| Instructor: | Joyce Ahlgren |
|---|---|
| Office: | Jack Brown 330 |
| Telephone: | 909-537-5396 |
| Email: | jahlgren@csusb.edu |
| Office Hours: | Monday 8:30-9:10 a.m., 12:00-1:30 pm., Wednesday 8:40-9:10 a.m., 12:00-1:30 pm., Friday 8:40-9:10 a.m, 12:00-1:00 p.m. or by appointment. |
| Quarter: | Fall 2009 |
| Units: | 4 |
| Prerequisites: | The completion of Math 115 (or other general education mathematics requirement if under bulletin prior to 2003/2004) and the general education requirements in written communication, oral communication, and critical thinking are required. |
"Mathematics for Teachers, An Exploratory Approach to Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry" by Robert G. Stein with Laura Wallace. It can be found at the bookstore. We will be covering Chapters 1-8.2.
Paper, either notebook paper or graph paper, ruler (inches and centimeters), scissors, and colored pencils. Optional manipulatives: Cuisenaire rods, algebra tiles and base 10 blocks.
We will be discussing the mathematical reasoning behind the structure and arithmetic of real numbers and the connections between numbers and geometry.
To review and master the basic skills in arithmetic and geometry, to develop higher order thinking skills, to discover and discuss why basic algorithms work, and to consider ways of teaching the material.
Problems from each section will be assigned daily and collected each Friday. To receive full credit homework must be legible and all steps must be shown. An answer to questions is not as important as your explanation of how to get the answer. When you are writing up your homework problems pretend that one of your future students will be reading it. Therefore, be precise! Please staple your pages if you have more than one page. Homework is due at the beginning of the class. Absolutely no late homework, for any reason, will be accepted (rather you have two coupons for late homework).
In addition to the regular homework problems, you will be required to complete two math explorations from the book. These investigations will be opportunities for independent investigations of supplemental or enrichment topics. We will not necessarily cover these topics in class. In the explorations, the questions must be answered thoroughly, clearly, and correctly. For example, if you are asked to find a pattern, you should describe the pattern in words and illustrate the pattern by showing examples. Please do the explorations on one side of the paper and treat them as mini-projects. Give as much detail as possible so that someone who reads your paper can understand the exploration without having to refer to the text. Your score will be based on completeness, accuracy and neatness! You may ask classmates or me for help, but the work must be your own - no duplicate copies of problems. No late explorations will be accepted. The first exploration will be due on or before Monday, October 12 and the second exploration will be due on or before Monday, November 9. The two explorations will be picked from a selection of problems below:
Exploration 1 - pick from one of the following:
Pages 40-42 (8-13)
Pages 61-63 (8-11)
Pages 74-75 (9-13)
Pages 88-89 (9)
Exploration 2 - pick from one of the following:
Page 103 (10-13)
Pages 105-107 (19-23)
Pages 107-108 (24-27)
Pages 147-148 (8-9)
Pages 153-155 (10-16)
.
There will be two exams tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, October 21 and Wednesday, November 18. The final exam is cumulative and will be given Friday, December 11, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:50 a.m. No make-up exams will be given (unless you have a written verifiable excuse), and no calculators are allowed on the exams.
To pass this course, you must demonstrate competency in basic skills, achieve a score of 65% or better on the final exam, and have an overall average of 70% or better on homework, participation, explorations, midterms, and the final exam. If you pass 85% of basic skills questions (approximately 25-35% of the final exam) and get an overall percentage of 65% or better on the final exam, then letter grades will be assigned according to your overall percentage as follows with +/- grades being assigned in the upper and lower ends of each range (with the exception of A+). See the grading scale below for grade assignments.
| Week of 09/25 | For Friday, September 25: Read Sections 1.1 and 1.2. Homework due on Friday, October 02: Write a reflective paper (2-3 pages) which details your personal classroom experiences in learning math. You may wish to include your very first recollection of learning math, whether it was a good experience or not. As you trace your personal history with math classes throughout your school years, pay attention to how you felt about math. Are you apprehensive about math or do you feel confident to teach it? Can you teach it with enthusiasm or do you just manage to get through it? There are no right or wrong answers when you are reflecting on your experiences. I merely want you to explore your feelings and perceptions about learning math. The way we are taught influences the way we teach. |
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| Week of 09/28-10/02 | For Monday, September 28: Read Section 1.3. Homework due on Friday, October 02: Page 8 (1,5). Wednesday, September 30: Last day to add via MyCoyote Self Service. For Wednesday, September 30: Read Section 1.4. Homework due on Friday, October 09: Page 15 (3,4) and Pages 20-21 (1,2,3,6-using Gauss' method). For Friday, October 02: Read Sections 2.1 and 2.2. Homework due on Friday, October 09: Pages 28-30 (1,2,5,7,9,11,12). |
| Week of 10/05-10/09 | For Monday, October 05: Read Section 2.3. Homework due on Friday, October 09: Pages 34-35 (1,2) and Pages 39-43 (1,2,4,15). For Wednesday, October 07: Read Section 2.3. Homework due on Friday, October 16: Pages 47-49 (1,2,4,7). For Friday, October 09: Read Sections 3.1 and 3.2 Homework due on Friday, October 16: Pages 52-55 (1,2,4,5,6,8) and Pages 59 (2,5,6,7). |
| Week of 10/12-10/16 | For Monday, October 12: Exploration 1 Due and Read Section 4.1. Homework due on Friday, October 16: Page 70 (1,2,3,4,5,6). Wednesday, October 14: Last day to drop via MyCoyote Self Service. For Wednesday, October 14: Read Section 4.2. Homework due on Friday, October 23: Pages 85-89 (1,4,5,6,8,11). For Friday, October 16: Read Section 4.3. Homework due on Friday, October 23: Pages 92-93 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9). |
| Week of 10/19-10/23 | For Monday, October 19: Read Section 5.1. Homework due on Friday, October 30: Pages 101-102 (1,2,9). Wednesday, October 21: Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4). For Friday, October 23: Read Section 5.2. Homework due on Friday, October 30: Pages 112-113 (1,2,3,4,5,7,9). |
| Week of 10/26-10/30 | For Monday, October 26: Read Section 6.1. For Wednesday, October 28: Read Section 6.2. Homework due on Friday, November 06: Pages 139-141 (2,3,8,10,11,14) and Page 145 (2,3 and using Base Ten Blocks solve the following problem: 147-99). For Friday, October 30: Read Section 6.3. Homework due on Friday, November 06: Pages 151-152 (1,3,5a,5b,5c,5d,5e,5f,5g). |
| Week of 11/02-11/06 | For Monday, November 02: Read Section 6.4. For Wednesday, November 04: Read Section 6.5. Homework due on Friday, November 13: Page 160 (1,2,3,4) and Page 166 (1,2). For Friday, November 06: Read Section 7.1. |
| Week of 11/09-11/13 | Monday, November 09: Exploration 2 Due. Homework due on Friday, November 20: Pages 173-174 (1,3,4,5,6,7). Wednesday, November 11: Holiday - Veteran's Day. For Friday, November 13: Read Section 7.2. Homework due on Friday, November 20: Pages 180-181 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7). |
| Week of 11/16-11/20 | Wednesday, November 18: Exam 2 (Chapters 4, 5,& 6).
For Friday, November 16: Read Section 7.3. Homework due on Wednesday, November 25 or Wednesday, December 02: Page 186 (1,2,3,4,5,6). |
| Week of 11/23-11/27 | For Monday, November 23: Read Sections 7.4 & 7.5. Homework due on Friday, December 04: Pages 194-195 (4,5,6,8,9,10) and Page 200 (4,5,6,7). For Wednesday, November 25: Read Section 7.6. Homework due on Friday, December 04: Pages 204-205 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7). Friday, November 27: Holiday - Thanksgiving . |
| Week of 11/30-12/04 | Monday, November 30: School Closed. For Wednesday, December 02: Read Section 8.1. Homework due on Friday, December 04: Pages 216-218 (2-explain,4,6,9,10,11). For Friday, December 04: Read Section 8.2. Homework due on Monday, December 07: Pages 221-223 (4,9). Friday, December 04: Last day to turn-in Redos and any Homemwork other than Pages 221-223. |
| Week of 12/07-12/11 | Friday, December 11: Final Exam (10:00-11:50 a.m.). |
If you are in need of an accomodation for a disability in order to participate in this class, please contact Services to Students with Disabilities in UH-183 at (909) 537-5328.
Keep in mind, we will be covering alot of material. Try not to fall behind! Even though the homework is collected only once a week, try to do the problems as soon as possible after we cover the material in class. Do a little each day, and it won't seem as much as trying to complete the whole assignment the night before it is due. We can answer/present homework problems at the beginning or end of a class, but we may not have time in class to answer all questions. Therefore, come see me in my office for extra help if you need it. I am more than happy to help with any problems you may be having!
I am looking forward to working with each and every one of you!