can use it)
A folder to hold your homework, warm-up sheets, open responses, and handouts

* If you are unable to purchase any of the above materials, please see me.

Assignment Policy:
The best way to learn Calculus is by doing Calculus! Therefore, you are expected to complete every
assignment, whether it is watching the posted video and taking notes, completing bookwork, or
completing a worksheet(s). If, for whatever reason, you do not complete a homework assignment on
time, you may complete it within one week after-school in my room for up to half-credit.

If your homework is to watch a video, then you need to take the time to carefully watch and
neatly copy all notes and examples given. Watch the video as many times as necessary until you
feel you understand the material!
o The next day, you will be given a timed quiz (about 5-8 minutes) based on the video. This
will sometimes take the place of the warm-up.
Homework will be addressed in one of the following ways:
o Collecting it right away. In this case, the detailed answer key will be posted online next
day
o Collecting it after giving time to correct it in red pen using my detailed answer key. A
grade, up to 5 points, will be given based on if you attempted every problem with all
work shown and corrected any errors
o Spot-checking it while going over it
o Giving a pop homework quiz. In this case, you will write out the full solutions to
selected problems using your homework
o Giving a quiz based on homework questions. In this case, the quiz will be selected
problem(s) that were on the homework, but homework cannot be used.

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get any missed notes from a classmate. All worksheets for
the week will be placed in the absent bin. Check the bin on the day you return to pick up all missed
handouts. Check my website www.rossimath.weebly.com for the homework assignment and/or videos
you need to make up/watch.
If you have an excused absence for days, then you will have days to complete all make-up work and
show it to me.
If you have an unexcused absence (such as skipping class), then you will receive a zero on any work due
on the day you missed. If you miss a test or a quiz, then you will take it on the day you return.

Note on AP Open Reponses and Mutliple Choice: My goal is, starting in October, to assign 20-30
multiple choice questions from the AP exam to work on over a two-week period. These problems will be
related to what we are learning in class. At the end of the two weeks, I will collect your work for a grade,
and you will also have a quiz on selected questions from the multiple-choice section. Starting in
February, you will begin practicing free response problems from the AP Exam. You will be given six AP
free-response questions to work on over a two-week time period. You can come to me for help, and you
may work with your classmates. At the end of the two weeks, I will randomly select one or two of the six
questions for a quiz. You will be graded using the same scoring rubric used on the AP exam.
Extra Help:
All math classes, including Calculus, are cumulative and build upon prior concepts. If you feel that you
are beginning to fall behind, get help! I am always available for after-school help on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays until at least 3:15. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you form
study groups early in the year. Working on assignments collaboratively can be a huge benefit; however,
it is very important that you each honor the importance of your own learning and not copy other
students work or provide your work to other students who wish to copy.

As soon-to-be-college students, an important study skill is learning to use your resources! You all have
smart phones and computers which give you immediate access to hundreds of Calculus extra-help
videos, websites, tutorials, and previously used AP exams. You should also refer to your textbook as well
as the Princeton Review AP Calculus exam prep book (you can also purchase Barrons or 5 Steps to a
5). If necessary, watch the videos that I post several times and carefully check your homework using
the detailed answer keys that I provide in class and/or post on my website.

Grading Policy:
Each chapter, you can anticipate the following assessments:

1 Major Exam, modeled after the AP exam, incorporating multiple choice, open response and
rule of four where appropriate, with and without the graphing calculator
Several Announced Quizzes (usually every week or every other week)
Homework Pop Quizzes
Announced Homework Quizzes (typically on AP open reponse and multiple choice questions)
Video quick quizzes (based on the video that was assigned these cannot be redone)

The grades for the assignments in each category will be averaged together and then each category will
be weighted as a set percentage of your grade each quarter.

45%: Exam grades (These can be corrected to receive up to half of the points initially lost)
30%: Quizzes (including weekly quizzes, video quizzes, and AP free-response and multiple-
choice bi-weekly quizzes)
25%: Homework (including collected homework and homework pop quizzes), AP problems,
Student Activities, and Projects

Note on Quizzes: If you receive below a 75% on a weekly quiz, then you will be required to stay after
school for extra help the following week. During this time, you will complete an additional assignment
related to the topic(s) on the quiz. On SOME quizzes, you will have the opportunity to redo them or
revise them for half your points back.

Note on Exams: After each exam, you will always have the option of revising your work to earn half
your points back. You must completely revise the test and fix any problems on which you missed any
points. If it is a conceptual problem, then you must explain and justify the correct answer.

Your letter grade is based on the following scale, as per school policy:
90 - 100% = A 65 - 69% = D
80 - 89% = B 64% and below is a failing grade
70 - 79% = C

All grades will be rounded up (89.5% = 90%). In the case of borderline grades, effort, cooperation, and
class participation will be considered.
Behavior Expectations:

You alone are in charge of your own behavior. As a student in AP Calculus, you are expected to:
Come to class on time and prepared with all required materials. If you arrive late to class, you
will stay for detention until 2:30 within that week
Be courteous and respectful of all individuals in the classroom
Be attentive and quiet while I am teaching; be involved and supportive during cooperative
learning activities
Follow all classroom procedures

A Special Note about Electronic Devices:

Although modern technology is a wonderful development that has provided many conveniences and
entertainment, cell phones, music players, and other similar items have no place in the classroom,
where they are distracting and disruptive to learning. Thus, any such device in sight in the classroom
will be taken and locked up until the end of the school day.
Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! I look forward to being your childs math teacher this year. I
am excited for a productive, challenging, and fun year of math, and I will do my best to help your child
master the math concepts and learn important study skills to prepare them for the AP Exam and future
college classes. It is my goal to foster a positive relationship and open communication between the
home and school. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me at
rossic2@worc.k12.ma.us.
Please provide encouragement for your child and support a positive outlook toward school. It is
important that your child has proper materials and a quiet study area at home.

A note on the Videos:

You can greatly support your child this year by making sure he or she watches the videos I post and
reads the texts that are assigned for homework. I will be implementing a partly flipped classroom
this year in order to ensure we cover all the required material. This means that the notes, which are
traditionally taken in class, will be done on a video, which your child will need to watch for homework.
Then, what was traditionally the homework will be completed in class so that the students have an
opportunity to collaborate with their groups and ask questions if necessary. There are many benefits
to taking full advantage of the technology your children and I have and using it to create a partly
flipped classroom. The main benefit is that students will feel more confident doing the problems since
they will have me and each other to use as a resource. These videos will always be posted on my
website, www.rossimath.weebly.com , and can also be found on my YouTube channel: Caro Nuge.

Please sign below after going through this classroom policy and return only the portion below to me.

I would also appreciate it if you provided your e-mail address (if you have one) so that I can contact
you throughout the year if necessary.

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X___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________
(Parent/guardian signature) (Print name above)

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ @ ___________________________
(Parent/guardian e-mail)

Please check this box if you would like your e-mail address to be added to a Calculus distribution
list. I will use this distribution list to send out reminders about due dates, test dates, Saturday study
sessions, and other reminders throughout the year [usually two e-mails per month].

Students, by signing below, you are acknowledging that you are aware of the course grading and
behavior policies, as well as the consequences of failing to follow the policies.

X___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________
(Student signature) (Print name above)