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Prealgebra
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Currently enrolled students login here
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Description
This course will cover the topics normally covered in a middle school prealgebra course. This course is normally taken by students in grade seven or eight, and is designed to prepare students for Algebra 1. A detailed course syllabus is shown below.
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Fees
The cost of the course is $68 per month for nine months for students attending the class, $58 per month for distance learners. Registration fees for homeschool classes at various locations (LAC, SNA, Dunwoody, etc) also apply. Students will need to purchase a copy of the “Student Workbook and Notes”, which should be less than $20. Students may borrow a copy of the textbook from the teacher at no charge, and videos 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. A sample of these lecture notes is available on the website.
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Textbook
Prealgebra, An Integrated Equations Approach by Donald Hutchison, published by McGraw Hill. The topics covered in this course will correspond closely to the topics covered in this book, and students will work numerous practice problems from the textbook.
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Homework, Tests and Grades
Students will be given specific assignments to complete week. Assignments will consist of study and practice from the textbook and may also consist of additional instructional material provided on video. Certain assignments from each chapter 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 each 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.
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Computer Access
Access to a computer (Windows, Macintosh, or Linux) with a high speed internet connection or a CD-ROM or DVD drive will be extremely helpful for this course. Instructional materials such as additional lecture videos, lecture notes, homework assignments and tests will available over the internet. Graded assignments and tests may also be returned via email in order to provide more timely feedback.
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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 at 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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Course Syllabus
These topics comprise the material normally taught in a prealgebra course.
- Chapter 1: Whole Numbers
Numbers, Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Rounding, Estimation, Ordering, Multiplication and Division, Exponents, Order of Operations, Equations
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Chapter 2: Integers and Introduction to Algebra
Operations on Integers, Variables and Expressions, Introduction to Linear Equations
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Chapter 3: Fractions and Equations
Prime Numbers, Factorization, Equivalent Fractions, Multiplication and Division of Fractions, Linear Equations in One Variable
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Chapter 4: Applications of Fractions and Equations
Addition and Subtraction of Fractions, Mixed Numbers, Complex Fractions, Applications of Fractions, Equations with Fractions
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Chapter 5: Decimals
Place Value, Rounding, Addition and Subtraction of Decimals, Multiplication and Division of Decimals, Fractions and Decimals, Equations with Decimals, Square Roots, The Pythagorean Theorem
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Chapter 6: Rate, Ratio, and Proportion
Ratios, Rates, Proportions, Similar Triangles and Proportions, Applications of Proportions, Measurement and Conversion
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Chapter 7: Percent
Percents, Decimals, Fractions, Percent Problems and Proportions, Applications of Percents, Equations with Percentages, Simple and Compound Interest
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Chapter 8: Geometry
Lines, Angles, Perimeter, Circumference, Area, Volume
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Chapter 9: Graphing and Introduction to Statistics
Circle Graphs, Pictographs, Bar Graphs, Line Graphs, Rectangular Coordinates, Linear Equations in Two Variables, Mean, Median, Mode
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Chapter 10: Polynomials
Introduction to Polynomials, Addition and Subtraction of Polynomials, Multiplication of Polynomials
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