• goodson      Lynn Goodson

    lynn.goodson@spart5.net
    864-949-2355 Ext: 7910

    Hello Everyone,
    Click on your course name to the left to see topics covered by date in your class.  We work many examples on individual white boards during class.  Students may write these on paper to use as notes if they choose to do so.  If I do not have a home-bound or home-based student, I may not post classwork every day.  If you are absent and would like for me to post our classwork or if you are looking for a particular date that I have not posted, please email me and let me know.  I do save the daily files for an entire year and am happy to post the classwork for any date that you request.  
     
    Each week we begin with a tentative list of planned topics.  Progress will be monitored and adjusted according to student success.  Independent assignments will be selected from MathXLforSchool.com, Quizlet.com, your textbook, or from Barron's AP Calculus workbook.  Classwork and homework will be completed primarily on MathXLforSchool.com and from reading your textbook.  Students have access to computers on campus in my classroom and the Media Center from 7:30 to 5:00 daily.  They may also bring their own electronic devices to campus to use free wifi if they desire. 
     
    Most colleges have converted to online submission of math homework.  It is our privilege to be able to offer this program to our high school students to better prepare students for their future college experience.  However, if access to online equipment is a hardship for your family please contact me directly and we will see what solution we can come up with as student success is our primary objective.   
     
    The online assignments for the week will be due the following Tuesday morning at 6 a.m.  You can always ask me for help during class, before or after school, go to the Rebel Success Center on Mondays or Wednesdays, and have a weekend to catch up.  Do not wait until the day that an assignment is due to attempt it.  
     
    You should check your grade frequently via the Parent or Student Portal.  I will try to update assignment grades in the student portal from MathXL each week on Tuesdays.  Students will be able to improve these grades as long as the MathXL grade window is open but you should have completed the assignments before the test date.  You can keep going back into the assignments and turn any grade into a 100 until it's due date has passed.  I hope you will all maintain a 100% in your practice work.   
     
    Being Successful in Math...
    Even though students are working online, you should work all practice problems with rigor including:
                         writing out any equations or formulas used,
                         making a sketch,
                         showing all substitution,
                         writing down every step of the work,
                         checking all solutions, and
                         working backwards to find your own mistakes.
     
    Consistency is a great reward. Give your brain a chance to see your hand writing out the correct information.  Students should dedicate 30 minutes a day, every day to work independently on math.  If you are currently at 100% on MathXL, read ahead in your textbook on the next material or go back to previous chapters and make a summary for yourself.  There will never be a day when you do not have math homework!!!  You do have math homework everyday.  It may be in the form of working new problems, reading ahead to preview new information, or strengthening your long term memory by summarizing units that have already been covered.  It is always best if you have previewed the material before I present it in class.  
     
    I could say that this is not "Rocket Science"... But, it is!!  The beauty of math is that the procedures are consistent, reliable, and repeatable.  Even if you only pick up a little bit each year, you can count on using that information again and again.  Repitition makes math easy.  I can only share with you the history of math.  I can show you techniques that have already been used, proven, or found reliable.  In return, you can develop something new for our future.  I love math.  The thought of what inventions will occur in your lifetime excites me.  I look forward to sharing this with you and I commend you for continuing to pursue mathematics at the highest level available to you.  You are at the top of the mathematics game for high school students.  When you complete Calculus while still in high school, you will be prepared to enter a four year college or university inline with your peers from around the world.  
     
    Parents,
    You may want to look over your student's practice work and encourage them to be consistent with these steps.  One line is probably not enough to solve any of these problems.  You should see lots of work.  Every problem can be solved geometrically, algebraically, and numerically [The Harvard Rule of Three].  This consistency will help build their new knowledge into long term memory as well as minimize careless mistakes.  If your student needs extra help, I am in my classroom each morning by 7:40 and after school usually until 5:00 pm.  Additionally, our Rebel Success Center offers math tutoring on Mondays and Wednesdays in the media center 3:45 to 5:00 pm.  Please encourage your student to take advantage of the free tutoring available to them. 
     
    It is most important that your student be in class everyday.  You may use the Parent Portal to check their grades and attendance online regularly.  Remember that a student is only allowed 5 absences in each class.  If you need a user name and password for the parent portal, please come to the front office with a picture ID to obtain your user name and password.  If you can make sure that students are present, in my class everyday, I will do my best to make sure that they learn the material. 
     
    In the event of student absence, please ask your student to email me if they are well enough to work while they are at home.  I will be sure to post their classwork if I know that they are looking for it.  I will attempt to add enough detail for students to follow along with their text book and complete their assignments.  Homebound and Homebased students have one additional week to submit each assignment.
     
    Please contact me directly if you have any additional questions.
                    My Schedule
    First Period:       Planning
    Second Period:  Pre Calculus
    Third Period:      AP Calculus BC
    Fourth Period:    Pre Calculus