STRUCTURES AND CONCEPTS IN MATHEMATICS (Part I)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Designed for prospective elementary school teachers, this course will cover problem solving, sets, whole numbers and fractions, the development of real number systems and computation algorithms, number theory, rational and irrational numbers, and decimals.

OBJECTIVE:  To acquaint future teachers with the mathematics content and problem solving strategies relevant to teaching in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade.   
REQUIRED TEXT:  Tom Bassarear, Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, 3rd  Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
MATERIALS REQUIRED:

•	Scissors
•	Colored Pencils/Highlighter Pens
•	Glue Stick/Tape
•	Straightedge
•	3-ring binder

ATTENDANCE:  Students are expected to attend all class meetings, be on time, and be in class the entire class session. The only excused absence is one due to a school-related activity or a requirement to appear in court.  Calling to tell me you are going to be absent does not excuse you from being absent.   Three (3) absences may result in a drop from the course.  However, if you decide to drop the course, it is your responsibility to make the drop official in the Admissions and Records office or else possibly receive a grade of F.

PARTICIPATION GRADE:  Each student will begin the 9-week session with twenty-four (24) participation points. Participation in this class will be a part of the grade for this course.  Since you cannot participate if you are not in class, each absence will result in the loss of six (6) participation points.  If you are absent more than four (4) times, you will continue to lose six points per absence but now these points will be taken from other earned points, such as homework and tests.  If you leave class early you will lose two (3) participation points!

TARDIES:  Students are expected to be on time.  It is distracting, rude and unfair to fellow classmates and to the instructor when a student is late.  Two tardies will be counted as an absence, and each tardy will result in the loss of three (3) participation points.  You are responsible for telling me, at the end of class, that you were tardy.  If you do not tell me of your tardy, you risk losing six participation points (an absence) instead of just three points (a tardy).

TESTS:  Four to five tests, worth 100 points each, will be given.  There are NO MAKEUPS for missed tests.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!  If you absolutely must be absent on the day a test is scheduled, you may discuss with me the possibility of taking the test early.

RESEARCH PROJECTS:  There will be two or three research projects assigned during the semester.  Each of these will be worth 50 points.  Full details on the requirements for each project will be given when the assignment is made.	% of Total			Grade
	
	0 - 54	F		% of Total			Grad

HOMEWORK:  Homework will be assigned on a daily basis.  Assignments will always be collected the next class session.  Each assignment will be worth 4 points and will be graded according to the grading rubric provided with this syllabus.  All work must be shown in order to receive credit.  NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED!
Note:  Being absent the day homework is collected does not entitle you to turn it in late!

CLASSWORK:  How much you get out of this class will really depend on how much you contribute to the class.  Much of this class will involve working in groups, participating in classroom discussion, and presenting problems on the board in front of your peers.  Each class activity will also be graded according to the provided grading rubric.

FINAL EXAM:  A two hour comprehensive final exam worth 100 points will be given at the end of the 9-week session.  This final exam is optional and may be used to replace a low test score but may not be used to replace the participation, homework or classwork grades.

GRADING:  
•	All your homework and in-class activity scores will be added up and divided by the total possible homework and in-class points for the semester.  This will give you a percentage between 1 and 100 for homework. 
•	All of your research projects will be added up and divided by the total possible points.  This will give a percentage between 1 and 100 for research.
•	All four (or five) of your exam scores will be added up.  This will give your total test score as a number between 1 and 400 (or 500).  [Remember: your final exam score can be used to replace a low or missed test.]
•	Your homework, research, test and participation points will be added up and divided by 624 (total possible points for the semester).  This will give the percentage of the total possible points you have earned this semester.  The following grading scale will then determine your grade:

		% of Total			Grade

                      	
Important Dates:  
January 16, 2006– Martin Luther King Jr.  Holiday
January 27, 2006 – Last day to add
February 7, 2006– Last day to drop

FINAL EXAM DATE:   Friday, March 10, 2006

NOTE:  If you have a verified need for an academic accommodation or materials in alternate media per the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact me as soon as possible.