M113  Notebook and Homework

Rich Wersinger - Heald College

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M011 NOTEBOOK and HOMEWORK REQUIREMENTS

You are required to maintain a notebook to support your study of Algebra Essentials, M011.

Mathematics is a language, and as such has standards of writing which should be observed. In a writing class, one must respect the rules of grammar and punctuation, one must write in organized paragraphs built with complete sentences, and the final draft must be a neat paper with a title.

Similarly, there are certain standards for mathematics assignments:

Jump to Homework Guidelines below.

Your Algebra Essentials Notebook

1. Use a loose-leaf notebook binder. You’ll find this more flexible than a spiral notebook when you need to rearrange papers.
2. This notebook contributes to your Homework and Activities grade. Bring your notebook to class everyday to receive full credit.
3. Use dividers to separate your notebook into the following sections.
1. Homework assignments.
2. Notes and Classroom Practice Problems
3. Completed homework.
4. Completed team activities
5. Tests and corrected test problems
4. Homework Assignments Section Requirements
1. Include all assignments given by your instructor, whether designated during class or on the M113 Web site.
5. Taking Notes in Class.
1. Label and date your notes.
2. Review and revise your notes as soon as possible after writing them.
3. Sometimes in class I will suggest that you write something down in your notes. Follow these suggestions. Be alert and write down key definitions, postulates, theorems, and example problems. Use the following techniques to make notes:
4. Definitions:
• Copy the exact term or use a precise equivalent.
• Set off the word defined (underline, indent, use color).
• Include a drawing if appropriate.
5. Properties, Postulates, and Theorems.
• Be sure to copy them accurately. If you reword them, be sure you have not altered the meaning.
• Copy drawings if appropriate.
6. Sample Problems.
• Follow my advice about when to copy problems — during or after they have been explained.
• Copy them accurately.
• Clearly indicate ALL steps in the solution.
• Emphasize (use color, stars, underline) the new procedure being illustrated in the problem.
7. Homework Completion Requirements.
1. Check the assignment.
2. Read the directions carefully. Be sure you know exactly what you should be doing.
3. Your homework grade is not so much a function of the number of problems correctly completed. Rather, attempting all the problems assigned is more important.
4. Please write your name and class number clearly at the top of at least the first page, along with the assignment number, the section number(s), or the page number(s), the assignment due date, and the date you completed the assignment.
5. Clearly indicate the number of the exercise you are doing, and write out the problem (except in the case of word problems, which are too long to write out). If you accidentally do problems out of order, or part of a problem is separated from the rest of a problem, include a note, referring the grader to the missed problem or missing work.
6. Do your work in pencil, with mistakes cleanly erased, not crossed or scratched out. If you work in ink, use "white-out" to correct mistakes. Write legibly (suitably large and suitably dark); if the grader can't read your answer, it's wrong.
7. Write neatly across the page, with each succeeding problem below the preceding one, not off to the right. Please do not work in multiple columns down the page (like a newspaper); your page should contain only one column.
8. Keep work within the margins. If you run out of room at the end of a problem, please continue onto the next page; do not try to squeeze lines together at the bottom of the sheet. Do not lap work over into the margins on the left or right; do not wrap work around the notebook holes. The margins are "For Office Use Only".
9. Do not squeeze the problems together, with one problem running into the next. Use sufficient space for each problem, with at least one blank line between one problem and the next.
10. Do "scratch work," but do it on scratch paper; hand in only the "final draft." Show your steps, but work that is scribbled in the margins belongs on scratch paper, not on your homework.
11. For graphs, always use three-holed punched graph paper. Always use a ruler to draw the straight lines, and label the points of interest, including columns, axes, and scale, as appropriate. Use an appropriate consistent scale on the axes, and do a T-chart, unless otherwise instructed. Also, make your graphs large enough to be clear.
12. Show your work. This does not mean just copying the problem from the book and the answer from the back. Show all the steps that go between the question and the answer. Show how you derived the answer. For your work to be complete, you need to explain your reasoning and make your computations clear. That means using English sentences if the mathematical sentences are not otherwise clear.
13. Use standard notation and language. Do not invent your own notation or abbreviations, and expect the grader to figure out your meaning. Spell out words. For example, do not use "#" in your sentence, if you mean "pounds" or "numbers".
14. Do not use the "equals" sign ("=") to indicate "leads to", "indicates", "is related to", "is", or anything else inside a sentence; use actual words. The equals sign should be used only to indicate "is equal to" within an equation.
15. Don't do magic: plus/minus signs, "= 0", radicals, and denominators should not disappear in the middle of your computations, only to mysteriously reappear at the end. Each step in a problem should be complete.
16. If the problem is of the "Explain" or "Write in your own words" type, then copying the answer from the back of the book, or the definition from the chapter, is unacceptable. You should write the answer in your words, not the text's.
17. Remember to put your final answer at the end of your work, and mark it clearly by, for example, underlining it. Label your answer appropriately. If the answer is to a word problem, make sure to put appropriate units on the answer. For example, if the problem involves money, the answer should include dollars or cents.
18. In general, write your homework as though you are trying to convince someone that you know what you are talking about. Imprecision and gaps in reasoning will work against this aim.
19. You should use your instructor as a study aid, in addition to the text, study guides, study groups, and tutoring services.
• Your work is much easier to grade when you have made your work and reasoning clear, and any difficulties you have in completing the assignment can be better explained by the grader.
• More importantly, however, completely worked and corrected homework exercises make excellent study guides for the Final.
• Also, if students develop good habits while working on the homework, they generally perform better on the tests.

In summary, schools today have made the development of essential skills, the provision of significant and meaningful learning experiences, and the development of the workforce some of its primary goals for student success. As such, they want their instructors to guide their students toward a higher level of confidence and competence. In math classes, that translates into a greater need for clarity in mathematical writing. The intention on these "Homework Guidelines" is that you and your instructor communicate better, and that you succeed both in this mathematics course and in future mathematical communication with coworkers and clients.

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