Monday, 9/28/09

Today we started class with a game reviewing all the kinds of translations and reflections of different graphs in relation to their parent functions. We went over the last quiz, and talked about the problems. We then went over homework problems, from the homework due today, and prior homework. Next we discussed Wednesday’s Unit Test. It’s a test on chapter 1.1 -1.9, and there is some review problems for each section on p. 115 and 116 in the textbook. There will be a calculator part, and a non-calculator part of the test. We then talked about super corrections, and how they work, and how it’s better to write something down, than leave a question blank. There will be 10 to 15 problems on the test, and we will hand in all of the homework up to this point before getting the test. Mr. Obrien gave us a sheet telling the homework and the order (oldest homework on top) and the homework is also still on the website.

HW:
Do a minimum of six problems from p. 117-122 (be sure to check and correct) to revise from the test- choose ones that you need practice with! These are some good questions (at least one will appear on the test): p. 117/61, 72, 89, 93, 101, 113, 129, 133, 137, 149, 151, 161.
Organize your homework- make sure each assignment is completely checked and corrected and that each has your name, date, and the assignment at the top. On the website there's a rubric for what the homework should look like. Stack your homework ordered from oldest to newest with the homework cover page on top. Staple your stack in the lower right hand corner. You will hand in your homework on the day of the test before you take your test.

Next scribe is Marnie :)

Scribe Post- Nick Murphy

Scribe Post
Nick Murphy
In the last class, we corrected some of the homework problems that were on the previous homework. These included problems on function transformations and writing equations by looking at graphs. These problems were helpful as it covered some of the material that was on the quiz that we took after reviewing the problems. After the quiz, we learned about function inverses and their formal and informal definitions. We looked at examples of how to find an inverse and what the graph of an inverse looked like as opposed to the regular function.

The Homework was p. 99/3, 9-12, 15, 19, 21, 23, 27, 55, 61, 63, 67, 89

The next scribe will be Hannah!

Scribe Post

Mr. O'Brien was still gone today, and we had the same substitute as last class. We started out by logging on to our SAT Practice accounts and taking the Numbers and Operations quiz #1 (which some of us had actually taken last year). Following this quiz, we took a brief NCTM survey about college. For the remainder of the class we looked over the Geogebra homework, and compared answers. We also looked over old homework problems in preparation for the quiz next class over all of the homework so far. We look forward to having Mr. O'Brien back next class!

Homework:
-Skim p. 84-87 with the goal of revising combinations of functions and composition of functions
-p. 79/5
-p. 89/1, 5, 21, 31, 41, 47, 49, 51

September 18, 2009

Today, we took a quiz over the last few homework assignments for the first thirty minutes of class. Following that, we went over homework in small groups. We then began to work on the Function Transformations 1 handout. Not everyone finished, so the remaining problems were taken home as homework. We all missed you very very much, & hope you're having lots of fun overseas :]

We had trouble with page seventy-nine, numbers fifty-three and sixty-five, so when you get back we'll most likely still be confused about them.

-Lange
Next scribe is going to be Robin Wilder!

Wendsday, 9/16/09

We began class with the SAT account setup, which several people completed. After which we were given a practice file to ensure that Geogebra was working. We quickly passed on to go on to the old homework from the day before. This took up most of the first half of the class. Our new material began with the step function (or the greatest integer function) which we graphed on our GDCs. The step function was the jumping off point into the parent functions, which can be found in the back of the book. We discovered that if you have a(f(x-b))-c and you know how a b and c affect the original parent function and that you know how the original function looked, you can graph it without a GDC. This is going to be valuable later. We graphed a couple on the board, but ran out of time before we could do too much.
Homework: p. 71/31, 43, 53-60 & p. 79/11, 17, 25, 31, 47, 53, 65
-Domingo
Next Scribe: Lange

Monday's Class

We started the class by taking the non-calculator assessment that we didn't get to last class. This is just to check our basic math skills. We then went over our first responsibility check from last week's homework. (N.B.: You don't need to keep these after we go over them.) We also discussed last week's Unit 1 test. Next we talked about the homework from last class. We didn't get to all of our questions, but the problems we didn't get to talk about will NOT be on this week's quiz. There is NO quiz on Wednesday.

We then had a discussion on x-axis, y-axis, and origin symmetry. You should download the symmetry PDF from the class website (http://math-ob.wikispaces.com/Pre-AP+Calculus+Red) if you haven't already. We also talked about even and odd functions and how they relate to symmetry.

The homework is the ten homework problems listed on the class website. Be sure to set up an SAT CollegeBoard account if you haven't done that already.

Thursday's class

Today in class, we had a quiz on 1.1-1.4. We were unable to take the brief non-calculator arithmetic assessment because it was for the W-2 class...
For the rest of the class, we discussed and corrected our homework. This was for the most part individual work, or in groups. All the questions were worked out in class.
Some of us also read the Powerpoint tutorial for “TI-83/84+ Graphing Utility Tutorial on Finding Relative Extrema”. The people who had the Casio’s couldn’t really participate in this tutorial.

Next Scribe: Annie Fagan

HW for Next Class:

* Quiz Friday on homework through Wednesday
* p. 49/29, 33, 63, 89
* p. 63/47, 53, 61
* p. 71/19, 23, 27 (you will need a GDC to do these problems)
*Read the class blog and comments.

Tuesday's class

Today in class, we started by reading a blog post about security on the internet and setting up the class blog - which you can find here: preapcalcred0910.blogspot.com.

We also used the beginning of class to register everyone for the iCal program. You can find the iCal subscription code on the class website - math-ob.wikispaces.com.

We then did a homework check by answering two problems from our homework and turning that in on a separate sheet of paper. Mr. O’Brien went over the expectations for going over homework: list problems you want to discuss, going over problems on the board, talking to classmates, etc.

We put several of the homework questions on the board that the students needed help with and Mr. O’Brien corrected and explained all of them. We discussed how to find the midpoint of a line (as in page 10, #37C), finding perpendicular and parallel lines on a graph (as in page 35, #69 and 75), dividing by zero. We also went over how to operate our calculators.

#61 on p. 49, the answer in the back of the book, we changed to y is greater than or equal to 10 instead of 0

g(y) = the sqrt. of y2 - y -9
y2 - y - 9 greater than or equal to 0

There is a quiz next class (September 10). Be prepared.
Next Scribe: Anna Grigo

The Scribe List

This is The Scribe List. Every possible scribe in our class is listed here. This list will be updated every class. If you see someone's name crossed off on this list then you CANNOT choose them as the scribe for the next class.

This post can be quickly accessed from the [Links] list over there on the right hand sidebar. Check here before you choose a scribe for tomorrow's class when it is your turn to do so.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you label all your Scribe Posts properly (Your Name, Unit Title, Scribe Post) or they will not be counted.

Cycle 4

Annie Julia Anna Kayla Maci Lange Marnie

Nick Angus Keegan Hannah Domingo Noelle Robin Caitlin

Welcome

Welcome to our class blog. This will be our space to discuss mathematics. There are a few basic guidelines to posting online. First, read this post from another blog about personal branding and the internet. Remember the blogging is a very public activity and your writing may be read by anyone on the internet- for as long as it exists. So, please be sure to use your first name only, and do not use a photo of yourself. If you like, you may use an image of something to represent you but that is not you (an avatar).

After each class, the scribe will post a synopsis of the day's events (Scribe Post). A student at another school described the role of a scribe as this:

A scribe post is basically like you are teaching the class again, but this time in your words in a way that other people can understand it. You can also recap other important things that we talk about in class (like Pi Day) so that if someone was away in our class, they would know what they missed. Also don't forget that when you scribe, you get the power to choose the next scribe.

You will also use this blog to post your revision questions before a unit test revision (Revision), and you may make a posting to share at any time (On My Mind).

Your contributions to the class blog consist of a quiz grade (rubric on the class website). To ensure that you receive credit for your contributions, please ensure that any post you make has exactly three labels:

1. Your first name.
2. The unit of study, e.g. Functions
3. The type of post: either Scribe Post, Reflection, or On My Mind.

Below are some guidelines for student bloggers that another teacher, Bud Hunt, came up with:

Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don’t give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.

Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t.

Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

To kick us off, add a brief comment to this post- thoughts or additions to the above discussion of privacy and blogging.

Note: This blogging model is courtesy of Darren Kuropatwa.