AP Calculus AB
Mrs. Garcia – Room 413
Tutoring: Tuesday & Thursday 4:15 – 5:00 pm
Welcome to AP Calculus AB. This course requires students to have prior knowledge in Algebra, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus Trigonometry. These courses will prepare students with a strong foundation in reasoning and critical thinking. Students will be able to approach problems graphically, numerically, analytically, verbally and will be able to make connections amongst these representations. Students are expected to remember formulas and theorems for this course. This is a very rigorous course and will require reading the textbook, reviewing class notes, and doing all assigned work. For a full course description, please refer to the course and exam description published by the College Board Advanced Placement Program: AP Calculus AB – AP Students | College Board
Required materials for this course are notebook paper, pencil/pen, textbook, and a graphing calculator. The textbook is Calculus for AP® by Ron Larson and Paul Battaglia and can be checked out in the book room. Graphing calculators will be checked out in the library.
Homework will be an important part of students’ learning for this course and will be checked daily. Students will start with a 100% homework grade, but keeping this average implies that 100% of the homework is completed daily. There will be pop quizzes to check for understanding through the course.
Tests are designed to follow AP format questions to prepare students for the AP Exam in May. Tests will be composed of two parts: calculator, and no calculator. Each of these parts will also have two sections: multiple-choice and free response questions. The scoring will be closely to the AP scale of: 5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=E. Scales and grades will be discussed in class. This course is rigorous and will require plenty of preparation to be successful on tests. Keep in mind that these tests are designed to prepare students for the AP Exam.
Follow the teacher’s calendar for upcoming assignments and tests. Changes can occur throughout the semester and will be communicated in class, Google Classroom and Remind, if needed.
When absent, assigned homework will be on Google Classroom. It is important for students to have clear communication with the teacher and not fall behind. Only excused absences will allow for make-up work.
Tutoring is on Tuesday and Thursday after school from 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm. Make arrangements with the teacher for a different date and time, if needed.
Grades are determined by 60% Major assignments (exams and class projects) and 40% Minor assignments (daily classwork, homework & quizzes). Late homework will not be accepted and no retests in AP classes are allowed as per our District Grading Policy.
AP Exam Note: Students who take AP Calculus AB are expected to take the AP exam on May 13, 2024. Each AP Exam has a cancellation fee (around $97) for any student who does not take the exam in May.
Students are encouraged to continue to AP Calculus BC in the spring semester, but not required. There will be Saturday review sessions for those students who take only the Fall AB class. It is imperative that you attend these sessions to better prepare for this rigorous test.