Summer Math Enrichment Courses

June to the first week in August

Summer is a valuable time to get ahead in your studies for the fall. In the summer math classes, I will work with students from math books getting them ready for their fall math class. You have invested many hours of work on the school year, you definitely do not want to lose your math skills over 3 long months of summer. Most students should not go 11 weeks without practice math problems. For many students, math is not “natural” and intuitive. Math concepts must be worked on and honed. Start your fall math class with fresh skills learned in the summer!

I encourage students to join Lee Academics in one or more of the following summer enrichment programs. Summer classes start on Wednesday, June 26th and will run for 6 weeks (18 lessons with 3 makeups). Classes will be in the late afternoon to evening on weekdays. Some lessons may be in the late morning/early afternoon on some Saturdays and Sundays. I will make up the summer calendar based on the first students enrolled. Once the summer calendar is finalized, only make up days will be changed or added in.

I was very fortunate in my elementary years to be taught by experts in my school district. Two men in suits came twice a week for 2 years to teach a hand full of us. These experts taught me how to think outside the box, without boundaries. The knowledge they imparted to me is the cornerstone of my math expertise. I have always been stupendous at math. I started “teaching” in the third grade. I tutored all the students around me every day. However, these experts taught me much more than the text book.

• They taught me to reason
• to see beyond the basics of a problem
• to see how problem types are related
• to break down “unsolvable” problems into manageable parts
• to decipher patterns (Mamie’s 1 and A tricks, SOAP, TAG, polar graphs to name a few)
• go faster, faster
• to know keep attacking a problem until resolution
•  to care about my peers and those I mentor that I teach (I started private tutoring in the 6th grade).

These experts cared about me. One of them even took me to lunch after a math competition. These men in suits gave me confidence and the ability to learn beyond text books. Math is not just a series of formulas or isolated topics. Math is a language to be mastered, understood, loved (for me), to be utilized in related classes and applied to life. I have won many math/physics awards throughout my schooling. I owe much of my math advancement to these 2 men in suits from my young cognitive years.

I will work to instill some of my passion for math to summer enrichment students. During the summer, I strive to help younger students to love math and for all students to think of math critically. I will assess students on the first day. This will determine the book that I use. I will go faster if students can learn faster.

For summer elementary/middle school math prep, I will assess the students one the first day. Based on this I will proceed on to teach appropriately. I will be able see a student's potential almost instantly. I teach strategies in the summer to help students to learn beyond their basic text book. I will teach in a way that will lead to success at the next level. I will be giving brain teasers and more thought-provoking questions that are often not part of the elementary/middle school curriculum.

For high school/college students, I will teach from the fall text book. There will be a major review of the previous school year using the new text book. Graphs will be emphasized. The first chapters of most math books have many graphs for students to memorize. Too often, students are taught to t-chart instead. The summer math prep course will build the student's confidence for success in the coming school year.

Lee Academics Summer Math Enrichment Courses – up to 18 lessons + 3 makeups

Elementary school/middle school math – Focus will be placed on logic, word problems, recognizing patterns, memorizing important concepts that will be useful for the rest of your math life and beyond.

Very few people can do simple computations without a calculator. If you are lucky, you find me when you are young enough to have time to fill your head with math data. I teach elementary math with a focus toward how the students need to work problems in high school.

For example,

• a factor tree for 48=16×3, 108=36×3, 72=36×2
• If a student is able, I teach them ways to gain speed. This helps with testing and Standardized tests/SAT/ACT.
• Logic, word problems, pattern recognition can possibly be SAT style problems. These topics are not usually taught in the classroom. This will help young minds to develop reasoning skills. Most teachers (even good ones) must follow the curriculum outlined. In the summer, I get to direct a program that I know will lead to success for the future years.
• Word problems will be worked on with Common Core in mind. Word problems are generally very difficult for most students. Common Core requires explanations of the work. This is a very necessary skill for any student planning on taking the AP calculus exam in high school. The focus of the summer elementary/middle school math class:
• recognizing and extending patterns – This is very important for the redesigned SAT
• important memorized data helpful for middle school math and beyond – this is much more than memorizing math facts
• word problems – Many students struggle with this. More of the redesigned SAT is now narrative based. The SpringBoard by College Board books have many word problems
• logic problems (helpful for standardized testing and word problems)
• speed when mastery is attained

The summer middle school math class is designed as an enrichment class to enhance school math. I hope to teach young students to think about math and not just memorize lessons. Math can be mastered and truly learned if it is taught well each year. I want young students to love math, recognize math language, excel in math. Math gets so much harder after the middle school years. Young students need to be very confident and knowledgeable of their middle school math to enter the high school math curriculum with success.

• I will focus on the math skills necessary for competence in middle and high school.
• I will use tradition middle school/algebra 1 books to teach necessary skills. The current Common Core algebra 1 book does not come with a solution manual for the teacher. There are hardly any pages with many repetitive math questions. Students do not have an opportunity for practice and more practice to gain mastery.
• The Common Core algebra 1 book is not as comprehensive as an algebra 1 book. Students using this book will not learn a full year of traditional algebra 1. It will be difficult to move into the Common Core algebra 2 book by Larson (not Spring Board) without full algebra 1 knowledge.
• Springboard's Common Core course 2 and 3 (for pre-algebra students) is poorly written and does not teach as well as a regular 7th grade book. There are hardly any pages with many repetitive math questions. Students do not have an opportunity for practice and more practice to gain mastery.
• Some logic will be taught. This will be helpful for later math classes and standardized testing.
• Some math concepts will be taught differently than text books. I will teach these concepts in a way that will help students to learn future math concepts better. For example: 32 = 16 x 2, 108 = 36 x 3. Learning simple math concepts in this manner will help young students to do better in middle school and high school math.

I taught 3rd grade gate/4 th grade/6th grade math at Mattos Elementary and Eastin Elementary schools. I also taught focus period at American High School and SAT, ACT and math courses at James Logan’s Summer Academy.

Prealgebra/Algebra 1 Summer Enrichment Course: I will use a traditional algebra 1 book to prepare for your fall math class. Skills taught in traditional math books are very necessary for success in high school math. Some topics of focus include quick prealgebra review, logic, word problems, graphs, and memorizing important concepts that will be useful for the rest of your math life and beyond. Not very many people can do simple computations without a calculator. If you are lucky, you find me when you are young enough to have time to fill your head with data.

• I teach middle school math with an eye toward how the students need to work the problems in high school. For example, a factor tree for 48=16×3,108=36×3, 72=36×2, 180=36×5
• If a student is able, I teach them ways to gain speed. This helps with testing and SAT/ACT.
• Logic, word problems, pattern recognition can possibly be SAT style problems. These topics are not usually taught in the classroom. This will help young minds to develop reasoning skills. Most teachers (even good ones) must follow the curriculum outlined. In the summer, I get to direct a program that I know will lead to success for the future years.

Word problems will be worked on with Common Core in mind. Word problems are generally very difficult for most students. Common Core requires explanations of the work. This is a very necessary skill for any student planning on taking the AP calculus exam in high school.

Geometry Summer Enrichment Course: I will use a traditional geometry book to prepare for your fall math class. Skills taught in traditional math books are very necessary for success in high school math. Some topics of focus will be: quick algebra 1 review, a small amount of algebra 2, some geometry, logic, graphs, possibly some of the same items as the elementary school students. This is if time permits. Superb algebra 1 skills and geometry will be the focus of this class.

Geometry summer prep: 

• Many students find that geometry is a foreign language.
• I will introduce the new terms in the summer geometry prep
• Some algebra 1 is very necessary for geometry. This algebra will be focused on.
• The Common Core algebra 1 book is not as comprehensive as an algebra 1 book. Students using this book will not learn a full year of traditional algebra 1. It will be difficult to move into the algebra 2 book without full algebra 1 knowledge.
• Since some students will have geometry only 1 semester and algebra 2 on the second semester, extremely good algebra 1 skills will be necessary for geometry/algebra 2. I will use a tradition geometry book as I also focus on the algebra 1 necessary to master geometry.
• Geometry has many theorems. Many students find it difficult to memorize so many theorems. Most of the theorems are necessary to memorize for the later chapters as well. I will show students how to connect theorems together.
• Students will start making flashcards for the various chapters and concepts that we will work on.
• If a student purchases the geometry book, I will have students flag important points and assigned “easier” problems from some lessons.
• Some geometry teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day/week of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic.
• Some high school teachers give a diagnostic exam within the first week back to school. Summer prep will help you with this exam.

Algebra 2 Summer Enrichment: I will use an algebra 2 book to prepare for your fall math class. Some topics of focus will be: intensive algebra 1 review using an algebra 2 book. You have just spent a year in geometry. When you started, your brain could not compute geometry. Now your brain has trouble doing algebra. You very likely will remember very little algebra 1. The first chapter of most algebra 2 books will be a rude awakening for many of you. I will review concepts that you must know to be ready for algebra 2. The new common core algebra 2 book is quite aggressive. The first chapter is challenging. I will focus on preparing you for competency in algebra in the fall.

• After a year with geometry, students now must switch back to alg. Some students find this transition difficult. The algebra skills are now rusty. Using an algebra 2 book, I will review the necessary algebra 1 for the fall class. Also, many students took algebra 1 in middle school. The algebra 1 from middle school is often not taught well. This is especially true of the SpringBoard algebra 1 book. Upon completion of this book, students do not know as much algebra 1 as students learning from a traditional algebra 1 book. Some key algebra 1 concepts are skipped in the SpringBoard book.
• We will start with chapter 1 in the alg 2 book and then continue forward and get as far as time permits.
• Algebra 2 is harder than algebra 1.
• During the last week of algebra 2 summer prep, I may focus on chapter 1 again so that students can feel more comfortable in their fall math class.
• Some algebra 2 teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic.

Algebra 2 Summer Enrichment for accelerated algebra 2/precalculus students: I will use an algebra 2 book to prepare for your fall math class. I may also use a precalculus book to prepare you for precalculus class in the fall. Many accelerated algebra 2/precalculus teachers are skipping the rest of the algebra 2 book and going straight into the precalculus book in the fall. It is generally extremely difficult to skip many chapters of an algebra 2 book and do well in precalculus. The Fremont Unified precalculus book is very difficult. This book is much harder than your current book. Each problem set has almost 100 problems. Word problems are in most sections. Mrs. Howell at American high gives a diagnostic exam on the second day of class. This will be her first look at you as a student.

Precalculus alone is very difficult, especially at Mission. The teacher choices are not good. One of the precalculus teachers is a good teacher but very hard. He uses personal packets. These precalculus packets are much harder than the book. His tests are cumulative. The workload is large. The last packet is calculus. 75% of the final is calculus. A precalculus honors teacher at Mission does not teach. However, he tests students with the exam written by the other honors teacher.

Most precalculus books are much harder than algebra 2.

• We will continue from the last chapter covered in the algebra 2 book just before your June final. Then, we continue forward and get as far as time permits.
• For the last week of algebra 2 summer prep for fall accelerated algebra 2/precalculus, I may focus on chapter 1 of your fall precalculus book so that students can feel more comfortable in their fall math class.
• Some algebra 2 accelerated/precalculus teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic math exam.

Precalculus summer Enrichment Course: Review of algebra 2 to get you ready for the first 4 chapters of precalculus. The Fremont Unified precalculus book is very difficult. This book is much harder than your current book. Each problem set has almost 100 problems. Word problems are in most sections. Mrs. Howell at American high gives a diagnostic exam on the second day of class. This will be her first look at you as a student. Mr. Hash at American is very harsh in grading. Mrs. Ruddy at Logan is new to precalculus and does know the concepts well.

Precalculus alone is very difficult, especially at Mission. The teacher choices are not good. One of the precalculus teachers is a good teacher but very hard. He uses personal packets. These precalculus packets are much harder than the book. His tests are cumulative. The workload is large. The last packet is calculus. 75% of the final is calculus. Another precalculus honors teacher at Mission does not teach. However, he tests students with the exam written by the other honors teacher.

The precalculus book is much harder than the algebra 2 book.

• I will first work on chapters 2,3 and maybe 4 for the first 3 weeks.
• For the last 3 weeks, I will prep the summer precalculus students for the first chapter precalculus exam. Traditionally, this exam is extremely difficult. This first chapter is a review of many of the semester one algebra 2 chapters and some semester 2 chapters. Of course, chapter 1 precalculus also has hard new material.
• The chapter 1 precalculus exam has many word problems. Many students have trouble finishing the test. I will go over many word problems in the summer.
• Many students have a tough time transitioning into the precalculus book. The precalculus book is much harder than the algebra 2 book.
• Also, some algebra 2 teachers give a practice exam for each chapter that is very similar to the actual exam. This is not true of the precalculus teachers.
• Many sections of the precalculus book has about 100 problems with many word problems. It is very difficult for students to do so many math problems while juggling homework from other classes.
•  Some precalculus teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day/week of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic.

Calculus AB Summer Enrichment Course: Your summer packet will be worked on. Many calculus students receive a summer packet. Most teachers give an exam for this packet during the first week of school. This grade will be your first one for the semester. The calculus teacher at American high school gives a diagnostic exam on the first day of school. He also gives a precalculus exam the first week of school. This test counts. The Logan teachers also give a precalculus exam the first or second week of school. Logan AB calculus students will receive a 35-page packet of over 200 problems to be completed in the
summer. Students will be tested on this packet at the beginning of the school year. This grade counts as your first calculus grade. If you are taking BC calculus at Logan, you will have a precalculus exam on the second day of school. This test counts as a grade. I will put emphasis on the math necessary to do well in calculus. I know exactly what math is important for calc. We will work on this. We will work with some AP math questions that require precalculus only. I will go over all graphs necessary for AP calculus.

• Calculus is difficult for many students. A very good understanding of precalculus and some geometry is necessary to pass the AP calculus exam and to do well on many chapters in the calculus book. The summer prep class will go over necessary precalculus skills using a calculus book.
• I will work from a calculus text book to work on precalculus and simple calculus concepts.
• This summer, I will be using some easier released AP Calculus questions that relate to chapters in the calculus book. I will be using at least 2 College Board books that I have complied/written. I have spent 1000+ hours compiling/writing:
  • a 137-page book of released multiple choice College Board questions book by chapters
  • a 323-page book of released AB calculus free response questions with my added solutions by chapters
  • a 162-page book of released BC calculus free response questions with my added solutions by chapters
  • I have written a 91-page calculus prep book specially for College Board released questions.
• Some calculus teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic. The Logan calc AB teachers give a precalculus test on the first week of school. There also a little geometry on this test. Logan students will receive a summer packet. The test is not based on this packet. The test is quite different than the packet and has some geometry.
• Some teachers give a calculus exam within the first week of school. This is a precalculus final on most of the precalculus book. This test counts as part of your grade. You want to study for this. This grade is often curved by a few points. This will allow you to get an A+ on the first test of your calculus class.

Calculus BC Summer Enrichment Course: Review of very important topics not gone over at all in the precalculus class or that most students have forgotten. These are topics very necessary for the BC calculus class.

• sequences: writing A(n) equations with patterns, geometric sequences
• vectors: graphs, equations
• polar: graphs (30+ graphs), polar equations, solving for zeros and maximums of polar functions

Calculus is very difficult. A very good understanding of precalculus and some geometry is necessary to pass the AP calculus exam and to do well on many chapters in the calculus book. The summer prep class will go over necessary precalculus skills using a calculus book.

• I will work from a calculus text book to work on precalculus and simple calculus concepts.
• This summer, I will be using some easier released AP Calculus questions that relate to chapters in the calculus book. I will be using at least 2 College Board books that I have complied/written. I have spent 1000+ hours compiling/writing:
• a 137-page book of released multiple choice College Board questions book by chapters
• a 323-page book of released AB calculus free response questions with my added solutions by chapters
• a 162-page book of released BC calculus free response questions with my added solutions by chapters
• I have written a 91-page calculus prep book specially for College Board released questions.
• Some calculus teachers give a diagnostic exam on the first day of school, the summer prep class will help with this diagnostic. The Logan calculus BC gives a precalculus test on the second day of school. This test counts!
• Some teachers give a calculus exam within the first week of school. This is a precalculus final on most of the precalculus book. This test counts as part of your grade. You definitely want to study for this. This grade is often curved by a few points. This will allow you to get an A+ on the first test of your calculus class.

College Math: a review of high school math

College Calculus: I will review of precalculus and calculus with you. College calculus is very difficult. I had students from Dartmouth/Berkeley/Cal Tech etc. review calculus with me during summer in prep for multivariable calculus. College calculus moves very quickly. At elite schools, college calculus can be especially difficult.

SAT Math 2 Subject Course: I will review of all precalculus, data analysis and geometry necessary for the SAT math 2 exam. This will also include SAT style logic and questions. If you are interested in a SAT math 2 class, please email me for SAT math 2 course description.