Mrs. Wenndt's Math Class

Geometry with Data Analysis is a newly-designed course in the 2019 Alabama Course of Study (replaces Geometry) which builds on the students’ experiences in the middle grades. It is the first of three required courses in high school mathematics, providing a common Grade 9 experience for all students entering high-school-level mathematics.

Geometry with Data Analysis builds essential concepts necessary for students to meet their postsecondary goals (whether they pursue additional study or enter the workforce), to function as effective citizens, and to recognize the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics (NCTM, 2018). It is important because it develops mathematical knowledge and skills through visual representations prior to the more abstract development of algebra. Beginning high school mathematics with Geometry with Data Analysis in Grade 9 offers students the opportunity to build their reasoning and sensemaking skills, see the applicability of mathematics, and prepare more effectively for further studies in algebra. The course also focuses on data analysis, which provides students with tools to describe, show, and summarize data in the world around them. In Geometry with Data Analysis, students incorporate knowledge and skills from several mathematics content areas, leading to a deeper understanding of fundamental relationships within the discipline and building a solid foundation for further study. In the content area of Geometry and Measurement, students build on and deepen prior understanding of transformations, congruence, similarity, and coordinate geometry concepts. Informal explorations of transformations provide a foundation for more formal considerations of congruence and similarity, including development of criteria for triangle congruence and similarity. An emphasis on reasoning and proof throughout the content area promotes exploration, conjecture testing, and informal and formal justification. Students extend their middle school work with conjecturing and creating informal arguments to more formal proofs in this course. In the content area of Algebra and Functions, students perform algebraic calculations with specific application to geometry that build on foundations of algebra from Grades 7 and 8. In the Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability content area, students build from earlier experiences in analyzing data and creating linear models to focus on univariate quantitative data on the real number line (shape, center, and variability) and bivariate quantitative data on a coordinate plane (creating linear models).

*overview description from the Alabama Course of Study 2019

Personal Finance with Algebra is a course unique to ASFA . This course counts as a 4th math in the high school curriculum. Using the curriculum from Next Generation Personal Finance and other resources, we will cover the following topics:

Behavioral Finance

Creating a 10 year Plan

Paying for College

FAFSA

Student Loans

Banking

Checking

Savings

Credit

Taxes

Budgeting

Investing

Insurance

Finance Topic Book Study

Final Portfolio for graduating to adulthood.

Precalculus is designed for students who intend to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) that requires the study of calculus. It prepares students for calculus at the postsecondary level or AP Calculus at the high school level. Students must successfully complete Algebra II with Statistics before enrolling in Precalculus.

Precalculus builds on the study of algebra and functions in Algebra II with Statistics, adding rational functions, all trigonometric functions, and general piecewise-defined functions to the families of functions considered. In addition to focusing on the families of functions, Precalculus takes a deeper look at functions as a system, including composition of functions and inverses. Precalculus also expands on the study of trigonometry in previous courses and considers vectors and their operations. Other topics, such as statistics, that are frequently added to precalculus courses are not included because the course’s primary focus is preparing students for the study of calculus.

*overview description from the Alabama Course of Study 2019