as maths · pdf fileas maths course handbook haringey sixth form centre white hart lane,...

Faculty of Maths, Science and Sports

AS Maths Course Handbook

Haringey Sixth Form Centre

White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London N17 8HR

Tel: 0208 376 6000 Fax: 0208 376 5900

www.haringey6.ac.uk

Haringeymath.wordpress.com

Contents

.

1. Contents Page

Page 1

2. Welcome

3. Staff names, roles and contact details Page 3

4. Aims and objectives of course Page 4

5. Course structure Pages 5

6. Calendar Page 6-7

7. Assessment structure Pages 8

8. Progression Page 9

9. Study skills advice Page 10

10. Study Centres Page 11

11 Health and Safety Page 12

12. Expectations Page 13

13. Equipment and resources Page 14

Welcome

Welcome to Haringey Sixth Form Centre and the Faculty of Maths, Science & Sports.

We hope that your experience here will be a positive and enjoyable one.

This handbook is provided to give you the information that you need to start your course and will also be useful throughout the time that you are studying here at the Centre. Your Personal Tutor will spend time during induction helping you to find out everything you need to know and part of this time will be spent looking through the handbook.

There are many people who are available to help you through your studies, their names and roles have been included in the handbook so that if the answers to your questions are not here you always have another way of finding them out.

You will also find important dates and deadlines for you to note and include in your Student Diary. It is essential that you stick closely to all course deadlines if you are to succeed and achieve your goals.

As with all organisations there are rules and procedures to follow. We hope that these have been made clear, but if you are not sure about any of them please refer to the relevant sec-tions in the handbook or ask your Personal Tutor.

Finally, in this handbook, you will find various sources of information and advice which are designed to help you achieve the best possible results and provide progression to careers and higher education. But, above all, this handbook is designed to help you to enjoy your time at Haringey Sixth Form Centre.

Staff Names and Roles

Staff

Head of Faculty- Mike O’Brien

Programme Manager Maths- Daniel Oladejo

Programme Manager Sports- Kevin Browne

Learning Mentor Michael Debrah

Teachers-

Biology- Anne Bedford

Laura Nicholls

Chemistry- Zabed Ahmed

Michelle Blenheim-Aning

Physics- Mike O’Brien

Maths- Daniel Oladejo

Marios Americanos

Gaetano Farrugia

Sports- Carlos Munoz

Jennifer Maysmor-Gee

Kevin Brown

Technicians-

Science- Anjna Vara

Julie Nicholson

Aims and Objectives

This course has the following aims; it should:

enable you to acquire knowledge and skills with confidence, satisfaction and enjoyment

give you experience of mathematical activity and develop resourcefulness in solving

problems.

enable you to apply mathematics and recognise its significance to other disciplines

provide you with a foundation for further study of mathematics

Course Structure

This course follows the [OCR (MEI) 3895/7895 ] syllabus

There are 3 main areas in A level Mathematics:

Pure Mathematics Modules C1, C2, C3, C4

Pure Mathematics is the foundation on which study of the applied mathematics modules (statistics, mechanics, and decision mathematics) depends and extends much of the work you have studied in your GCSE course. You will cover topics such as Algebra and Trigonometry and meet new topics such as Calculus and Numerical Methods.

The 4 Pure Modules are compulsory. You will study C1 and C2 in the first year; C3 and C4 follow in the 2nd Year

Mechanics Modules M1

This involves constructing mathematical models that solve real-life problems dealing with such concepts as: forces, moving particles, Newton’s laws, pulley systems and pro-jectiles to name a few.

Statistics Modules S1

Some of this continues the work you have done in the data handling part of your GCSE courses. You will learn considerably more about probability and go on to construct sta-tistical models that help in the solution of everyday problems. You will also learn about testing techniques that can be used to draw conclusions from real life data.

You will study 2 applied modules, alongside your 4 core modules over a 2 year A Level programme.

In the first year in order to obtain an AS in Mathematics you will take: C1, C2, S1 or M1 (Depending on whether you are in a Mechanics or Statistics group) In the second year you will go on to study: C3, C4 and S1 or M1 (Depending on the applied module taken in the AS year)

All 6 modules carry equal weight and your final grade is calculated by summing the individ-ual module marks.

These modules are mostly examined by a 1½ hour written paper. The exceptions are:

20% of the C3 mark is acquired from a piece coursework

20% of the C4 mark is acquired from a maths comprehension paper

Weeks

Week

Commencing

Activities

1. September 3rd

Basic algebra revision and Surds (C1)

2 September 10th

Quadratics, Surds Test, Equations & Formulae Test, Indices

3 September 17th

Quadratics, Indices Test

4 September 24th

Quadratics Test, Factor/Remainder Theorem

5 October 1st

Curve Sketching, Factor/Remainder Theorem Test

6 October 8th

Curve Sketching, Binomial Expansions

7 October 15th

Graph Transformations Test, Binomial Expansions Test

October 22nd

H A L F T E R M

8 October 29th

Inequalities(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

9 5th

Inequalities Test, Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

10 November 12th

Co-ordinate Geometry Test(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

11 November 19th

Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Data Presentation Test (S1)

12 November 26th

Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Probability(S1)

13 December 3rd

C1 Review, Probability(S1)

14 December 10th

C1 Mock Paper, Probability(S1)

15 December 17th

Probability Test(S1)

December 20th

C H R I S T M A S B R E A K

C1/S1 Calendar

Autumn Term 2011

Weeks Activities

1 Basic algebra revision and Surds (C1)

2 Quadratics, Surds Test, Equations & Formulae Test, Indices

3 Quadratics, Indices Test

4 Quadratics Test, Factor/Remainder Theorem

5 Curve Sketching, Factor/Remainder Theorem Test

6 Curve Sketching, Binomial Expansions

7 Graph Transformations Test, Binomial Expansions Test

H A L F T E R M

8 Inequalities(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

9 Inequalities Test, Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

10 Co-ordinate Geometry Test(C1), Data Presentation(S1)

11 Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Data Presentation Test (S1)

12 Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Probability(S1)

13 C1 Review, Probability(S1)

14 C1 Mock Paper, Probability(S1) Probability Test(S1)


Spring Term 2012

C1/S1 Calendar

15 Sequences & Series(C2), Probability (S1)

16 Sequences & Series(C2), Discrete Random Variables(S1)

17 Sequences & Series Test (C2), Discrete Random Variables Test(S1)

18 Trigonometry(C2), Further probability (S1)

19 Trigonometry(C2), Further probability (S1)

20 Trigonometry(C2), Binomial Distribution(S1)

21 Trigonometry Test(C2), Binomial Distribution

H A L F T E R M

22 Differentiation(C2), Binomial Distribution(S1)

23 Differentiation(C2), Binomial Distribution(S1) Test(S1)

24 Integration (C2), Hypothesis testing (S1)



27 Integration test (C2), Hypothesis testing Test(S1)

EASTER

28 Logarithms & Exponential Functions (C2), S1 mock paper

29 Logarithms & Exponential Functions (C2), S1 revision

30 Logarithms & Exponential Functions test, S1 revision

31 Exam revision and mock papers


HALF TERM






S U M M E R B R E A K

Autumn Term 2011

C1/M1 Calendar

Weeks Activities

1 Basic algebra revision and Surds (C1)

2 Quadratics, Surds Test, Equations & Formulae Test, Indices

3 Quadratics, Indices Test

4 Quadratics Test, Factor/Remainder Theorem

5 Curve Sketching, Factor/Remainder Theorem Test

6 Curve Sketching, Binomial Expansions

7 Graph Transformations Test, Binomial Expansions Test

H A L F T E R M

8 Inequalities(C1), Motion (M1)

9 Inequalities Test, Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Motion (M1)

10 Co-ordinate Geometry Test(C1), Motion (M1)

11 Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Motion (M1)

12 Co-ordinate Geometry(C1), Modelling using constant acceleration (M1)

13 C1 Review, Modelling using constant acceleration (M1)

14 C1 Mock Paper, Review of M1


Spring Term 2012

Summer Term 2012

C1/M1 Calendar

15 Sequences & Series(C2), Forces and Newton’s Law of Motion (M1)

16 Sequences & Series(C2), Forces and Newton’s Law of Motion Test (M1)

17 Sequences & Series(C2), Applications of Newton’s 2nd

Law

18 Sequences & Series Test (C2), Applications of Newton’s 2nd

Law

19 Trigonometry(C2), Applications of Newton’s 2nd

Law


Law

21 Trigonometry test (C2), Newton’s 2nd

Law test (M1)

H A L F T E R M

22 Trigonometry Test(C2), Vectors (M1)

23 Differentiation(C2), Vectors (M1)


25 Differentiation Test, Vectors (M1)

26 Integration, Further Differentiation (C2), Projectiles (M1)


EASTER

15 Sequences & Series(C2), Forces and Newton’s Law of Motion (M1)

16 Sequences & Series(C2), Forces and Newton’s Law of Motion Test (M1)

17 Sequences & Series(C2), Applications of Newton’s 2nd

Law

18 Sequences & Series Test (C2), Applications of Newton’s 2nd

Law


Law


Law

21 Trigonometry test (C2), Newton’s 2nd

Law test (M1)

H A L F T E R M

22 Trigonometry Test(C2), Vectors (M1)



25 Differentiation Test, Vectors (M1)



EASTER

28 Exam revision, C1 & C2, Projectiles (M1)

29 Exam revision, C1 & C2, Forces & motion in two dimensions (M1)



32 Exam revision, C1 & C2, Forces & motion in two dimensions Test (M1)

HALF TERM

33 Exam revision, C1 & C2, General motion (M1)

34 Exam revision, C1 & C2, General Motion (M1)

35 Exam revision, C1, C2 & M1



S U M M E R B R E A K

Assessment Structure

Your final A level grade is assessed by external exams and coursework but we will assess your work in a variety of ways throughout the course. The aims of continuous assessment are: to allow you to monitor your progress and understanding of each topic

to allow your Maths teacher to monitor your progress and understanding

to identity any problem areas

FREQUENT TOPIC TESTS

At the end of each topic you will have a 20-30 minute test in one of your lessons. These

tests will be mainly multiple choice on the basics of topics you have just covered, plus a lit-

tle revision. They will show you if you are keeping up with new work and remind you of ba-

sic algebraic techniques. These tests will help you monitor your progress and see if you are

putting in enough work outside the classroom.

ASSIGNMENTS

Over the year you will have to complete a number of assignments. These consist of around

15 questions, many of which have been taken from previous exam papers.

Assignments will be given to you every 2 weeks before you have covered the work in class.

As the work is covered you will be able to attempt more of the questions. Each assignment

is expected to be around 8 hours work.

Assignments will be uploaded on the Mathematics departments blog, located at:

haringeymath.wordpress.com

It is your responsibility to download the assignments and print them off.

YOUR SUBJECT TEACHER WILL NOT DO THIS FOR YOU

The deadline for assignments is given on the front sheet.

These deadlines are NON-NEGOTIABLE. It is your responsibility to hand in your work on

or before the deadline date.

Non-completion of assignments to a good standard, and on time, will be taken as evidence

of a lack of commitment to this course. This will be treated very seriously and appropriate

action will be taken.

Give yourself enough time to complete the assignments set and try to establish a weekly routine for doing maths in particular give yourself enough time to visit the MATHS WORK-SHOPS (see timetable) for help well before the deadline date.

Progression

At this stage in your education, you will already have had to make many decisions about your future career and for most of you, your choice of subjects is based upon where you intend to go, and what you intend to do, after leaving school.

For those intending to continue on to university, there are very few degree subjects for which a maths A Level would not be useful. Many degree courses do not require specific A level subjects, but, of those that do, maths is by far the subject most commonly required. The rea-son for this is that maths equips you with numerous transferable skills. These skills—problem solving, logical thinking, conceptual ability, communication, data handling and interpretation, and research—are useful in any job, and employers will recognise that you have them if you have studied maths.

Apart from these general transferable skills, maths also equips you with a set of tools that are vital in many jobs. It opens up opportunities in many areas such as: banking and finance, IT and computing or accountancy and engineering to name a few.

Study Skills Advice

Studying for A level Maths is not the same as for GCSE. Topics are covered at a much faster pace, they usually build on what has gone before and you have to be proficient at everything. Trust us ... A level Maths is hard. You will have to take responsibility for your own programme of study. Don’t allow a topic to pass without mastering it. Don’t think, ―I didn’t really get that topic but it doesn’t matter... I’ll be doing something new next week.‖ You may have got away with this approach at GCSE but it won’t work at A level. There is no choice on the examination papers and very few topics in the A level syllabuses stand-alone. Thorough understanding is the key to success at A level Maths. To ensure that you have a good grasp of a topic bear in mind the following strategies:

ask your teacher during the lesson if you don’t understand or if you need a point clari-

fied ... don’t let the opportunity pass.

visit the Maths workshops

discuss your problems with your friends

re-read your notes and work through examples done in class

use your textbook

give yourself plenty of time to do your assignments

use the MEI online resources (www.mei.org.uk) or the Mymaths resources

(www.mymaths.co.uk) and the Haringey Mathematics blog

(Haringeymath.wordpress.com) for extra tutorials and interactive exercises.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (well, almost!). It may be boring to do lots of examples of the same type of problem but rather like press-ups to build up your muscles, practising ex-amples will build up your mental stamina and do wonders for your confidence. Simply un-derstanding and just working through one single example will not be enough to embed dif-ficult mathematical procedures and concepts in your mind.

Mathematics Workshop

What the Mathematics Workshop can provide to support you

Opening Times

Open from: 13:00 - 14:00 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

12:45 - 13:45 on Tuesday

ALL WORKSHOPS ARE IN S5

The Mathematics workshops will be available for students to work individually or in small groups on assignments and research tasks.

At all times a member of staff will be present to support you and help them with any questions that you may have about your work or about science or maths in general.

The PC network has been set up with a range of useful software designed for use with spe-cific courses or more generally for revision etc. The Centre VLE is also accessible on the net-work with a range of information and activities for students to use in relation to their courses.

Recommended textbooks and other texts that will provide support for your studies will be kept within the book stock in the Study Centre for students to read and refer to whilst working in it. These are not to be taken out of the Centre or used at home. If you would like advice on how to borrow or obtain particular texts or sources of information then please ask a member of staff.

Relevant web-sites and reading material such as the New Scientist magazine will be provided & regularly updated so that students and staff can research a particular topic or look for inspi-ration and ideas.

Health and Safety

All students are required to strictly follow all Centre Health and Safety policies procedures and rules. You can read about these in your Student Diary or on the Centre Virtual Learning Envi-ronment.

Very often you will be given instructions by your Personal Tutor or subject teachers about safety issues within particular areas. You should pay particular attention to the location of fire escapes and fire escape routes which are signposted around the site.

Students on certain courses or subjects will have certain specific health & safety rules and procedures to learn.

Expectations

In addition to the timetabled lessons (5 hours per week), you will be expected to attend at least one study centre session a week, and spend at least 3 hours studying independ-ently outside the classroom. It is essential that you put in this amount of time and don’t fall behind with your work. Clearly we expect 100% attendance and punctuality, but if you miss something it is vital that you really do find out, from your teacher or fellow students, precisely what happened in the lesson missed and if any work was set before the next session. That way you will not be totally baffled and left behind.

Equipment

Equipment and resources needed and supplied

TEXTBOOKS

You will be provided with a textbook for each module. There will be a range of other books for you to borrow on a short-term basis from the library and a few reference books in the Maths/Science study centre. If you wish to buy other books to help then we plan to have available a range of books for sale at subsidised prices. You will be advised of the prices and books available in due course. Keep checking the announcements on Fronter (The Centre virtual learning environment). GRAPHICAL CALCULATORS You will find a graphical calculator a very valuable tool for learning A level Mathematics. WE RECOMMEND THAT EVERY STUDENT STUDYING A LEVEL MATHEMATICS OWNS THEIR OWN GRAPHICAL CALCULATOR. YOU CAN BUY A T1-82 FROM US AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE TO BE ADVISED. The specifications for the TI –82 will be placed on the maths area in Fronter, along with a link to Texas instrument web site. If you are doing Further Mathematics you may wish to consider buying the next model up, the TI-83 which is more sophisticated or even the T1-92, which is a mini-computer and does alge-bra for you! There are a variety of graphical calculators on the market and a Casio/Sharp one costing around £30-£40 would be fine but it will not be the same as everyone else’s. You should note that the C1 paper is a non-calculator paper.

Attendance & punctuality procedures

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