NMU CALCULUS I (MA 161) Mr. M. Smith – room 327
Phone: 524-6000 ext. 370
Email: masmith@laschools.k12.mi.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/laschools.k12.mi.us/mr-smith/home
1. Students will be in their assigned seats with all necessary materials BEFORE the bell rings.
2. Students will place cell phones in the designated box before class. Cell phones will be confiscated if used during class.
3. Students will have respect for everyone.
4. Students WILL FOLLOW TEACHER DIRECTIONS regarding the activities, procedures, and behaviors that take place during class. At a minimum, students will remain quiet while teaching is taking place, and during quizzes and tests.
In addition, all school policies and student code of conduct rules apply. Failure to follow the above rules may result in a warning, being held after class, parental contact, office referral, and/or removal from the classroom. Please remember that the purpose of these rules is to enable the teacher to teach and the students to learn.
Concurrent Enrollment Calculus I is an advanced elective course. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be receiving 4 credits for MA 161 through Northern Michigan University.
Tentatively, we will usually spend 2 days on most of the lessons covering Chapters 1 through 6 of your textbook in order. Since this is a new course, the pace and even the way the class is run may be adjusted as necessary.
You will be expected to PAY ATTENTION and COMPLETE EACH ASSIGNMENT daily. The assignments will be reasonable in length and there should be some class time available to get started most days.
You will need to memorize the formulas, derivatives, and integrals since no cheat sheets will be allowed. I recommend that you make flash cards for each as they are covered and constantly study them. Occasional quizzes on the memorization will be given. In addition, you will need to be able do most problems without your graphing calculator.
You will be given a quarterly schedule of assignments, tests, and quizzes ahead of time so you can plan.
We will first go over the previous day’s assignment, then cover the new material. Any available time during class will be used to work on the assignment and for extra help.
While homework spot checks will still be done, there will be one or two quizzes given each chapter. There will also be a test given at the end of each chapter. We will review for at least one day for each quiz and test. Some may have parts where no graphing calculator is allowed.
We will still occasionally use graphing calculators, so please bring them to class and try to become an expert at using them. Just do not get too dependent on it for doing the problems.
The NMU Math Department will provide the final exam for the course, and grade it. The final exam will be 30% of the final grade, and you must earn at least a 65% to earn the 4 NMU credits. Therefore, I would like to complete Chapter 6 by mid-April, so that we will have several weeks to review for it. In addition, you need to earn at least a C- overall to pass the course
Also, be aware that IF YOU ARE ABSENT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MISSED MATERIAL AND ASSIGNMENTS.
As most of you know, I am available and happy to help you if you are having difficulty understanding the material. I can help you before and after school, during most of my prep periods (7th hour), and by arrangement. You may even call me at home for help. I highly recommend study groups and collaboration with your fellow students. Those who study together, pass together. Some helpful websites are khanacademy.org and calculus.org. Each contains resources including practice problems and videos explaining most of the covered concepts. You are also eligible to receive extra help free at the Math Tutoring Room at NMU in the West Science Building, room 3810. Tutors are tutors available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Please do not fall behind or wait until you are completely lost to get help.
Please be aware that your L’Anse High School grade and NMU grade may not be the same. Grades are based on a total point system of homework, quizzes, tests and other assignments. Partial credit on quizzes and tests can be earned as usual. Officially, there is no extra-credit. However, I may occasionally provide extra-credit opportunities. There may also be bonus questions on quizzes and tests. The point system will be set up so that homework is worth about 20%, quizzes about 30%, and tests about 50%. The final exam will be worth 30% of your final grade. You can check your LHS grade online anytime. The following percent scale will be used.
95 to 100 A 73 to 77 C
90 to 94 A- 70 to 72 C-
88 to 89 B+ 68 to 69 D+
83 to 87 B 63 to 67 D
80 to 82 B- 60 to 62 D-
78 to 79 C+ 0 to 59 E
The semester grade calculations for this class will be different from normal. Quarter grades will be 35% (normally 40%) and the Semester and Final Exam will be 30%. (Normally 20%) So 35% + 35% + 30% = 100%.
Students are expected to do their own work and follow university academic honesty policy. This policy can be found in the student handbook or at the following link: http://www.nmu.edu/dso/studenthandbook
Each of you has shown that you are a good math student and I have confidence that you can do well in Calculus if you work hard and do your best. I will do my best to make the class as high quality and interesting as possible, but am always open to student suggestions on improving the class, especially a new course like NMU Calculus I. Please let me know if you have any constructive ideas.
*Important Notice* State policy for concurrent/dual enrollment requires that any student who fails the course must reimburse the L'Anse Area Schools the tuition of about $600 paid to Northern Michigan University on their behalf.
I have read and understand the Classroom Rules, Information and Format, and Grading for Mr. Smith’s NMU Calculus I class.
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Students will earn 10 homework points for their 1st quarter grade by having this signed above and returned to me by Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Please feel free to contact me by phone, email, or in person with any concerns you may have.
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