High School Math Courses
Teacher: Derek Owens
derek_owens@comcast.net
www.derekowens.com
404-644-7736 (cell)
Additional information is available at www.derekowens.com
Algebra 1
This course will cover the topics normally covered in a first year high school algebra course. This course is
normally taken by students in grade eight or nine. Students should have completed a course in Pre-algebra or its
equivalent before enrolling in Algebra 1.
Tuition: $66 a month
The text is Algebra, Structure and Method, Book 1 by Brown, Dolciani, Sorgenfrey, and Cole, published by
McDougal Littell, 2000 edition. The topics covered in this course will correspond closely to the topics covered in
this book, although the explanations in the lectures are expanded over those in the book, at times significantly. The
textbook serves mainly as a reference and as a source of homework and practice problems.
Algebra 2
This course will cover the topics normally covered in a second year course in high school algebra. This course is
normally taken by students in grade ten or eleven, after Algebra 1 and Geometry and before Pre-calculus.
Students should have completed Algebra 1 before enrolling in Algebra 2.
Tuition: $76 a month
The text is Algebra 2 by Larson, Boswell, Kanold and Stiff, published by McDougal Littell, 2001 edition. This is a
popular text used by many schools. The topics covered in this course will correspond closely to the topics covered
in this book, although the explanations in the lectures are expanded over those in the book, at times significantly.
Geometry
This course will cover the topics normally covered in a high school geometry course. This course is normally taken
by students in grade nine or ten. Students should have completed Algebra 1 before enrolling in Geometry.
Tuition: $76 a month
The text is Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding by Howard R. Jacobs, 3rd Edition, published by W. H.
Freeman, 2003. This is an extremely readable and engaging math textbook. The text emphasis Euclidean
geometry and explains the importance of logical reasoning and proof in mathematics. It has numerous practical and
interesting examples and shows the many applications of geometry in the real world. It also touches on some
important topics in analytic geometry (geometry in the coordinate plane), a topic that is essential for much further
study in mathematics. Throughout the book, there are also sections of algebra review so that the students do not
lose touch with their algebra skills during their course in Geometry. This course will cover the entire book.
Calculus
TBD
Derek taught physics, honors physics, AP Physics, and AP computer science at The Westminster Schools in
Atlanta, GA from 1988-2000. He graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering
and physics. He worked as a software developer for five years before returning to teaching. This will be his fourth
school year teaching homeschoolers in the Atlanta area. He and his wife Amor and their two children Claire and
David attend Grace Fellowship Church, a non-denominational church near their home in Lawrenceville.