The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) continues to emphasize the importance of early statistical learning; data analysis and probability was the Council's professional development "Focus of the Year" for 2007-2008. Such a focus is needed, especially given the results of the statistics items from the 2003 NAEP. As…

Quilt investigations, such as the Barn quilt problem in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of "Teaching Children Mathematics" and its solutions in last month's issue, can spark interdisciplinary pursuits for teachers and exciting connections for the full range of elementary school students. This month, North Dakota's centennial quilt…

How can a teacher use the practice of reflection to create rich mathematical learning environments that are engaging to students? In such environments, one can hear and see a seamless integration of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, making mathematical Connections, and Representation (the NCTM Process Standards) through Number…

A simple circuit is created by the continuous flow of electricity through conductors (copper wires) from a source of electrical energy (batteries). "Completing a circuit" means that electricity flows from the energy source through the circuit and, in the case described in this month's problem, causes the light bulb tolight up. The presence of…

Rigor is an important concept both in and out of school. To many teachers and teacher educators, rigor includes using national and state standards to inform curriculum; using best practices to guide instruction; testing and evaluating students to assess learning; and maintaining fidelity to academic disciplines. In this article, the authors…

Connecting stories to qualitative coordinate graphs has been suggested as an effective instructional strategy. Even students who are able to "create" bar graphs may struggle to correctly "interpret" them. Giving children opportunities to work with qualitative graphs can help them develop the skills to interpret, describe, and compare information…

This article, which describes integrating virtual manipulatives with the teaching of probability at the elementary level, puts a "virtual spin" on the teaching of probability to provide more opportunities for students to experience successful learning. The traditional use of concrete manipulatives is enhanced with virtual coins and spinners from…

A whimsical mathematics event for children and adults, derived from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was held at the Providence Children's Museum in Rhode Island. NCTM's Standards were the basis of all the activities. (Contains 10 figures and 1 table.)

Describes how three experiments suitable for upper-elementary students can be used to foster classroom discourse in which students begin to explore probability. (KHR)

This article describes surprising misconceptions revealed by a fifth-grade student during a series of interviews about probability.

Describes how multicultural children's literature was used to launch a series of lessons to help children gain insights into a wide range of mathematics concepts and cultures. (ASK)