Welcome to Precalculus Honors!
You will have the distinct pleasure of taking one of the most fascinating math classes offered in High School this year! The class will meet for about 90 minutes each day for 90 days. You will learn a plethora of mathematical concepts designed to strengthen the core topics of Algebra 2 and prepare you for the intellectual rigor of AB Calculus. Precalculus Honors is a course designed to a) solidify the topics discussed in Algebra 2, and b) introduce you to the thrilling world of Trigonometry. There are also two important themes that will follow us throughout the semester: graphing (finding and plotting points, domain and range, transformations, etc.). The first half of the semester will be devoted almost entirely to a review of Algebra 2 concepts and the vast world of Trigonometry, the study of the relationship between angles and distances. The second half of the semester will speed up and hit on a number of interesting topics, including Vectors, Conic Sections, (possibly) Polar Equations, and Matrices.
Grading Policy
Your grade for the class is weighted as follows: 45% 1st/3rd nine-weeks, 45% 2nd/4th nine-weeks, and 10% Final Exam. Each nine-week grading period is broken down into 3 grading categories: 10% daily conceptual practice, 30% Minor (quizzes and mini-projects), and 60% Major (tests and large projects).
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Your daily practice may include a bonus question or two mixed in worth extra points if worked correctly. Remember, all practice is due the day after it is assigned, regardless of whether you were here for the lesson or not. Go ahead and swallow any complaints you have right now. Quizzes are given throughout the unit and typically address the most recent 2-3 lessons. You may use your notes (notebooks) on all quizzes (except for Unit Circle Quizzes). Unit tests will primarily cover the content in that unit, though anything from previous units *hint hint* is still fair game. If the grade on a unit test is higher than any quiz in that unit (again, except for Unit Circle Quizzes), that test grade will replace the quiz grade in PowerSchool.
Pacing Guide and Assessment Checklist
Due to the fluctuating nature of the High School schedule, lesson plans are outperformed by a general pacing guide of topics and assessments. Below are the topics we will cover this year and milestones for assessments (subject to change as needed). Each topic is hyperlinked to the handout from the corresponding classroom packet. *Topics in this guide are color-coded blue once we've covered that topic. In the event that too many days of instruction are lost, lessons will be truncated from the end of the course, not from the center.*
This same pacing guide can be found in Google Classroom (if you lose any pages from your packet) and in PowerSchool (along with corresponding grades).
Unit 1 Review of Algebra 2 (Part 1) (COMPLETE)
QUIZ: Review of Quadratic Functions (14 August)
QUIZ: Review of Polynomial Functions (19 August)
TEST: Review of Algebra 2 (Part 1) (20 August)
Unit 2 Review of Algebra 2 (Part 2) (COMPLETE)
QUIZ: Review of Radical Functions (27 August)
QUIZ: Review of Rational Functions (2 September)
TEST: Review of Algebra 2 (Part 2) (3 September)
Unit 3 Exponential & Logarithmic Functions (COMPLETE)
QUIZ: Exponential Graphs & Models (9 September)
QUIZ: Graphs & Properties of Logarithms (11 September)
QUIZ: Solving Exponential & Logarithmic Equations (15 September)
TEST: Exponential & Logarithmic Functions (16 September)
Unit 4 Trigonometric Ratios (COMPLETE)
QUIZ: Definition of Trigonometric Ratios (22 September)
QUIZ: General Angle Measures & Radians (25 September)
4.5a Evaluating Trigonometric Functions of Any Angle (Part 1 of 2)
4.5b Evaluating Trigonometric Functions of Any Angle (Part 2 of 2)
QUIZ: The Unit Circle (30 September) *Any day from here on is fair game for a Unit Circle Pop Quiz*
QUIZ: Inverse Trigonometric Functions (1 October)
TEST: Trigonometric Ratios (2 October)
Unit 5 Graphs of Trigonometric Functions (IN PROGRESS)
5.2a Graphs of the Sine & Cosine Functions: Translations (Part 1 of 2)
5.2b Graphs of the Sine & Cosine Functions: Translations (Part 2 of 2)
QUIZ: Graphing Sine & Cosine Functions (8 October)
QUIZ: Trigonometric Graphs & Translations (14 October)
TEST: Graphs of Trigonometric Functions (15 October)
Unit 6 Trigonometric Identities & Equations (NOT STARTED)
TEST: Trigonometric Identities & Equations (TBD)
Unit 7 Additional Applications of Trigonometry (NOT STARTED)
Review: Additional Applications of Trigonometry
TEST: Additional Applications of Trigonometry (TBD)
Unit 8 Conic Sections (NOT STARTED)