Kaufmann, Jerome E., College Algebra, (Thomson Learning, 4^th Edition)

You should bring your textbook to every class session. In addition to review and reinforcement, you should study the example problems carefully. The text should be your first resource when you encounter difficulty.

Note that most often, homework assignments from the text are given in 3s. This means that half of the answers are in the back of the book! Other resources will also be used for classwork and homework activities.

Bring your materials to class everyday. You should have your text, sharpened pencils, graphing calculator (and its manual), scratch paper and an organized way of taking notes in class. You should carefully follow and take notes on example problems performed in class.

You should bring a "trapper" folder to every class, containing your Algebra papers and a ruler, marked in inches and centimeters. You will occasionally need things like a compass, protractor, graph paper, etc. You will be alerted to these needs on the Assignment Calendar.

The methods of this course assume that more than a body of knowledge is being conveyed. Some people never use Algebra in later life--just ask them! BUT this course will help you learn how to learn, it will train your brain, sharpen your reasoning skills and improve your abstract thinking.

Introduction of new topics will be followed by review and reinforcement. Layers of complexity will be added, and the scope of topics broadened and deepened in an organized manner in keeping with the curriculum of this course. The function of this course is to deepen and broaden your comprehension of algebra in preparation for future college coursework. There will also be practice in standardized testing skills.

Homework is a daily feature of this course. If you do not complete your homework, thoroughly and thoughtfully, on a regular basis, your success rate in this course is likely to be poor.

Though homework is most often just checked, it is occasionally collected and graded. Making your best attempt each night is important.

This course operates on a point-accumulation system. Each TEST is worth up to 100 points. Other assignments are given point values based on this fact: for instance, homework checks might be worth 5 to 15 points, a PQ worth 10 points, etc.

Typically, you can expect around 400 points to be available per trimester.

Here is how trimester averages are determined:

 Extra Credit work will be made available occasionally. Students may also petition the instructor for Extra Credit assignments. No one assignment may raise your score by more than 3%. Extra Credit may not raise your score a full letter grade in a grading period.