Certified Tutors From University of Maine System Central Office

For our final review for the AP exam, we went through several free-response type questions covering various topics including Taylor series/polynomials with the Lagrange Error bounds, approximating derivatives and integrals from a table of values, and parametric equations. We went over finding the radius of convergence for a series using the ratio test and determining what to plug into the n-th derivative to find the maximum error for a Taylor polynomial approximation. The student has been doing well with most of the calculus topics so we have tried to focus on the series and sequences practice questions, particularly finding the Lagrange or maximum error for a Taylor approximation.

The student and I worked for the full hour on Thursday as we continued to make progress on his math homework packet. We focused on algebraic thinking, and I pushed him to use mental math when he could instead of longhand in attempt to get him to start simplifying the task while also pushing him to think smarter not harder.

We reviewed her material for the upcoming class. She had some study materials and wanted to review them. We walked through the various elements and ways to think about the various formulas. She seemed confident in her algebra skills, and I think she'll do well in geometry.

We reviewed her multiplication test. Her biggest problem seems to come from the vocabulary used and wording of the questions. Once I remind her what they mean, she is able to complete the problems correctly. We will go over this in future sessions to make sure she remembers them. After correcting this, she finished her workbook homework about division.

Today the student and I went over some basics of functions and graphs. He seems to be having a little bit of an issue analyzing graphs and functions analytically. We went over those topics, and did a few practice problems. I have assigned him homework from the test prep workbook, and will be meeting him again on Wednesday.

We covered multiple topics: solving and graphing inequalities, SAT vocabulary, and chemical nomenclature. For solving and graphing, the biggest challenge was writing the appropriate inequality symbol when writing the final answer. As the student practiced, she got better at recognizing and focusing on this concept so she was increasing her chances of getting the problems right. For SAT vocabulary, I gave her a new system for making flashcards that will help connect her perspective and experience to the vocabulary. I also focused on the word parts and how they can be used to help interpret the definition. For biology, we talked briefly about this and I suggested she make flashcards for those as well.