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Day 16: Limit Definition of a Derivative
So since I just taught L'Hôpital the day before, derivatives are fresh in their minds. Again, they should know the derivative of...
locusfocusmath
Aug 17, 20212 min read


Day 15: L'Hôpital's Rule
When your students don't know many derivatives, there is only so much you can do with L'Hôpital. I get that, but I'm stubborn. To me,...
locusfocusmath
Aug 17, 20212 min read


Day 13: Continuity and Discontinuities
So the first thing I teach on this day is that there are 3 types of discontinuities: Infinite (Vertical Asymptote), Jump (when the graph...
locusfocusmath
Aug 17, 20212 min read


Day 12 (continued): Squeeze Theorem
My personal students have never respected the Squeeze Theorem, so that probably says a bit about my attitude when teaching it. I give...
locusfocusmath
Aug 9, 20212 min read


Day 12: Limits of Piecewise Functions
First I show them the limit as x approaches the middle of one piece of the piecewise. Those are easy because all they have to do is plug...
locusfocusmath
Aug 9, 20212 min read


Day 11: Limits and Asymptotes
So this is the first day of doing limits with infinity. What I first tell them is where the infinity goes with each type of problem. If...
locusfocusmath
Aug 9, 20212 min read


Day 9 (and 10): Limits Algebraically
There are too many ways to use algebra to solve a limit. This lesson is about factoring for rational expressions and rationalizing...
locusfocusmath
Jul 21, 20211 min read


Day 8: Limits of Compositions
If I were teaching on block schedule, I would probably include this lesson with the previous lesson. It's a pretty short concept to...
locusfocusmath
Jul 21, 20211 min read


Day 7: Limits via Tables and Graphs
Of course before a student should try limits algebraically, they need a visual representation of what they're doing. I literally remember...
locusfocusmath
Jul 21, 20212 min read


Day 6: "Guess the Derivative"
In "Guess the Derivative", I assume that the students need a reminder of where the graphs of sine and cosine came from. I may even start...
locusfocusmath
Jul 20, 20211 min read


Day 5: "What Is Calculus?"
"What is Calculus?" is the name of the first lesson that I do after I deal with all that summer assignment stuff. The purpose of this...
locusfocusmath
Jul 20, 20212 min read


Days 1 -4: "Summer Assignment"
I have almost always posted a Calculus Summer Assignment on my school website. In the past I have pushed it on the Pre-Calc teachers to...
locusfocusmath
Jul 19, 20212 min read


Decorating With Posters For Calculus
I used to hang up a unit circle poster in my room, but I realized that I need my students to be able to find values on their own quickly,...
locusfocusmath
Jul 7, 20212 min read
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