Albany Senior High School/Coursebook/1MAS

What is this course about?
This course will provide students with the opportunity to achieve their NCEA numeracy and also develop their ability to use their maths, statistics and thinking skills to solve problems. Hard consistent work will enable them to pursue either a mathematical or statistical curriculum in levels 2 and 3 or both pathways if they wish.

What will I learn?
This course will provide you with the algebra and modelling skills you will use to describe and solve problems in the physical world. It will also help you develop your understanding of statistics and probability so that you can recognise and account for the variation which occurs in nature and in human activities. Apart from developing your skills you will learn to be creative and effective in your problem solving and exploration of new ideas by:


 * understanding and analysing situations so you can determine when there is a problem to be solved or a prediction to be made;
 * understanding how mathematics and statistics work so you can choose and use the right tools at the right time;
 * describing situations with models and evaluating them so that you can understand their limitations and improve them when possible.

Students in our maths courses will:
 * be nurtured to develop a classroom culture where the value of hard work and diligence when approaching learning is recognised, through being willing to make mistakes and build their resilience when encountering challenges;


 * be inspired to see and appreciate the beauty in simplifying a problem into its key ideas and enjoy working through a mathematical process to gain deeper understanding of the problem or context;

in order to enjoy personal excellence and intellectual challenge in mathematics and statistics.
 * be empowered to demonstrate creative thinking and communication skills in solving problems effectively and generalise to find powerful solutions to situations in the wider world;

What sorts of things will I do?
You will:


 * carry out experiments and activities which will either help you understand concepts better or provide you an opportunity to solve practical problems
 * use your graphical calculators to investigate real world situations and understand how you can use mathematics to describe what you see
 * use computer software to investigate and compare variation in real life situations so that you can describe it and take it into account when making choices and decisions.

Course outline for 2018
Please check the actual date of assessments on the ASHS Assessment Calendar

Vocational Pathways provide a framework for students to show how their learning and achievement is valued in the workplace by aligning learning to the skills needed for industry. Follow this link to see the profile for this course.

Frequently asked questions:
What learning paths will this course prepare me for?

This course will prepare you to study further at level 2 in the 2MAC - Mathematics with Calculus course, the 2MAS - Mathematics with Statistics course or both depending on how hard you work.

What calculator will I need?

Graphics calculators are required. The Casio FX9750GII is recommended.

This technology helps students investigate concepts and understand them better and once they have mastered their use speeds up their processing of information. Students using only a basic scientific calculator will be significantly disadvantaged since NZQA assumes that all students have access to graphics calculators.

Costs: Casio FX9750GII. These are normally available for about $95 at the beginning of the year.

Are there any reassessments for internal standards?

Reassessments will be offered in term 4 after those doing externals go on study leave. The standards to be offered will be decided at the end of term 3.

What happens if I miss an internal assessment?


 * You must submit a "Missed Assessment" form and get it approved by the specialist subject leader.
 * Approval will only be given if the requirements of the missed assessment policy are met, it is practical for the assessment to be done at another time and that other time is before the final grades are returned to students.
 * If you do not sit an assessment you will automatically receive a "Not Achieved" grade as per NZQA rules.

Do I have to do all the standards in the course?

NO. You will be entered for all standards in the core course and are expected to give your best effort in all of them. The only exceptions will where an individual learning plan is approved by the specialist subject leader after consultation with your parents, tutor and student services. In Term 3, with teacher guidance, you will choose between an algebra and modelling track and a chance and data track, with different standards available for each of these.