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Welcome to Algebra 2 with Trigonometry
at BulldogMath.com!

Mr. Cantlin's Classes - 2011-2012
Periods 2 and 6 (11th Grade)

Algebra 2 with Trig. Textbook Links (click here for more information)
Glencoe, the publisher of your Algebra 2 with Trigonometry textbook, has provided many useful online tools at their website, including the complete text of your book! Everything is organized to match your book's chapters. There are even online practice tests, but the only way to appreciate what is there is to explore!

Algebra 2 with Trig. Course of Study (click here for Algebra 2)
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), has published the Algebra 2 with Trigonometry Course of Study which contains the required topics that are to be covered in the class.

Where We Are Headed - The 2010 ALSDE Course of Study for Mathematics is scheduled to be implemented in 2012. It uses the National Common Core State Standards and the 2009 Course of Study and puts them together with the latest and greatest math education research. All the grades from K to 12 are included. Click here to see a copy.

FYI: Common Core State Standards ~ States Adopting Common Core.

Math Help and Redo Policy (click here for more information)
No student that is making an effort will fail this class-- review the math help policy to see why. As a famous teacher (Confucious) said: "The longest journey begins with the first step." Start on your road to math excellence today!

Homework Assignments and Class Notes (click here)
ALL OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ARE HERE! I put them here every day, usually by 8 p.m. each night. Sometimes I post them earlier, sometimes later, but they are here every night! Class notes and worksheets are here too! For your assignments, you can use your online textbook and/or online worksheets if needed. If you need them and don't have a printer -- COPY THEM FROM THE SCREEN (the old fashioned way). I have actually had students tell me they couldn't do an assignment they could access online because their printer was broken! Can you imagine? :-).

Use initiative, if you are home and do not have your assignment or Internet access, call a friend who does and have them read you the problems. Or go to the Oneonta or Blountsville Libraries and use their Internet access.

Late homework will not be accepted.

Grading Categories
Each part of your grade is explained below. Typically, we will cover new material Monday to Wednesday and your graded assessments will be covered from Wednesday to Friday. To succeed in this class, the studying you do every day, and the quality of the effort you put into your ungraded homework, particularly on Monday and Tuesday, will have a large impact on your success in this class.
 
Bell "Bonus" Points
Bell Points are bonus points awarded each day for students being in their seats when the tardy bell rings.
 
Preparation and Participation Points
Preparation and Participation Points are awarded each day for students having all required materials (including homework) and for participating in assigned activities. These include the daily Bell Exercise done at the start of each class, note taking and math practice, group work, etc. Generally, students will start each day with 100% in each category and lose points for not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
 
Definition and Formula Quizzes (DFQ)
These quizzes are usually held weekly and represent key material the students are expected to have memorized. A flash card deck will be built by each student during the course to help in this task. In a typical week, this quiz would be held on Wednesday or Thursday before the Open or Closed Book Quizzes. These quizzes are cumulative in that any topic from any prior week can be expected to appear. The definitions and formulas that students must memorize are the important ones.There are no shortcuts to learning math and all students are capable of committing the required formulas and definitions to memory and are expected to do so. The questions are free response which means the student will write out the required definition or formula from memory. Proper terminology is required. Close is not good enough if you need to know the formula for the discriminant or the area of a circle. Expect no partial credit if you provide vague or incomplete answers. These quizzes are intended to be short, about 10 questions and about 10 minutes total. A redo for credit will not be allowed since there is no reason all students cannot do their required memorization on time each week. Before any redos of other assignments for credit however, students are expected to demonstrate a mastery of any weaknesses they had on Definition and Formula quizzes. Bottom line -- do it right the first time!
 
Open Book Quizzes (OBQ)
These quizzes are usually held weekly and students are allowed to use their book or their own notes. These quizzes will be free response, meaning the students will write out the original problem on looseleaf, properly show all work, and box their answers. These quizzes will be held later in the week, usually on a Thursday, and are intended to last most of a class period. Students are expected to do their own individual work. If students have done their homework properly during the week, honestly concentrating and bringing up specific questions in class, they will have no trouble doing well on these quizzes. Your class notes and homework, if done well, will be great models to follow to solve the problems on the Open Book Quizzes. These quizzes may be redone at the 92% level during after school or Saturday math help for up to two weeks after the quiz. The earlier the better as the same problems will show up on closed book quizzes and exams.
 
Closed Book Quizzes (CBQ)
These quizzes are usually held weekly and are typical closed book math quizzes. Usually these quizzes will be multiple choice. Students are still expected to properly show their work on supplied "scratch paper". Properly shown work does not gain the students any points, but students can lose points for sloppy or disorganized work. These quizzes will be last in the week, usually on a Friday and are intended to be short, 10-15 questions and about 30 minutes long although usually more time is allowed and time is not normally a factor for weekly Closed Book Quizzes. These quizzes may be redone at the 92% level during after school or Saturday math help for up to two weeks after the quiz. The earlier the better as the same problems will show up on future closed book quizzes and exams.
 
Exams
There are usually two exams each quarter, a midterm exam and an "end-of-quarter" exam. There may be three exams if the material or the calendar makes this a reasonable option. Exams are multiple choice and are intended to last the entire class period. There are usually 25-35 questions on an exam. Except for the most recent material, exam questions are modeled after the prior weeks Closed Book Quizzes. Students that have mastered the earlier quizzes, either the first time or through redos, will have an easy time on the exams. Time will be a factor for some students on exams. If all the students in a class are ready to go when the bell rings, they will have the most time possible to complete the exam. Any exam except the end-of-quarter exam may be redone at the 92% level during after school or Saturday math help for up to two weeks after the exam. It will usually take more than two sessions to make up an exam because of the amount of material (3 - 4 weeks) covered on an exam so the earlier the better! Have a sense of urgency!

Grading Scale
A weighted average is used for your math grade:

2% Bell "Bonus" Points (daily, in seat when bell rings, inc. in PP points)
10% Preparation and Participation (BPP, daily, inc. homework)
10% Definition and Formula Quizzes (DFQ, weekly)
20% Open Book Quizzes (OBQ, weekly)
25% Closed Book Quizzes (CBQ, weekly)
35% Exams (two or three per quarter - usually a midterm and a final)

The scale is per the Susan Moore HS policies:
>= 90% = A
>= 80% = B
>= 70% = C
>= 60% = D

Math Work Requirements
(click here to see an example - Adobe PDF file)

Pencil: All work in pencil.

Loose Leaf: All work, unless your teacher notes exceptions, is to be done on loose leaf. No work is to be done on "spiral" notebook paper.

Labeled: All work is to be labeled neatly on the front side in the upper right corner. First page: first and last name, period, date, AND what the assignment is (page numbers and lists of problems for example). All other pages all you need is your last name.

Units: Always include units for any problem with units AND for any problems where units are implied. For example, if you are finding an area and the problem is given in feet, your answer will be in square feet (or ft2 or sq. ft.). If you are finding an area and the problem gives no units, express your answer as "square units" (or units2 or sq. units).

Neat, Legible, Organized: Use "white space" and horizontal lines to separate problems. Use plenty of paper. Trying to crowd too much math into a small space is the most common way to produce unreadable work. Neat work is expected, you can't gain points here, but you can lose them!

Show Your Work: If you show your work, you can get partial credit even if your final answer is wrong. No work = no partial credit. Some work makes no sense to show as it may be mental math and obvious -- this is a judgment call.If you have to ask, don't. Just show the work!

Calculators: NOT to be used in class or for homework unless specifically told you can use them. Your proficiency in mental math depends on practice.

Your Own Work: All work is to be your own, never copied from other students,from an answer key,the Internet, or anywhere else. The only proper way to include someone else's work, say from the Internet, is to clearly distinguish the work (for example, setting it off in quotes or a box) AND clearly stating the source of the work so there is no doubt in the reader's mind which work is your own, which work is someone else's, and whose work it is if it is not yours.


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