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Introduction
As the committee began its examination of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), we were often surprised by what was included or left
out of courses that preceded or followed those that we normally teach.
"Do they really expect eighth graders to be able to do that?"
"Where are the sequences and series that we used to do in Algebra II?"
Ultimately, we agreed that all of the concepts and skills necessary to prepare students for success in AP* Statistics and AP Calculus would be covered
if the TEKS were interpreted in a particular way. Due to time constraints, we were reluctant to add any additional topics to the TEKS, though a
teacher might choose to do so.
The problem is particularly acute at the middle school level when all of the TEKS for grades 6-8 are often covered in only two years in order for
students to take Algebra I in grade 8. Having students just skip over a year of elementary or middle school mathematics is a dangerous proposition
that can have serious repercussions in subsequent courses. A well-planned and instructed Pre-AP* middle school program combines, streamlines, and
collapses the material in such a way that all of the TEKS are addressed at a deeper and more complex level.
At one point, someone on the committee said, "The problem is not that the TEKS are incomplete; it is that all of these things are treated equally.
Some of these TEKS are three-minute topics, and some of them are three-week topics." That gave us our idea for the structure of the charts in this
section. We went through the TEKS and sorted them into three groups.
The TEKS in regular font are topics with which students already have some familiarity due to previous instruction and which are being
revisited through the spiraling curriculum or are topics that can be covered in minimal time. These topics might provide foundational
knowledge (such as definitions) that will be used for future topics throughout the course.
The TEKS typed in italics are topics that might be addressed throughout the course on multiple occasions or might be addressed to greater
depth than the previous topics.
The TEKS in a bold, slightly larger, font are those that merit greater time commitment and greater depth of understanding for the
Pre-AP student. These topics should be taught with a particular emphasis toward preparing students for AP Calculus or AP Statistics.
After categorizing the TEKS, we looked for problems or activities that would exemplify those TEKS in the third group and included them in the
second column as examples of what we felt were good Pre-AP mathematics problems and activities. Remember that these are only examples;
students will have to do many more than the few problems that we were able to include here in order to be well-prepared for AP Statistics and AP
Calculus. These are meant to give you ideas and get you started in understanding what makes a good Pre-AP mathematics problem. You will also find
in the second column additional comments about the TEKS or sample problems that we felt might be important.
TEKS: Algebra II
TEKS
111.33 ALGEBRA II (ONE-HALF TO ONE
CREDIT) Foundations for functions: knowledge and
skills and performance descriptions.
(2A.1) The student uses properties and attributes of
functions and applies functions to problem situations.
(A) identify the mathematical domains and ranges of
functions and determine reasonable domain and range
values for continuous and discrete situations.
(B) collect and organize data, make and interpret scatter
plots, fit the graph of a function to the data, interpret the
results, and proceed to model, predict, and make
decisions and critical judgements.
(2A.2) The student understands the importance of the
skills required to manipulate symbols in order to solve
problems and uses the necessary algebraic skills required
to simplify algebraic expressions and solve equations
and inequalities in problem situations.
(A) use tools including factoring and properties of
exponents to simplify expressions and to transform and
solve equations.
(B) use complex numbers to describe the solutions of
quadratic equations.
(2A.3) The student formulates systems of equations and
inequalities from problem situations, uses a variety of
methods to solve them, and analyzes the solutions in
terms of the situations.
(A) analyze situations and formulate systems of
equations in two or more unknowns or inequalities in
two unknowns to solve problems.
(B) use algebraic methods, graphs, tables, or matrices,
to solve systems of equations or inequalities.
Examples
Commentary
3. Repeat the process in part 2 several times, each time shortening the length of
your string by 15 cm. Continue to collect your data (length of string, time/period).
4. Draw a sketch of the data, the time of a period as a function of the length of the
pendulum.
5. If the graph appears linear, write an equation of the regression line that best
models the data. If the graph does not appear to be linear, you will need to perform
a transformation to straighten the data. What model and what transformation seem
most appropriate? Write the equation of this model.
6. Predict t(.9 meters), that is, the time of one period if the length of the pendulum
is .9 meters.
7. Predict t(2 meter), that is, the time of one period if the length of the pendulum is
2 meters.
8. Which of the two values t(.9) or t(2) do you feel is more accurate? Explain why.
9. What type of function did you determine was the best model for your data?
Explain the process you had to use to re-express your data to be able to write an
equation for this model.
(G) connect inverses of square root functions with
quadratic functions.
(2A.10) The student formulates equations and
inequalities based on rational functions, uses a variety of
methods to solve them, and analyzes the solutions in
terms of the situation.
(A) use quotients of polynomials to describe the
graphs of rational functions, predict the effects of
parameter changes, describe limitations on the
domains and ranges, and examine asymptotic
behavior.
x
x2 4
The city of Katy, Texas, wants to enclose a 3000 square foot rectangular region as a This relates to the calculus concept of
park. The city plans to build a brick fence along 3 sides of the park that will cost
optimization.
$25 per linear foot. A wooden fence that will cost $10 per linear foot will enclose
the fourth side of the park. Find the minimum cost of the fence.
The rate of consumption of cola in the United States is given by S(t) = Cekt, where This question is based on the 1996
S is measured in billions of gallons per year and t is measured in years from the
AB/BC3 AP Calculus exam.
beginning of 1980.
a) The consumption rate doubles every 5 years and the consumption rate at the
beginning of 1980 was 6 billion gallons per year. Find C and k.
b) When did the consumption rate surpass 50 billion gallons per year?