Course Description for Derek Owens Algebra II class?

[TheAttachedMama]

For those of you who have done course descriptions for a Derek Owen's class, did you use what is provided on his website or change it?    (Can you even change a course description for an online class?  I am thinking that you can, but I want to check with some homeschoolers with more experience first. )

Here is the course description from his website: "This course will cover the topics normally covered in a second year course in high school algebra. This course is normally taken by students in grade ten or eleven, after Algebra 1 and Geometry and before Pre-calculus. Students should have completed Algebra 1 before enrolling in Algebra 2. A detailed course outline is shown below."

Also, did you list the textbook that he based the class on?  

 

[lmrich]

Yes - ( both girls had him in person). And yes for the textbook.

[RootAnn]

Can't speak to that class specifically, but I always tweaked the online class descriptions (to match format & tense of my other ones). Dd#1 took D's Honors physics & I did not use his "as is." I don't remember if I listed the textbook or not. We did use the text because I had to build in more review than he offers as 1st semester's comprehensive final was a nightmare without built-in review. Thus, I built-in more review for my kid during 2nd semester using Giancoli (or whatever the text he loosely based Physics on was).

[Garga]

Ok, so you can compare. Here are course descriptions that I wrote. 

 

The first is for Algebra II, but it wasn’t taken through DerekOwens.  I pulled information from the website and then also followed my own format, which was to give examples of the topics covered.  

Algebra II           Awarded 1.00 credits

          Class taken via MyHomeschoolMathClass.com in 10th grade 

 This two-semester course is a continuation of Algebra 1. It is a traditional high school Algebra II course and follows the usual syllabus. Topics in the course include, but are not limited to, linear equations, inequalities, graphs, matrices, polynomials and radical expressions, quadratic equations, functions, exponential and logarithmic expressions, sequences and series, probability,and trigonometry.

 Students are introduced to functions as basic algebraic concepts are expanded.  There is a strong emphasis on problem solving and algebraic thinking.

Evaluation: Tests

Interaction/Schedule: Live interactive online lessons with Ms. Perkins through MyHomeschoolMathClass.com. The class meets twice a week for an hour each class.  Home study is expected daily.

 Book list: 

Intermediate Algebra 9th edition (2009), by Margaret Lial; ISBN-10: 0321574974

 

The second is for Physics, which was taken through DerekOwens.  Again, I would have pulled information from his website, but made it match my other course descriptions, which included examples of topics covered.

 

Physics, with labs Awarded 1.00 credits

Class taken via Derek Owens in 11th grade 

 This two-semester physics course with labs introduces the principles and concepts of physics. It is a traditional high school physics course and follows the usual syllabus. Topics in the course include, but are not limited to, motion, Newton's laws, work and energy, momentum, circular motion, gravity, temperature and heat, waves and wave motion, optics, and electricity

and electric circuits

 Labs Completed: The course contains 13 labs.  Per DerekOwens.com: “in the labs students conduct experiments dealing with measurement, data collection and analysis, and graphing,perform an experiment similar to Galileo’s inclined plane experiment, perform experiments with falling bodies and the acceleration of gravity, perform an inertia experiment, perform an experiment dealing with work, energy, and horsepower, experimentally discover certain properties of a simple pendulum, experimentally verify theories of refraction, and build and test low voltage electrical circuits.”

 Evaluation: Tests, graded homework, labs, and final exams 

 Interaction/Schedule: This is a pre-recorded, asynchronous class taught by Derek Owens through derekowens.com.  Mr. Owens is available for answering questions and providing additional instruction as needed.  Study on this course was performed daily.

 Book list: 

Physics, student workbook copyright by Lucid Education; no ISBN

Per derekowens.com, course content comes from Mr. Owen’s lectures and the student workbookthat he wrote. The course was originally based on the book Physics by Douglas Giancoli, 5thedition, published by Prentice Hall.

[Bocky]

I lightly edited the longer version of the description from the website. It has pasted a little off - the chapter topics should be in 2 columns in order to keep it all to one page. I also included a table with all my student's homework, test and exam grades.

This course will cover the topics normally covered in a second year course in high school algebra. The course was originally based on the book Algebra 2 by Larson, Boswell, Kanold and Stiff, published by McDougal Littell, 2001 edition. The topics covered in this course correspond closely to the topics covered in this book, although the explanations in the lectures are expanded over those in the book, at times significantly. All of the course content comes from the video lectures and the Student Workbook. Assignments will consist of Practice Problems from the workbook, instructional videos online, and written assignments. Homework assignments and tests are printed from the website, completed, and turned in for a grade. One final exam for each semester will be taken in class at the end of each semester. Students will receive a numerical grade for each semester and for the year. The grade is calculated based on tests, graded homework and the final exams.
The instructor: Derek Owens graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering and physics. He taught physics, honors physics, AP Physics, and AP computer science at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA from 1988-2000, and taught physics while heading the Satellite Science Program at Duke. Since 2006, he has been a full-time teacher for homeschoolers in the Atlanta area. (Description source: www.derekowens.com/course_info_algebra2.php)

Course Outline
These topics comprise the material normally taught in a high school Algebra 2 course.

Chapter 1: Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 2: Linear Functions and Equations
Chapter 3: Systems of Equations
Chapter 4: Quadratic Functions
Chapter 5: Polynomials and Polynomial Functions
Chapter 6: Powers, Roots, and Radicals
Chapter 7: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Chapter 8: Rational Equations and Functions.                                                       

Chapter 9: Conic Sections
Chapter 10: Sequences and Series                      

Chapter 11: Trigonometric Ratios and Functions
Chapter 12: Trigonometric Graphs, Identities, and Equations

 

Text:  Algebra 2: Student Workbook and Lecture Notes by Derek Owens