AP Calculus
2008-2009
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Start of Class Info for 2008-2009
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Description
This is a college level course in Calculus. This course will cover the topics . This course is normally taken by students in grade eleven or twelve. Students should have completed Precalculus before enrolling in Calculus.
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Fees
The cost of the course is $78 per month for nine months for students attending the class. Registration fees for homeschool classes at various locations (LAC, SNA, Dunwoody, etc) will also apply. Students may borrow a copy of the textbook from the teacher at no charge, and videos of some of the class lectures will be provided on computer disc or via the internet at no additional cost.
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Lectures and Class Time
Class time will primarily be spent on instruction. The lecture notes are a key part of the class. These notes are prepared in advance and given to the students, but with much of the material deleted and replaced by blank space on the page. During the lecture, the students fill in the blank areas, solve the example problems, and add any notes they need to. By the end of the year, the students will have what amounts to their own complete text made from the lectures delivered and the problems worked in class.
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Textbook
Calculus by Paul Foerster, 1st edition, published by Key Curriculum Press, 1998. This is an excellent text and is on the College Board’s list of approved texts for this AP Calculus. In addition to the lectures and the homework assignments, students will be assigned reading and practice problems from the textbook.
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Homework, Tests and Grades
Students will be given specific assignments to do on their own each week. Assignments will consist of additional lectures delivered on the computer, problems to practice, and homework assignments that will be collected and graded. To allow for the maximum amount of instructional time in class, tests will be given at home. One final exam for each semester will be taken in class at the end of the semester. Students will receive a numerical grade for each semester and for the year. The grade is calculated based on tests, graded homework and the final exams. Students will take the AP Exam at the end of the year, which will be graded by the College Board. Students scoring a 4 or 5 (out of 5) will receive a college credit in Calculus at most colleges.
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Difficulty Level
AP Calculus is a college level class, as indicated by the “Advanced Placement” designation. The material is conceptually challenging. Homework assignments and tests will reflect the difficulty of the material, and will be comparable to the difficulty level of problems that students will encounter on the AP Exam.
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Computer Access
Access to a computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) with either a CD drive or a high speed internet connection is strongly recommended for this course. Videos of some of the lectures will be available to the students over the web or on CD.
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The Instructor
Derek Owens taught physics, honors physics, AP Physics, and AP computer science at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA from 1988-2000. He currently teaches Physics in the summer school program at Westminster as well as AP Calculus as Providence Christian Academy. He graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering and physics, and worked at the TIP program at Duke for two years, teaching physics and heading the Satellite Science Program. He received a National Science Foundation scholarship and studied history and philosophy of science at L’Abri Fellowship in England. He worked as a software developer for five years before returning to teaching. This will be his sixth school year teaching homeschoolers in the Atlanta area. He and his wife Amor and their two children Claire and David attend Grace Fellowship Church, a non-denominational church near their home in Lawrenceville.
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