Algebra II Syllabus (Standard and Honors)
Cascade High School Algebra II / Honors Algebra II
Instructor Information
Instructor: Mrs. Deborah Sudduth
Room: Room C-103
Course Information
Teacher Goals for Students
In my opinion, one of the most precious resources we all have as human beings is “time.” Students are encouraged to approach this course as an “opportunity to use time well” and not as a “potential time waste.” This course will follow the Tennessee State and Bedford County Schools guidelines for the known as Algebra II (see below!) – but more importantly than that, this class is designed to teach you how to:
- Solve problems
- Communicate and work with others to overcome adversity
- Reason through complex situations
- Make sense and persevere to find solutions.
Students in this course are almost adults and have seen enough of life to understand – it’s not “if” you have problems, it’s “when.” This class has the ability to make you a BETTER problem-solver, communicator and more logical human being. “When” problems arise, the skillset you develop here will help you make better decisions.
Description (from Tennessee State Standards document)
Algebra 2 further expands a student’s understanding of functions and function types developed in Algebra 1. In particular, cubic, exponential, inverse, logarithmic, piecewise, and radical functions are studied. Students explore techniques for representing and solving systems of equations, including graphically, algebraically, and through the use of matrices. In addition, Algebra II includes an in-depth focus on using statistics to understand data and make decision.
Throughout the course, students explore the structures of and interpret functions and other mathematical models. Algebra 2 topics will build upon previous knowledge requiring student to reason, solve and represent mathematical concepts in multiple ways; i.e., graphically, numerically, and algebraically. Modeling and real-world problems are introduced throughout the course with standards written to encourage the use of math to answer problems students will encounter in life.
Objectives and Outcomes
An EOC (End of Course) Exam score of “3” (proficient) or “4” (advanced) will provide evidence that you are proficient in all areas found here (Tennessee Algebra II Standards website): Completion of course with grade of 60 percent or better will result in credit for the course per Bedford County Schools requirements.
Prerequisites Courses
Successful completion of Algebra I and Geometry (credit earned for both courses)
Course Materials
Required:
- A 1.5: or larger three ring binder, used exclusively for Algebra II
- Notebook paper
- Pencils
Supplementary Materials - Optional
- $5 room fee
- Dividers are helpful for organization and a pocket folder of some type that fits within the binder.
- A ruler for use as a straight edge, at least 6” long, I suggest one with holes to clip into 3 ring binder or a 6” ruler AND a pencil pouch that clips into binder.
- Colored gel or ink pens that don’t bleed through and dry quickly – The workbooks provided with the SAVVAS materials have very thin pages
Here is a list of potential items from Amazon. Note that multiple selections of some items are included so that you don’t need to order the ENTIRE list and many items may be available at lower prices locally. This list is for example only!
Calculator
In class, students will be provided a TI-Nspire CX calculator. This model is permissible to use on both the ACT and the Tennessee EOC tests. Some students prefer to have their own calculator – but this is NOT a necessity. If purchased, please make sure student name is on calculator and cover. Students on the path to a mathematically-heavy college career may want to consider the TI NSpire CAS. This model is not permissible on the ACT or the End of Course but is used extensively in high-level mathematics.
We, will also be using the website WWW.DESMOS.COM for graphing and Algebraic operations. This software is ALSO provided for use during the two ‘calculator’ portions of the Tennessee EOC tests (but cannot be used on the ACT). It is free for use and is one of the primary reasons the laptop computer is needed daily in class.
Assessment and Grading
Grading Procedure
Students will be evaluated and assessed both formatively and summatively. A variety of evaluation tools will be utilized which are based on the specific task.
As in playing sports or learning a musical instrument – practice is important! Math is not a “spectator sport.” Students should expect to have two to three assignments per week, and most weeks will have a formal assessment of some kind, most of the time this will be a quiz.
NOTE: I don’t “give” grades; you EARN grades. For this reason, I grade by a “points” system that is explained here. Points are attached to each assignment. The total points earned in a quarter results your grade.
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STANDARD Course: Quarter 1 (1st 9 Weeks) 1480 points
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HONORS Course: Quarter 1 (1st 9 Weeks) 1520 points
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STANDARD Course: Quarter 2 (2nd 9 Weeks) 1270 points
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HONORS Course: Quarter 2 (2nd 9 Weeks) 1290 points
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HONORS: 3 points will be added to the Skyward grade at the end of the quarter and semester, so if Skyward were to calculate a grade as “84” it would be officially posted at the end of the quarter as “87.”
The course Assignment Guide handed out at the beginning of the semester (also available in OneNote) provides an overview and schedule of all assignments and due dates, and also has the points possible for each assignment. Students are expected to keep up with their total points by conducting periodic checks of their Skyward account. I type in a LOT of grades and occasionally mis-type a “100” as “10” (or worse!) Please bring these to my attention as soon as possible, by turning in the graded assignment with a note at the top that says “please check this in Skyward” (or something to that affect).
ABSENT work:
The Bedford County Schools policy for make-up work is available online in the Student Handbook. I follow this policy. Please note that make-up work is only available for excused absences (per board policy).
I record class every day and post it in our OneNote, students will be trained on its use in the first days of class. Students are also provided with absent packets for any days missed.
Students with extended excused absences (anything over four days) should present a proposed schedule for turning in homework and taking missed tests, to be approved by Mrs. Sudduth.
LATE work:
Late work (work turned in after stated due date and time and NOT due to an excused absence) is docked 10% per day, up to a maximum of 50%. No LATE work will be accepted after the test for the work’s unit is completed.
Feedback
- Email will be responded to within 24 hours on business days and most of the time on weekends and holiday (although those, understandably, may take longer to respond).
- Assignments must be submitted as directed. Generally, this means at the BEGINNING of class on the due date, or by the online time provided if electronic.
- Grades and assignment feedback will be provided within one week after the assignment deadline (most of the time I hand back papers the NEXT class period, with the exception occurring when I have given a test and a significant number of students need to make up the test). Repeating myself – please check your returned work versus the grade in Skyward to make sure they match.
- All assignments with due dates will be listed in the Assignment Guide handed out at the beginning of the course, as well as in OneNote.
HONORS Specifics:
Honors Algebra II is intended for students who plan to proceed to Pre-Calculus and Calculus (at a minimum). The design of the course is not simply “the same material with harder / more work.” Expectations:
- Honors course will not review concepts from previous courses (Algebra II, Geometry, Middle School). Students in the Honors Course would be expected to review and remind themselves of these past skills if they aren’t comfortable with them. In particular, students should be:
- Fluent with multiplication, perfect squares 1-15, and perfect cubes 1-5 (very fluent means someone knows 11 squared is 121 without think time).
- Fluent in operations on fractions (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing)
- Fluent in positive and negative integer math (for example, the difference in (-2)2 and -22 )
- Fluent in operations with exponents. (example t3 X t-5 = )
- Factor quadratics where a = 1 in your head, and factor quadratics where a not equal to 1 quickly.
- Honors courses will move at a significantly faster pace than Standard Algebra II, while remaining, basically, in the same Unit of study as Standard classes. This faster pace allows for more varied examples and additional standards.
- Additional standards included are intended to prepare students for Pre-Calculus and Calculus.
- Sometimes Honors may be expected to solve the same types of problems as Standard but utilizing additional techniques presented by teacher.
- Honors students should expect their testing to be different than those taken by Standard classes with the standards and techniques presented to honors present on the test.
- All students are expected to behave in an honest way, but Honors students are especially expected to operate completely above any sort of misconduct. For this reason, students caught cheating in Honors should expect to receive no credit for the assignment or test on which they were working.
- Honors students should not expect to have Extra Credit available to Standard classes.
- Most students excel in Honors courses and make excellent grades because most Honors students have both innate mathematical abilities and extraordinary effort. Without both of these factors, a good deal of learning can still take place but grades may not be what students have seen in the past.
Academic Integrity/Misconduct
Please review the Student Handbook for information related to academic integrity, expectations, examples and results of misconduct.
Course Ground Rules
- Students are expected to be in the classroom with work turned into the in-box, seated with materials out and ready to begin learning at the time the bell rings. When the bell rings, student should started on the class “warm up” which will be found in their 3-ring binder notebook.
- All papers turned in should have
- Student first AND last name
- Class Period
- Date
- “Name” of assignment (as it appears in the Assignment Guide and in Skyward) – for example: Skill Builder U1.L2-U1.L3 or Unit 6 Task (you will become very familiar with assignment name, they appear everywhere!)
FAILURE to repeatedly list all of these items in your paper WILL result in deduction of points. Attention to detail is an important mathematical concept, and repeated failure to follow these guidelines is a definite lack of attention to details.
- All students are expected to take an active role in the course, the specifics of this will be described during course orientation. Students are expected to:
- Actively participate in discussions, group assignments, and related tasks.
- ASK QUESTIONS, be willing to share your thinking, and be willing to make mistakes and grow through them.
- Communicate in person and via school e-mail. Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), all course communication will be conducted using Bedford County Schools email. Faculty will not respond to student contact via a non-institutional assigned account. You may also stick around after class to ask questions, or (especially if you believe something was graded incorrectly) put the paper back in the “in box” with a note on it for me to please check Skyward.
- Students will be provided a textbook, workbook and laptop computer. The workbook and computer will be utilized daily, the hard-copy textbook may be kept at home for reference throughout the course. We will utilize the online version of the textbook in class. Students are responsible for knowing:
- School system login information and process
- How to send and receive school system e-mail,
- How to access the Algebra II OneNote Notebook online
A final note: Course Syllabus Changes
The syllabus is not a contract, and the instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus and the structure of the course, including schedule, assignments, and deadlines, if situations arise that necessitate doing so. Students will be informed at the time of any such change.