After the AP test

So I have usually not had to plan stuff for the AP test. I am looking forward to it, but also dreading it. I have a feeling some will have fun with it and others will check out.

I have a bunch of funny videos and songs that use Calculus vocab. I think I might just take a class day watching them and talking about them. Then require the students to use vocab from Calculus to write a song, poem, or story. So at minimum they have to hand in some hand written document, but if they would like to make some sort of video or digital project that would go above and beyond. I would tell them to pull from the vocab sheets we have been filling out all year. I would maybe require the use of at least 5 different vocab terms from the vocab sheets. Then maybe give them some time in class to work on it. Then have them present their creative piece of work to the class.

I had my students write a creative essay before the AP test as review. Some of the responses I got were fantastic and so clever. I might have to edit it since we are using a different textbook. Although the students can look up the theorems and definitions easily in their textbook. However I don't know if the textbook will have information about the mathematicians. I have a digital copy of the textbook so maybe I can clip together the information they will need. That will at least get them started and thinking. They are welcome to do more research online. I saved my favorite ones that really blew me away. I think I might save this assignment for after the AP test this year just so I have something for them to work on. I can give them in class time to work on it and ask students to present. Although some of the ones I got last year involved my female students falling in love with the male mathematicians, so I don't know if the student would have been comfortable sharing that with the whole class. I can show the students the examples that I have from the previous year when I introduce the project. The best one uses the theorems in a creative way, but also is applying them to a real world situation. He also used his knowledge of math history to make the story poignant as well. So it points out a lot of aspects and nuances to the assignment. So I can discuss that with the class to hopefully inspire them.

I am also thinking about having them install LaTeX on their personal computers and teaching them how to use it. I always dreamed of exposing them to the program, so they can be more professional mathematicians and get them ready for college level math classes. I was thinking I could assign them the project I designed for my Calculus class before and have them do a rough draft on paper, then a rough draft on LaTeX, then a final draft on LaTeX. I would critique each draft for content and justification, but I would also critique formatting/use of LaTeX. I have plenty of rubrics for the assignment that include organization and clarity, so I wonder if I can tweak that so it sort of fits with LaTeX format or use of LaTeX.

I already have the project broken up into pieces. So I think I could make it take up May and June that will be leftover after the AP test. Then have the other two assignments be mostly outside homework. So in-class they would write or LaTeX up the project and outside of class write their poem, song, or story. I mean I would have to give up a couple of days to go over the assignments and to go over examples, but then the bulk of the creative work and creative assignment could be down outside the class. I mean they don't need as much help on the song and creative essay since it is so open ended and creative. However they will need help writing the project and they will need a lot of help trouble shooting LaTeX, so that would be best done in class where I can answer questions. I really like this plan and set up.

I would make my AP Calculus class focus on the FTC project since it ties together a lot of ideas from Calculus. I can stretch the project out by making them do several drafts and then making them present it to the class. I would give them plenty of time to develop the presentation visual and what they are going to say. Then it will take up a lot of time having everyone present. If I did both projects it would easily take up all of May and June, but since both projects are very similar I don't think I would want them doing both. So just the FTC and the creative ones. If I find I have more time at the end of the year I can always see if I could figure something else out.

If for someone reason in my Honors Calculus I finish the content that I have planned out for them early. I will do the same thing with them, but have them do the project connecting a function and its derivative. However we will see how the pacing of that class goes and what content I end up getting through.

Honors Calculus

I don't think I am going to go slower necessarily, but I know I won't cover as much content. I think I might throw in more review days. I can have them fill out the vocab cards, work on the review in the textbook, and have them work on another review sheet of problems.

I can have them work on a review sheet of problems and then present. That means that will be two days of reviewing. Then have them work on the review problems in the textbook in class the third day and whatever they don't finish is homework. The fourth day could be finishing the vocab cards and having me check them. That is way more review time then I plan on giving my AP class.

Content:
Functions and their properties (chapter 1)
Limits and Continuity (all of chapter 2)
Derivatives: basic definitions and uses, basic rules, trig, chain rule, exponential and logarithmic (3.1-3.6, 3.9)
Applications: Extreme values, optimization, and curve sketching (4.1/4.4, 4.3)
Integrals: Approximation, FTC (evaluation), and u-substitution (5.1/5.5, 5.4, 6.2)
Application of Integrals: Net Change, Area, and Volume (disc and washer, but no shell or cross sections?) (7.1 - 7.3)

I was talking to the other honors calculus teacher and he pointed out reviewing functions would be good. I used to do a review period at the start of the year that covered chapter 1, but eventually stopped to give myself more time to focus on the Calculus content before the AP test. So I won't cover chapter 1 with my AP class, but I will cover it with my Honors Calculus class.

Calculus update

So I still plan on flipping the classroom for my calculus class and using the model and structure I talked about in my previous post. I however just found out I will normally have 50 minute classes then every other Wednesday I will see the class for 90 minutes. So I am thinking that the 50 minute classes I will have students get in groups to solve a problem then present. I won't get through all the presentations in one 50 minute class usually so Monday and Tuesday I should be able to get through a section of content. Then Thursday and Friday get through another section. I was wondering what to do with the long Wednesdays though.

I am teaching two sections of AP Calculus and one section of Honors Calculus. I was thinking the long Wednesdays could give the AP class time to practice AP questions. We can practice Multiple choice questions and once we get far enough we can practice Free response questions. I can still have them get in groups and present free response questions. The free response question presentations can still go in the presentation part of the grade.

I think for the Honors Calculus I can use the long Wednesday for Free Response questions that review what we learned so far as well. I just won't use AP ones. I will use practice ones from a couple different textbooks I have. Those should be easier for them, but still somewhat challenging. I might have to edit them since I plan on not teaching all of the same content in the Honors Calculus class. I might just find difficult or challenging problems over stuff they have covered for them to work on and present.

This will set aside time to go back and review previous content. It will also help to connect several concepts together since free response questions cover several content areas. It will also give them plenty of practice on free response questions through out the year. I usually only did it at the end of the a unit and I think this might give them more chances to practice. I also waited until I finished all the content to really focus on free response questions when students gave individual presentations on free response questions.

I think I will also use it as time for them to review and update their vocab sheets. I was planning on giving time for this at the end of the unit, but if I do this through out the unit then I won't need to save as much time. It will also be a way for students to review and solidify concepts that they have previously learned. I plan on checking and grading the vocab sheets at the end of the unit before the unit test as well so this will give them more time to work on it and get feedback from me. It will also chunk out the assignment more I think.

So I found out the students have the textbook I had been using to make all my tests. So I can't really use my previous tests since most of the questions the students already have access to. I can pull off the questions that got from other textbooks. I think for quizzes I will use multiple choice questions and short answer question that are similar to AP questions from other textbooks. Then for the end of the unit exam I think I will use free response questions from different textbooks. I will have one free response question with calculator and one without.

However for the Honors Calculus I think the end of unit exam may be a lot of short answer questions from various textbooks that will be similar to free response questions, but not as hard. I want to change the level some since they are taking a lower level.