This is a complete and rigorous Calculus AB course. We focus on all topics necessary to ace the AP exam, while making sure to build a deep understanding and appreciation for the art of calculus.

Calculus is an amazing area that is at the heart of advanced mathmematics, and a powerful tool for transforming the way one sees the world. I am passionate about the art and beauty of calculus, and also recognize the rigor and practice required to perform well on the AP exam. This is a full course, and we cover all of the topics needed for the exam with ample practice, while aiming for a true understanding of the conceptual underpinnings of calculus.

The class meets two days per week with homework given for every class, along with unit tests and mini-quizzes called mastery checks. All mastery checks and tests are completed at home. The course is paced to cover all of the materials from September through March.

Students may also join the Calculus Test Prep & Review course, which provides an extra session of practice is paced to match this course: https://outschool.com/classes/ap-prealculus-test-prep-review-swmyEwSB

Friday is our make-up day. In the rare case that I must miss a class due to illness or personal emergency, we will have make-up classes on Friday at the same time as our usual class. If a student misses class, no make-up class will be offered, but the student is welcome to view the class recording, provided they have attended at least one live class.

Grades are tracked in this class and students may receive a grade at the end of the year if they wish. Students who do not attend the full year may receive a grade for the portion of the class they completed. Students may also opt out of participation in grading, though successfully completing the mastery checks and performing well on the tests will ensure a strong performance on the AP exam.

50% of the grade is from the mastery checks. Each mastery check is given either full or zero credit: the student must correctly answer 4 of the 5 questions on the mastery checks to get credit, but may attempt the mastery check up to three times. The other 50% of the grade is from test scores. All mastery checks and tests are completed outside of class. Thus, grading depends on the honors system, and I expect the utmost integrity from my students.

Students may join at any time. However, the class builds as we go, so it is expected that the student will have learned the prior topics in some form before moving on. All of the work packets are freely available at flippedmath.com and will also be shared in the classroom.

The class schedule for the 2024-2025 school year is as follows:

Week 1-2: Limits and Continuity
Week 3-4: What is the Derviative?
Week 5-7: Basic Differentiation Rules for Polynomials, Rationals/Roots, Trig Functions
Week 8-9: Differentiation of Exponents, Logarithms, & L'Hospital's Rule
Week 10-11: Curve Sketching
(Fall Break: no class week of Nov 25)
Week 12-13: Implicit Differentiation
Week 14: Approximation Methods
(Winter Break: no class weeks of Dec 23 and Dec 30)
Week 15-16: Integration & the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Week 17-18: The 2nd Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Week 19-21: More Integrals
Week 22-23: Area and Volume
Week 24-25: Course Review