Calculus Syllabus (2024-2025):

Teacher: Katie Kondo

Email: kkondo@davincischools.org

Office Hours: Mondays, 7:45-8:45 am

Course Description: The course starts with five major problems that introduce the big ideas of calculus: optimization, limits, differential equations, exponential functions, the relationship between distance and velocity, piecewise functions, volumes of revolution, volumes by slicing, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Each of these five major problems is revisited again later in the course for students to solve using new calculus knowledge.  You are encouraged to investigate, conjecture, and then justify in order to further develop your reasoning skills.  The course also uses a multiple-representations approach to investigating new topics.  You will use graphs, contexts or situations, tables and symbolic representations of information to investigate functions and relations.  This approach to learning will provide you with a more conceptual understanding of the material and a greater appreciation for higher-level mathematics.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Pre-Calculus.

Course Resources (curriculum, websites, references, etc.):

a. Homework hints – available as a link next to each problem in your e-book

b. Ms. Kondo – Room 2301 during office hours time or by appointment.

c. Online resources:

• Ms. Kondo’s Google Drive – Google drive of resources, including notes from class, organized by CPM Chapter http://tinyurl.com/KondoGoogle.

• Canvas – All documents distributed during class, additional resources, and assignments will be available here.  Assignments and project deliverables will also be submitted here. A daily summary will be available for your review or if you are absent.

• Ms. Kondo’s Website – Collection of resources and links www.ksquaredmath.com

• Ms. Kondo’s List of Resources – Collection of resources, organized by CPM Sections http://tinyurl.com/KondoCalcMastery

• Patrick JMT – Terrific videos on every topic from Algebra 1 through Calculus (and beyond) http://patrickjmt.com/

• Khan Academy – Another great resource on a wide range of mathematical topics and courses

• www.cpm.org - Parent guides, extra examples/resources, and the educational research behind CPM.

• Looking for a more traditional textbook with examples, etc?  Here is a good (free) option: http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-textbook-spring-2005/textbook/ (though my favorite alternative is "The Calculus 7" by Louis Leithold, if you want to spend a little $$ - it's worth it!)

• Good video tutorials: http://www.showme.com/topic/AP-Calculus-Exam-Review

• www.librarytutor.org - The LA Public library provides free tutors, who you can chat with live.

• www.drmath.com - Dr. Math has math professors who answer questions through a forum. You can search the forum for help or submit your own question and a mathematics professor will answer it!

Absences and Make-Up Work Policy:

Students with an excused absence will have the opportunity to make up missed assignments necessary, as determined by the teacher. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and make-up missed assignments. Please see Student Handbook regarding excused and unexcused absences.

If you’ll be absent for a quiz or midterm exam, you MUST email Ms. Kondo and cc your parent/guardian BEFORE the quiz or midterm exam begins. If you do not email Ms. Kondo in advance, you risk not being allowed to make up the quiz or midterm exam.

• If you have followed the instructions above and had an excused absence on the day of a quiz or exam, you will have 3 school days starting from the date of your return to finish the assessment. 

• If you do not finish the quiz or exam within that time, you risk receiving a 0 on that quiz or exam with no additional opportunities to make it up.

When absent, it is expected that the student will check Canvas for missing content. This includes watching the videos that I post, taking appropriate flipbook notes, and do the the problems/activities missed from class.

Academic Honesty: 

Da Vinci Science values academic honesty and integrity. Student work must be their own, original work. AI can be used as a resource, but should not be used as a replacement for authentic thinking and original work. Any form of plagiarism or cheating, as defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work that is not one’s own, or assisting others to do so, may result in the following disciplinary actions: no credit on assignment, parent meeting, meeting with administration, and/or other school activities.  Please see Student Handbook regarding Academic Honesty policy. 

Grading Policies:

The final evaluation will address the extent to which students have met the learning objectives listed below, as demonstrated in:

• Active contributions to small group and classroom discussion demonstrating constructive dialogue with peers

• Development of understanding of the selected texts and analytical skills over the course of the term, including in projects, quizzes, and exams. There will be no retakes for any exams or quizzes.

Materials Needed:

• Spiral or Composition notebook with graph paper

• 1” three-ring binder (to bring to school)

• 1.5”+ three-ring binder (to keep at home, optional)

• 17 dividers for Calculus, 20 dividers for Advanced Calculus (optional)

• School supplies: pencils, ruler, good eraser, highlighter, colored pencil

EKS & Weighting:

Calculus:

Essential Knowledge & Skills:

• EKS #1: Functions, Graphs, Limits (40% during S1, 20% during S2)

• EKS #2: Derivatives (20% during S1, 30% during S2)

• EKS #3: Integrals (20% during S1, 30% during S2)

Connection (10%)

Accountability (10%)

Advanced Calculus:

Essential Knowledge & Skills:

• EKS #1: Functions, Graphs, Limits (30% during S1, 15% during S2)

• EKS #2: Derivatives (30% during S1, 30% during S2)

• EKS #3: Integrals (30% during S1, 30% during S2)

• EKS #4: Series (15% during S2 only)

Connection (5%)

Accountability (5%)