This week ends the first quarter!!!!

Hello Everybody!

I absolutely cannot believe that Friday, October 31 is the last day of the quarter! Where has the time gone?

This final week has some different scheduling, so this is what I'm thinking so far:

For Physics:

Monday is our block schedule AND our 2 labs. We will definitely do the lab on Kinematics in 2 dimensions, because this will be in the gym. One of your classmates has worked very hard at getting our projectile firing guns up and running. I can't wait to see them! The second lab is one I hope we can do tomorrow, but the weather may make us postpone it. It is the Gravity lab, and I know how excited everyone is drop things off the roof. I have made up the lab sheets for both of them; it would be great to get them out of the way on this double block day. I think they will be very interesting. Worst case, if the weather is awful, we can do the lab in the gym and work on problems for the rest of the period.

Tuesday: Work on problems from Chapter 6 - Work and Energy
Text problems: Physics: 1, 3, 5, 17, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 35, 49, 59
AP Physics: 7, 8, 10, 21, 23, 33, 39, 40, 41, 51, 61

Wednsday: No class due to PSAT and senior applications. ****Do work at home though!!!!**

Thursday and Friday: some combination of worksheet/quiz type assignment, TBD

***** Make sure you all have everything turned into me by Friday!!!!**************


For Calculus:

Monday: No class due to Physics block.

Tuesday: We'll go over a take home test from the first part of Chapter 3. There were several frequently missed questions, and I want to make sure we clear those up.

Wednesday: No class due to PSAT's and senior applications.

Thursday/Friday: Some sort of wrap up end of quarter worksheet/quiz assignment, TBD. Sounds like the Physics week, doesn't it?

I know many teachers are going to give you a lot of last minute assignments, so just try to do a few problems every night, so you are comfortable in class.

***** In general, we could say that Physics should have mastered material through Chapter 6 by Friday, and Calculus should have mastered material through Chapter 3 by Friday.

Hang in there.........

You all have done great work this year ----- finish on a good note, and put lots of effort into these last few days!!!

Mrs. Little

Outlook for week of October 20 - 24

Hello All!

We have one last week of special scheduling due to the holidays.

Today we had just 30 minutes for each class. However, we did accomplish quite a bit for that short a time. In both classes, we reviewed problems from our Chapters. In Physics, we looked at several problems involving planets and gravity, as well as a couple of problems involving uniform circular motion. In Calculus we worked on a few Implicit Differentiation problems that people had trouble with.

We have no school on Tuesday and Wednesday.

When we return on Thursday, we all (myself included) need to settle back in to our routine, and really focus and hit the books!!!! With the schedule in October being very chopped up, with celebrations, and traveling to friends and relatives homes, I know how difficult it is to stay on top of studies. We'll start fresh on Thursday.

For Physics:

Thursday: One more day of going over Chapter 5 which is Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation.

Friday: On Thursday I gave you a take home test, Chapters 2 - 4 to be handed in by October 31, which is the end of the quarter. There will be two versions of the test, because we have officially split the class into Physics and AP Physics B. Also, everyone should read Chapter 6 over the weekend.

On Monday we have a Physics block and will be doing 2 labs concerning Kinematics. You should be prepared to begin Chapter 6 which is Work and Energy. Again, we are building on our knowledge of motion and direction. We'll add a few new rules to the kinematic equations that we've covered so far.


For Calculus:

Thursday: I'll give you all a worksheet that you may work on in class by yourself, and take home Thursday evening to complete. This will be graded. Please do your own work, and show all work NEATLY.

Friday: We'll cover derivatives of inverse functions and other logarithmic functions. This will entail learning some new rules, but the rules for differentiating e, ln, log, a, and the inverse functions are not too complicated. They simply must be memorized and practiced A LOT.


In both Physics and Calculus, read your chapters and do as many problems as you can. Remember, this is the key to success in these classes!!!!!

See you Thursday----- let's all come back excited and motivated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mrs. Little

Outlook for the week of October 13 - 17

Hello All!

I'm just thinking ahead to next week, and because many of you are traveling and out of town, I thought it would be good to let you know where I expect us all to be by the end of this coming week (October 17).

In general, Monday is a 2:00 dismissal day, so we will have 30 minute periods. Also, remember that I will be in the library on Monday from 2:00 - 4:00 with students who must wait for the bus at 4:00, so if anyone would like to stay a couple of hours after school, this would be a terrific time to ask questions, or do some work with me in either Calculus or Physics.

We have no school on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the holiday.

When we return on Thursday, I would expect Calculus students to have a good understanding of sections 3.1 - 3.6. These sections include the following rules of differentiation: power rule, product rule, quotient rule, derivatives of trig functions and the chain rule. Please work dilligently on these sections, and practice doing problems in which you are using the Chain rule along with trig functions, and/or product quotient rule. These can be tricky!!!!

We are a few days behind in Physics, and we'll do our best to get caught up. The class is going to split into Physics and AP Physics. I think everyone will be happy with this arrangement. Remember, those who choose to take Physics will cover all of the same material as those in AP Physics, however the depth of problems will not be as great, and there will be more time to review and practice. This should eliminate the feeling of being overwhelmed and frustrated. I want you all to enjoy the class as well as learn a lot of Physics!! By the end of this week, we need to have a good understanding of Chapter 5 (as well as Chapters 1 - 4). The specific problems that should be done are listed in the previous post. Many of you are quite concerned about your grades. I have several ideas that will give you opportunity to improve your grades, and I will specify exactly what each of you should do, depending on your choice of class (regular or AP) and your current grade compared to where you wish to be.

I will be adding details to this post in the coming days... I just wanted to give you an idea of what you need to cover on your own, since our time together will be very sporadic during the next 2 weeks.

Take care,

Mrs. Little

Assignments for the week of October 6 - 10

Good Monday Morning to All!

Lots to cover this week, as usual!!

For Physics:

Monday: This morning we covered some Chapter 4 problems, and talked a bit about the take home test from the weekend. I handed out a 1 page multiple choice worksheet from one of my AP books to help you practice. Please take a look at this.

** In general, remember how Chapter 4 is set up and how it relates to Chapters 2 and 3. In Chapter 4, we are interested in the different forces on an object in the x and y directions. We use Newton's famous formula, F = ma, to help us relate the forces on an object to its mass and acceleration. If we are able to find acceleration, a, we can solve for velocity, distance or some other Kinematic quantity that we studied in Chapters 2 and 3.

*** Remember that any vector that is not vertical or horizontal must be broken into its vertical and horizontal components in order to resolve its particular force.

Tuesday: We'll actually begin Chapter 5 which is Gravitation and Circular Motion. It is a very interesting chapter. We'll look at racecars and tracks, spinning buckets vertically, and even look at the motion and orbits of planets.

The Chapter 5 problems from our text are: 7, 11, 14, 17, 31, 37, 43, 45, 47 (and, as always, feel free to do more than these!!)

Wedensday: ****30 minute period***** An in-class worksheet/quiz to be turned in at the end of class.

Thursday: No school *******Yom Kippur***************

Friday: Workday on Chapter 5 problems (see above)


For Calculus:

Monday: We talked a bit about the take home test from the weekend. We did some problems at the board from section 3.5 which is differentiation of trig functions. The problems for this sections are the odds, and the Standardized multiple choice questions at the end of the section.

Tuesday: Workday on sections 3.5 (differentiation of Trig functions) and 3.6 (the Chain Rule)

Wednesday: *********30 minute period******* Short quiz on 3.5 and 3.6

Thursday: No school *************Yom Kippur*****************

Friday: Begin section 3.7 Implicit Differentiation


In general, we are right on schedule in Calculus, a few days behind in Physics. I am staying all day today to help some catch up.

Remember also, I will be here Wednesday from 2 - 4 for extra help.

Have a great week. Work hard, and ask questions so you don't fall behind!!!!

Mrs. Little