What better way to interest students in mathematics than using a Super Bowl® commercial? A Prudential® insurance commercial aired during the Super Bowl in 2013 was the impetus for this lesson (see it here on You-Tube™: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=IsNiKGMSHUQ). In the commercial, four hundred people were polled on "How Old Is the Oldest…

A key characteristic of successful mathematics teachers is that they are able to provide varied activities that promote student learning and assessment. Web 2.0 applications can provide an assortment of tools to help produce creative activities. A Web 2.0 tool enables the student to enter data and create multimedia products using text, graphics,…

This article describes an activity that introduces the Lithuanian holiday tradition of decorating with straw ornaments in geometric shapes. By building a Lithuanian sunburst star with straws, students explore a number of geometric relationships and reinforce their mathematical vocabulary. It also provides an excellent foundation for a…

The mathematician Charles Dodgson delighted in creating mathematical puzzles for his friends and students. This article describes some items that he included in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and explores ways of helping students become aware of the mathematics in the book. (Contains 6 figures.)

This article describes four hands-on activities that can be used to develop probabilistic and statistical thinking in the middle grades. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)

This article describes a connection between literature and mathematics through a story-graphing project. (Contains 7 figures.)

This article illustrates how teachers can use the Harry Potter book series to teach linear modeling and probability to their students. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.)

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989) proposes using everyday objects, such as paper, to enable students to explore geometric relationships and vocabulary. Paper-folding and other types of hands-on activities have been found to increase students' ability to communicate mathematically and foster their understanding of mathematical…

The story of John Henry provided the setting for sixth-grade class to participate in a John Henry Day of mathematics experiments. The students collected data from experiments where students competed against machines and technology. The student analyzed the data by comparing two box plots, a box plot of human data, and a box plot of machine or…

This article describes a project done in middle school mathematics classes that addresses the learners' diversity and acknowledges their heritage, multiple abilities, and learning styles. The project, with the use of cultural artifacts and creative stories, enables one to teach and assess mathematics in an imaginative and creative way that both…