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Math

MATH ONE

The fundamental purpose of the Mathematics I course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. This course includes standards from the conceptual categories of Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Some standards are repeated in multiple higher mathematics courses; therefore instructional notes, which appear in brackets, indicate what is appropriate for study in this particular course.

 

For example, the scope of Mathematics I is limited to linear and exponential expressions and functions as well as some work with absolute value, step, and functions that are piecewise-defined. Therefore, although a standard may include references to quadratic, logarithmic, or trigonometric functions, those functions should not be included in course work for Mathematics I; they will be addressed in Mathematics II or III.

 

For the Mathematics I course, instructional time should focus on six critical areas:

(1) extend understanding of numerical manipulation to algebraic manipulation;

(2) synthesize understanding of function;

(3) deepen and extend understanding of linear relationships;

(4) apply linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend;

(5) establish criteria for congruence based on rigid motions; and

(6) apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the coordinate plane.

 

In previous grades, students had a variety of experiences working with expressions and creating equations. Students become competent in algebraic manipulation in much the same way that they are with numerical manipulation. Algebraic facility includes rearranging and collecting terms, factoring, identifying and canceling common factors in rational expressions, and applying properties of exponents. Students continue this work by using quantities to model and analyze situations, to interpret expressions, and to create equations to describe situations.

 

In earlier grades, students define, evaluate, and compare functions, and use them to model relationships among quantities. Students will learn function notation and develop the concepts of domain and range. They move beyond viewing functions as processes that take inputs and yield outputs and start viewing functions as objects in their own right. They explore many examples of functions, including sequences; interpret functions given graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally; translate between representations; and understand the limitations of various representations. They work with functions given by graphs and tables, keeping in mind that, depending upon the context, these representations are likely to be approximate and incomplete. Their work includes functions that can be described or approximated by formulas as well as those that cannot. When functions describe relationships between quantities arising from a context, students reason with the units in which those quantities are measured. Students build on and informally extend their understanding of integer exponents to consider exponential functions. They compare and contrast linear and exponential functions, distinguishing between additive and multiplicative change. They interpret arithmetic sequences as linear functions and geometric sequences as exponential functions.

 

In previous grades, students learned to solve linear equations in one variable and applied graphical and algebraic methods to analyze and solve systems of linear equations in two variables. Building on these earlier experiences, students analyze and explain the process of solving an equation and justify the process used in solving a system of equations. Students develop fluency in writing, interpreting, and translating among various forms of linear equations and inequalities and use them to solve problems. They master the solution of linear equations and apply related solution techniques and the laws of exponents to the creation and solution of simple exponential equations. Students explore systems of equations and inequalities, and they find and interpret their solutions. All of this work is grounded on understanding quantities and on relationships among them. 

MATH TWO

The focus of the Mathematics II course is on quadratic expressions, equations, and functions; comparing their characteristics and behavior to those of linear and exponential relationships from Mathematics I. This course includes standards from the conceptual categories of Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Some standards are repeated in multiple higher mathematics courses; therefore instructional notes, which appear in brackets, indicate what is appropriate for study in this particular course. For example, the scope of Mathematics II is limited to quadratic expressions and functions, and some work with absolute value, step, and functions that are piecewise-defined. Therefore, although a standard may include references to logarithms or trigonometry, those functions should not be included in course work for Mathematics II; they will be addressed in Mathematics III.

 

For the Mathematics II course, instructional time should focus on five critical areas:

(1) extend the laws of exponents to rational exponents;

(2) compare key characteristics of quadratic functions with those of linear and exponential functions;

(3) create and solve equations and inequalities involving linear, exponential, and quadratic expressions;

(4) extend work with probability; and

(5) establish criteria for similarity of triangles based on dilations and proportional reasoning.

 

Students extend the laws of exponents to rational exponents and explore distinctions between rational and irrational numbers by considering their decimal representations. Students learn that when quadratic equations do not have real solutions, the number system must be extended so that solutions exist, analogous to the way in which extending the whole numbers to the negative numbers allows x + 1 = 0 to have a solution. Students explore relationships between number systems: whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers. The guiding principle is that equations with no solutions in one number system may have solutions in a larger number system.

 

Students consider quadratic functions, comparing the key characteristics of quadratic functions to those of linear and exponential functions. They select from among these functions to model phenomena. Students learn to anticipate the graph of a quadratic function by interpreting various forms of quadratic expressions. In particular, they identify the real solutions of a quadratic equation as the zeros of a related quadratic function. When quadratic equations do not have real solutions, students learn that that the graph of the related quadratic function does not cross the horizontal axis. They expand their experience with functions to include more specialized functions—absolute value, step, and those that are piecewise-defined.

 

Students begin by focusing on the structure of expressions, rewriting expressions to clarify and reveal aspects of the relationship they represent. They create and solve equations, inequalities, and systems of equations involving exponential and quadratic expressions.

 

Building on probability concepts that began in the middle grades, students use the language of set theory to expand their ability to compute and interpret theoretical and experimental probabilities for compound events, attending to mutually exclusive events, independent events, and conditional probability. Students should make use of geometric probability models wherever possible. They use probability to make informed decisions.

 

Students apply their earlier experience with dilations and proportional reasoning to build a formal understanding of similarity. They identify criteria for similarity of triangles, use similarity to solve problems, and apply similarity in right triangles to understand right triangle trigonometry, with particular attention to special right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem. Students develop facility with geometric proof. They use what they know about congruence and similarity to prove theorems involving lines, angles, triangles, and other polygons. They explore a variety of formats for writing proofs. The Standards for Mathematical Practice complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage 

MATH THREE

To be Implemented During the 2018-2019 School Year

 

It is in the Mathematics III course that students integrate and apply the mathematics they have learned from their earlier courses. This course includes standards from the conceptual categories of Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Some standards are repeated in multiple higher mathematics courses; therefore instructional notes, which appear in brackets, indicate what is appropriate for study in this particular course. Standards that were limited in Mathematics I and Mathematics II no longer have those restrictions in Mathematics III.

 

For the Mathematics III course, instructional time should focus on four critical areas:

(1) apply methods from probability and statistics to draw inferences and conclusions from data;

(2) expand understanding of functions to include polynomial, rational, and radical functions;

(3) expand right triangle trigonometry to include general triangles; and

(4) consolidate functions and geometry to create models and solve contextual problems.

 

Students see how the visual displays and summary statistics they learned in earlier grades relate to different types of data and to probability distributions. They identify different ways of collecting data—including sample surveys, experiments, and simulations—and the roles that randomness and careful design play in the conclusions that can be drawn.

 

The structural similarities between the system of polynomials and the system of integers are developed. Students draw on analogies between polynomial arithmetic and base-ten computation, focusing on properties of operations, particularly the distributive property. Students connect multiplication of polynomials with multiplication of multi-digit integers, and division of polynomials with long division of integers. Students identify zeros of polynomials and make connections between zeros of polynomials and solutions of polynomial equations. Rational numbers extend the arithmetic of integers by allowing division by all numbers except zero. Similarly, rational expressions extend the arithmetic of polynomials by allowing division by all polynomials except the zero polynomial. A central theme of the Mathematics III course is that the arithmetic of rational expressions is governed by the same rules as the arithmetic of rational numbers. This critical area also includes exploration of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra.

 

Students derive the Laws of Sines and Cosines in order to find missing measures of general (not necessarily right) triangles. They are able to distinguish whether three given measures (angles or sides) define 0, 1, 2, or infinitely many triangles. This discussion of general triangles opens up the idea of trigonometry applied beyond the right triangle, at least to obtuse angles. Students build on this idea to develop the notion of radian measure for angles and extend the domain of the trigonometric functions to all real numbers. They apply this knowledge to model simple periodic phenomena.

 

Students synthesize and generalize what they have learned about a variety of function families. They extend their work with exponential functions to include solving exponential equations with logarithms. They explore the effects of transformations on graphs of diverse functions, including functions arising in an application, in order to abstract the general principle that transformations on a graph always have the same effect regardless of the type of the underlying function. They identify appropriate types of functions to model a situation, they adjust parameters to improve the model, and they compare models by analyzing appropriateness of fit and making judgments about the domain over which a model is a good fit. The description of modeling as “the process of choosing and using mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations, to understand them better, and to make decisions” is at the heart of this Mathematics III course. The narrative discussion and diagram of the modeling cycle should be considered when knowledge of functions, statistics, and geometry is applied in a modeling context. The Standards for Mathematical Practice complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years.

 

For additional information, please visit the California Department of Education website.

DEPARTMENT CHAIR

MATH TEACHERS

  Cristina Caballero   Teacher
  Ivan Conner   Teacher
  Peter Iroekwe ex: 68227 Teacher
  Chung Mo Kim   Teacher
  Francis Kim   Teacher
  Maria Kobylecki   Teacher
  Jason Morgan   Teacher
  Peter Nguyen   Teacher
  Chikodi Ojini   Teacher
  Delilah Samson   Teacher
  Susana Vargas   Teacher