AP* CALCULUS AB
Jon Kawamura
history
I have been teaching high school mathematics for 22 years. The first 16 years were at South Salem High School and the last 6 have been at West Salem High School in Oregon. I've enjoyed teaching AP* Calculus since 1995. During this time, I've taught mainly BC Calculus and have also spent a few years teaching AB Calculus and AP* Statistics.
I've been involved in scoring AP* Calculus exams since 1999, serving as a Table Leader for the last 3 years. Since 2004, I have conducted one-day workshops for the College Board and week-long AP* Summer Institutes throughout the Western Region. In 2008, I was recognized with a Siemens AP* Teacher Award for Oregon.
contact
You can e-mail Jon at
jon.kawamura@comcast.net.
session outline
We will cover all the major topics on the AP* Calculus AB syllabus. During the week, you will learn from material generated to promote student learning via numerical, graphical, and algebraic approaches.
Participants will be encouraged to share ideas, projects, techniques that they have found to be effective. Please bring worksheets or assignments or projects to share.
We will devote time to looking at the most recent AP* problems to convey the flavor and approach that the AP* committee favors. Participants will be able to practice scoring actual student work to get an idea of point distribution and requirements to earn points on the exam.
Please bring a graphing calculator with you. Demonstrations will take place on a TI-84.
What follows is a tentative agenda for the week. Adjustments will be made according the level of understanding and interests of participants.
Monday
- Introductions (background & experience with AP*, text book and calculator you use, goals for the week)
- Philosophy, Goals, Topical Outline for AP* Calculus AB
- The Examination and sample questions
- Text book and resource list
- Limits & Continuity
- Group Activity-Aquarium Problem
- Rates of Change
Tuesday
- Applications of the Derivative
- Group Activity-Matching Graphs and its derivatives
- Implicit Differentiation
- Demo a lab from Working Smarter Not Harder
Wednesday
- Riemann Sums & Accumulated Rates of Change
- Group Activity-Chain Rule Practice
- Functions Defined by Integrals
- Demo Calculus in Motion using GSP
- 2009 Free Response Problem(s)
Thursday
- Average Value of a Function
- Speeding & Slopes (MVT)
- Differential Equations, Slope Fields, & Euler's Method
- 2010 Free Response Problem(s)
As time permits:
Sharing of Teaching ideas
AB vs. BC Topics, Exam Tips, Top 10 Student Errors
2003 AB Multiple Choice Exam
Practice scoring student samples
Backpacker Problem, Gabriel's Horn, Bizarre Coastline
