High Quality High School Credits

It would be a good idea, before the beginning of this course, to brush up on the foundations of mathematics, such as factoring (especially trinomial factoring), domain and range, graphing, adding rational expression, and trigonometry ratios. If you wait until the course beings, it may be difficult to keep pace with the new material which is being taught. Foundations are always important, and as with all mathematics courses, this one builds upon your past knowledge, so be sure to review.

Also, make sure to keep good, organized notes to stay on top of the course units. Do not be afraid to practice problems beyond those assigned in the homework, as Advanced Functions is known for containing a very wide variety of questions and problems, and therefore the more you expose yourself to such problems, the better prepared you will be. Because of this, the Queen Elizabeth Academy provides all of our students with extra worksheets and practice tests to hone their skills and succeed.

In order to succeed in Vector Calculus, make sure you are proficient in exponents, factoring, combining rational expressions such as fractions with algebra, and solving equations.

Make sure to pay special attention to the Optimization Unit, which includes many word problems. If you struggle with word problems, make sure to prepare for this unit in particular. As always, make sure to keep your notes organized. Identify the different kinds of problems. This will help you to clarify the concepts in this course significantly, and also help to keep track of your progress.

When approaching vectors, the concepts are highly complex. To address this, try to layout and write down all of the steps clearly, and write down why you are taking such steps as well. What variable are you attempting to achieve at every step? This approach will simplify some of the more complex questions, and will also allow you to pinpoint areas in which you will require extra help.

An important tip to remember when studying chemistry is not to become lost in details. Always keep an eye on the ‘big picture’ concepts in any given unit. A good way to visualize these concepts is to organize them into a flow chart. This will allow you to see how concepts are related to one another, and will help with tests significantly.

Always try to understand the “why” behind a concept, or rather ‘why’ a concept is important beyond mere memorization. For example, the boiling point of an organic compound can indicate the intermolecular force that is the force of attraction between molecules. Understanding these concepts will allow you to adapt to situational problems in chemistry.

Physics will require a great deal of practice, and it is advisable to dedicate around 6 hours a week to work through new problems if you desire to achieve above 85% in the course.

Some of the units in Grade 12 Physics are conceptually difficult, such as electromagnetism and light. To better understand a concept, try first to put it into plain English. Imagine that you are explaining this concept to a space alien, or your grandmother. What would you say? What is an electric field? What is Voltage? If you are able to understand the concept, and are not merely memorizing equations, it will make understanding equations and problems much easier.

Before taking this course, try to strengthen your foundational skills from grade 10. Key skills include factoring (especially trinomials), fractions (grade 8-9 level), Linear systems and quadratics with a good understanding of domain and range, x and y intercepts and asymptotes. With foundational skills down it will be easier to follow the lessons and work in this course, and less time will be spent catching up on previous material.

Many grade 11 questions involve multiple steps. Ensure you understand why you are undertaking each step from a logical perspective, and then pinpoint the goal of the steps, that is to say as ‘what am I trying to solve?’ Work through the steps after you have done this. By breaking the problems into steps, the questions will seem less overwhelming.

Grade 11 Chemistry involves a combination of theoretical and technical knowledge. You must be proficient in both areas to do well in the course. The majority of grade 11 Chemistry involves a great deal of calculations, and therefore a solid background in Math will make this course much easier. Grade 11 Chemistry is not particularly difficult, and it is a good way to explore the possibility of pursuing chemistry, or science more generally, in the future.

It is a good idea to review Nomenclature and how to Balance Equations from Grade 10 science before proceeding to Grade 11 Chemistry. These are two absolutely essential skills in the course.

Once you come to the units in the course which involve calculations, make sure you lay out all of the steps individually, or else use a flow chart, with each box indication your result for each step, such as the values for mass of a chemical, volume of a gas or the number of particles. This can eliminate confusion, and help to isolate areas of confusion.

It is important not to simply memorize the equations. It is far better to understand the reasoning behind such equations. Try to visualize the situation and identify variables and given in each different problem. Make sure you are tailoring your use of equations to the question at hand, and not just blindly following steps or processes.

In many cases you have to use multiple equations and combine them in different stages. For each equation, tick the variables that you have a number to insert and circle the ones that don’t. Then try to use another equation to find the circled unknown. This tip can guide you through the confusion

It is a good idea to organize problems into types. This will help you to determine which problems give you the most difficulty, and then you will be able to focus on those ones.

Also, make sure to spend a considerable amount of time practicing beyond what has been assigned by the teacher. A grade 10 Math students should look to do about 5 hours of work a week in order to do very well on the course. Also, always avoid, if you can, last minute studying before the test. You will be better off if you accumulate your skill and knowledge on a regular basis.

Try to create a regular work schedule and maintain it. A student should spend roughly 4 hours a week on math homework to succeed in this course. Math requires constant practice, and thus a steady work schedule is important to achieve desired goals in this course.

Also, make sure to spend a good deal of time addressing word problems, as word problems are going to be important, not just in grade 9, but throughout high school. They cannot be avoided!