- White Plains Public Schools
- Curricula
- High School
- Precalculus (ECE)
-
Precalculus: This course is a dual enrollment course offered in collaboration with Westchester Community College (WCC) through its Advanced College Experience (ACE). This course offers problem solving beyond quadratics with emphasis on the analytical geometry leading to the calculus. Topics of study include polynomial functions, conic sections, matrices, and limits. The final exam is a departmental exam. Students must pay the (discounted) fee for WCC credit to receive a Westchester Community College transcript.
Please note that the timelines listed below are a guide. Teachers modify their pacing based on student needs in order to ensure concept mastery.Unit 1
Review Factoring Techniques
September
Section
Concepts
Resources
1.1
Factor an expression with a common factor
Pages 69 - 71
1.2
Factor a trinomial in the form ax^2 + bx + c when a = 1
1.3
Factor a trinomial in the form ax^2 + bx + c when a > 1
1.4
Factor by grouping
1.4
Factor the difference of 2 squares
1.5
Factor the difference of cubes
1.5
Factor Completely
Unit 2
Sequences & Series
Sept - Oct
Section
Concepts
Resources
2.1
Arithmetic Sequences and Partial Sums
Pages 866-871
2.2
Geometric Sequences and Series
Pages 872- 885
2.2
Mathematical Induction
Pages 883-887
Unit 3
Functions
October
Section
Concepts
Resources
3.1
Definition of a function.
1-1 function.
Domain and Range of a function
Pages 111 -
3.2
Increasing and decreasing intervals
Pages 135-136
3.3
Average Rate of Change
Pages 132-134
3.4
Even and odd functions
Pages 139-140
3.5
Transformations of functions
Pages 154-165
3.6
Piecewise functions
Pages 145-147
End of Quarter 1
Unit 4
Polynomial & Rational Functions
Nov - Jan
Section
Concepts
Resources
4.1
Quadratic Functions & Models
Pages 191-195
4.2
Polynomial Functions of Higher Degree
Pages 216-218
4.3
Polynomial & Synthetic Division
Pages 987 -
4.4
Operations with Complex Numbers
4.5
Solving quadratics
4.6
Zeros of Polynomial Functions
Pages 24-65, 274
4.7
Rational Functions
Pages 228-248
End of Quarter 2
Unit 5
Conics
Jan - Feb
Section
Conic Sections
Resources
5.1
Introduction to conics: parabolas
Pages 190-194, 667 - 680
5.2
Circles
Pages 606-608, 618
5.3
Ellipses
Pages 667, 680-694, 719
5.4
Hyperbolas
Pages 667, 697-710,
Unit 6
Trigonometry
March - April
Section
Concepts
Resources
5.5
Radian and Degree Measure
Pages 396, 388-402
5.6
Trigonometric Functions: The Unit Circle
Pages 406-408
5.7
Right Triangle Trigonometry
5.8
Trigonometric Functions of Any Angle
Pages 408-410
5.9
Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions
Pages 441-444
5.10
Graphs of Other Trigonometric Functions
Pages 446-448
5.11
Applications and Models
Pages 494
End of Quarter 3
Unit 7
Analytic Trigonometry
May - June
Section
Concepts
Resources
7.1
Using Fundamental Identities
Pages 425-427
7.2
Verifying Trigonometric Identities
Pages 475-479
7.3
Solving Trigonometric Equations
Pages 505-516
7.4
Sum and Difference Formulas
Pages 482-490
7.5
Law of Sines
Pages 532-546
7.6
Law of Cosines
Pages 543-549