On Wednesday, January 20th, AP Calculus BC students students will be using F Block as class time to ensure that they are fully understanding concepts for the upcoming exam in May.

There AP exam contains 10 units of calculus material that must be thoroughly understood in order to pass the exam with an acceptable score.

Many students are taking this class in efforts to obtain math credits in their future universities. It is a huge advantage for them to do well in this class and exam.

Senior Lauren Fernandez is glad that Mr. Vila has made this available for the class.

“Although B Block is already productive in class, having F Block classes is extremely beneficial for AP students because it allows us to cover more material with Mr. Vila,” said Fernandez. “Sometimes, class can move pretty quickly, so F Block allows us to hone in on skills and material for the AP exam that might have been rushed during class.”

The full B Block period will be used to review and learn new material so the students can keep up on their learning.

Senior Raquel Badilla feels extremely confident in her calculus abilities and believes this block time will only be helpful for those who need the extra help.

“They can take the block as an extra chance to catch up because I know it can be difficult to understand the concepts. But for the people that already understand it and have proven to understand it, they don’t really need it and I don’t think it’s beneficial either because they will tune out since they already know what they are doing and it’s wasting their time from other areas of work,” said Badilla.

There are some students who took AP Calculus AB their junior year so the first few units of the material for the class is more of a review for them.

It might seem a bit tedious for them to sit through material they have learned in the past, but it is also extremely important to refresh the concepts.

After a long and uniquely difficult year due to the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19, obtaining extra assistance and remembering the important units of calculus is a major advantage.

Using the F Block period to learn alongside their peers is an excellent opportunity for the students to strengthen their skills in mathematics!