bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigations: What Comes Nex_?
Authors: Speer William R. , Brahier Daniel J.
Published: December 2020

The “Investigations” department recognizes the importance of children's exploring hands-on and minds-on mathematics and, therefore, presents teachers with open-ended explorations to enhance mathematical instruction. These meaningful investigations are designed to be rich tasks that evolve as they are conducted.
The Children's Rain Forest
Authors: Thornton Carol A. , Damkoehler Dianna Dee , Gehrenbeck Helen , Jones Graham A.
Published: December 2020

The children clapped at the story's end. “They did not chop down the trees!” exclaimed Loren, as if for the group.
Their World
Authors: Starkey Mary Ann
Published: December 2020

Personalizing the mathematics program in the primary grades is recommended by the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 18): “At the K-4 level, one major purpose is helping children understand and interpret their world and solve problems that occur in it” (italics added).
Math by the Month: Shape Up!
Authors: Holly Karen
Published: December 2020

These activities are designed to appeal directly to students, giving them open-ended questions to engage their intellect through their interests. Students may work on the activities individually, in pairs, or in small groups. No answers are given for the questions.
Nominals: Numbers As Names
Authors: Shirley Lawrence
Published: December 2020

When students learn about numbers and their applications, they usually learn the distinction between cardinal and ordinal numbers but often miss hearing about nominal numbers.
Hole Math
Authors: Hanson Elizabeth
Published: December 2020

Students need concrete materials to manipulate in their study of mathematics. Teachers, therefore, need classroom sets of manipulatives that require limited storage space; are interesting to the students; require little time or energy to ensure that pieces are not lost, broken, or used in hazardous ways; and are flexible enough to be used in teaching many different mathematical concepts. School boards need to show concern for public money as they provide funding for such instructional materials.
Math by the Month: It Could Be!… Well, Maybe?
Authors: Olson Melfried , Easley Barbara
Published: December 2020

These activities are designed to speak directly to students, giving them open-ended questions to engage their intellect through their interests. Students may work on the activities individually, in pairs, or in small groups. No answers are given so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authority, thereby developing the confidence and critical-thinking skills necessary to validate their work.
Early Childhood Corner: Hidden Messages in Teacher Talk: Praise and Empowerment
Authors: Schwartz Sydney L.
Published: December 2020

Tressa had just completed assembling a geometric jigsaw puzzle with triangles, squares, and circles of different sizes and was sharing her accomplishment with her prekindergarten teacher. “Look, look. 1 finished.” The teacher smiled and commented enthusiastically. “Good job!”
Links to Literature: Going beyond Ten Black Dots
Authors: Weinberg Susan
Published: December 2020

I feal beg, beg, beg, beg. I feel gronup bekoes meath is gronup stof.” This comment was one second grader's reaction to studying mathematics through problem solving. (We have preserved the actual spelling used by these students throughout the article.—Ed.)
Research into Practice: Developing Spatial Sense through Area Measurement
Authors: Nitabach Elizabeth , Lehrer Richard
Published: December 2020

The original sense of geometry, “earth measure” suggests that measurement is an important way in which children can come to understand and develop a mathematics of space.
Reviewing and Viewing
Authors: Whitin David J.
Published: December 2020

Prices on software, books, and materials are subject to change. Consult the suppliers for the current prices. The comments reflect the reviewer's opinions and do not imply endorsement by the Notional Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Investigations: Picket Fences
Authors: Hopkins Martha H.
Published: December 2020

The “Investigations” department recognizes the importance of children's exploring hands-on and minds-on mathematics and, therefore, presents teachers with open-ended exploration to enhance mathematical instruction. These meaningful tasks are designed to evolve as they are conducted. They invoke problem solving and reasoning, require communication skills, and encourage identitication of connections among various mathematical concepts and principles. To ensure usability, the ideas presented in this column have been tested in various classroom settings.
Links to Literature: Pablo's Tree: Mathematics in a Different Light
Authors: Wickett Maryann
Published: December 2020

My third- and fourth-grade students began to look at mathematics in a different light after we read Pablo's Tree (Mora 1994). It is a story about a young Mexican boy named Pablo. Every year, in celebration of Pablo's birth-day, nis grandfather makes special decorations for the tree he planted the day Pablo was born.
A Teacher's Journal: Boy, Do I Have Problems!
Authors: Buschman Larry
Published: December 2020

The title of this article is based on a comment made by one of my second-grade students as she worked on a project. This student did go on to solve her “problems” and complete the project, and she took great pride and satisfaction in her accomplishment.
The Whole Town is Talking About it… “Math Month,” That is
Authors: Szemcsak Donna DeCasas , West Oliver J.
Published: December 2020

As most parents are aware, a nationwide concern exists about elementary mathematics instruction. We constantly hear that the United States lags behind other countries in standardized test scores.
Early Childhood Corner: What Does Algebraic Thinking look like and Sound like with Preprimary Children?
Authors: Curcio Frances R. , Schwartz Sydney L.
Published: December 2020

Over the past few decades, we have come to accept readily the idea that the beginnings of mathematical thinking and computation emerge well before children enter prekindergarten and kindergarten, and these understandings anti skills expand rapidly once children enter the action-based learning environment of an early-childhood classroom.
Portraits of Susie: Matching Curriculum, Instruction, Find Assessment
Authors: Parker Diane L. , Picard Anthony J.
Published: December 2020

Assessment can be thought of as an attempt to create a portrait of a student's learning. But portraits can vary according to what the artist chooses to focus on, and assessment portraits are no different in this respect. In this article, we examine two assessment portraits of one student and show how they relate to issues of curriculum and instruction.
Links to Literature: Students Use Their Bodies to Measure Animals
Authors: Hendrix-Martin Eunice
Published: December 2020

The biggest snake, the anaconda, can grow to be more than 25 feet long and to weigh 400 pounds. The smallest mammal, the Etruscan shrew, is little enough to sleep in a teaspoon. And the tiny flea can jump 130 times its own height.
Teach Time's News from the Net: NCTM Web Site: Cooperative Learning from PIGS in Cyberspace
Authors: Lazerick Beth
Published: December 2020

Take a look at our own NCTM Web site! In addition to information about the Council, you will find timely articles and recent news, which are updated frequently.
Research into Practice: Connecting Instructional Practice to Student Thinking
Authors: Campbell Patricia F.
Published: December 2020

Over the last fifteen years, much research has investigated children's learning of mathematics. This research indicates that when permitted, children frequently devise approaches to solve problems that are distinct from those typically used by adults.
Math by the Month: Mathematics and Literature—a Winning Combination
Authors: Jacobs Anne , Rak Sharon
Published: December 2020

The Math by the Month activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually, in pairs, or in small groups. No solutions are suggested or provided for activities so that students will look for the mathematical authority within themselves, thereby developing the confidence and critical-thinking skills necessary to validate their work.
Reviewing and Viewing
Authors: Clements Douglos H.
Published: December 2020

Prices on software, books, and materials are subject to change. Consult the suppliers for the current prices. The comments reflect the reviewers’ opinions and do not imply endorsement by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Research into practice: Finding the Number of Cubes in Rectangular Cube Buildings
Authors: Battista Michael , Clements Douglas H.
Published: December 2020

Elementary school students have considerable difficulty determining the number of cubes that are contained in three-dimensional rectangular buildings like the one shown in figure 1 (Battista and Clements 1996). The reasoning required to complete such tasks is important because it builds the cognitive frame-work for understanding the measurement of volume and the formulas for determining volume. This article describes typical student strategies for enumerating cubes in cube buildings and illustrates why these problems are so difficult for students. It also describes instructional tasks that can help students develop more powerful ways of thinking about such problems.
Parents, Board Games, and Mathematical Learning
Authors: Caldwell Marion Lee
Published: December 2020

Timothy went to half-day kindergarten while his big brother, Ian. attended first grade. Timothy and I had three hours together, and inevitably we would play Monopoly. Timothy loved the game: all the little pieces and properties; colored money; dice; and, I expect, beating me, his mother. When he entered first grade. Timothy could make change from a $100 or $500 bill; count by fives, tens, twenties, fifties, and hundreds; order bills by their value; and read dice at a glance. Timothy knew all his colors. He could read the word Go! and knew that “chance” cards are orange and “community chest” cards are yellow. He knew about something called “taxes” and that you could “get out of jail free” if you rolled doubles.
Games We Play: Connecting Mathematics and Culture in the Classroom
Authors: Barta James , Schaelling Diane
Published: December 2020

Throughout time, humans have invented games to play. Games can reflect many aspects of culture as the values, interests, and activities of the specific groups who played the games are studied. Anthropologists studying ancient peoples often discover that each group played games unique to its time, place, and environment. The rules for these games were invented and ritualized over time and typically modeled some aspect of reality, such as trading, hunting, warring, or strategic planning. The game materials were often found in the natural environments in which they were played.
Research into Practice: Discourse That Promotes Conceptual Understanding
Authors: Kazemi Elham
Published: December 2020

As mathematics teachers, we want students to understand mathematics, not just to recite facts and execute computational procedures. We also know that allowing students to explore and have fun with mathematics may not necessarily stimulate deep thinking and promote greater conceptual understanding. Tasks that are aligned with the NCTM's curriculum standards (NCTM 1989) and that are connected to students’ lives still may not challenge students to build more sophisticated understandings of mathematics. The actions of the teacher play a crucial role.
Using Questions to Help Children Build Mathematical Power
Authors: Rowan Thomas E. , Robles Josepha
Published: December 2020

This verbal exchange occurred in a fifth-grade classroom where the students were doing a simple warm-up activity in which they selected problems from a given set, solved them mentally, and shared their solution strategies. After listening to the strategies used by Tina, Dan, and Maria, their classmates looked to see if they could solve other problems in the same interesting ways. Asking children to share their strategies for solving problems is a simple but powerful learning tool for promoting understanding and flexibility in doing mathematics.
Weather Mathematics: Integrating Science and Mathematics
Authors: Chia David T.
Published: December 2020

Children sometimes complain about being in school when it snows. Some protest having indoor recess when it rains. Yet others object to having no outdoor activities when it is sunny and too hot. But these conditions can become good opportunities to integrate the nature of weather into a daily mathematics program.
Research into Practice: Building a Foundation for Understanding the Multiplication of Fractions
Authors: Mack Nancy K.
Published: December 2020

I was preparing to teach the multiplication of fractions to a class of fifth-grade students. My initial goal was to help the students understand situations involving taking a part of a part of a whole, such as eating two-thirds of three-fourths of a cookie or giving a friend one-half of one-half of a pizza. I also wanted my students to solve these problems in meaningful ways.
Research into Practice: Developing Algebraic Reasoning in the Elementary Grades
Authors: Cai Jinfa
Published: December 2020

Direct modeling with concrete objects can be a powerful problem-solving strategy for young children (Chambers 1996). However, as problem situations become more complex. the value of more powerful strategies becomes apparent. An algebraic approach in which students first describe the problem using an unknow n in an equation and then solve for the unknown (Lesh, Post, and Behr 1987) is one such strategy.
Math by the Month
Authors: Grant Jean Marie , Wolffe Robert J.
Published: December 2020

The “Math by the Month” activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually or in small groups. No solutions are suggested so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authority, thereby developing the confidence to validate their work.
Computation in the Elementary Curriculum: Shifting the Emphasis
Authors: Reys Barbara J. , Reys Robert E.
Published: December 2020

Elementary teachers receive conflicting messages about the value of various computa-tional techniques, mental and written, as well as about what strategies, invented and standard, should be introduced and developed at different levels within the elementary school curriculum. They receive advice and directives from educational specialists and national and state curriculum documents.
Learning Geometry: Some Insights Drawn from Teacher Writing
Authors: Schifter Deborah
Published: December 2020

One day, each of Jennifer Roth's second graders received an envelope containing twelve shapes—several different kinds of triangles and quadrilaterals—cut from construction paper. Roth gave her students the following instructions: “Take a look at these shapes, and try to find some ways to sort them into groups. Work alone for a few minutes, and then talk with your neighbor about what you've decided.” As the children set to work, some could not wait to begin talking about the shapes with their partners, but others silently emptied their envelopes and began moving their shapes around on the table. After a few minutes, Roth began to listen in on students' conversations, frequently pausing to ask questions.
Promising Research: The World's Largest Math Event: Promoting Mathematical Thinking
Authors: Brahier Daniel J. , Olson Melfried
Published: December 2020

The Great Sphinx in Egypt is about 73.2 m (240 ft.) long, including the paws, which are each 15.3 m (50 ft.) long. Would one of its paws fit in a typical classroom? Would it fit in the school hallway? If the 90 800 kg (200 000 lbs.) of copper sheeting that make up the Statue of Liberty were melted down into pennies, how many pennies could be produced? How high would the pennies stand if they were stacked on one another? In which city and state would you find the world's largest ball of twine? Where would you find the world's largest catsup bottle? Such questions were the focus of the World's Largest Math Event 4— Landmarks: Seeing the World by Numbers— in April 1998. All over the United States and throughout the world, tens of thousands of students, from kindergarten through college, participated in the event. With the emphasis that the NCTM's Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989) places on having students use real-world phenomena as a context for the study of mathematics, the World's Largest Math Event is a popular program.
Teaching and Learning Creatively: Using Children's Narratives
Authors: Lo Cicero Ana Maria , La Cruz Yolanda De , Fuson Karen C.
Published: December 2020

The Children's Math Worlds project seeks to integrate students' social, emotional, and cultural experiences into classroom mathematics. For seven years, we have been developing in classrooms a conceptually challenging researchbased mathematics curriculum called Children's Math Worlds (CMW) for kindergarten through grade 3. We build on the individual experiences, interests, and practical mathematics knowledge that diverse children bring to our classrooms. Our collaborative research project has been, and is being, carried out in urban schools of underrepresented minorities, mostly Latino English-speaking and Latino Spanish-speaking children, and in English-speaking upper-middle-class schools to ensure that our work crosses socioeconomic boundaries. The CMW family component was described in De La Cruz (1999). See that article for data concerning the excellent comparative performance of CMW children.
News from the Net: Math-Ed-Ology
Authors: Prejean Andrea
Published: December 2020

Check out all the “math-ed-ology” at mathedology.ed.asu.edu. At this site, developed and maintained by the Center for Technology Based Learning and Research at Arizona State University, you will find a collection of lessons in English and Spanish created by teachers from California and Arizona. The topics addressed range from number sense and patterning to multiplication and geometry.
Research, Reflection, Practice: Learning Mathematical Language in the Zone of Proximal Development
Authors: Steele Diana F.
Published: December 2020

The past decade has been a time for much discussion about the influence of social interaction on the development of mathematical understanding. The roots of this discussion can be traced back to the ideas of Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist who conducted research during the 1920s and 1930s. He was interested in how children conceptualize the meanings of words. He concluded that social interaction and communication are essential components in this conceptualization process. To show how children learn mathematical language, this article examines a classroom vignette and demonstrates how Vygotsky's ideas can be put in action in the mathematics classroom. The NCTM's Standards documents (1989, 1991) emphasize the importance of social interaction and communication in learning mathematics. Mathematics as communication is a common thread woven throughout all levels of these documents.
Links to Literature: An Old Tale with a New Turn-and Flip and Slide
Authors: Margerm Pat
Published: December 2020

In How to Use Children's Literature to Teach Mathematics, Welchman-Tischler (1997, 1–2) makes the following observation, “Some [children's books] are explicitly about mathematics, for example, counting books, books about shapes, and a variety of trade books that aim to teach specific mathematics concepts. Children can learn about mathematics directly from these books…. Other children's books involve mathematics in more subtle ways. They might not be called ‘math books’ by teachers or students, yet they suggest rich possibilities for extended mathematical investigations…. [A]lmost all stand on their own as good books….“
Geometry and Op Art
Authors: Brewer Evelyn
Published: December 2020

An activity in which students use computers and techniques of Op-art to learn various geometry concepts. Writing, speaking, and drawing skills are reinforced in creating slide shows related to the project.
A Teacher's Journal: Experimenting with Crazy Cars
Authors: Whitman Nancy C.
Published: December 2020

The activity described in this article will help students confirm the fact that the sum of the measures of the interior angles of a triangle is 180 degrees. The idea for the activity occurred to me when a student explained how she “proved” this fact to herself. She said, “The way a pencil points after it moves in all the inside angles is opposite from what it was at the start.” Her explanation is represented in figure 1. For such an explanation to be meaningful, students must understand that if an object is turned so that it faces in the opposite direction, it has rotated 180 degrees. Teachers must make sure that students have acquired this knowledge before the start of the activity. Teachers can help students make this discovery by having them rotate their pencils in known angle increments until the pencil points in the opposite direction. At the start of the activity, students should discuss what they know of “crazy cars,” or “bumper cars,” and the kinds of experiences that they have had with such cars at carnivals. You should ask students about the shape of the arena or track in which the cars are driven and discuss possible reasons that the track takes a particular shape. Emphasize that in addition to going forward and backward, the cars also rotate when they hit the sides of the track.
Integrating Measurement Projects: Sand Timers
Authors: Lemme Barbara
Published: December 2020

Children both enjoy and readily involve themselves in projectoriented activities. This article describes how students made their own sand timers. I have used this activity as a mathematics and science center in my second-grade classroom for four years. The results and discussions are never exactly the same, yet this project consistently renews my interest in giving students problem-oriented activities to help them integrate subjects. Whenever I announce a new project, my whole classroom comes alive. Students do love projects!
News from the Net: Reviews of books, software, and other instructional materials
Authors: Irvine Sarah
Published: December 2020

Thirsty? Then visit the Lemonade Stand at www.littlejason.com/lemonade. At this site, you will find the famous Web edition of the popular board game Lemonade Stand. Using the game, students learn about supply and demand, as well as how to manipulate production on the basis of geography, weather forecasts, advertising, and overhead, including such fixed costs as rent and the cost of ingredients. Students select a city and use their life savings of $5 to decide how much to advertise, how much lemonade to make, and how much to charge per glass. Once they have completed the form provided for these decisions, they receive instant feedback on how successful they were. Students have twenty-five days to make as much money as they can. The site also includes a high-score page and definitions of vocabulary used.
Mathematics in the Preschool
Authors: Clements Douglas
Published: December 2020

Anyone who is pushing arithmetic onto preschoolers is wrong. Do not hurry children. No math in preschool!” “What else is preschool for if teachers do not get children ready for school? They should teach the children basic skills and how to sit and listen.” Principles and Standards for School Mathematics identifies a new age band that includes preschoolers for the first time (NCTM 2000). What mathematics instruction is appropriate for these young children? The two speakers have different opinions. I think that each is a little bit right and a little bit wrong.
Problem Solvers: Coloring Tetras with Two Colors
Authors: Olson Melfried
Published: December 2020

The goal of the “Problem Solvers” department is to foster improved communication among teachers by posing one problem each month for K–6 teachers to try with their students. Pose the problem, reflect on your students' work, analyze the classroom dialogue, and share your analyses with others by submitting the resulting insights to this department. Every teacher can help us all better understand children's capabilities and thinking about mathematics with their contributions to the journal.
Exploring the Game of Julirde: A Mathematical-Educational Game Played by Fulbe Children in Cameroon
Authors: Gerdes Paulus
Published: December 2020

Mathematics develops dynamically. Each day, thousands of mathematical problems are solved and many more new problems are invented by people all over the world, from China to Brazil, from Australia to Canada, from Finland to South Africa. Mathematical activity is both a human and a cultural activity. Mathematical ideas and methods vary from culture to culture, and our understanding of what constitutes mathematics grows as these ideas and methods enhance one another.
Problem Solvers: Painting Tiles
Authors: Olson Melfried
Published: December 2020

The goal of the “Problem Solvers” department is to foster improved communication among teachers by presenting one problem each month for K–6 teacher to try with their students. Pose the problem to your students, reflect on their work, analyze the classroom dialogue, and share your analyses with others by submitting the resulting insights to this department. Every teacher can help other teachers better understand children's capabilities and thinking about mathematics with their contributions to the journal. Remember that even student misconceptions are interesting.
Fostering the Mathematical Power of Children with Behavioral Difficulties: The Case of Carter
Authors: Isenbarger Lynn , Baroody Arthur J.
Published: December 2020

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has called for instructional reforms that promote the mathematical power of all students (1989, 1991, 2000). Mathematical power involves (a) a positive disposition toward learning and using mathematics, including the confidence to tackle new and challenging problems; (b) understanding, including the ability to explain and justify the rationale for a procedure; and (c) inquiry skills, such as the ability to solve problems (Baroody with Coslick 1998). The term all students includes those “who have not been successful in school” (NCTM 1991, p. 4), including children with behavioral disorders (Thornton and Bley 1994). Are we being realistic to expect that the new Standards-based approach to mathematics instruction (NCTM 1989, 1991, 2000) will be successful with children who are in emotional turmoil, are angry, or are prone to acting out? Are such children capable of acquiring any real degree of mathematical power?
Capturing Students' Interests: A Quest to Discover Mathematics Potential
Authors: Kersaint Gladis , Chappell Michaele F.
Published: December 2020

Because Of Changing Demographics In The Student Population, Equity In Mathematics Education Has Received A Great Deal Of Attention (Secada, Fennema, And Adajian 1995). Several Researchers Have Reported Difficulties That Teachers Encounter When Teaching Mathematics To Students Who Have Cultural Or Community Experiences That Are Different From Their Own (Tate 1995; Leap 1988). Other Researchers, However, Have Highlighted The Efforts Of Teachers Who Have Effectively Taught Students Of Diverse Backgrounds (Ladson-Billings 1995; Silver, Smith, And Nelson 1995). These Researchers Describe Characteristics That Foster Teacher Effectiveness. The Success Of Many Teachers In This Endeavor Stems From The Ability To Relate To Their Students In Ways That Encourage Including The Students' Life Experiences In The Classroom.
Math By the Month: May 2001
Authors: Raleigh Jolyn , Rigdon Deanna , Goodman Shari
Published: December 2020

The “Math by the Month” activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually or in small groups. No solutions are suggested so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authority, thereby developing the confidence to validate their work.
Developing Mathematical Thinking Using Codes and Ciphers
Authors: Evered Lisa J. , Gningue Serigne
Published: December 2020

Television's Antiques Roadshow has led many Americans to seek hidden treasures at house sales and flea markets. For the teacher, a chance flea-market purchase can lead to exciting classroom activities. Our find, a 1935 Little Orphan Annie code book, opened the door to the exciting world of cryptography for urban students at School 45 in the Bronx, New York (see fig. 1).
Multiplying Fractions
Authors: Wu Zhijun
Published: December 2020

Multiplying fractions challenges students to examine many of the ideas that they have developed about multiplication from their work with whole numbers. The challenge is not one of computation, but rather is one of conceptualization.
Stories Invite Children to Solve Mathematical Problems
Authors: Ameis Jerry A.
Published: December 2020

One important recommendation of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 2000) is the need to involve students in problem solving. One way to understand the term problem solving is to examine two aspects of the process: (1) teachers' creating classroom cultures that facilitate learning through problem solving and (2) children's solving mathematical problems.
Problem Solvers: Responses to the Coloring Tetras with Two Colors Problem
Authors: Olson Melfried
Published: December 2020

The problem appearing in the January 2001 “Problem Solvers”
In My Opinion: Bumper Stickers
Authors: Callahan Robert
Published: December 2020

Technology rocks! Print that on a bumper sticker with a snazzy logo, and I'd gladly slap it on the rear end of my pickup truck. I admit to being gadget crazy and nearly emotionally dependent on my laptop. I confess that I love technology in and of itself. Still, I have some significant misgivings about our use of technology in elementary school classrooms.
Racing against Time: Using Technology to Explore Distance, Rate, and Time
Authors: Essex N. Kathryn , Lambdin Diana V. , McGraw Rebecca H.
Published: December 2020

According to Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, one of the four major ideas permeating the study of patterns and algebra throughout grades pre-K–12 is analyzing “change in various contexts” (NCTM 2000, p. 37). Our focus in this article is on how computer technology can provide simple and motivating contexts for children's investigations of patterns of change and, in the process, help develop foundational ideas of algebra and calculus. We also offer brief explanations for teachers about how various patterns of change relate to such fundamental algebraic notions as linear and nonlinear functions; these same ideas collectively form the basis for an understanding of derivatives and integrals in calculus.
Math By the Month: Growing and Then Sum
Authors: Cloke Gayle , Ewing Nola , Stevens Dory
Published: December 2020

The “Math by the Month” activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually or in small groups, or they may be used as problems of the week. No solutions are suggested so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authorities, thereby developing confidence to validate their work.
Math By the Month: Stars and Stripes
Authors: Shreero Betsy , Sullivan Cindy , Urbano Alicia
Published: December 2020

The “Math by the Month” activities are designed to appeal directly to students. Students may work on the activities individually or in small groups, or they may use them as problems of the week. No solutions are suggested so that students will look to themselves as the mathematical authority, thereby developing confidence to validate their work.
Links to Literature: Using Measuring Penny to Introduce the Unit
Authors: Scott Margaret M.
Published: December 2020

“Would you come to my class and read Measuring Penny for the introduction to our measurement unit?” asked Jill Metzger, a fifth-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary School in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Experiencing and Understanding Mathematics in the Midst of a Story
Authors: Jenner Donna M.
Published: December 2020

Are children's books only useful for introducing mathematical activities to children? Is literature merely another strategy for teaching children new concepts? This is the impression that I get when reading what some authors have written about integrating literature into the mathematics program or about using children's books during mathematics lessons (Ohanian 1989; Midkiff and Cramer 1993). These narrow perspectives on how children's books can be used do not reflect what I have experienced with my primary school students when we enjoy books together.
News from the Net: Math Baseball
Authors: Berggren Michelle , Moch Peggy
Published: December 2020

“Math Baseball,” at www.funbrain.com/math, is a free, Web-based mathematics game located within the pages of funbrain.com. The game can be played by one or two players. Players choose problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or a combination of all four operations. They also choose the degree of difficulty difficulty and whether to play the game in an “algebra” style, in which students provide a missing number in the equation rather than the answer.
Package Puzzle
Authors: Mann Robert
Published: December 2020

The goal of the “Problem Solvers” department is to foster improved communication among teachers by posing one problem each month for K–6 teachers to try with their students. Every teacher can become an author: pose the problem, reflect on your students' work, analyze the classroom dialogue, and submit the resulting insights to this department. Every teacher can help us all better understand children's capabilities and thinking about mathematics with their contributions to the journal. Remember that even student misconceptions are valuable.
Research, Reflection, Practice: Introducing Percents in Linear Measurement to Foster an Understanding of Rational-Number Operations
Authors: Moss Joan
Published: December 2020

How do we foster computational fluency with rational numbers when this topic is known to pose so many conceptual challenges for young students? How can we help students understand the operations of rational numbers when their grasp of the quantities involved in the rational-number system is often very limited? Traditional instruction in rational numbers focuses on rules and memorization. Teachers often give students instructions such as, “To add fractions, first find a common denominator, then add only the numerators” or “To add and subtract decimal numbers, line up the decimals, then do your calculations.”
Promoting Meaningful Mastery of Addition and Subtraction
Authors: Postlewait Kristian B. , Adams Michelle R. , Shih Jeffrey C.
Published: December 2020

The development of number sense and computational fluency should be an integral part of the mathematics curriculum. Because other areas of the curriculum such as data and measurement are closely related to and sometimes dependent on these skills, students must have a firm foundation in number. Teachers should provide activities and experiences that develop a conceptual understanding of number and operations, instead of focusing on the memorization of rules and procedures. Meaningful mathematical learning then can occur. When left to use strategies that are natural for them, children are wonderful problem solvers and are able to make sense of numbers in their world. This article focuses on the development of number sense in the primary grades using the ideas of Kathy Richardson (1999).
Time-Travel Days: Cross-Curricular Adventures in Mathematics
Authors: Percival Irene
Published: December 2020

A visitor to Carol Pettigrew's grade-three class in North Vancouver, Canada, might be forgiven for skepticism when told that a mathematics class is about to start. The children, most wearing sheets pinned around them like tunics, have their heads down on their desks. Music plays while the teacher's voice quickly leads them back through the highlights of two millennia of history. Finally the music stops and Pettigrew announces, “And here we are, in an Ancient Greek school.” Unlike other imaginary journeys that elementary students take, the main purpose of these “Time-Travel Days” is to learn about the mathematics and mathematicians of previous ages. The children revel in the experience.
Prisms and Pyramids: Constructing Three-Dimensional Models to Build Understanding
Authors: Koester Beverly A.
Published: December 2020

The Geometry Standard of NCTM's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000) describes the study of both two- and three-dimensional shapes. In the elementary grades, plane geometry often receives more emphasis than does three-dimensional geometry. In many classrooms, students actively explore two-dimensional shapes using a rich variety of materials, including tangrams, geoboards, and pattern blocks. Materials and lessons for exploring three-dimensional shapes are not as prevalent.
Investigations: Patterns at Your Fingertips
Authors: Brahier Daniel J.
Published: December 2020

This department recognizes the importance of children's exploring hands-on and minds-on mathematics and presents teachers with open-ended explorations to enhance mathematics instruction. These tasks invoke problem solving and reasoning, require communication skills, and connect various mathematical concepts and principles.
Patterns to develop algebraic reasoning
Authors: Stump Sheryl L.
Published: December 2020

Such classic problems as the Painted cube help teachers and students deepen their understanding and expand their algebraic thinking.
Contexts for column addition and subtraction
Authors: Fernández Jorge M. López , Estrella Aileen Velázquez
Published: December 2020

Everyday settings, like enjoying freshly baked cookies, can foster proficiency and enhance students' conceptual understanding.
A second grader's algebraic reasoning
Authors: Walkowiak Temple A.
Published: December 2020

A talkative second grader helps her teacher describe, extend, and generalize about growing patterns.
Flores tristes: la represión franquista en Galicia a través del cine documental
Authors: Gutiérrez Xosé Manuel Malheiro
Published: December 2020

La persecución política puede darse en un contexto de violencia producida por el conflicto armado entre países, o como terrorismo de estado en el ejercicio del poder, entre otras formas. La persecución política llevada a cabo en España por el régimen de Franco a partir del golpe de estado, el 18 de julio de 1936, significó la ruptura violenta de la legalidad constitucional y abrió, a partir de ese momento, un proceso de muertes, condenas, castigos administrativos y exilios que abarcó a toda la sociedad española. Por otro lado, el cine documental tiene un extraordinario interés didáctico que lo convierte en un atractivo recurso para su empleo en las aulas. En el caso de la Historia de la educación, ofrece enormes posibilidades para el estudio y comprensión de la memoria histórica relacionada con la represión en cualquiera de sus formas. El presente trabajo analiza el documental Flores tristes (Teo Manuel Abad, 2008) como un recurso interesante para explicar el proceso de represión política en Galicia (España) a partir del golpe de estado. Al mismo tiempo, se pone en relación con otros procesos de represión política en el contexto latinoamericano, para lo que se sugieren algunos ejemplos de cine documental que pueden utilizarse en dichos contextos. Para ello se ha revisado diversa bibliografía relacionada con el cine y el género documental; con la represión franquista en España y Galicia; y se ha analizado diverso material audiovisual de acceso online cuya relación aparece citada en el texto.
Josefina Molina y Función de noche (1981): la deconstrucción de la socialización femenina durante el Franquismo a través del cine
Authors: Guichot-Reina Virginia
Published: December 2020

La Transición española hacia la democracia (1975-1982), tras cuarenta años de dictadura bajo el mando del General Franco, fue un periodo muy complejo en el que la población española tuvo que aprender a vivir bajo nuevos parámetros y a dejar atrás hábitos y formas de relacionarse adquiridos bajo el régimen anterior nacional catolicista, fuertemente conservador. Junto al apoyo legislativo, fue necesario un compromiso de todos los agentes socializadores para construir una nueva España más libre y humana. Uno de ellos es el cine. Numerosos cineastas se adhirieron a este objetivo, y entre ellos destaca la figura de Josefina Molina, una de las pocas mujeres directoras, que anima a una reflexión sobre la perversa educación recibida por las mujeres bajo la etapa franquista a través de su filme Función de noche (1981). El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar un análisis del modelo de mujer característico del Franquismo que nos presenta esta película. Un modelo que posiblemente sea identificable en otras regiones del planeta puesto que es característico de las sociedades patriarcales. El núcleo central del artículo es el análisis de la estructura organizativa y del contenido del filme pero antes lo contextualizamos mediante un acercamiento a los roles clásicos adjudicados a hombres y mujeres a través de la socialización diferencial. Terminamos con unas reflexiones sobre las principales conclusiones de nuestro trabajo que buscan suscitar en el público lector una actitud crítica y de compromiso con la construcción de un mundo más equitativo y justo.
De la pantalla al aula: biopics de músicos y educación musical
Authors: Encabo Enrique
Published: December 2020

Son bastantes los films que a través de la fórmula del biopic (biographical motion picture) se aproximan a la vida y obra de compositores e intérpretes pertenecientes a la tradición clásica occidental. En este artículo revisamos algunas de sus características y proponemos su empleo en el aula, con el fin de pasar de su uso como simple elemento motivador a su aplicación para la mejora del aprendizaje y el desarrollo de la competencia cultural y artística. En lugar del visionado completo de estas cintas, recomendamos la selección de determinados fragmentos que conectan, además, con la estética del videoclip. El rigor histórico (más allá de los elementos ficcionales) con que directores como, entre otros, Gérard Corbiau, Jean-Louis Guillermou o Bernard Rose han tratado sus creaciones nos permite utilizar las mismas como herramientas interdisciplinares a través de las cuales nuestros alumnos (en el ámbito de la Educación Secundaria, pero igualmente extensible a otros niveles académicos) pueden comprender mejor los contextos de creación y recepción, ideologías, mercados y circuitos que acompañan/son la misma obra musical.
Jogos analógicos e digitais na escola: uma análise comparativa da atenção, interação social e diversão
Authors: Ramos Daniela Karine , Knaul Ana Paula , Rocha Aline
Published: December 2020

Os jogos são reconhecidos por seu potencial educativo e apresentam-se sob diferentes modalidades e formatos. Diante disso, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as diferenças decorrentes do uso de jogos analógicos e digitais no contexto escolar, enfatizando os comportamentos sociais manifestos durante a realização das atividades com diferentes tipos de jogos. Participaram da pesquisa 25 estudantes do terceiro ano dos Anos Iniciais de uma escola pública federal, com idades entre oito e nove anos. Foram realizadas quatro intervenções que foram observadas com base nos procedimentos da descrição narrativa e do registro da frequência por amostragem de tempo com o uso de dois jogos, sendo um deles o Material Dourado, na versão analógica, e o Blocos no formato digital; o outro jogo é o Tangram, também proposto em ambas versões, aplicados cada jogo e versão em momentos distintos. A partir dessa proposição, a análise pautou-se nas categorias da atenção, interação social e diversão presentes durante o uso do jogo com as crianças. Os resultados revelaram que se tem uma frequência maior de comportamentos que indicam diversão na interação com o jogo digital, havendo menor dispersão com essa versão. Já no jogo analógico, identificou-se maior interação entre as crianças na prestação de auxílio aos colegas e menor necessidade de mediação da professora. Com isso, conclui-se que o tipo de experiência e comportamentos manifestos na interação com os jogos não dependem apenas do formato, digital ou analógico, mas também das características do jogo e das possibilidades de interação no espaço.
Mamulengo e história de vida: entrecruzamentos que ensinam
Authors: Benatti Barbara Duarte , Brochado Izabela Costa
Published: December 2020

Este artigo é uma reflexão sobre o trabalho de campo que desenvolvemos durante o curso de Mestrado e Artes Cênicas na Universidade de Brasília (UnB) no ano de 2017. O assunto abordado na dissertação era sobre as novas gerações de brincantes de Mamulengo do gênero feminino da cidade de Glória do Goitá (PE). O Mamulengo é uma brincadeira de teatro de bonecos popular de Pernambuco e como tradição oral, é permanentemente ressignificado por seus produtores. A brincadeira permite a participação e o diálogo com o público. A relação é dinâmica, se realiza no fortalecimento da identidade das comunidades que por meio da brincadeira explicitam, expressam e denunciam valores, informam suas visões de mundo, seus desejos, experiências individuais e coletivas. O que apresentamos aqui é um recorte da história da mamulengueira Cida Lopes que, por meio da arte que expressa e das narrativas pessoais que conta, nos apresenta uma dimensão política sobre como são perpetuadas as relações de poder e violência na identidade da mulher nordestina negra.
Tânia e Graziela de Castro Saraiva: registros afetivos da história do teatro de bonecos no Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Costa Rossana Della
Published: December 2020

O presente texto trata do registro do trabalho das irmãs Tânia e Graziela De Castro Saraiva na estruturação da arte bonequeira no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. A partir da metodologia de história de vida, foram coletados depoimentos que corporificam as memórias, acontecimentos e afetos. A partir desse material, são apresentados os desdobramentos a partir das histórias de Tânia e Graziela, bem como os olhares de diferentes profissionais da área sobre as ações e criações das duas irmãs e o registro da Fundação da Associação Gaúcha de Teatro de Bonecos (AGTB).