Hello students who will be joining me (Mr. White) for PreCalculus in the 2025-26 school year.
Assuming Dr. Leonard was your teacher this past year, I hope my visits to your Algebra 2 class helped assure you that this course will be a good fit for you. Or if Dr. Leonard was not your teacher last year, I hope you've found other ways to assure yourself that you're heading to the right place. Please carefully read this entire page and take the initiative to contact me if you have any questions.
I make myself available to students throughout the summer to offer assistance, except as follows:
Scoring AP Exams in Kansas City: June 5 - June 18
Personal travel: July 2 - July 9
I've done this for well over a decade, and I actually enjoy meeting some students before they formally enter my class in August, so don't be shy to contact me. Every year, most students put themselves in good position to start the year, yet there are still too many (20-25%) who wait too long to start practicing from the Study Guides below and regret their procrastination. I encourage you to talk with students who've already taken my class and learn from the wisdom they've acquired.
Any assistance from me must be sought and received before August 4, when teachers return to campus.
In return for me generously offering my time to help you over the summer as needed, I expect every student on my roster to show up on their first day, confident in their skills with the assignment complete, and ready to hit the ground running.
Please double-check: Are you about to do the correct summer assignment? If your course schedule lists ADVANCED PRE-CALCULUS H, then you're in the right place. If your course schedule lists PRE-CALCULUS H, that’s a different class with a different assignment, so re-check here.
May most of your summer be free from school obligations, but please don't let all that wonderful prerequisite Math you've learned in recent years drain from your brain! In any PreCalc class that leads into a college or AP Calculus course, we cannot afford to spend an abundance of class time reteaching prerequisite skills. (Office hours are where I'd be happy to assist with any and all skills, old or new.)
Within the first week of class, you will have a test on prerequisite Math, 25 multiple-choice questions very similar to those in the Study Guides below. You will NOT be allowed to use your calculator on this test. Yes, the grade will count. I know that sounds cruel/scary at first, but I ask that you view it as a very achievable opportunity to earn a solid A test grade by the end of our first week.
In preparation for the first test, you are expected to practice from the Study Guides linked below. Prints of Study Guides A & B were also distributed in Dr. Leonard's Algebra 2 class. Study Guide C is optional: Be honest in assessing your own readiness, and do all or parts of Study Guide C if you determine that it would help ensure your skills are sharp. While there are some exercises that may not require much work to be shown, most exercises will require that you write some work down.
I'm not asking you to learn anything brand new. The prerequisite skills are all from Algebra 2 or earlier. The questions are very similar from one Study Guide to another, offering you multiple chances to assess/practice your skills. As noted in the Study Guide, you should not use a calculator for any of the questions. Answers are provided on the last page of each Study Guide PDF.
Each of the questions on our first test will look very much like one from the Study Guide. You will have sixty minutes to complete the test. Time extensions will only be granted as required by Individual Accommodation Plans. No, you may not return at lunch or after school for extra time. With 25 questions in 60 minutes, you will have an average of 2 minutes 24 seconds per question. Over the years, well-prepared students have found this time constraint to be plenty reasonable. On the other hand, if you spend too much time backpedaling, second-guessing, and pondering questions that you should have gotten answered over the summer, then the time constraint will seem unreasonable. When practicing over the summer, focus on both correctness and efficiency. Remember, I am gladly willing to assist you with questions over the summer as long as we make the appointment before teachers return to work.
VIDEO SOLUTIONS: If you get stuck, the accompanying video has my explanations to all 40 questions in Study Guide A. The links below are intended to allow you to skip to the question you're interested in viewing.
AFTER you have completed “Summer Practice A” and gotten all your questions answered, THEN test yourself with "Summer Practice B."
Still feel the need to test yourself more on certain questions? YOU decide if you need even more practice. Suggestion: Select 25 questions and give yourself a strict 60-minute time limit in order to simulate the time constraints you'll experience on the actual Day #1 test. Alternately, divide the entire 40-question Study Guide in half and give yourself two 48-minute sessions to complete them (This would require the same pacing).
A big theme of this class: Learn to be resourceful. The successful student will have multiple places to seek help. Make sure you have mastered the contents of the above Study Guide using any means you have at your disposal. Here are some suggestions.
You should have notes and other materials acquired in Algebra 2 this past year. A lot of the stuff in this Study Guide was introduced to you in the not-too-distant past. If you need more practice, redo some of those problems from last year's assignments.
Get together with a friend who is also enrolled to take this PreCalculus course or any other knowledgeable person. Of course, make sure you're gaining the necessary understanding rather than just swapping answers.
Use the Internet. I've had a number of students in recent years who regularly consult YouTube, Kahn Academy, and other websites with good success. Use your best judgment to consult sites that don't just lead you an an answer, but also help you understand every step of the process.
Contact me and check out a textbook. I'll admit that our PreCalculus textbook is not always the most user-friendly for learning new material on your own, but since you're just refreshing your memory, it has some Prerequisite chapters and Appendices that might just do the trick.
Arrange a meeting time with me. I'll be around during much of the summer, and I'm glad to make myself available at a local coffee shop or via Google Meet if that's what it takes to make sure you show up prepared on Day #1.
A handheld graphing calculator is an essential tool that must be brought to class every day. Even though a calculator is off-limits for the summer assignment, we'll start learning/using the graphing calculator about one week into our course. I recommend the TI-84 Plus CE, but feel free to consider other options listed below. All of these should also be suitable for any other STEM classes in high school and college that require a handheld calculator.
TI-84 Plus CE (color, newest, RECOMMENDED), TI-84 Plus C (color, older), TI-84 Plus (b/w, oldest) — These Texas Instruments (TI) models are the most commonly used graphing calculators in education. MrW will use the TI-84 Plus CE for instruction. Students who use other brands/models will be responsible for finding/learning the corresponding features on their chosen calculators.
Other TI models — Acceptable if you already own one, but please don't buy TI models other than TI-84 for this class. If you already own a TI-Nspire (non-CAS), it will be your responsibility to learn how to use them comfortably. If you already own a TI-83, that will also suffice, but that model is old/slow enough that I recommend upgrading to the TI-84 if at all possible.
Casio, various models – There are always a few students each year who acquire Casio graphing calculators, which tend to run cheaper than popular TI models. Student historically don't seem to have much trouble learning the required features on their own.
NumWorks — This is a relatively new graphing calculator on the market. It claims to be more intuitive to learn, although MrW (perhaps too entrenched in his TI ways) hasn't found that to be his experience. MrW has encountered mixed opinions among other high school Math teachers, with Stats teachers seeming to be the biggest NumWorks fans. Perfectly acceptable if you already own one, but I wouldn't recommend buying otherwise.
Don't get a calculator with Computer Algebra System (CAS) — Calculators with CAS are not allowed on ACT and SAT. If a calculator has CAS, it should be clearly labeled on the packaging and the product description on a web page listing.
Sorry, phone apps are NOT acceptable substitutes for a dedicated handheld calculator, and they will not be allowed on tests. Similarly, online graphers such as Desmos or GeoGebra will play a role in our class, but they are not a substitute for a handheld graphing calculator.
If for any reason it is not feasible for you to obtain a graphing calculator, our Math department has a limited number of older TI-84 or TI-83 non-color calculators that you may check out for the year for free (other than the cost of replacing batteries about once in a year of average use).
Other than the calculator, I will largely leave school supply decisions up to you. I strongly recommend pencil, but if you prefer pen and can present your work neatly, then go for it. I recommend a colored pencil or pen for corrections, but ultimately you're grown enough to make that choice for yourself. Three-ring binder vs. spiral-bound notebook -- makes no difference to me. You might find graph paper to be useful, but it is not required. I will never ask you to rip notes or homework out of your notebook. However, I will occasionally have handouts, so you'll need somewhere to store those.
If it's not already obvious, I am very willing to spend my time assisting you. Seeing my students conquer challenges and feel successful is the biggest reward of my job. In return, I require my students to also be willing to spend their time proactively preparing for their own success. I look forward to accompanying you through what is intended to be a challenging but fulfilling year of Math for you.
-MrW