Math 10 Syllabus

Math 10 Course Syllabus

Math 10 Mission Statement:

The mission of this course is to help learners see the world through a rigorous mathematical lens by using the habits of a mathematician (generating ideas, recognizing/resolving errors, communicating, and synthesizing) to solve real world problems.

Course Overview

As a 10th grade mathematician you are someone who is willing to work hard and advocate for yourself. Being an awesome student is being someone who is serious about broadening their thinking, and being someone who is not afraid to get a wrong answer. The key to success in this class is being open to learning how to explain your thinking and collaborating with others.

This class is based on the Interactive Mathematics Program which aims to use problem based learning to learn mathematics. In this model, you will need to position yourself as an explorer of math, rather than someone who absorbs information and then recalls it for a test. This class is meant to help you develop an analytical mind and problem solving skills through the use of math. With problem based learning, be prepared to try to solve problems that you may not have the skills to solve initially, but through the process expect to develop the skills you need to ultimately find the answer.

Projects at a Glance

Energy Project

Unit Question: How might we understand the effectiveness of different forms of electricity generation in terms of efficiency, financial costs, and energy density?

Enduring Understandings:

Efficiency can be thought of as not wasting anything
Heat/sound is energy loss in a system
Transferring one form of energy to another loses energy

Topics Covered:

Ohm’s Law
Voltage, Current, Resistance, Power
Energy Transfers (Light, Motion, Heat)
Generation, Transmission, Consumption
Series and Parallel Circuits

Cookies Project

Unit Question: How do you optimize profit for selling cookies with a fixed number of materials and time?

Enduring Understandings:

Every possible combination of products must be inside the feasible region.
The best solutions will be on the edge of the feasible region.
Producing and selling a high volume of products is critical for maximizing profit.

Topics Covered:

Inequalities
Systems of linear equations
Substitution
Systems of linear inequalities
Feasible regions
Modeling linear equations and inequalities

Chi-Squared Project

Unit Question: How do you statistically prove there is a difference between populations given one metric?

Enduring Understandings:

Larger the sample size means the more representative the sample is for the population.
Chi-squared measures if there is a difference between two populations given one metric.
In order to reject the null hypothesis there must be a large enough chi-squared and a small enough p-value.

Topics Covered:

Null and Alternative Hypothesis
Normal Distributions
Sampling
Chi-Squared

Rocket Project

Unit Question:

How can the engineering design process be applied to optimize the performance of a water rocket?
In what ways can quadratic functions be used to accurately model a rocket's trajectory, including its position, velocity, and acceleration?
What components of a quadratic curve can be applied to a rocket's flight including y-intercept, vertex, slope, and x-intercepts?

Enduring Understandings:

The engineering design process is a cycle and testing and failing until a design works.
The acceleration due to gravity has a velocity that is constantly changing and can be graphed with a quadratic function.
Acceleration, Velocity, and position are all related to each other’s slopes on a graph.

Topics Covered:

Projectile Motion
Velocity and Acceleration
Vectors
Quadratic Functions
Factoring
Completing the square
Quadratic Formula

10th Grade Policies

Absences & Tardies:
You are responsible for checking Google Classroom for missed work and contacting your teachers for clarification. Full credit is possible for in-class assignments if made up; otherwise, without communication, you’ll receive a zero. Missing 20% of classes results in no credit for the course. Missing part of class, whether late arrival or early departure, affects your learning and the class. Unexcused tardies mean forfeiting points, and leaving early may cause you to miss critical information. Missing more than 15 minutes counts as an absence, and three tardies equal one unexcused absence per school policy.

Late & Missing Work:
Late work is accepted with prior arrangement or extenuating circumstances. After the due date, 10% is deducted the first week, with a maximum of 40% credit afterward. Major assignments must still be submitted to receive 40% credit.

Technology:
Bring a computer or equivalent every day. Cell phones are allowed only with explicit permission for academic purposes. Misuse results in confiscation: first infraction—confiscation for the class period, second—entire day with parental notification, third—technology is given to the Dean with further consequences. These strikes last for the semester. Teachers are also expected to follow these norms.

Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism results in a zero and is reported to administration, possibly affecting your academic record. Using AI without teacher instruction is considered plagiarism. Please complete assignments in a Google document with visible edit history to verify original work.

Communication:
You are encouraged to take ownership of your assignments and grades. Before involving your parents, reach out to your teachers first with any questions. If concerns remain, we’ll discuss them with your parents. We encourage proactive communication about absences, challenges, and support needs, and ask that you first check Google Classroom, our DP’s, Infinite Campus, and the syllabus before contacting us.

Respect:
To prepare for college and postsecondary success, conduct yourself with respect and kindness in our community. Behave, speak, and dress professionally, and treat everyone with an open mind and tolerance. Discriminatory or hurtful language is prohibited. Stay engaged in lessons, activities, and discussions. Respect is crucial in creating a positive learning environment where everyone has the right to learn and teach.

Grades

To check your grade in Math 10, the first place you should look is google classroom under classwork->view my work tab, or you can check Infinite campus. Google classroom will be more up to date than Infinite Campus.

Weighted Grades: Grades are weighted based on four different categories..
1. Classwork (35%): On average there will be 2-3 assignments per week that are worth 10 points each.
2. Starters (10%): Almost everyday there will be a starter worth 2 points and it is based on completion. Oftentimes these are short quizzes to help gage understanding.
3. POWs (20%): POWs are open ended problems that require multiple steps and problem solving skills to complete. These are valuable assignments that teach you skills relevant to any subject. The process of completing the POW is valued more than the answer and these assignments usually require a short write up or presentation. There will be some class time allotted for POWS but they are homework.
4. Projects (35%): Projects are worth 125 points, and there will be 1-2 projects per semester. See projects at a glance below for more information.
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 often an answer sheet for in class work to check your work.
Up to Date Grades: The most up to date grade will always be on Google Classroom, IC is always updated afterward.
Turning in Assignments: There are two ways to turn in assignments in my class: Google Classroom, Turn in box