Geometry - Fred Kral - The Marin School

Teacher: Fred Kral, Ph.D.

Email me: fkral
Call school: 415-339-9336
Get info: http://teach.kralsite.com

Course Description

Geometry is the study of points, lines, angles, shapes, surfaces, and solids. Topics include planes, triangles, polygons, parallelism, congruency, similarity, triangle inequalities, trigonometry, circles, area and volume, coordinate geometry, symmetry, and transformations. Theorems and other results are derived using formal reasoning. Mathematical ideas are communicated using graphical (drawings, graphs, sketches, geometric constructions), numerical (tables, patterns, calculations), algebraic (formulas, symbolic reasoning, solutions), and verbal approaches (conjectures, proofs, explanations, self-reflection). Applications and hands-on activities are integral parts of the course.

Text and supplemental materials

Jurgensen, Ray, Richard Brown, and John Jurgensen, Geometry, Boston, MA: McDougal Littel, 2000 (and later impressions). ISBN: 0-395-97727-4. Primary text. Recommended.
Jacobs, Harold R., Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding, 3rd Edition, New York: W. H. Freeman, 2003. ISBN-13: 978-0-7167-4361-3. Supplemental.
Sierra, Michael, Discovering Geometry : An Investigative Approach, 4th Edition, Emeryville, CA: Key Curriculum Press, 2008. Supplemental.

Web searching, wikipedia.org and reputable websites such as Ask Dr. Math (http://mathforum.org/dr.math/). Strongly recommended.
3 ring binder. Required.
Pockets to organize paper that is not hole punched (in the binder or separately). Strongly recommended.
Transparent ruler. Recommended.
Transparent protractor: 4 inches in diameter. Recommended.
High-quality compass. Most compasses sold locally do not work. Must have metal legs and be equivalent to a Hearlihy 6" Bow Compass, http://bit.ly/tmscompass. Optional: only recommended if you get a good one.
Basic scientific calculator (solar powered suggested). Required.
Laptop computer. From time to time students who have access to a laptop computer may be asked to bring it to class. Recommended.
Pencils (mechanical recommended).

Assessment

Homework: timely completion of homework assignments. Assessed formally and informally.	5 points per homework
Quizzes and Tests: written and graphical solutions.	50 points per quiz, 150 points per test
End-Semester Examinations: written and graphical solutions of problems from the whole semester (comprehensive).	15% of course grade
In-Class work and Projects: positive energy and interest level during in-class work including discussion, working on investigations and projects, practice during class, and using notes. Assessed informally.	20 points per week, up to 100 points per project
Note-taking: documenting work (including graphical, numerical, algebraic, and verbal work), putting notes to good use for learning, making the note-taking process your own, and showing the ups and downs of the learning process. Assessed informally.	included in in-class work
Commitment to learning: Taking on what is challenging to you, getting help, communicating with the teacher, engaging with the material, and taking personally meaningful notes. Assessed informally.	100 points per semester

Late work policy and tardy policy

The teacher enters grades once per week on a weekday communicated to the students. Students get credit for late work up to that weekly deadline. Students who are late to class or leave the classroom for an extended time during class receive a maximum of 60% of the day's in-class work credit.

Cell phone policy

For your own benefit, I will not tolerate any cell phone use in class. I know you are addicted to multitasking, but your job is to focus only on this class. Upon entering my class you will drop your cellphones or similar devices into the Device Drop basket. When class is over you can take it when you leave. If you need a calculator, please go to the bookshelf and borrow one.

Collaboration policy

I encourage study groups. You may work with others (not just students) unless instructed otherwise as long as all of you contribute. It is wise to put the name of each contributing student on an assignment to avoid issues with plagiarism.