AP CALCULUS

Santa Fe Prep 2014 2015

Teacher: Suzie Matthews
! smatthews@sfprep.org
" 202.421.4525



Welcome! We are embarking on an exciting journey this year that will require your daily
participation, hard work, positive energy, and good humor. Calculus is a wonderfully rich subject that
combines many of the ideas you have learned in previous math course and then goes deeply in new and
interesting directions.

Expectations

You can expect:
1. That I will engage you in class and encourage you to express your opinions, to ask questions, and to
be comfortable taking risks and being wrong.
2. That I will be approachable in and outside of class.
3. That I will be clear about assignments and ensure homework is relevant and purposeful.
4. That I will design assessments to give you the opportunity to show what you have learned, and that
I will evaluate your work fairly.
5. That I will return work in a timely manner and give you helpful feedback.
6. That I will challenge you appropriately and work to ensure that you are learning a lot.
7. That I will care deeply about you and your success in this class.

I will expect:
1. That you will come to class on time and prepared, with all necessary supplies.
2. That you approach each class with an inquisitive and collaborative spirit.
3. That you will participate actively, think critically, listen thoughtfully, and treat your classmates and
me with consideration.
4. That you will help yourself and others think and learn. (This includes the expectation that you will
reserve responses to questions appropriately.)
5. That you will recognize and respect the boundary between legitimate assistance from another
student and improper use of another students work.
6. That you will take responsibility before (if possible) and after any absences. This means getting
notes from another student, picking up your handouts from the folder in our room, and showing
me your homework.
7. That you will be honest. Let me know if you have problems with the material, an assignment, or
some other aspect of the course.


Some conventions
1. Do all graded work in pencil.
2. Feast on ideas, not food, in class. Drinks are okay, as long as they dont interfere with class. (Talk
to me about extenuating circumstances of course I dont want anyone going hungry.)
3. Bring pencils and erasers, your calculator, your binder, and loose-leaf paper to every class.

Grading

Tests (~50%) and quizzes (~35%):
Each semester, we will have a number of assessments that will help you synthesize and reflect your
current understanding. Depending on the nature of the material we study in a particular unit, there
may also be other work (problem sets, etc.) that will count as a test or quiz grade.

Homework and participation (~15%):
I will check homework at the start of class (graded on completion and effort). I may also periodically
collect your homework to take a closer look. Generally, you may turn in late homework up until the
end of the unit for a reduced number of points. Know, though, that we move quickly through complex
topics. Homework is an important part of this class, and timely and thorough completion of it is
essential to your understanding and progress. The nature of this course also makes participation and
reflection very important.

I will take the following into account when evaluating your class participation:
Do you arrive in class on time?
Do you bring his/her binder/notebook every day?
Do you take notes during class?
Are you attentive during class?
Do you engage regularly and productively in class discussions and group
exercises?
Do you demonstrate intellectual curiosity?
Do you listen and respond respectfully to other students?

Semester grades: 80% work during the semester; 20% semester exam

How to get help outside of class: I love talking about math! Find me in my office (in the
administration building), or set up a time to meet with me.


Above all, Im here to support you and to help you
succeed. At the end of the year, I hope that you will
like and appreciate math even more than you do now.
Im really looking forward to our time together; please
let me know whenever you need something throughout
the year.