Math 204 Syllabus

Course Syllabus: Math 204 Syllabus

Meet Your Instructor: Dr. Marty Romero

Textbook Information: 

Required:

1. Math for Elementary Teachers W/ Wiley+ Custom 10 TH ED., Author: Musser, ISBN: 9781118865972.
2. Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching, Author: Boaler, ISBN: 9780470894521

**Bring your textbook to class on non-exam days**

 

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will develop problem solving techniques and mathematical structure associated with numeration, set theory, elementary number theory, the real number system, ratio, proportion and percent.

Classroom Policies

Attendance

I will be taking roll during each course meeting. Attending every class is required and important for your success. Remember there are no make-up assignments, exams, or POWs. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting any class announcements and updates, and turning in any assignments that are due. Remember, any student missing the first day of class will be dropped. Any student absent for 4 classes may be dropped.

Tardiness

Any student missing 30 or more minutes of class (start and/or end of class) will be marked absent, unless your missing time is cleared with me prior to class beginning. The best way to do this is via email.

Classroom Behavior

Students are expected to actively participate by following class rules, being on time, having materials, answering and asking appropriate math questions, presenting solutions to the class, and helping others. Students are not expected to distract or disrupt their peers. All cellular phones or other technological devices must be put away and put on silent at the beginning of class. If you need to leave the classroom during class, please do so quietly without disturbing others.

 

Course Assignments

Textbook Homework

Homework: Selected problems from textbook will be assigned after we complete a lesson. Your solutions to those problems will be due at the beginning of the next class. If you are late or not present when homework is discussed, graded, and collected, it will not be accepted. You will receive a score (1-2 points per problem) based on completion and the quality of your responses. Since solutions are provided a head of time, 25% will be deducted if you do not self-correct your homework using the posted solutions. PLEASE BE NEAT AND ORGANIZED WITH YOUR WORK, USE STANDARD SIZE PAPER AND MAKER SURE EVERYTHING IS LABLED AND FOLLOWS THE FORMAT BELOW. ILLEGIBLE WORK WILL NOT BE SCORED.

* Three (3) of your lowest written homework assignments will be dropped. NO LATE HOMEWORK IS ACCEPTED

Problems of the Week (POWs)

There will be 4 Problems of the Week (POWs) through out the course. For each POW, you will be given a choice of two POWs to choose from. Carefully write up the work that you do solving the problem. For each POW, look at your copy of scoring guide. The scoring guide will be used to score your work. Show your solution path and all of your work. Keep in mind to clearly note strategies and failed attempts, know that “Picture perfect solutions” are not our goal, communicating our problem solving process is our goal. Two of the POWs will be completed in class and two will be take home. The “in-class” POWs will be completed in random groups of 3 or 4. No Late POWs are accepted

 

Book Forum Posts (SAY, MEAN, MATTER)

After reading the chapter: Write a well-written 5-6 sentence paragraph addressing the three prompts below. [SAY] Post a quote that describes an important idea from the chapter.  

[MEAN] Write a response that explains what the quote means (what does the author mean, what is your interpretation?).

[MATTER] Write a response that explains why the quote matters to teachers and students (why is this important, what are the implications?).

 

All forum posts must be completed by the due date and time. No credit will be given for late posts.

 

Course Mid-Term/Final/Class Projects

Midterm/Final

The Midterm and final exam will cover major mathematical concepts covered during the class and be given prior to the exams. Before each exam a pool of possible exam questions will be given to you. The actual exam will be made up of a subset of these questions, or parts of these questions, although the numerical examples and details of the questions may be different. For example, if you are asked to write a story problem that represents a particular division problem, the numbers used on the exam will not be the ones included the sample.   You are encouraged to study and prepare these questions, and to do so with one another. If you do this, you will be well prepared for the exam.  There are no make-up Midterms and Final Exams.

 

Mindset Book – Wanted Poster Gallery Show and Chapter Review

After reading the Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching book, you will create a “classroom Wanted Poster” (approximately 18 in. by 24 in.) that summarizes key characteristics of “good” math students. The intent of the poster is identifying for students – in a creative way- the skills that you are looking for when they do mathematics. The idea is that your poster could be something you could actually use in your future classroom. Be creative in your design but make sure your poster is accurate in the message you are trying to convey, as well as following the “wanted-poster” format.

 

Class Materials

Pencil, Paper, Eraser, Binder, Calculator (TI-36, TI-30, TI-83, or TI-84), (No Cell Phone Calculator or Computer on Tests), Ruler, Color Pencils/Pens.

 

Grading

Homework/Classwork: 15%

Problems of the Week: 15%

Wanted Poster: 10%

Book Posts and Book Activities: 10%

Chapter Learn Checks: 10%

Midterm: 20%

Final: 20%

 

A: 90% and Above     B: 80%-89.9%               C: 70%-79.9%   D: 60%-69.9%   F: Below 60%