Take-home Precalculus midterm test for 4th quarter: An explanation of one of

the topics you learned this year

Duedate: Wednesday 5/3/17 I wont give you other homework to work on

until then, so please dont put this off to the last minute.
Choose one topic that we have studied in our class this year. You can pick from the following list, or choose another
thing we studied.

Transformations of functions Properties of logs Rational functions and expressions

Inverse functions Using the unit circle to evaluate Limits

trig expressions for special angles
Law of sines and cosines Continuity of functions
Secant, cosecant, cotangent
Radians Inverse trig functions
Graphing periodic functions (using
Sigma notation sine or cosine) Solving trig equations

Area under a curve Trig identities Graphing polynomials

Writing and solving exponential Direct and indirect variation Roots and factors of polynomials
functions (using logs)
Polynomial division (polydoku)

You will be writing a paper (with roughly 4 paragraphs) on the topic you choose. You can choose something
you enjoyed learning about, or something you didnt quite understand and youd like to know more about.

The paragraphs should roughly cover all of the following, although you can feel free to change the order of
how you write it up:

1) Explanation: First, thoroughly explain the topic, using complete sentences in your explanations.
There should be either diagrams or graphs included, whichever makes more sense for the specific
topic. You should define any relevant vocabulary terms, list steps for how to solve certain types of
problems, or anything else that you think explains the topic.
2) Example: Next, write and solve a specific example that uses the topic. Again, graphs or diagrams
that help explain the example are appropriate.
3) Connections within our class: Next, write about how this topic connects to another topic on the list.
4) Connections outside of our class: Finally, research how this topic is used in the real world or in
another branch of science or mathematics, and write a paragraph explaining when this topic is useful
outside of our class.

The explanations must be written in your own words, not copied from a textbook or online resource. The
paper shouldnt feel like a rough draft; it should be polished. You can draw the diagrams or graphs by hand,
or use an online graphing program like Geogebra to make everything look professional. If you take a
screenshot of any images that you didnt personally create, be sure to cite them with a URL. I am expecting
the paper to be about 2 pages long. There are no specific requirements for formatting.
The rubric for your midterm test grade is below.

Criteria 5 pts 10 pts 15 pts

Explaining the topic Brief explanation with mostly
incorrect vocabulary or
notation, on a level that is too
basic for this class
Example The example chosen is too
specific and doesnt get to the
big idea of the topic, or has
major errors
Connections to other The connection described
topics weve studied shows that there is a
in class misunderstanding of one of the
topics
Connections to It is clear that no research was
topics in other done, because no reference to
branches of math or math or science outside of this
science or the real class is made, or the real world
world application is something you
just thought about, rather than
researched.
Overall quality Looks like a first draft, no
diagrams or graphs that could
make it clearer, sloppy work.
Adequate explanation with a
couple of errors in vocabulary
or notation, shows a general
but not deep understanding
The example gets to the big
idea of the topic, but may
have minor errors or is not
explained well
There is evidence that you
understand both topics, but
the connection described is
weak.
The description of the way the
topic is used is very vague,
indicated that you looked it up
but didnt spend time to try to
understand specifics.
Looks polished at first glance,
but there are lots of
grammatical or spelling errors
that should have been
corrected in the final draft.
Detailed explanation with no
errors in vocabulary or
notation, appropriate for the
high level of the class.
The example is well chosen,
correct, and well explained
The connection described
shows a sophisticated
understanding of the way
different topics overlap
The description of the use of
the topic in other branches of
math or science or the real
world shows that you
understand details of its
application.
Seems like a final draft, easy
to read and very few errors.

Late policy: You will receive 25 points for turning it in on time on May 3 rd, with 5 points deducted per
school-day it is late after that.

***You can use this midterm as a portfolio piece for one of your DRSLs! You could make an argument that it
could fit in any of the three DRSLs, since you have to explain it well, critically think about how it relates to
other topics in the class, and describe how it can be applied outside of the classroom.