Math Learning Links Home
Math - Aunty Math (Math Challenges for K-5 Learners)
This is the eleventh year that Angela Giglio Andrews has been "Aunt Mathilda" for these math challenges, which are appropriate for children from kindergarten through 5th grade.
Angela recently retired in 2005 from Naperville Community School District 203 in Naperville, IL. where she taught both remedial and accelerated mathematics to children in grades K-5. She previously taught kindergarten at Scott School in Naperville for seventeen years. Prior to this, Angela spent ten years as a preschool teacher and director of a large preschool in Bolingbrook, IL.
Soon after retirement, Angela began her new career as an assistant professor at National Louis University in Lisle, Illinois, teaching pre-service and graduate courses in mathematics education. She is also a Math Recovery trained teacher leader and trainer.
Angela is active in state and national mathematics organizations as well. She served as an early childhood through 6th grade director of the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and as a reviewer, writer and editorial panel member of Teaching Children Mathematics, the journal of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She worked as a member of the writing team for N.C.T.M.'s recently released Professional Standards for School Mathematics.
The first kindergarten teacher in Illinois to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Instruction, Angela was also honored by the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics with its Excellence In Elementary Mathematics Teaching award, and by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum And Development for Excellence in Kindergarten Instruction.
Math - Figure This! Math Challenges for Families
Welcome to the Figure This! Web site!
Helping families enjoy mathematics outside school through a series of fun and engaging, high-quality challenges
The rigors and demands of our increasingly complex, technologically dependent society have made high student achievement in mathematics a top priority among educators, policymakers, and employers. Todays citizens need more than basic computation and rote mathematical skills. They must master the higher-level concepts and approaches to problem solving that are key to success in work and everyday life.
To meet this need, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in cooperation with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Widmeyer Communications, and the Learning First Alliance, launched Figure This!
Figure This! demonstrates challenging middle school mathematics and emphasizes the importance of high-quality math education for all students. Funding for the project was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Education.
Figure This! Mathematical challenges for families provide interesting math challenges that middle-school students can do at home with their families.
Each challenge features:
a description of the important math involved
a note on where the math is used in the real world
a hint to get started
complete solutions
a "Try This" section
additional related problems with answers
questions to think about
fun facts related to the math
resources for further exploration.
Cartoon characters named Polygon, Tessellation, Exponent, Tangent, and Axis illustrate the challenge features. They think math is great!
To help families support their children's math studies, Figure This! has family support materials including:
sample questions to ask teachers and administrators about the school setting
information on how to prepare students for continuing education
suggestions to help with math homework
information on the changes in mathematics education
examples of math in literature.
These resources, designed especially for families, are in the Family Corner.
You may view web versions of the challenges from the Challenge Index. To download and print PDF versions of the challenges in color or black and white, see the Download page of the Web site. For more information, go to the Technical Requirements section.
If you are interested in promoting Figure This! in your community or with your business, we encourage you to do so.
A joint project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, and Widmeyer Communications, with support from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education - Figure This! is designed to provide an exciting and family-friendly way to become more involved in learning math.
Math - Math Advantage
Math - National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (NLVM) is an NSF supported project that began in 1999 to develop a library of uniquely interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives or concept tutorials, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction (K-12 emphasis). The project includes dissemination and extensive internal and external evaluation.
Learning and understanding mathematics, at every level, requires student engagement. Mathematics is not, as has been said, a spectator sport. Too much of current instruction fails to actively involve students. One way to address the problem is through the use of manipulatives, physical objects that help students visualize relationships and applications. We can now use computers to create virtual learning environments to address the same goals.
There is a need for good computer-based mathematical manipulatives and interactive learning tools at elementary and middle school levels. Our Utah State University team is building Java-based mathematical tools and editors that allow us to create exciting new approaches to interactive mathematical instruction. The use of Java as a programming language provides platform independence and web-based accessibility.
The NLVM is a resource from which teachers may freely draw to enrich their mathematics classrooms. The materials are also of importance for the mathematical training of both in-service and pre-service teachers. The library is actively being extended and refined through projects including the eNLVM, a project to develop interactive online learning units for mathematics.
Math - Patterns In Mathematics
Sorting and classifying are important developmental tasks appropriate to students of all ages, beginning as early as kindergarten.
Guess My Button is a classification activity. Students have to identify which buttons have which attributes. As the activity is presented here, students do not necessarily see how the attributes overlap. In the classroom, however, you can show them how the attributes overlap by using Venn diagrams or two-by-two tables.
In addition, students have to choose which question to ask to find the secret button. This engages them in using the process of elimination to keep track of their progress—an important problem-solving strategy.
Math - Telling Time (click on the "random" option)
This activity allows the user to input any time through the day and see it displayed on the clock. The student can also choose to have a random time displayed and try to correctly identify it. This activity would work well in small groups of two to three for about ten to fifteen minutes if you use the record sheet and five to ten minutes otherwise.
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ClockWise/
Last Modified on June 7, 2013