Advanced Algebra II: Activities and Homework
By: Kenny Felder
Online:
This selection and arrangement of content as a collection is copyrighted by Kenny Felder .
It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Collection structure revised: 2009/09/15
For copyright and attribution information for the modules contained in this collection, see the "" section at the end of the collection.
The Philosophical Introduction No One Reads
(*but its real short so please read it anyway)
Welcome to Advanced Algebra II at Raleigh Charter High School! There are three keys to succeeding in this math class.
Do the homework
Ask questions in class if you dont understand anything.
Focus on understanding , not just doing the problem right . (Hint: you understand something when you say Gosh, that makes sense! I should have thought of that myself!)
Heres how it works. The teacher gets up and explains something, and you listen, and it makes sense, and you get it. You work a few problems in class. Then you go home, stare at a problem that looks exactly like the one the teacher put up on the board, and realize you have no idea how to do it. How did that happen? It looked so simple when the teacher did it! Hmm.
So, you dig through your notes, or the book, or you call your friend, or you just try something, and you try something else, and eventuallyta-da! You get the answer! Hooray! Now, you have learned the concept. You didnt learn it in class, you learned it when you figured out how to do it.
Or, lets rewind time a bit. You dig through your notes, you just try something, and eventuallynothing. You still cant get it. Thats OK ! Come in the next day and say I couldnt get it. This time, when the teacher explains how to do it, you will have that Aha! experience: So thats why I couldnt get it to work!
Either way, you win. But if you dont do the homework, then even if the teacher explains the exact same thing in class the next day, it wont helpany more than it helped the previous day.
The materials in this course-pack were originally developed for Mr. Felders Advanced Algebra II classes in the 2001-2002 school year. Every single student in those classes got an A or a B on the North Carolina End of Course test at the end of the year. You can too! Do your homework, ask questions in class, and always keep your focus on real understanding. The rest will take care of itself.
How to Use Advanced Algebra II
Over a period of time, I have developed a set of in-class assignments, homeworks, and lesson plans, that work for me and for other people who have tried them. The complete set comprises three separate books that work together:
The Homework and Activities Book contains in-class and homework assignments that are given to the students day-by-day.
The Concepts Book provides conceptual explanations, and is intended as a reference or review guide for students; it is not used when teaching the class.
The Teacher's Guide provides lesson plans; it is your guide to how I envisioned these materials being used when I created them (and how I use them myself).
Instructors should note that this book probably contains more information than you will be able to cover in a single school year. I myself do not teach from every chapter in my own classes, but have chosen to include these additional materials to assist you in meeting your own needs. As you will likely need to cut some sections from the book, I strongly recommend that you spend time early on to determine which modules are most important for your state requirements and personal teaching style.
One more warning is important: these materials were designed for an Advanced Algebra II course. For such a course, I hope this will provide you with ready-to-use textbook and lesson plans. If you are teaching a Standard or Remedial-level course, these materials will still be useful, but you will probably have to cut or reduce some of the most conceptual material, and supplement it with more drill-and-practice than I provide.
The following table of contents provides a list of topics covered in this course with links to each module. You can use these links to move between the books or to jump ahead to any topic.