Advanced Algebra Course Syllabus
Mission Statement
The mission of this course is to help develop mathematical skills and understanding. The goal is to provide a clear understanding of functions, and build a base for students preparing for Calculus or subsequent courses.
Course Overview
In this course the theme is reviewing functions that model change. Functions can be grouped into families and these functions can model real world behavior. The types of functions reviewed in this course will be linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, rational, periodic functions, and sequences and series. The aim is to practice manipulating these functions and developing skills with algebra.
This class is 4 days a week, and what to expect from this course is we will be doing 10-15 practice problems twice a week. Anticipate half of that time for assignments in class, and the other half will be activities and lessons.
There will be tests in this class, and that will count roughly toward 20% of your grade. The rest comes from the classwork assignments. Classwork will be graded for correctness, and you can resubmit a homework assignment within one week for full points.
This class is 4 days a week, and what to expect from this course is we will be doing 10-15 practice problems twice a week. Anticipate half of that time for assignments in class, and the other half will be activities and lessons.
There will be tests in this class, and that will count roughly toward 20% of your grade. The rest comes from the classwork assignments. Classwork will be graded for correctness, and you can resubmit a homework assignment within one week for full points.
Topics Covered in this Class
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Semester 1
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Semester 2
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Responsibilities for Learning
A huge part for success in this class is your responsibility to come ready to engage and get involved in the learning process. Below you will find some expectations for this class:
- Attendance: If you miss class for any reason, let me know ahead of time, and check the google classroom for any work you have missed.
- Tardiness: You will be marked tardy if you are more than 5 minutes late.
- Extra Credit: There is no extra credit in my class.
- Late Work: All late work will receive a 20% deduction, and if it is more than a week late I will not take it. Late work is accepted only if there was an arrangement made prior to the assignment being due.
- How to turn in work: You can turn in work on google classroom or put assignments in the turn in box in the front of the room.
- Parent Communication Policy: You are all young adults, and as such, I ask that you the student take ownership of assignments and grades. Please do not have your parents contact me regarding your grades until you have asked the questions to me first, via email, speech, or writing. If you or your parents still have questions after you have talked to me, I would be happy to address your/their concerns at that point.
9th Graders
9th graders in this class, instead of core Math 9, must complete Problem of the Weeks (POWs) for Advanced Algebra. POWs are essential to the Animas High math curriculum, helping students practice problem-solving, refine their work, and give feedback. This builds crucial problem-solving skills for modern challenges. Students taking Advanced Algebra as an elective do POWs in their core classes and aren't required to do POWs for Advanced Algebra.
Materials
- Computer: We will be using a computer for basically everything in this class.
- A method of taking notes: I am a big proponent of taking notes by hand, and a 5-subject notebook is recommended for my class.
Grades
- Weighted Grades: Grades are weighted based on four different categories.
- Classwork (25%): 2–3 assignments per week, worth 10 points each.
- Projects (30%): 1 project per semester.
- Tests & Quizzes (45%): 3-4 tests per semester
- Grading: The way I grade assignments in this class is based on accuracy. Getting a problem correct will get 100% points, getting a problem wrong but your work is shown you get 50% credit. There is an answer sheet for in class work. This applies to classwork and tests.
- Resubmissions: You will have an opportunity to resubmit for problems you missed if you resubmit within a week of when it is due. If the resubmission is turned in on time you can earn full points on the assignment.
- Tests: There will be three tests throughout the semester and these are assignments that are not allowed to have resubmissions. Expects tests to make up 45% of your overall grade.
- Projects: There will be a mini project first semester, and a large project second semester.
- Quadratics Mini Project: You will be given a topic around quadratic functions, create a lesson and activity, and teach it to the Calc/Pre-Calc students.
- Desmos Art Project: This project aims to utilize a family of functions to create an image all designed in Desmos.
Desmos Art Project
Animas High School Advanced Algebra students were tasked in creating an art piece drawn in the graphing software called Desmos. Every line, curve, and circle has its own equation, and some of the images pictured above include over 300 different equations. The Desmos Art Project is a creative and engaging way for students to showcase their understanding of different kinds of functions, and how to apply them graphically. During 1st semester, College Algebra Students explored Linear Functions, Quadratic Functions, Logarithmic Functions, and equations to create circles and ellipses. Students were tasked to recreate a cartoon character in Desmos, and represent each line and circle with a different equation. They learned how to incorporate bounds on their equations so that they can segment each line a curve to fit the desired outcome. Overall, the Desmos Art Project is an exciting and enriching way to develop a deeper appreciation for mathematics and how graphing functions can make something beautiful.
