Honors Precalculus

All students pursuing honors should expect to find the content and pace of the coursework challenging and should be sure to allot extra time for their studies.  The Kolbe Honors (OH) course is recommended for students who have achieved one of the following: a “B” or better in Algebra II/Trig (H) or an “A” in Algebra II (K).  The Kolbe Core (OK) Precalculus course is recommended for any student who has successfully completed Algebra II (K) or Algebra II/Trig (H).

Topics covered:

Unit 1: Algebraic, Exponential, & Logarithmic Functions

1. Functions & Mathematical Models
2. Properties of Elementary Functions
3. Fitting Functions to Data
4. Polynomial & Rational Functions

Unit 2: Trigonometric & Periodic Functions

1. Periodic Functions & Right Triangle Problems
2. Applications of Trigonometric & Circular Functions
3. Trigonometric Function Properties, Identities, & Parametric Functions
4. Properties of Combined Sinusoids
5. Triangle Trigonometry

Unit 3: Analytic Geometry

1. Conic Sections & Quadratic Surfaces
2. Polar Coordinates, Complex Numbers, & Moving Objects
3. Three Dimensional Vectors

Unit 4: Introduction to Discrete & Continuous Mathematics

1. Probability & Functions of a Random Variable
2. Sequences & Series
3. Introduction to Limits, Derivatives, & Integrals

Students taking this course for Kolbe Honors (H) credit are expected to complete daily assignments, periodic exams and quizzes as assigned by their parent.  Kolbe Honors (H) students will go into more depth and cover more material than the Kolbe Core (K) students.

Assignment due-dates and some grades are established by the parent.  To receive honors credit with Kolbe Academy, students must submit a number of designated assignments to Kolbe Academy for grading, usually exams and select papers.  The parent- and Kolbe-established grades are averaged to produce the final grade for the honors course.

Alternatively, a student may enroll in the Self-Paced Plus© grading assistance program to receive additional grading assistance by a Kolbe Academy faculty or staff member on designated assignments in the course.  In this case, parents may still submit grades for the student to be averaged in with the required Kolbe-graded honors assignments, or they may use the teacher-graded materials only to receive credit.

• Precalculus: Concepts and Applications, Paul A. Foerster
• Home Study Companion for Precalculus: Concepts and Applications, Math Without Borders  (This course companion is optional, but recommended.)
  

Other required material:

• Graphing Calculator, TI-83 or TI-84

Self-Paced Plus courses include the following:

• Grading by a highly qualified teacher for selected assignments (listed below) in the course.
• Access to teacher through the course’s discussion board.
• Option to report grade given by the teacher, or to report a grade assigned by parent.
• The pacing is still established by the parent in conjunction with the student’s goals and academic calendar.
• Assignments will be graded within 1-2 weeks of the submission date, excluding holiday breaks.  (For the quickest grading, students should turn assignments in incrementally throughout the year.  If a student turns in multiple assignments to be graded at once, expect a response time of 1-2 weeks per assignment submitted.)

Self-Paced Plus Assignment List: