Algebra 1

Class Essentials for Success

Ms. Hogan and Ms. Whipple
“What if we viewed being smart as a goal that students could work toward rather
than as something they either are or are not?” – Ron Rittchardt
I. Materials
 Pencil and eraser
 Binder or folder designated to this class only.
 Notebook paper and graph paper
 Spiral or composition notebook
 Calculator (TI-83, TI-83+, TI-84…)
 Straightedge

II. Suggested Organization

Handouts, notes, and returned homework assignments should be kept in your binder for easy access.
We will discuss note-taking in more detail together. We will keep all assessments on file.

III. Rules, Expectations, and Strong Suggestions

 Value INTEGRITY.
 Practice SELF-ACOUNTABILITY
 BE RESPECTFUL. Respect yourself, your peers, and your teacher.
 BE PREPARED. Come to class every day with materials, assignments, and book.
 BE PUNCTUAL. Be on time to class and in your seat when the bell rings.
 ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS. Keep your phones out of sight. No headphones during notes.
Laptops out only when needed for this class. You have control over these things…set yourself up
for success! If it becomes an issue, we will come up with a plan together.
 BE CLEAN. Throw away trash. Recycle recyclables. Push in your chair.
 PARTICIPATE! Success in this class is a choice. Choosing to remain actively engaged with
lessons, with each other, and with assignments will be imperative to your understanding of
content.
o PHONES: During tests, phones will be placed in a pocket in the hanging pouches by
our desk. Students will get their phones back at the end of the testing period so as
to minimize disruptions.

IV. Attendance and Tardies

 Students are expected to be in class every school day and be involved in the lesson. Anyone
arriving 10 minutes or more late to class without a valid pass will be counted as absent
(unexcused).

 Attendance is crucial to success. Unexcused absences and excessive excused absences will be
referred to administration and dealt with accordingly. Please value your time here at Rocky and
be in class. If/when you miss class, communicate. It is YOUR responsibility to get notes, make
up work, and arrange time with us for help. When you are gone, check google classroom,
where all notes and assignments are posted on a daily basis.

 Hall Passes: As per school policy, students are not to be out of class without a valid hall pass.
V. Homework

Math requires practice. It is a continuous building of your knowledge. Expect homework every night.

Homework will be graded each day by the following rubric out of 5 points.

✓ 3 points will be distributed as follows:

3 points 2 points 1 point 0 points

Attempted/completed Attempted/completed Attempted/completed Incomplete
ALL problems MOST problems FEW problems

✓ The remaining 2 points will be determined by a homework quiz during the beginning of class.
These problems will be graded for correctness and completeness.

✓ We expect your homework to be done as follows:

o Pencil
o WORK SHOWN!!
o Ordered down the left side of the paper
o NO frillies left on paper if it has been ripped out of a notebook!

VI. Warmups
Each day there will be a warm-up posted on the board. These are to be completed in your notebook.
There will be quizzes throughout the quarter, pop quiz style. You will be asked to rewrite problems and
answers from a specified date. If you have an excused absence, you will not be docked points.

VII. Grading

3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Overall

Tests/Quizzes 55% Tests/Quizzes 55% 90 - 100% = A
Midterm 15% Final 15% 80 - 89% = B
HW/HW Quizzes 15% HW/HW Quizzes 15% 70 – 79% = C
Warm Ups/Classwork 10% Warm Ups/Classwork 10% 60 – 69% = D
Attendance 5% Attendance 5% < 60% =F

***THERE ARE NO TEST RETAKES.

We are here to help you in any ways we can. Please come in for help as soon as you recognize any
struggle!
 Tutoring:
o Lunches Daily (with exceptions)
o Wednesday Late start (8:15-9:00)
o After school (by appointment)
 Our contact info is:
Phone: 488-7170
Email: Ms. Whipple: awhipple@psdschools.org Ms. Hogan: lhogan@psdschools.org

VIII. Course Outline

Quarter 3
 Unit 1: Solving Equations
 Unit 2: Inequalities
 Unit 3: Graphing Linear Equations
 Unit 4: Writing Linear Equations
 Unit 5: Solving Systems of Equations
Quarter 4
 Unit 6: Exponents
 Unit 7: Polynomials and Factoring
 Unit 8: Graphing Quadratic Functions
 Unit 9: Solving Quadratic Functions