AP Calc (AB)
& Calc

Welcome, Calc & AP Calc students!

This website will hold extra goodness for you taking the AP Test at the end of the year (and the resources & info won't hurt for those not taking it). I will use this space for resources for completing our everyday work in Calc class (chapter by chapter). You will also see some links and downloads for AP Test practice questions, tutorial videos, and other useful materials.

About this class

Be prepared to put in some hard work this year, much of it done outside of class. This is especially true as you prepare for the AP test at the end of the year. Your real preparation for that comes outside of the classroom. This means creating the most distraction-free environment for yourself possible in your place of personal study: no social media, iPhones (unless using Desmos, of course!), video games, Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, etc. while you're trying to master what can sometimes be tough concepts.

To be honest, the work we'll do on many problems isn't that tough. Even many of the concepts are pretty simple once you see how they work in a problem. But the one thing you must continue to improve this year is your basic Algebra II Skills. Believe it or not, success is Calculus is probably 90% not making simple algebraic mistakes. Yes, you'll see some trigonometry and even a little geometry in there (primarily formulas for volume or area), but the Algebra is holding it all together.

Memorization

If you have taken an AP class already, you know that a big part of the class deals with memorizing some key stats, concepts, formulas, etc. (depending on the subject). That is no different for AP Calc. Some of these formulas & facts you will have already memorized, more than likely, like some basic trig stuff. When we get into differentiation & integration, you'll see there is a little more to it. But don't worry, we'll be using these concepts and "formulas" a lot, so you'll have a good chance to memorize them as we go!

As we progress through class this year, we'll keep a running "cheat sheet" of flash cards with important facts and formulas on them so you can take a couple of minutes a day to practice.

Navigating This Website

I will continue to post regular assignments on Google Classroom (with official grades for them on Chalkable).

I will use this site for the more web-based learning materials that we will use. You see that there is a Resources & Links page specifically for each class. That will start off with some basics, but more useful material will be added as needed.

There is a Calendar page, as well, which links directly to our Google Classroom assignments. Other important dates (that aren't assignment due dates) may be added there, also.

Finally, you'll see a link to each chapter that we cover. I will put concept specific info on those pages, such as extra practice problems, useful links to videos or other online tutorials, or even embedded material there (like videos or Desmos interactive graphs).

More sections/subpages may be added as needed as the year progresses. For example, you'll probably see more AP/College Board-related links popping up in the 2nd semester.