Mr.

Steve Wood
swood@asm.ac.ma

Course: AP Calculus
The primary goal of this Advanced Placement Calculus class is to provide
students with a strong mathematical background of differential and integral
calculus. By having a strong calculus backbone, students will be able to
apply concepts to real situations and appreciate the power of mathematics.
Secondary goals of the class are preparing students to use technology as an
aid in solving problems and to be successful on the AP Exam at the end of
the course. By meeting all of these goals, students should understand that
we study calculus because our world is always changing and calculus is the
mathematics of changing environments and that calculus is a powerful tool
in solving complex problems in mathematics, science, and engineering.
Students entering AP Calculus AB are expected to do the following things:
Learn concepts and skills quickly.
Maintain proficiency in above skills as they are applied to new skills.
Handle the rigor of learning new concepts every day and use new concepts
throughout the course.
Quickly recall concepts and skills learned in previous courses but needed in
this coursethere is no time to re-teach old skills.

Student Background
Students entering AP Calculus AB should already have a good understanding
of the following concepts:
Algebra I and II:
Simplifying expressions, solving equations and inequalities (linear,
polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, logarithmic, absolute value);
solving systems of linear and polynomial equations.
Writing equations of linear functions: slope-intercept form, point-slope
form, etc.
Graphing (and recognizing the graphs of) functions and relations including
x- and y- intercepts, horizontal, and vertical asymptotes.
Setting up and solving word problems involving the algebra skills listed
above.
Trigonometry:

 Unit circle values (cos, sin, etc.) for the traditional multiples of 6
Identities (Pythagorean, sum and difference, half and double angle).
Solving trigonometric equations and systems of equations.
Graphs of trigonometric functions in the xy-plane. For example, y = a cos
b(x - c) + d.
Application of trigonometry to geometric figures.
Geometry:
Midpoint, slope, distance formulas.
Area formulas for common plane figures.
Lateral area, surface area, and volume formulas for common 3-D figures.

Expectations:
1. Respect: Showing respect to the Teacher as well as your classmates and
things in the classroom
2. Responsibility: You are expected to bring all essential materials with you to
class to be a productive student. This includes: Notebook, Paper, Pencil or
Pen, Book, Assignment or Homework. As a responsible student, you will be
expected to be organized, aware of all assignments and deadlines, and hold
yourself academically accountable.
3. Effort: You will be expected to try your very best each and every day. You
will ask questions when you do not understand, and set up arrangements for
after school help if needed.
4. Accountability: You are expected to be in class everyday and on-time. If you
are not able to make it to class or are sick, please be responsible and send
an email to notify me that you will not be in attendance. I can then send you
what we covered and work missed so that when you arrive, you will not be
behind.
5. Academic Honesty: You are expected to do your own work and learn the
material for yourself. This will help build retention of the material and
provide more of a foundation and stepping stone for a successful math
career in high school and college.

Materials Needed for class:

1. Notebook: 3 ring binder or large spiral notebook with enough room and
paper for all notes and handouts, etc for the whole year
2. Notebook paper for notes, homework exercises, warm-ups, etc
3. Writing utensils: Pen or pencils

4. Graphing Calculator: for upper levels this is essential, but not required for
Algebra or Geometry however will be useful to have and know how to
operate. TI-84 or TI-84Plus are great ones to have
5. Optional: colored pencils, markers, tape, scissors, glue, etc. We will be
making posters, foldables, graphic organizers, projects, and might be useful
to have.

Class Structure/Operating Schedule:

My class is a very organized and hands on learning environment.
There will be a mix of lecture to deliver the new content, followed by guided
practice through small group work, activities, games, posters, then
independent practice. There will be lots of formative assessments through
the week through warm-ups of content from previous days as well as
activities to monitor achievement. Homework is a chance for students to
practice the new content, make mistakes and learn from them and practice
to improve. Therefore, homework is checked for completion rather than right
or wrong. Students will be keeping a detailed notebook which will include all
notes and activities and handouts in a structured, organized way which will
be monitored and checked before each unit test. When it comes to
assessments, I like to end the week with a review day of content covered and
allowing students to clear up any questions they may still have. Tests will
then usually be on a Monday following the review. I believe the most
important aspect of testing is not necessarily the score but the mastery of
the content and retention of material. I will allow students to retake a test
after they complete a revision assignment, but will average all the scores
together for a final grade. They will have to arrange a time after school to
retake a test in advance but must be done within a week of the test given.

Grade Scale:
A+

97100

94-96

A-

90-93

B+

87-89

84-86

B-

80-83

C+

77-79

74-76

C-

70-73

D+

67-69

64-66

D-

60-63

60

Course Outline/Timeline
Unit 1: Calculus Preparation (4 days)
Review of Algebra/Precalculus topics:
1. Piecewise Defined Functions
2. Even/Odd Functions
3. Slopes/Equations of Lines
4. Solving Linear, Quadratic, Trigonometric Equations
5. Domain/Range
6. Simplifying Rational Expressions

Unit 2: Limits and Their Properties (11 days)

1. Finding limits graphically and numerically
2. Finding limits analytically
3. Properties of limits
4. Continuity on open and closed intervals
5. Intermediate Value Theorem

6. Limits at infinity

Unit 3: Differentiation (34 days)

1. Limit definition of the derivative of a function
2. Finding the equation of a tangent line
3. Differentiability
4. Basic Differentiation Rules
a. Constant
b. Power
c. Sum/Difference
d. Sine/Cosine
5. Derivatives involving motion (velocity and acceleration)
6. Product Rule
7. Quotient Rule
8. Higher Ordered Derivatives
9. Chain Rule
10. Implicit Differentiation
11. Related Rates

Unit 4: Applications of Differentiation (24 days)

1. Extrema on an interval
a. Open vs. Closed intervals
2. Extreme Value Theorem
3. Critical Values
4. Mean Value Theorem
5. Rates of Change
a. Instantaneous vs. Average

6. Intervals of Increasing/Decreasing Functions

7. First Derivative Test
8. Finding Relative Extrema Values
9. Definition of Concavity
10. Finding Intervals of Concavity
11. Finding Inflection Points
12. Limits at Infinity
13. Definition of Horizontal Asymptotes
14. Graphing using Derivative Tests
15. Solving Optimization Problems

Unit 5: Integration (27 days)

1. Antiderivatives
2. Solving Differential Equations
a. General vs. Particular Solutions
3. Basic Integration Rules
4. Finding AreaRiemann Sums
5. Finding AreaNumber of Rectangles goes to Infinity
6. Definition of the Definite Integral
7. Properties of Definite Integrals
8. 1st part of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
9. Applications of the Definite Integral
10. Finding Average Value of a Function
11. Definite Integrals as Area Accumulator Functions
12. 2nd part of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
13. Integration using Substitution
14. Numerical Integration

a. Trapezoid Rule
b. Simpsons Rule

Unit 6: Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (22 days)

1. Differentiation of the Natural Logarithmic Function
2. Integration of the Natural Logarithmic Function
3. Derivatives of Inverse Functions
4. Differentiation of Exponential Functions
5. Integration of Exponential Functions
6. Derivatives of Bases other than e
7. Applications of Logarithmic and Exponential Functions
8. Solving Growth and Decay Problems
a. Newtons Law of Cooling
9. Using Separation of Variables to Solve Differential Equations
10. Slope Fields
11. The Logistic Equation
12. Differentiation of Inverse Trigonometric Functions
13. Integration of Inverse Trigonometric Functions

Unit 7: Applications of Integration (9 days)

1. Finding Area between two curves
2. Finding Volume using Disk Method
3. Finding Volume using Washer Method
4. Finding Volume using Known Cross-Sections

Unit 8: Review for AP Exam (15 days)