Arithmetic Teacher articles from February 1993

Arithmetic Teacher archives from February 1993

Empowering students through connections. (By Way of Introduction)
February 1, 1993... Mathematics is a way of thinking that involves understanding, recognizing, valuing, and using relationships in many different contexts. The connections between and among mathematical ideas are more significant than any isolated mathematical...

Mathematics integration: a common-sense approach to curriculum development. (One Point of View)
February 1, 1993... Eight years ago I interviewed Mike, a second grader, and asked him to define "mathematics." His response was that "math is something you do in the morning." I have referred to his answer in my workshops and writing as evidence of the isolation of...

Stepping stones to mathematical understanding. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... Educators tend to think of children's books as being used primarily in language arts, reading, and, perhaps, science and social studies and limited to specific grade levels. However, the scope should be broadened to include literature as a...

Mathematics backpacks: making the home-school connection. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... "I don't understand how you are teaching math." "How come we rarely see math worksheets?" "Why does my child want me to buy craft sticks and beans?" "You tell me not to use flashcards, but how can I help my child learn math?" Last year...

Making the connection with language. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... Mathematics is a language consisting of carefully defined symbols that represent fundamental concepts, for example, A = |pi~|r.sup.2~ would be read by most middle school students as "area equals pi, r, squared" and would mean, "The area of a...

Integrating mathematics and literature in the elementary classroom. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... Imagine a class of fourth graders sitting at their desks at the start of the school day. The teacher announces that she is going to read them a story about adventures in a land of giant people and things. The story, a popular children's book, is...

Calendar mathematics. (open-ended mathematics questions for students of different grade levels)
February 1, 1993... The calendar is designed to speak directly to students, giving them open-ended questions intended to engage their intellect through their interests. Students are encouraged to work on the activities individually, in pairs, or in small groups. No...

Ideas. (mathematical activities for different grade levels)
February 1, 1993... Many elementary and middle school mathematics teachers use a particular approach when planning mathematics units. We tend to match a mathematics concept that we want to teach with an activity or material that will convey the needed idea. When we...

Doing mathematics together: creating a mathematical culture. (Implementing the Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics)
February 1, 1993... Rachel's experience of mathematics is typical of that of many elementary school teachers. She experienced it as a collection of rules, rituals, and routines; an arbitrary, unconnected array of procedures; an authority telling her what to do and...

Making connections: a case for proportionality. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... Proportional reasoning is one form of mathematical reasoning. Many aspects of our world operate according to proportional rules. In the science classroom, proportionality surfaces when density is explored, when balance beams are used, and when...

Making connections with estimation. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... During a recent visit to a sixth-grade classroom, students were observed estimating the sums of columns of multidigit numbers by first painstakingly computing the exact sum of each column of numbers on paper, then rounding the answers to obtain...

Angle sense: a valuable connector. (Focus Issue)
February 1, 1993... To empower students through connections in mathematics, we need to identify those fruitful nodes in the mathematics network from which many new understandings can be derived. For these nodes or connectors to help students move from familiar ideas...

Making connections to understand fractions. (Research Into Practice)
February 1, 1993... Suppose you asked your students to solve this problem: If you have 3/8 of a pepperoni pizza and I give you 2/8 more of the same pepperoni pizza, how much of a pepperoni pizza do you have? Then suppose you asked them to explain how they got their...

Base Ten Blocks. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... Base Ten Blocks centers on exercises involving place value, patterning, and counting, primarily using simulations of Dienes blocks. The program offers arithmetic problem-solving exercises and includes some activities that resemble simple...

Crystal Paint. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... Although designed as a draw-and-paint program, Crystal Paint is an intriguing program that explores geometric concepts of rotation, reflection, translation, and symmetry. A student can select a particular pattern from the menu--for example, a...

Estimation Strategies, No. A-295. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... In Estimation Strategies, students are given opportunities to practice the estimation strategies of rounding, ranges, front-end digits, clustering, and compatible numbers. Students estimate then fill in blanks that accompany computational...

The Mathematics Achievement Project. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... This software package contains five disks that each cover a different mathematical topic--statistics and averages, ratio and proportion, percent, area and perimeter, and probability. On each disk are four lessons pertaining to the topic. Each...

NumberMaze: decimals and fractions. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... The object of NumberMaze: Decimals and Fractions is for the student to move a playing piece from one corner of a maze to a house by going through gates, using ladders to climb over hedges, picking up litter, crossing rivers, and racing away from...

Primary Geometry Workshop, Grades K-2. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... The Primary Geometry Workshop offers K-2 students an open-ended computer atmosphere in which to create and manipulate lines and shapes. The program can be used with individuals or groups of students, as well as in a teacher-directed...

Problem-Solving with Nim, No. A-257. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... Problem-Solving with Nim contains four variations of nim, an ancient game of logic and reasoning. The variations include Fish Nim, Space Nim, Calculator Nim, and Moonlight Nim. Students can play against another student or against one of three...

Talking Mac Classroom, Ages 4-7. (educational software) (Software Review) (Computer Materials) (Evaluation)
February 1, 1993... Talking Mac Classroom is another package in The Talking Schoolhouse Series that claims to use human speech to teach basic skills. The see-and-point menu is a classroom scene that leads to the various components of the package: the Art Corner, the...

Learning Mathematics.
February 1, 1993... In 1991, the International Assessment of Educational Progress (IEAP) undertook a survey of mathematics achievement and attitudes of thirteen-year-old students in twenty countries and nine-year-old students in fourteen countries. Students spent...